Can anyone tell me how to fly holding patterns or what the pattern is around an airport?? I hear alot of people talking about doing a touch and go and going back around in the pattern and now doing touching and going.

The only pattern I know is upwind, crosswind, downwind and landing. :hmmm:

I wish I could go more hardcore on flight sim...but my stick sucks and it's hard to keep the plane under control sometimes.

Here's a good start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airfield_traffic_pattern

And for holding patterns: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holding_(aviation)

And what can you guys dig up on the NDB, VOR or ADF?? I really have no clue what they do.

VOR:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoiUrTjuo6U (note the linked films on the right)

NDB:
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...20explain&sm=3

ADF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy0DLVRb9HE


And then again, as I told you last year already ;) , the lessons in the section "Navigation" of FSX's own library, in German it is called "Ausbildungszentrum". You find the option on the left of the main screen of FSX.

Forgot. Thanks :oops:

EDIT:

So after reading and watching, following a VOR is basically like homing in on a localizer (except the plane wont automatically do it, well it can but yeah) its a needle that you essentially want to line up with (Its has one bearing). And each one goes on for an infinite distance intersecting other VORs??

Ranges of VORs vary, some reach 30 miles, others for over a hundred miles. It depends on their purpose. Important only is that two VORs sharing a frequency are not so close that they lie within the range of the other.

Like with ILS transmitters, they all share the same small couple of frequencies, but since their range is very limited, it usually does not matter. Occasionally it happened that I made approach to an airport and still was some distance away, and saw the needle come to life, when it received another airport's ILS near my course.

Vor a VOR, you can preset a desired course on the instrujment on whcih you want toi approach the station. A localiser in not discriminating its signals allowing that, nor does a NDB do that: that's wha it is called non-directional beacon. You still can do that, but need to do it unguided, by using eyesight and a compass and estimate your vector manually. VOR of course is more precise and thus allows radio navigation.

As always, I ignore GPS in my explanations. GPS makes flightsimming boring.

Aye its kinda boring that I can just climb to FL 200 and flip the switch to GPS and the autopilot locks on and everything.

I mean don't get me wrong, thats potentially how they do it on long international flights right? To keep their hands free and let them focus on maintaining awareness, but for practical purposes of 'learning' how to fly I think I am going to start doing much more manual. For now, its going to be following my GPS routes (Since it can be set to follow VOR to VOR anyways) constantyl tuning into different NAV stations with just me in the cockpit can get a bit taxing.

I must say though on another note, I wish there was a better ATC mod out there... being handed off between the XXX Approach and XXX center 10 times while in the damn airspace is a huge pain in my butt. I hate it I really do. I want to get online and fly with someone else in the cockpit with me with someone real behind the ATC. Just to get a feel for what its like. But eh I digress. I need to work on handling the plane on my own. I feel cheap that I set it to autopilot for most of the flight and the landing.

Okay.... so you guys may hate me for this.. whats the take on XPlane 10??

It uses multi core so it could run smoother.. and I am not sure if the addons are htere for it like FSX..

I bought it on deployment but didnt like it, but I only used it for a bit.. A) I was use to FSX and using the controls FSX offered (Like the keyboard shortcuts and ATC)

and B) the menus sucked.. I mean I coudlnt find anything.. and the amount of planes didnt seem to be there... I mean.. yeah.

But after looking at it it seems like it may be the better choice afterall?


EDIT: And for FSX, how much of a hit is PMDG 737 FPS wise??

Picked up X-plane 8 many years ago but really struggled with it after years of MSFS so shelved it. Potentially it's always seemed better though.

Hmmm okay

Quality of cockpit modules still does not compare, nor does quantity. The visuals in cockpits are inferior, imo.

What is your rig right now? And screen size? I also would say that for such cockpits, TrackIR is a must.

Online seems to be your best bid.

Flying airliners most of the time in midair in auto modes, is realistic. Because there are passengers who will feel eternally thankful if you spare them zig-zags and ups-and-downs. ;)

Asus G55V with 16gb of ram, and I run the screen at 1080 Res, 15 inch screen.

As far as Track IR goes, Im definitely getting it because I also wanted to get IL2 1942 and start playing that again and I def need Track IR for that puppy.

I googled a review for an Asus G55V. Sounds to me as if it could handle PMDG stuff, but dont take my word as a guarantee. Consider the new PMDG 777. Fly by wire, and rated as even surpassing the 737NGX. Google it. I wait for getting the FS fever again, then will probably buy it.Currently I only do Assetto Corsa, Skyrim,
VP4 and The Hunter.