* - an After Action Report, but that is assuming you can call Flight Simulator "Action" 
** - this is not copy-pasted from another forum. So far this is the only place I'm posting my little report here 
*** - I'm not affiliated with the makers of any of the software here - but I'm definitely biased, because I love playing with it!
FLYING THE ERJ-145
Part 0: Introduction / Demo
Hey flight sim gamer! Ever wonder what's the appeal of spending wads of money on add-ons just to fly boring airplanes that never shoot anything? Or conversely, ever been curious about what it's like to fly that kind of setup, but just don't have the time/money/patience to give it a try? Well, this report might be for you!
[edit: see post #7 for the video reports!]
So one day I had a little bit of spare time on my hands and thought that just for fun and perhaps to show my civvie flight-simming hobby to other people, I would put together a presentation of what I do and why it can be interesting and engaging for a total non-pilot like me to learn a complicated aircraft and fly it on routine non-violent sorties from point A to point B. The result is this little report, complete with pictures, descriptions and video materials. This is neither a review nor a how-to tutorial - just a very detailed run-through of what I do, warts and all.
So, in the next few posts and detailed series of Youtube videos, let me take you along to what I do for fun - flying a virtual Embraer Regional Jet, courtesy of my custom FS9 installation. I won't pretend to be a real pilot - this is just something I do for a hobby and have learned on my own, although immersion and detail are things I consider absolutely essential.
Before I bore all of you with any further detail, let me skip right to the eye candy as a preview!
Demo Video
(click to watch on youtube)
Just a quick little collage of gameplay footage I put together to show off the eye candy - the report videos will be quite long and have only game sound and voice commentary. But if you're not interested in those - what the heck heck, just enjoy the 3 minutes of flying and skip the rest of the report
Got your attention?
IN THIS REPORT
Watch a virtual flight on a highly-detailed ERJ-145
An top-quality payware aircraft (by feelthere/Wilco), this airplane represents a Trans-States Airlines bird in old US Airways livery - since FS9 is an older game and most of my add-ons represent the state-of-the-art of the flying world as of 2006, I thought this would be appropriate. These smaller regional jets are a lot of fun to fly, and their shorter routes also offer variety and are manageable to fly for a hobby in real time - which might not be so true of intercontinental flights! The ERJ is nimble and responsive, and although its 90s-era avionics offer a lot of automation, it still offers many unique challenges. For one, this plane lacks an autothrottle, so speed and fuel management are always hands-on. Its engines also lack the power of those on larger airliners, so you always want to be careful and economical when you want speed and performance - this plane won't give them to you easily!
Realistic weather, terrain, ATC, and passenger operations
Thanks to many add-ons, the simulator offers a good representation of procedures and conditions in the eastern US. I'll go over my flight plan and file it with (virtual) air traffic control, make sure that the aircraft is ready for flight, load it up with cargo and passengers, and go all the way from a cold and dark cockpit to take it on a flight from Buffalo-Niagara International Airport...
...to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
The flight takes just under 2 hours in real time, plus preparation, planning and debriefing. In this report, it will take a few posts of screenshots, a series of six 10-minute videos, and lots of text explaining them.
So, if any of that gets you interested, strap in and get ready for the next few posts! All I ask for is a bit of your time
Conversely, if by this point you're bored out of your mind, you're welcome to stop reading. We're about to get a lot more nerdy
-CCIP
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Software used
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (commonly known as FS9)
feelthere/Wilco ERJ v2.0 w/ CALL (aircraft)
BUF2004 airport scenery (freeware; unfortunately I can't track down authors)
ImagineSim Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
FSPassengers
ActiveSky Evolution
Radar Contact v4
Ultimate Terrain USA
Ground Environment Pro
ActiveSky Graphics
Active Camera
JustFlight Traffic 2005 w/ addon packs
and a range of other minor add-ons and freeware tweaks! (alas, I can't even remember everything here...)
...and Fraps for screenshots and video
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The real airplane:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer_ERJ_145_family
to be continued...