Ken Q

I haven't found one either. O did find a reference to improvements made to some aircraft, including my Mooney M20M, but nothing else.

While scattered around the world, the Forum members are friends, and I want to treat friends with kindness and respect. Also like to share information and good laugh. Ken

I don't know about Rodger's, but mine could, if you imagine them. Ken

Gee, Rodge, kind of sounds like my first simulator. A couple of chairs, a couple of 2X4s, a few cardboard boxes and pieces of cardboard. Add to that Erector Set parts and a motor, and VIOLA, a flight simulator! It had all the planes, and scenery you could imagine! (But you had to imagine it). There was no computer to worry about, it hadn't been invented yet. Bugs could be fixed the same way the SIM was built. Not quite free, but cost was minimal, and was subsidized by Grandpa anyway. Ken

Also, does it fix the mess at Bulkhead City KIFP?

It does look nice, Josh. Congrats on the win! I'd like to mention (again) that I have some Saitek gear that I'm happy to give away; all I ask is for the postage. PM me. Ken

The rumor mill is in full swing. We'll have to wait and see what really comes out.

OK, maybe a strange analogy, but you see my point?! But, on a hopeful note. I just saw an interview of Orbx CEO Anna, where she held out hope that if the new P3D 6 attracts enough business we might see some third party development for it. I hope so. Ken

A story about the 18th/19th century hat business serves as a sort of parable here. At this time the best hats were made of felt made of beaver fur. However beaver was very expensive, so hatters made hats of "imitation beaver" which was actually muskrat. Now this was a time before the railroads, so the best way of moving bulk goods was by canal boat. This made the muskrats extremely happy; these really, really nice humans are building all of these artificial rivers just so the muskrat has a wonderful place to live! But the canal operators did not see it that way, because the muskrats did a lot of damage burrowing under the berms and tow paths. So the canal operators offered a bounty. On the Erie Canal in 1830 it was $1.00, actually quite a bit of money then. To collect the $1.00 all the trapper had to do was go to the canal office with the muskrat's tail. The trapper still had the rest of the muskrat which he could sell to a felt maker for $0.25. So the same muskrat got "sold" twice. Microsoft was the trapper, and Flight Simulator the muskrat that was sold twice. Unfortunately that resulted in a EULA which left out the casual "gamer," which hurt Lockheed's sales, especially after MSFS came along. Of course the other purchaser of the muskrat was Dovetail, which after much hype about "personal" flight simulator, dropped the ball. Now it would seem that Lockheed can and will change the EULA allowing recreational use of the new P3D. As a great fan of P3D I can only hope that the new EULA is not too little, too late to boost sales, and consequently lure some developers to create new add ons for it. By the way, with my simulator cockpit and the way I use the sim, I've always felt that I qualified for the P3D EULA's allowed use for "simulation." This is, in the context, a vague distinction. Ken (the Hatter)

Neat! Thanks! I had a similar issue with my Mom. Our spare bedroom is rather odd, somewhat long. There is a small window, rather low, at the end, another, rather high, on the side. Short of standing on a ladder, or on a rooftop with a telescope, there is no way anyone from the front of the house could see anything except the ceiling. The side window was about the same. But still my Mom went crazy because we never bothered to put full blinds and curtains on these windows. I cherish privacy, but let's get real! Ken

Thank you, my friends, for your kind wishes. Overall a pleasant quiet day. Had wanted to fly in the sim, but didn't quite work out. I want my wife to join me for a short jaunt from Medford, OR (KMFR) to Crater Lake and return. It's impressive in Orbx scenery. Try tomorrow. Later this evening, a nice dinner: soup, shrimp cocktail fixed by my wife. Then we order in Chicken Franchise with the fixings. A nice bottle of wine, and cheese and crackers for desert (I'm not much on cake). Thanks so much again! Ken

I get that at Halloween! Every year the Museum Village has a Halloween program that is designed for younger kids and their families. Some history, some campiness, but nothing too scary. We have a find the monster scavenger hunt, trick or treat, "Sleepy Hollow," and "the Hatter has a strange visitor." This skit has a very irate female customer calling on me, complaining, very loudly, that the hat I sold her for her husband doesn't fit. I explain, quite patiently, that if only her husband would come to the shop, I could fit a hat perfectly. After screaming excuses why he will not, I counter "I cannot fit a hat without the customer's head!" After an appropriate expletive, she stomps off, and returns shortly with a bucket. Of course, in the bucket is her husband's severed head, a typical Halloween prop. Much fun, loved by all. Ken

Great flick, John. Really great shots of aircraft now only seen in museums. Brings back memories; as a little kid I flew from New York to Omaha, Nebraska, and Chicago to visit my grandfather, and the planes were the DC3 and DC6. I of course recognize the Connie, DC3,4 & 6. Is that flying boat a Sutherland? The others I don't know. Thanks for sharing this! Ken

I think you're right, Bullfox, but since I just installed it, I've not really had the chance to really put it to the test. Ken

My Amazon "Fire" tablets download PDF files just fine, and they go into a "Download" Kindle folder. I don't use it for that in the Sim, though. Like Wayne, I use mine extensively for Navigraph Charts. I also use it for VFRMaps, SkyVector and PilotEdge, both to file my flight plan, and to see the PE map showing where other PE traffic is. I use a 7" for general use, including writing this post. I have a new 8" tablet that is just for flight sim, and lives attached to my yoke by the Rex Mount. I have no knowledge of Samsung or other brands of these devices. The inexpensive "Fire" tablets do what I want. I have three (two active at the moment) and my wife has one. They use the Android protocol. If you have Saitek/Logitech FIPs there is a checklist available at WWW.fipgauges.com. It's pretty generic, but easily edited. Gauges from this site do require SPADnext, though. Ken

