After McPhat let the cat out of the bag about the CoolSky/McPhat/Flight1 DC-9 in the works, CoolSky recently put up a tasty preview of the DC-9 project. Enjoy!
Going to be a fun bird to fly!
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8 comments:
Any guess on what the surprise feature is going to be? With there already being a weather radar, my guess is that it will be something different. Although, the radar seems far from realistic (no cheap shot on Espen & CS there intended).
I was guessing perhaps an INS? I don't know how many, if any, DC-9s carry an INS. Seems they're more common on 72s and 74 classics.
I also thought of an ACARS unit. The ones on DAL/NW ones seem to be those touchscreen ones or the ones with a little box of green font with small keys to the side.
I'd love to hear your guess though, from an expert and not some newb like myself
Thanks
William (big fan of the site)
Thanks for reading, William!
I admit I'm a bit stumped. A virtual copilot, maybe?
The older planes tend to be a lot more labor-intensive - especially the 727 and 707, which both required flight engineers. I know the Sperry autopilot used in the DC-9 is very rudimentary, similar to the one in the 727. Espen said there is no Alt Capture mode on the DC-9 autopilot, and the Captain Sim 727 autopilot is the same way. I can't tell you how many times I got busy tuning the nav radio for the next leg of my flight on the 727, only to overshoot my target cruising altitude! Would be nice to have a virtual copilot to automate a few things like that.
But who knows? Espen may have something totally different in mind. Will be fun to wait and see.
Thanks for the response Chris.
I have been pondering over getting an old school a/c for awhile now. Frankly I have been putting it off because 1) the PMDG MD-11 has had me hooked for months now. Haven't flown nor wanted to fly anything else like my LD76 or CS80 and 2) I've been waiting to drop serious coin for the NGX. However, I've been thinking for awhile about the CS72.
That is something I wondered though - I have a hard enough time switching freqs on SB/VATSIM, not to mention adjusting the glareshield knobs on manual or autoflight even on such an automated platform like the M11. Thus, it would be huge for me to have a copilot in these kinds. I dont have track ir so i use the 2D panels to adjust knobs and such and use the virtual to shoot the final part of the approach. Without TrackIR, I'm even more reluctant to shy away from analogues.
I would want the 72 over the DC9, but I have never been sold on CaptSim. Espen & Co. are great - and given the new features he has, I'll likely choose the DC9. Even though a three holer would be sick.
My dream? I want a fully simulated L1011. It's long overdue.
The PMDG MD-11 is one of my perennial favorites, too. I almost wish PMDG would take on a Boeing 717, as it uses the same cockpit as the MD-11, but can fly into a lot of smaller places where the MD-11 is too much airplane. However, I have no problems with PMDG's current announced lineup. :)
I honestly don't have a lot of experience with VATSIM - mainly because I have too many outside distractions going on at home to be able to devote my attention exclusively to it. I would love to get into it more at some point. Unfortunately, I can't really comment as to how well the CS 727 works with VATSIM.
In general, I think the CS 727 is a nice plane, although I like the CS 707 slightly better. There are a few minor glitches with the 727 that irritate some people, but as long as you can live with those, it's not bad. It lacks an INS, although you can install the freeware CIVA INS panels to add that functionality to the 727. (Interestingly, CS ships their 707 with the CIVA INS.) I don't have TrackIR either, but I use the preset views in the 3D VC to approximate the old 2D panels. For the most part, that works OK.
That being said, I do agree that the upcoming CoolSky DC-9 has the potential to blow the CS 727 out of the water in terms of features. I really like what Espen does with the load manager and the interactive tutorials, walking you step-by-step through the checklists. I am anxious to see what the new, unannounced "mystery feature" is, too.
And I agree 100% about the L-1011 - that plane has to be at the top of my wishlist of planes I would like to see in FSX that have not yet been done. Such a groundbreaking plane.
Thanks for the responses Chris. I could go back and forth forever but I don't subject to to that.
Some quick hits:
1) I think you will love VATSIM. I'm shocked you haven't used it. It's very simple and even when I'm on and no one else is, I still feel weird if I'm not logged on. It's like an unsettling loneliness on FSX if I'm not on VATSIM. Since you are on voice, the only thing that changes is switching frequencies. Of course, this is reality just as much is switching VOR freqs on a 72 etc. So, yeah, you could be right with a virtual copilot. Doesn't Level-D have something sort of near this? I turned the option off though because it was more annoying than helpful.
2) I'm gonna wait for the DC-9. I just can't get comfortable with CaptainSim. I think it's their site. I want a 72 though badly. But, with McPhat doing the panels and all the great experience I have had with CS, I will stick with Espen. But, I already have the 80 professional, which looks like the DC9, so thats why I want the 72.
3) Glad to hear you agree on the L10. I'm stunned it hasn't come up yet. I'm from ATL and DAL is my brand until I die, so I must admit that's a big reason why I want the L10.
Thanks for the words - gimme a shout if you want wezzell@gmail
Regards
William
No worries, William, I enjoy the conversation! I live near DFW, and DAL used to maintain a secondary hub here (alongside AAL) up until around five years ago. They ran quite a few L-1011s though here back in the day, too.
I will definitely have to make it a point to give VATSIM a try. I have always wanted to - though with three kids under 10 at home, it can get pretty crazy around our house at times.
