Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler - Planning before buying add ons.

Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler | PC Support | Planning before buying add ons.

DVA11893
Senior Captain, A330-300
OLP

Joined on September 10 2013
Piranha Club
Globetrotter
Million Mile Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary
Everett 500 Club
Millennium Club
Online Millennium Club

Pinckney, MI

1,206 legs, 3,878.4 hours
1,047 legs, 3,379.9 hours online
1,133 legs, 3,643.1 hours ACARS
5 legs, 10.3 hours event
29 legs dispatched, 33.5 hours

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 03:12 ET by Brian Corwin

So I am really getting into this Delta Flight Sim world of ours and I love every minute of it. I am learning so much and having fun doing it. So I want to go to the next level and see what there is for 3rd party software to make the immerse feel more real. Not that I don't like landing on runways next to 2d looking houses that look to be out of Styrofoam but I have seen FSX videos out there that look amazing and I would like to add to the feel of the game (maybe not go as crazy as some of those hardcore gamer kids with rich parents) but you know... make the game look nice.

Here is a general list of my computer specs, maybe you guys can point me in the direction of some good starter addons. I don't really have a budget but I don't want to spend a fortune either. Maybe somewhere between $30-60 to start but first I want to know should I upgrade anything on my computer first before doing anything with software.

Hardd Drive Size 232GB (i went small cause when I built this comp my only intention was playing iracing and downloading the occasional album off of amazon)
OS: Windows 7 Professional - Service Pack 1
Processor: AMD FX(tm)-4130 Quad-Core Processor 3.80ghz
Installed Memory (RAM): 8.00 GB (5.97 Usuable)
System Type: 64-bit Operating System

Graphics Card: EVGA 660ti
Joystick (irrelevant) - Logitech Extreme 3d-Pro

I was thinking about either getting a 3rd party 737 because I think this will be a plane that I will be spending a lot of time in unlike the CRJ which i move up out of pretty quick. I figure since I haven't done my checkride yet I don't want to jump on it but the freeware version has been fun to fly and I thought maybe getting a good 3rd party aircraft would be a good learning tool.

Also when I first joined someone mentioned I should look at getting a realistic weather add on and suggested a cold & dark setup to start my flights on so I get that fresh at the gate feel to it. For some reason in the freeware plane no matter how many times I completely shut her down when I go to load it the turbines are still running. So maybe a cold and dark program would be a good place to start as well.

Also I fly out of Detroit Metro (KDTW) mostly so I don't know what texture/scenary packs are out there for the region I live in and fly out of, if anyone has any information on that would great! Sorry I could probably look all of this up on my own but I don't know where to start.

Thanks for any advice you can give. Thank you!

Brian Corwin

Senior Captain, A330-300

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 03:15 ET by Brian Corwin

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/410873-list-the-best-addonsprograms-for-flight-simulator-x/

I dug up my post I thought I remember reading and found this list thanks to the input of Bill Gardener. Could someone tell me if this list is still relevant, this maybe a good starting point for me. Maybe just get a weather add on for now and research the rest later.

Brian Corwin

Senior Captain, A330-300

DVA11360
Captain, B767-300
OLP

Joined on August 21 2009
DVA Five-Year Anniversary
Online Double Century Club
Triple Century Club
Stage 1 Jet Century Club

Taylors, SC

420 legs, 718.2 hours
285 legs, 543.6 hours online
417 legs, 713.9 hours ACARS
12 legs, 24.6 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 08:28 ET by Christopher Maddox

Hey Brian. I have the ifly 737 and it's amazing. It takes some time to get used to and takes some skill but is an amazing plane. I too fly out DTW a lot so I I got blueprint sims DTW. The only issue with both of these is that they are hard on fps. Just be weary...once you buy addons they are addictive lol

Christopher Maddox (DVA11360)

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 08:31 ET by Christopher Maddox

Also worth mentioning is active sky for weather and REX is a must have!

Christopher Maddox (DVA11360)

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 11:23 ET by Brian Corwin

Chris Maddox wrote:

Hey Brian. I have the ifly 737 and it's amazing. It takes some time to get used to and takes some skill but is an amazing plane. I too fly out DTW a lot so I I got blueprint sims DTW. The only issue with both of these is that they are hard on fps. Just be weary...once you buy addons they are addictive lol

Believe me I know. On iracing when I first joined i had an open wheel career planned out and before long i owned every track and car on the game and many of which I don't even use anymore as I retired from oval racing over there lol that was a couple grand well spent >.<

Brian Corwin

Senior Captain, A330-300

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 11:27 ET by Brian Corwin

Active Sky looks cool so if I read this right it is a change in coding/graphics to make it more predictable and realistic? and its only 30 euro? I can probably afford that next pay check. I think the weather add on is the way to go on starting the add on thing because yesterday i was practicing landing my 737 at O'Hare and I kept approaching into this dark purple fog lol. Looked like a smurf was playing pranks on me.

