Flight Simulation

Multiplayer Flying - Air Traffic Control

The OTHER reason I’ve been quiet here lately is that I’ve taken the plunge into becoming a virtual air traffic controller! (This is actually the fulfillment of a childhood dream – I’ve always thought it would be beyond awesome to be the cool, precise voice on the radio helping to guide pilots to and from their destinations.) One reason I chose the BVATCC as my home region is that their ATC training program is considered the best in VATUSA – because it’s modeled on the FAA’s own training (simplified somewhat and modified as required for the simulator environment, of course). To become rated and certified for all the available positions (clearance delivery/ground, tower, approach/departure, and center) at Class B, C, & D airports takes 18-24 months, on average!

I’m at the very beginning of the process – I’m currently rated as an observer (meaning I don’t actually have a rating :laughing:), and I’ve passed the 3 exams required to start training for the clearance delivery/ground position at Class C + D airports. As soon as I’m assigned a mentor/instructor, I’ll start training in a simulated environment called “the Sweatbox” :flushed: – only after I earn my Class C + D ground certification and S1 (student 1) rating will I be allowed to train on the live network.

If, like me, you’ve been fascinated by air traffic controllers are doing up there in the tower cabs, here’s a look at what the virtual radar scope for the ground controller at Boston Logan Airport looks like:

The display is VERY similar to the real thing, and communications work very much the same as well. It’s hard for me to believe that all this is not only possible but is in use all over the world – without a single real aircraft or radio involved!

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Hey should I get the Microsoft flight simulator now or wait for them to release the 2020 version?

If you’re interested in getting started, I don’t think it would hurt to get FSX now – as long as you realize that it was last updated 13+ years ago :wink: and that literally nothing you add to it (software-wise) is going to work with FS 2020 whenever that comes out. (And I wouldn’t expect FS 2020 before the fall, tbh.)

FSX has a HUGE community, and despite the fact that it’s really old, you can make it look pretty great with add-ons. The main issues with FSX have to do with its flight models, which are less realistic than those in Prepar3D or X-Plane. I would venture to say that wouldn’t matter much to most people, who are mainly looking to enjoy the fun of flying rather than trying to reproduce the actual experience down to the last detail. FSX is compatible with both VATSIM and PilotEdge, too!

Last but not least, no one knows what FS 2020 is going to require hardware-wise – I’d be betting on some hefty system requirements, particularly on the GPU front. So if your computer doesn’t have already have a high-end video card, FSX might be a good way to test the waters. Then later, when you get addicted like me, you can spend all your extra cash on upgrading your hardware for FS 2020 … :money_with_wings:

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Thanks for the advice! I feel sorry for your wallet when FS 2020 drops :cold_face:

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Instrument Flying

Since I’ve started working on my instrument rating in the real world, I thought I would practice by making an instrument flight and flying an approach in X-Plane. Here I’m about to taxi from the parking area to the runway at John Tune (KJWN) in the DA62:

Here’s what conditions were like along my route which was direct to McKellar-Sipes Regional (KMKL):

Foreflight has the really neat ability to show the approach plate (which is essentially an explanation and diagram of the instrument approach procedure for a particular runway) overlaid on the map view. Here’s the plate for the RNAV/GPS approach for Runway 20 at KMKL overlaid on the map. The little airplane has turned to fly direct to the initial approach “fix” (point), which is the start of the procedure:


Once turned inbound toward the runway, I activated the autopilot’s approach mode and watched my altitude carefully. If I wasn’t able to see the runway by the “Decision Altitude,” I’d have to execute the “Missed Approach Procedure” – which is designed to allow an aircraft to climb back up to a safe altitude without hitting things like buildings or terrain. Fortunately, I broke out of the clouds at about 700’ above and just under 2 miles from the runway:

From there, I disconnected the autopilot and made a normal, visual landing!

Instrument flying is a little like magic …

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Very nice pictures you’ve got in this thread. I love the Flight Sim screenshots

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My planned real-world flight got cancelled today (thunderstorms in the area), so I decided to mess around with X-Plane and practice some IFR procedures. I decided to try the new airplane I bought yesterday: a Panthera by Pipistrel – this aircraft is still in development, and the X-Plane version is based on one of the currently-flying prototypes. It’s an AMAZING aircraft, and though the process has been long, the manufacturer is aiming for European certification soon, with FAA certification after that.