I basically agree. But although I am working my way through the PilotEdge "I Ratings," I prefer VFR conditions. I like to enjoy the Orbx scenery. I do fly IFR on occasion, but often I just wait it out. Ken

Granted, P3D, all versions combined, came in third in the Navigraph survey. But it was a pretty close third, and that still represents a large number of users. I fear part of the problem is that it was broken down by version, and that makes the bar graph look pretty pathetic if one looks at the versions separately. I find this very disappointing. My greatest disappointment, though, has to do with PilotEdge. One of my favorite events is "SimVenture" a simulation event copying the Fisk Arrival into Oshkosh for AirVenture. This year the initial announcement included P3D, along with X-Plane and MSFS. But last week P3D was deleted. This is a great event, and I had been planning on taking a couple of vacation days to participate. I guess I'm saving my vacation this year. I looked at both MSFS and X-Plane, and good as they might be they don't suit me. Also I have spent a lot of money on building my SIM, and just too much would have to be replaced, if I can get a replacement at all. Ken

I just found the video that John Dow did of a flight in your sim. Most impressive, and very inspirational. I looked up "view groups." Mystifying, but also useful. Thanks for the clue. Now I have to figure out how to apply it. Ken

This is great, Aussie! Very much along the lines of what I have as my goal, but larger since you have the B738 and I the little Mooney M20M. P3D's "view groups" is new to me. I'd like to know more about your setup, as it represents my next step. Ken

Continuity. I started building an immersive cockpit in April, 2018 for FSX. I've since upgraded to P3D v5, and just completed my fourth iteration of my cockpit (pictures here in Tuesday's post "Promised Pictures"). The fact that, as W2DR remarks, that "everything works" is essential to such a project. Assigning functions to dozens of controls, gauges and switches is straight forward, albeit tedious. FSUIPC, SPADnext and the native P3D control assignments work very much the same way in P3D as in FSX. That said, I also love what Orbx and a couple of other developers have done for both of these sims. True Earth is wonderful! Wish they would do more of these regions for P3D. (For some pics of my earlier attempts, see Tom Tsui's website: FSXTimes.wordpress.com/DIY Cockpits. Scroll down for "Ken (KFRG, USA))." There should be three posts. These are of the first two. There are pictures of the third, and now the new one on this forum, Tuesday and the April 28 TWMT. Ken

Thanks Rodge, I took a different approach this time, and used Masonite rather than plywood. A bit easier to work, and a much better finish. I bought a new circular saw, 4", rather than using a jig saw and a 7" circular saw. Much better precision cuts. But I have to do this all in the garage. Thus, weather defeats me; my knees won't stand a chill. So there were many days I couldn't work, or could only work for a short time on this project during the spring. Wife got rather impatient because the car was out in the driveway ( I know, we're weird, we actually keep our cars in the garage!). Then, after flying the Comanche which is equipped with the GNS 430, I decided I wanted one, and while building the new panel was the time to get it. But it was out of stock at RealSimGear. Ended up getting it from Ebay. But finally got it all together, and it all works well together, so I'm very happy. Note to all who might like to transition to a more realistic and immersive Flight Sim, I have a lot of Saitek gear that is serviceable. I'll be happy to send it to (US) simmers free, for the cost of shipping. PM me. Ken

My apologies, I got the date of the original post wrong. It was April 28. Sorry. Ken.

Hi All, The promised photos are posted in this Forum under the title "Promised Pictures.". Posted June 13. Ken

Not all pictures would fit. Here are three moreuld fit. I'll ty adding a couple more.

Well, it's finally finished. I installed my new cockpit panel last week, and have been spending a week testing and trouble shooting. Yesterday and today did the first two flights: KPSP-KWJF, then KWJF-KBFL. everything is working beautifully, thought I am still learning how to best intergrate the new Garmin GNS 430. So here are some pictures as promised. Since, after trying several other aircraft, I keep coming back to the Mooney M20M (Bravo), I decided to build this panel to copy as close as possible this particular plane. But since this A/C is over 30 years old, almost all have been modified and updated, and none are exactly alike. For a pic of the plane I based my panel on, go back to the May 3 TWMT. Some notes: On the left I made a new light switch panel. First try didn't work, bought new switches and this one works beautifully. Six pack and engine gauges are Saitek (now Logitech FIPs. The gauge software is by Tom Tsui, FSX Times.com Unfortunately Tom is no longer doing FIPs for P3D. These gauges are recessed into the panel to be almost flust. Below the six pack is the Saitek BIP. I wish someone would make an annunciator panel for the Mooney. Below the Engine Gauges is an FIP displaying the G5. Since in real aircraft this is an add-on, it is surface mounted. At the bottom left is the Desktop Aviator Cessna Switch Panel. This is labeled for Alternator, Battery Fuel pump, various lights, Pitot Heat and Avionics. I moved the lights to their own panel and programed these for Fuel Pump, Pitot Heat, De-Ice, Standby Vac, and Alt Air. Right Panel picture picks up at the centerline. High on the centerline is the Landing Gear Lever, in the correct but odd Mooney position. Next to that, from the top: Go Flight Warning Panel, Javiator Audio Panel, Diagma Garmin GNS 530, Real Sim Gear GNS 430, Propwsh Autopilot, Desktop Aviator Flaps, TPM unit, and below that FSX Dual Unit (for two aviation heasdsets). At the bottom is a Desktop Aviator fuel selector. Right panel hs two prowash units, -Radio/Nav (COM 2/Nav 2. Com 1/nav 1 handled by GNS units). and the Transponder. The Fuse Panel adds visual authenticity, but also conceals a compartment with the USB Hubs (two computers) and the USB I/O interfaces. The light panel and landing gear are connected to the sim here.