Brian Corwin

Senior Captain, A330-300

DVA11591
Senior Captain, B757-200
OLP

Joined on July 02 2013
50 State Club
Globetrotter
Everett Millennium Club
DVA Fleet Master
Online Twenty Century
US Coastal Club
Events Double Century Club
Five Million Mile Club
US Mountaineer Club
B757 100 Club
Tri-Millennium Club
Tin Dispatcher
DVA Five-Year Anniversary

"Left foot dead foot, verified! Feather Left!"
Daytona Beach, FL

3,271 legs, 11,709.7 hours
2,885 legs, 10,250.1 hours online
3,142 legs, 11,149.0 hours ACARS
326 legs, 874.1 hours event
274 legs dispatched, 316.5 hours

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 12:39 ET by Soonho Lee

I would suggest PMDG 737NGX series.. it is bit costly.. but it is the best 737 (Except weather radar) you can find. It will worth every penny you spent on. For weather, there is an awesome product called Active Sky Next and with that awesome weather engine, I would suggest REX weather texture ONLY. With that two together, man, you will feel like you are actually flying through the cloud. For the misc.. I recommend the FSDT GSX for ground ops... FS2CREW only if you fancy having Co-pilot with PMDG 737 series.

Soonho Lee (DVA11591)

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 12:48 ET by Brian Corwin

Soonho Lee wrote:

I would suggest PMDG 737NGX series.. it is bit costly.. but it is the best 737 (Except weather radar) you can find. It will worth every penny you spent on. For weather, there is an awesome product called Active Sky Next and with that awesome weather engine, I would suggest REX weather texture ONLY. With that two together, man, you will feel like you are actually flying through the cloud. For the misc.. I recommend the FSDT GSX for ground ops... FS2CREW only if you fancy having Co-pilot with PMDG 737 series.

Because of the cost I might hold off on the 737 for a few months. I don't plan on leaving stage 2 until I learn to fly online and make very successful flights my routine. I am loving this plane and the length of flights are idea for the amount of time i have. Thanks for the input. I will work on getting the weather add ons first biggrin

Brian Corwin

Senior Captain, A330-300

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 12:52 ET by Brian Corwin

As far as Active Sky goes I see there are different versions such as Next, Evolution, etc. I was wondering which version you both are referring to. I am currently a broadcaster for GSRC on iRacing.com so I make a little bit of money here and there doing that, nothing to brag about but it is "fun money" used soley for gaming and not for living expenses. That is most likely how I will be paying for updates so it will take a couple months to be able to afford anything big time. But a least it means that I won't be blowing my wallet out when bills are do or I need food on my table

Let me know what you think

Brian Corwin

Senior Captain, A330-300

Posted onPost created on January 21 2014 12:52 ET by Brian Corwin

Disregard my last. I saw that you mentioned Active Sky Next

Brian Corwin

Senior Captain, A330-300

DVA4229
First Officer, B767-300
OLP

Joined on March 19 2007

"Sink rate. Sink Rate."
Southeastern United States

54 legs, 100.9 hours
47 legs, 87.7 hours online
53 legs, 98.4 hours ACARS
7 legs, 11.9 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 22 2014 20:09 ET by Lawrence Woodworth

I have ActiveSky Next, which I believe is the latest iteration. The general consensus is to load the REX textures into FSX, then let ActiveSky use them to make you go "WOW". A nice thing about REX is you can create random groups of textures before every flight so things like "Cumulonimbus" or sunsets don't look exactly the same every flight.

Lawrence Woodworth (DVA4229)

DVA8502
Captain, B757-200

Joined on April 13 2010
Double Century Club

"MOCHA HAGTDI."
Folkston, GA

251 legs, 575.3 hours
65 legs, 139.7 hours online
241 legs, 558.8 hours ACARS
2 legs, 4.6 hours event

Posted onPost created on January 22 2014 21:37 ET by Timothy Thomas

Id advise a bigger HD in the fuchure. it fills up quickly when you start getting addons.

for a 737 id recommend the Ifly, NGX is good to.
Weather: Active sky next iv heard mixed things about, not to impressed with what ive heared. OPUS is good for weather if you don't want Active Sky.
Id recommend Accufeel from A2A.

No need to buy a program for cold and dark. start a flight in the default Cessna. Press CTRL-E to make shure she's up and running correctly.

Follow this flow
Avionics-Off, Lights-Off, Mixture-Cut. once the prop stops: Mags-Off, Lights-Off, Master-Off, Altenator Off.

That's the real world flow to quickly shutdown a C172 (lights off is twice for a reason) that will completely shut the plane down to cold and Dark. press ALT and save the flight. Name it Default and type a brief description (I normally type the location) then click the checkbox to set the Flight as default. now whenever you start FS that flight is loaded. switching to another aircraft will keep that state. Payware planes can be a exception to that rule however.

Timothy Thomas

Captain, B757-200

Posted onPost created on January 22 2014 23:47 ET by Lawrence Woodworth

PMDG planes have a "Cold and Dark" setting in the FMS under "PMDG Options". Most things I've read about it, though, say the only people who see an actual "cold and dark" status are the maintenance techs after they've worked on the plane. Pilots rarely, if ever, walk into a plane that's cold and dark.

Lawrence Woodworth (DVA4229)

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