:arrow_up: This was takeoff attempt #1 – it’s a cool picture, but a few seconds later I would have created a smoking hole in the ground, because I had absolutely no pitch or roll control. It turned out that in creating a new control profile for the Panthera, X-Plane decided that my SpaceMouse should have primary control over the elevator and ailerons :face_with_raised_eyebrow: Once I got that sorted, it was back to the runway to try again …


:arrow_up: Takeoff #2 was much better :laughing: – as you can see, the Panthera is a GORGEOUS aircraft. Here, I’m just about to cross the Cumberland River, which bends around the airport, at about 600’ above ground level. The clouds are right above me, so the weather is perfect for IFR practice!

:arrow_up: Here’s a look at the Panthera’s instrument panel. There are two big displays (the Primary Flight Display and the Multi Function Display), which are pretty standard in any modern aircraft, but in between the PFD and the MFD are two Garmin touchscreen displays – this is the first time I’ve ever tried using a touchscreen in an aircraft, and all I can say is … wow! It makes navigating the interface so easy!

BTW, for those wondering, once they’re available, you should be able to get your hands on a real Panthera for around $500K US. Or, you can get one for $27 US (currently on sale) at the X-Plane.org store. :wink:

Virtual Airlines

It may not come as a surprise that in the world of flight simming, there exist virtual airlines (VAs) modeled on their real world counterparts. These range from huge organizations that mimic real world operations very closely to smaller groups that have joined together for fun – but all of them exist in order to create a reason for people to fly in their sims.

Delta Virtual Airlines is an example of the former sort of VA – they’re even officially licensed to use the Delta Airlines name and graphics! They have almost 2000 pilots in their organization, and they fly routes all over the world 24/7!

As exciting as it would be to be a part of something like that, I was looking for a more relaxed experience and a much smaller VA – and particularly one which allowed me to fly the smaller general aviation aircraft that I’m comfortable in rather than being forced to attempt to learn to fly some huge business jet or airliner. After a bit of searching, I came across Mirage Executive Charters, a VA specializing in shorter routes and which allows their pilots to create their own charter flights. So … I joined!

I flew my first charter this morning: a flight between Nashville and Blountville, TN in the DA62. I decided that the purpose of the flight was to take a doctor and her two children back home to the Tri Cities, as their flight from Nashville had been cancelled due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Here I am, departing KJWN with Nashville International Airport in the background:

When you fly for a VA, you are able to advance as a pilot based on how long you’ve been with the organization, your hours flown, etc. So there needs to be a way to record your time and performance, and of course, it needs to be hack-proof to prevent people from cheating. In nearly all VAs, you run a piece of software that mimics the real world ACARS system (which allows aircraft to transmit short messages to places like dispatch centers). In the sim world, the ACARS software records relevant events during your flight and then packages them up when you land so you can submit them to your VA for credit. Here’s what a typical ACARS “PIREP” (Pilot Report) looks like:

smartCARS version 2.1.34.0, 2020/3/26 UTC
[11:37:26] Preflight started, flying offline
[11:37:26] Flying Diamond DA62 N415EJ - WIP
[11:39:18] Engine 1 is on
[11:39:24] Engine 2 is on
[11:44:23] Pushing back with 465 lb of fuel
[11:47:27] Flaps set to position 4
[11:49:18] Taxiing to runway
[11:53:58] Taking off
[11:54:14] Climbing, pitch: 3, roll: 1 degrees left, 91 kts
[11:54:16] Gear lever raised at 39 ft at 96 kts
[11:54:51] Flaps set to position 0 at 703 ft at 90 kts
[12:05:54] Cruising at 9000ft, pitch: 4, 157 kts
[12:56:39] Descending
[12:58:10] Approaching
[13:13:35] Final approach, 118 kts
[13:15:36] Flaps set to position 4 at 1674 ft at 111 kts
[13:16:29] Gear lever lowered at 849 ft at 114 kts
[13:16:48] Flaps set to position 8 at 665 ft at 108 kts
[13:17:49] Touched down at -182 fpm, gear lever: down, pitch: 0, roll: level, 75 kts
[13:18:11] Landed in 2172 ft, fuel: 338 lb, weight: 4713 lb
[13:18:11] Taxiing to gate
[13:19:01] Flaps set to position 4
[13:19:03] Flaps set to position 0
[13:20:30] The flight may now be ended
[13:20:30] Arrived, flight duration: 01:23
[13:22:02] Engine 1 is off
[13:22:03] Engine 2 is off