Don't blame you on waiting on the DC-9. Captain Sim had a sketchy reputation for a long time - particularly with their 757. They let that product out in the wild too soon. I do have to say that their 707 is great, though. For the most part, it just worked right out of the box. Their 727 has a couple of minor issues, but it's also rather good.
At any rate, Espen has set the bar high with the Super 80 products, and I know he will do a great job with the DC-9, too. Can't blame you for waiting on that one at all.
I'm not sure about Level-D and the virtual copilot - been a while since I took the 767 out for a spin, so I'll have to look into it. I know feelThere has something similar with Call!, which is included with the E-Jets v2. That one is basically just an electronic checklist, which the copilot will read off while you do the checks. I was thinking it would be nice to have a virtual copilot manipulate the Sperry autopilots in a 727 or DC-9 for you while you are busy tuning the NAV radios, so you don't overshoot your desired altitude. ;-) This would be something you could switch on and off, so if you aren't busy with the radios, you could handle the autopilot yourself. But again, who knows? Maybe we'll get a virtual flight attendant to bring us coffee while we're flying. ;-)
Have a great one, William! Enjoy chatting with you.
+chris
Man, I was hoping this Monday could be the day of days for the NGX, but it looks like it's going to be a Mar 31/Apr 1 kind of release. If it's longer, thats how it goes I guess.
Yeah I thought the 717 would be an easy follow up to the M11. My impression is that it's the coding for the interface of the flightdeck itself that is the majority of the work, but I am likely way off. So I figured once you get the philosophy and coding of the M11 cockpit down, an MD10 and 717 would be simple. Ignorance is bliss I guess for someone like me. I was also hoping for a bonus follow up with CS for the M90, but I understood why not. It seems Espen wanted to crank up the DC asap and modeling a new frame, new engine performance etc would have been a hassle. Cant argue with that choice.
I haven't searched your archives but I will still ask, followed by a search of course: do you have any recommendations for random other a/c I haven't thought of? I used to rely on Andrew Herd at flightsim.com for reviews, but ever since he left, their reviews have gone to crap. (And that's being polite and respective in my opinion - sorry flightsim, but if it wasn't for your library you'd be dead).
Chris your reviews are great and I will look - was thinking about the Citation X (from eaglesoft maybe? i cant remember who but i know its at flight1).
I'm also thinking about the DCS A-10C. Look at that site if you haven't - the thing looks awesome. However, the scenery and lack of campaigns and theaters is a concern.
Wow, the DCS looks like a very interesting project! Thanks for the heads-up on that one. I'll have to dig into that one some more when I have time.
I understand there is a LOT more to simulating the airplane than just the cockpit. Sure, due to the commonality of the cockpit, that part would (theoretically) be very straightforward to transfer over to a 717. But the 717 uses different wings, engines, and tail than an MD-11. It would not do to have something that looks like a 717 in the cockpit, but still behaves like an MD-11 when you fly it! The developers have to take all the physics of the flight model into account - and PMDG does this better than most. They would possibly have a huge head start on the cockpit, thanks to the MD-11, but there would still be a lot of work to do on the physical model, as well as the flight dynamics. Still, it's something I would love for someone to do. I enjoy the MD-11 cockpit a lot, and think a 717 would be a great compliment for the narrow-body segment.
I hadn't gotten my hopes up yet on the NGX, mainly because I was under the impression that PMDG would publicly announce a beta period before the imminent release. (Or did I miss that somewhere?) I suppose it is always possible that they are secretly under beta already and just haven't told everyone, but they usually do not operate that way. We shall see. I think it is entirely likely we will be flying around in our NGX's by summertime, though.
Gosh, what other planes do I like? I am a big fan of the PMDG Jetstream 4100, in case you don't have that one already. It is probably the most realistic simulation of a turboprop available in FSX right now. I know the JS41 does not see much use in the USA anymore, but it is great for simulating some of those little commuter routes from hubs into places like Arcata, California. At least until somebody blesses us all with a Dash-8 or something that is actually en vogue right now...
I'll admit that I like the Wilco/feelThere ERJ and E-Jets v2 a lot, although I know Wilco has something of a mixed reputation in the community. The ERJ and E-Jets are much better products than most of Wilco's earlier offerings, though, if still a bit imperfect. These are nice little aircraft for simulating some regional routes - or even longer in the case of the E-Jets.
The SimCheck A300 is another one I think is a lot of fun, especially if you are looking for a '70s vintage plane in the same vein as a DC-10. They are working on the digital cockpit upgrade for it now. I think the graphics are a little less realistic compared to standard PMDG fare, but the plane is easy to fly and behaves well.
I like the Digital Aviation Fokker 70/100 as well through Flight1. It is only a 2D plane right now, although I understand work on a VC is ongoing. It's another fun plane to fly. This one stands out in my mind for some reason because of the no-flaps takeoffs, which apparently is SOP on the Fokkers! (My brother-in-law told me about the time he flew on an American Airlines F100 once, and nearly flipped out because he thought the pilot had forgotten to set the flaps prior to takeoff!)
The FlightSimLabs Concorde-X is very cool, but a beast of a plane in many ways. Not for the faint of heart, or computer. :-)
The Eaglesoft Citation X looks like a very nice plane. I have the Wilco Citation X, which is decent, but I suspect the Eaglesoft version is probably a lot more realistic. Definitely on my list to check out sometime.
Hope this helps!
+chris
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