We (my son and I) recently purchased and installed Flight Simulator X. The game is great, for the most part. I have a couple of questions.
Though I am not a pilot, I have flown a plane (landed and taken off) as well as an ultralite. I do not have a pilot's license, as I was able to fly the aircraft of relatives (they were in the plane when I flew). As with the game, 'real life landing' (as least for me) was the most difficult part of 'basic flying'. The problem we've had with the game is that we cannot find or see the airport until it's too late to make a good approach. With the prop planes, you can still 'kill the throttle', max flaps and gear down in time to drop/glide onto the run way. The probelm is we end up landing half way down the runway, instead of where you should land. You can stop the prop planes in time, but this does not work with the jet aircraft.
I've tried setting the graphics to high detail, but it still does not solve the problem, as you still cannot see the run way(s) until it is too late. I've successfully completed the "beginner mission lessons" in the game, but this lack of runway visuals makes it almost impossible to complete the "intermediate mission lessons", especially with the jets. I a 'real aircraft' you have good peripheral vision and can see the run ways. I actually saw the run way from a commercial jet (sitting in my passenger seat) as we approached at an angle to the runways (about 10 miles out).
In the game (in 'free flight' mode), I've actually tried to line the aircraft directly up with the runway, with the aircraft on the exact heading for the runway on the flight map. when I go back to the 'flight mode', I find that I cannot see the runway and (most often) the aircraft is well off center of the runway (right or left). By the time I find this out, it is too late to adjust and land properly on the runway.
The other problems we've had is slowing the jet aircraft down in flight. During the missions, the tower wants you to slow the plane down to 220 knots or so. The aircraft is flying level at about 300 knots or so, with the throttle almost all the way down. I shut the throttles all the way off and the aircraft stays at or near 300 knots. I finally found the air brakes (flaps) on the commericial liners in the game, but these appear to do little to slow the palne down. I've watch the wings in 'real flights and seldom have seen these used, except when landing, yet I can feel the aircraft slow down by just the pilot just reducing the engine thrust. On real aircraft they can also use the engine thrust to slow the aircrat down on the runway after touchdown, which I have not figured out how to do in the game (the wheel brakes, alone will not stop the aircraft in the game).
I'm sure these questions are basic, but the answers or tips would definately make the game more enjoyable to play.
I've also tried the game with instrument landings and follow the 'tower instructions'. The towers seem to send me everywhere, except to the airport on my flight plane. I flew over my scheduled airport (Santa Anna, John Wayne) at the 'tower instructed' 9000 ft for twenty minutes, never knowing or seeing the airport until I left the 'flying section' and went to the flight plan map. That is when I found out that the 'tower' had me flying perpendicular to the runways at 9000 ft. It never gave me an approach pattern. In the intermediate mission level, flying into some small mountain airport in Colorado, my 'computer co-pilot' reports a visual on the runway. I pause the game and attempt to look around, yet I can never see the runway. By the time I do, I find that I am perpendicular to it, to high, and do not have the time to correct for a smooth landing. I have all the graphics setting set as high as they will go and have a graphics car well aobe the minimum requirements.
In the missions, the game provides a 'green' circle with arrows pointing down to the target/runway. The problem is that the circle is constantly rotating, thereby not indicating a proper approach reference to the runway/airport. There must be something that I am missing. Prop planes can be quickly corrected, but the jets cannot, so the landings become a 'thrash' and 'near crash' affair.
Sacramento International Airport has two runways, the game only provides one. Is there an update?
Thanks, in advance for any help you folks can give us Flight Simulator X newbies. We have patch SP1 installed and I've downloaded SP2, but have not installed it yet.
