Misty Moorings Forums
Return to Misty Moorings (FSX/P3D/MSFS2020) => General Discussion => Topic started by: stiletto2 on March 03, 2017, 05:08:20 PM
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Are you an RTMM bush pilot who loves using your realistic yoke, throttle and rudder pedals to land, take off, and fly over gorgeous scenery in full screen but are unable to realistically do other bush pilot activities like properly monitoring gauges, flipping a switch to turn on battery, alternator, beacon etc., turning a starter knob to start the engine, communicating with ATC or using a flap lever to lower flaps or a gear handle to raise/lower the gear?
Do you find yourself flying in full screen mode using a few key gauges including the GPS that are unrealistically plastered at the bottom and/or top of the monitor to try and avoid jumping in and out of the virtual cockpit or do you normally run in virtual cockpit mode to use your instruments while struggling with a mouse to flip a switch, change a frequency or use the GPS and wishing you could see more out the windshield?
In the last few years, technology has advanced in several areas that is making it easier and less expensive to enhance your flight simulation with a more realistic cockpit environment without spending hundreds of hours building a cockpit enclosure.
Use the link below to view a 45 minute informational video where I talk about the components of my "realistic cockpit environment" for bush flying, discuss some of the costs to add three new elements to your current flight sim environment to make it more realistic and then demonstrate my cockpit environment while flying a short flight out in the bush from one unattended airfield to another. "Do you want to take a ride?"
View Video: https://youtu.be/xUcSons3jec (https://youtu.be/xUcSons3jec)
I will be happy to answer any questions you might have via this thread. I hope you enjoy it.
Rod
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Great! Thanks. 8) Very nice simulator environment. The screens are a little small though. ;) ;D I like having buttons to press and knobs to twist. It does feel more "real". 8)
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Thanks, Jeff. I know you have those big screens. Mine look pretty good when you sit real close :)
Rod
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Thanks, Rod. Food for thought. Are those gauges AC specific, say, from a drop-down menu, or is that a static panel? Also, how did you put together that 10 key pad and tie it into your GPS?
jsapair
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Wow Rod, nice setup! Makes my laptop connected to a TV and Ch Yoke and pedals look like I just started flying. For some out-of-cockpit control manipulating, I use https://remoteflight.net/ (https://remoteflight.net/). You just start a server on your computer, connect it to your device, and then you have a external radio for a buck. Works pretty nice, too.
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Are those gauges AC specific, say, from a drop-down menu, or is that a static panel? Also, how did you put together that 10 key pad and tie it into your GPS?
jsapair
Hi jsapair,
The panel of gauges is a Cessna panel but works for any aircraft. There is an option for a Piper Panel or a Beech twin also. 10 key pad is real simple. You buy a ten key USB pad...plenty of those out there and then just program the sim's keyboard controls (look for the lines starting with GPS) with num 1, num 2 etc. If you really get into doing it, I can send you a couple of pics of the FSX/Prepar3d keyboard controls with the key definitions for the 10 key pad. Or just follow the close up of my pad in the vid and depress each key for the right GPS control in the keyboard controls section.
Rod
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Wow Rod, nice setup! Makes my laptop connected to a TV and Ch Yoke and pedals look like I just started flying. For some out-of-cockpit control manipulating, I use https://remoteflight.net/ (https://remoteflight.net/). You just start a server on your computer, connect it to your device, and then you have a external radio for a buck. Works pretty nice, too.
Thanks, Ryan! I am glad you have provided the link for the RemoteFlight software. I neglected to mention that using an external iPad is another possibility for gauge read out as well as touch entry for other instruments. There is some really good software for the iPads. I don't use any Apple equipment at all so I forgot about that option.
Rod
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Hi jsapair,
The panel of gauges is a Cessna panel but works for any aircraft. There is an option for a Piper Panel or a Beech twin also. 10 key pad is real simple. You buy a ten key USB pad...plenty of those out there and then just program the sim's keyboard controls (look for the lines starting with GPS) with num 1, num 2 etc. If you really get into doing it, I can send you a couple of pics of the FSX/Prepar3d keyboard controls with the key definitions for the 10 key pad. Or just follow the close up of my pad in the vid and depress each key for the right GPS control in the keyboard controls section.
Rod
Does the added keypad interfere with the numbers on the keyboard (or anything else)? It would be nice to have a keypad so I could turn on/off lights, carb. heat etc.
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Wow! Great enviroment. I'd love to see that in my "Man Cave" someday but the "boss" just gave me a, "Don't even think about it", look when I showed her this video.
:-[
Brad
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Thanks, Brad! I had to work into this over several years. When I retired from my role in business operations, my first inclination was to organize the house and the wife's schedule etc. When the smoke cleared, I was able to start expanding my cockpit environment in order to re-target my organizational energy. :o
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Rod, didn't know they made such a thing as a 10 key USB pad. Trying to push GPS buttons with a mouse in flight, especially with TrackIR, is a PITA. Gotta have one of those. Like Brad, I showed the wife your video. She said something about doing enhancements to her old washing machine and flying that. Silly woman...you can't fly a washing machine ::)
But like the old Johnny Cash song goes, "I built it one piece at a time."
jsapair
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8) I just got the remote flight radio and gauges. Bought a used Ipad on ebay just for that. Loving my new touch screen radio panel ! Thanks guys! Panels on the cheap !
LOL
Sue
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That's great!
Rod
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Sure takes time to get the setup set up!. Great job Rod: very fancy sim-cockpit! Nice job.
Norm
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Hi Rod nice Cockpit installation ..!
i like your ATC voice ;)
Patrick
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Hi Patrick,
Thanks!
Rod