So, after 1:23 of flight time, I earned $4491.00 in revenue for the airline and $138.33 in salary :partying_face: Only 23.5 more hours and I’ll get promoted from “new hire” to “pilot” :man_pilot:

Did some flying today in this :arrow_up: gorgeous aircraft: an Epic E1000. Obviously, it’s a LOT larger than either of the two airplanes I’ve been flying, and you may also notice that the nose of the aircraft is also quite prominent. That’s because the Epic is a turboprop – meaning that its propeller is driven by a turbine engine (like a jet) rather than a piston engine (like a car). Turbine engines produce enormous amounts of power and are more fuel efficient than piston engines when operating at high power. That makes them an excellent choice for aircraft that are designed to carry heavy loads at high speeds.

:arrow_up: Here’s a look at the instrument panel – it’s absolutely gorgeous and above all, easy to use.



:arrow_up: These are from my first flight in the Epic: I made the 230 mile trip from Nashville to East Tennessee in about 45 minutes.


:arrow_up: These are from the return trip this evening … in the top image, I’m nearing the initial approach fix to begin the approach to John Tune Airport, and in the bottom image, I’ve just started the turn toward the final approach course.

Just learned I’ve been granted access to the FS2020 alpha test program! Sadly, because of an airtight NDA, I can’t post anything about it publicly, so it’ll have to suffice to say I’m pretty excited!!! :partying_face:

In my Real World Flying thread, I’ve mentioned that I’m working on my instrument rating, which will allow me to fly in instrument meteorologic conditions (IMC) – i.e., without visual references, using only the instruments in the airplane to fly and to navigate. Most “instrument flying” actually takes place in visual conditions – when you can look out the window and see the ground or at least the horizon. However, sometimes you’re really “in the soup” where you can see nothing at all outside the airplane. I’ve been practicing a lot of instrument flying in X-Plane lately, and this morning, I had a flight that was in IMC most of the way. Here’s an example view from the cockpit:

So, how do pilots get on the ground safely in these conditions? Here’s a look at the instrument approach to runway 20 at Centerville Municipal Airport (KGHM) in Tennessee:

My flight path in this case started from the right (east) side of the approach. The initial approach fix (ZAVOS) is where the procedure starts. Although the large red arrow makes it look like I was entering at a right angle to the final approach course, in reality, I was coming in from the southeast and so would have had to make a greater-than-90-degree left turn to the final approach course. So instead, I flew the route shown by the small red arrows. (That is called a “course reversal” for obvious reasons. It’s actually the same as a holding pattern, but you don’t hold, you just proceed inbound once you’ve turned around.)

The next important point on the approach is WOXUS (who names these?), which is the Final Approach Fix – this is where you make your final descent to the runway. The diagram at the bottom right of the approach plate shows the number 2500 with a line under it next to WOXUS: that means that you must cross that fix at or above 2500’ MSL – which is only about 1800’ above ground level!

As I started descending, this is what I saw out the window:

Even though I’m only flying the simulator, it’s getting a little hairy at this point: I see hills and trees, but there’s no sign of the runway ahead of me. Now what? There are two important numbers in the table at the bottom of the approach chart, in the box next to “LP MDA”: 1160-1. This means that I can descend to an indicated altitude of 1160’ without being able to see the runway. However, I can’t descend any further unless I have at least 1 statute mile visibility and some part of the runway environment in sight. If I reach the end of the runway without meeting those conditions, I need to execute the missed approach procedure.

Fortunately, on this approach, I broke out of the clouds just above minimums – can you find the runway in the image below? (Click on the gallery arrows to see if you’re right.)


From there, I made a normal visual landing. Easy! :woozy_face:

Btw, I decided to replay the flight and look at the end of my approach from the point of view of the runway, just to see how low “minimums” really are:


That’s LOW! (400’ above ground level!) :flushed: Once again, if you can’t see my airplane, click the gallery arrow.

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I haven’t posted to this thread for a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t continued my simulated flying! As I get closer to finishing my instrument training (and with my instrument checkride looming on the horizon), I’m becoming more anxious to practice the procedures I’ll need to know and complete competently to satisfy a pilot examiner.

As you can see from the thread above, X-Plane provides a terrific tool for practice, but every plane is different with regard to avionics, and Cirrus in particular has quite a few unique features that up till now have been missing from X-Plane.

