THIS AIN’T YOUR DAD’S LINK TRAINER

THIS AIN’T YOUR DAD’S LINK TRAINER

Desk Flying the Microsoft Flight Simulators

Four years ago, in July 2003, we printed our first article on Computer Flight Simulators and in our 4^th Anniversary Edition, January 2007, I previewed Microsoft’s new FSX (Flight Simulator Ten). What improvements or changes have occurred in this 4 year period?

In the January article I mentioned the system requirements needed for FSX and my plans to build a new computer to meet them. Although not a CRAY, my new system provides me with substantial computing power. It has a 3.0 GHz Duo Processor with 2.0 Gb of RAM, a GeForce 7300 with 512mb of Video RAM and a SATA Hard Drive with 320 Gb of space. An additional 2 Gb of RAM will be installed when it arrives.

Just a week ago, I installed both FS9 (FS2004 ACOF) and FSX. FS9 took off like a rocket maintaining 40fps (frames per second) and FSX behaved reasonable, but was the [frame rate] eating pig it was reported to be. In my neighborhood of Libby, Montana, I can maintain frame rates of 22-26 fps with only Spruce Trees to contend with. Flying from San Francisco, New York, London or Paris, frame rates drop (4-9frs) and make flying especially in a helicopter a jerky affair.

One plus (+) was the ease of adding helicopters. Dave Eckert’s HH-43F BETA and Jordan Moore’s UH-1 (in Rescue grey & yellow) went right in and converted without any major problem. The one little glitch was in exterior views, the rotor blades disappeared behind clouds and trees. I’m pretty sure it’s just a simple modification to a .cfg file and I’ll pass it on when the cure is found.

I was also able to add a scenery file through the back door. (FE) Don Larsen was the first to do it and passed it on to me. Since Microsoft left out Libby, MT my home town, I went looking for a fix. I found a file named “NW Montana Landclass” that added several Montana towns/cities that Microsoft has not seen fit to include in the United States. Normally like in FS9, you would use SETTINGS/ SCENERY LIBRARY/ ADD AREA to add scenery, but in FSX, we placed the bgl files directly into the “Scenery subfolder” located in the main FSX Addon Scenery Folder. I had failures as well as that one success, so which addon scenery files will work and the method to add them will only be found through trail and error?

In their effort to add Zebras, Elephants and Cockatoos, the MS Design Team failed to include scenery features included in FS9 and the FS9 Service Pack 1. Libby Creek included in FS9 runs dry in FSX. Additionally, the Kootenai River, the third largest water source in the Columbia River system also disappears in FSX. It was large enough to be used in the movie “River Wild” with Meryl Streep, but not important enough to include. There have been so many problems with FSX that MS has already released a 208 mb SP1, so maybe if I’m lucky, both Libby Creek and the Kootenai River will again flow in SP2.

My suggestion is to save your money, stay with FS9 and wait for the computer technology to catch up and the prices to fall. I would venture a guess that to derive the full potential of FSX you’ll need a 5 GHz Quad Processor, 4+ Gb of RAM and a Direct X 10 Video Card with 2 Gb of onboard video RAM and the MS VISTA Operating System.

Here are a few screen shots from my new computer to compare FS9 & FSX. Frame rates are at the top of each photo.

FS9 R/W 15 [S59] LIBBY, MT