Enter the TorqueSim SR22! Released just last week, this airplane is the best emulation of the SR22 available for home flight simulators. It’s truly remarkable, with the Cirrus version of the Garmin G1000 (called “Cirrus Perspective”) implemented faithfully by the programmers at TorqueSim! (It even has synthetic vision!!!) Not only that, but the aircraft is gorgeous:


I’m very impressed with how faithful the model is to the real thing – it flies very much like the airplanes I fly regularly. (However, ground handling is another story – they are working on that, though.)

I also decided to add some new hardware to my home sim setup: the Cirrus Perspective system includes a few controls in the center console that make it easier to manage data entry, manipulate the autopilot, and control the audio panel. The G1000 that I bought last winter uses a different control scheme, which makes it hard to develop “muscle memory” that would help in flying the real Cirrus. Sooooo … last week I ordered some hardware that replicates those items in the Cirrus center console, and it arrived yesterday – so naturally, I had to assemble and install it right away:


It works perfectly with the SR22 model, and I can already see that the combination is going to allow me to get more proficient with the Cirrus avionics much more quickly.

Also … my desk is getting quite crowded!

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ICYMI, the new MS Flight Simulator was released yesterday! More info (and purchase link) here:

I was in the alpha and closed beta, and I have to say, it’s visually SPECTACULAR. I didn’t fly it as much as I expected, though, because almost none of my hardware was supported in the pre-release stages of development. Numerous small third-party developers were shocked by the unexpectedly early release and haven’t yet finished implementing support for MSFS 2020 in their products.




Made my first trip in the SR22 this afternoon: I flew from Nashville to the northeast corner of Tennessee, to the airport where I took my private pilot checkride. I broke my own rule, though, and paused the simulator for a few minutes when the pizza I’d ordered for dinner arrived unexpectedly early :pizza: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:


I don’t know if anyone still visits this site, and if so, sorry for resurrecting a very old thread, but because there was interest when I first posted about my flight simulation activities, I thought I’d share a bit of info about what I’m up to.

About a year and half ago, I upgraded the monitor on my gaming PC, but the new monitor made it impossible to use my flight sim panel hardware on that computer: the new monitor was much taller, and the G1000 panel hid the lower part of the monitor. If I raised the monitor, then the top was too hard to see, so I disconnected the flight sim hardware “temporarily.”

Flash forward a year and more, and I still hadn’t done anything with the simulator – in fact, I’d pretty much stopped any flying-related activities altogether due to work and life stresses. However, a few weeks ago, I decided I needed to re-prioritize things, and I set about completing my long-planned flight sim upgrade.

I bought a cockpit frame from RealSimGear (who make amazing hardware for flight simulation!), and I purchased the components for a real beast of a PC solely to run flight sim software. Once the frame was assembled, I got to work on arranging all of my hardware on it – and I added a very significant upgrade in the replica Cirrus throttle you can see to the right of the seat. Because it’s from the same company, the Perspective hardware I already owned bolted right to the top of it, giving me what is very close to what you’d find if you sat in the left seat of a Cirrus SR22!

I’ve got X-Plane 11.5 running just fine, and I’m now setting up all the scenery, aircraft, and controls. I have a couple of tasks remaining, the main one being to construct a mount for the sound bar I’m going to use for audio, but I’m as pleased as can be!

I’ll post pictures of the PC and of the back of the hardware so you can see how everything is connected.

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Here’s the PC I built for the flight simulator. I’m a fan of ASUS hardware, so I went with mostly ASUS components for this machine:

It’s hard to express how much I love how this build turned out: it’s absolutely beautiful and nearly silent. I highly recommend every single component listed above.

Here’s the instrument “panel” from the back, showing the connections between displays, switch panels, and other items like the Stream Deck XL and the aviation headset audio interface at far left. All of these things communicate via USB, so the USB 3 hub in the left foreground consolidates all those connections into a single USB 3 cable that runs to the PC. The two displays for the G1000 are connected via HDMI to the PC’s video card.

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Do you stream or a YT channel where we can see the whole setup?

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Not yet – I still have a couple of things to finish before it’s really ready for prime time! I now have the joystick mounted to the left of the instrument panel, much like the side stick in the real Cirrus. (It’s attached via a RAM mount with a VESA adapter and a 3D printed adapter. The view on the monitor is now controlled by a StreamDeck Mini mounted below and between the two G1000 displays. The iPad I use to run ForeFlight while flying is now on an arm to the right of the instrument panel. I plan to mount the PC keyboard and mouse to the wall using an Ergotron adjustable arm.

I’ll post some more photos soon!

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