PDMG advice?

[Barbr]

One of my husband's friends was showing us his PDMG MD-11, and it looked so complicated to fly! The graphics was really pretty, but I kinda like the simplistic FSX way of doing ATC, the flight plan, etc., and in the 10 minutes we were there I couldn't understand the flight computer he was programming! Does the flight computer even talk with the FSX ATC?

Is there a way to fly the PDMG plane the same way I used to do with other FSX planes (ie: use the flight plan screen, then just use NAV-Autopilot to follow the little GPS screen)? Can I even just dial an altitude/speed knob and hit AP? Or do I have to program the computer for every little thing?!  ::)

Forgive the question, I'm a simplistic kinda girl!

[Rich H]

Well, you can probably do heading, speed and altitude simply, but PMDG won't allow anything non realistic on their planes.

[BigTruck]

The FMC is pretty easy to learn, and once you load her up, the plane flies itself, damn near lands itself...

[Leigh]

i had no idea what i was doing with it at the start

but its easy to learn and quite fun after you learn it all

[JBaymore]

Flying PMDG aircraft is all about "doing it by the book".  They are KNOWN for as realistic aircraft as the sim allows.  The PMDG 747 Queen of the Skies is often used by RW type-rated 747 jockeys as an "at home" brush up trainer before they do their periodic required check rides in the real Level D simulators for work.  It is that realistic.

So if you are not into "procedures and checklists", the PMDG stuff is likely not for you.  You have to be the "obsessive compulsive" type to enjoy this kind of stuff....... like a lot of us simpit jockeys are.  

best,

..................john

[Barbr]

Thanks all for the advice and thoughts. It does seem fun once we get over the learning curve... even my husband started to get frustrated (and he's a major OCD)... luckily I can just beg him and he'll figure it out for me  ;)

I think my biggest issue right now is that I have existing flightplans saved in FSX, and there is no way I can easily program everything into the flight computer. Do I really need to print out all the waypoints, etc., and then type each one in? And if I use FSX ATC and it tells me to land at so-and-so runway, can I just punch that into the flight computer and it will line up the ILS for me?

I'll give the tutorial a try once we buy it.

[JBaymore]

Barbr,

The amount of the flight that is actually "automated" in commercial avation today is pretty astounding.

[Flying Mouse]

It is a wonderful aircraft but it is the real deal . If you don't want to frustrate yourself why don't you 1st buy one of the "lite" models out in the market with basic FMC's?

Once you mastered those then go PMDG.

[Barbr]

Hey guys:

Well we broke down and went for the MD-11 after his friend showed us... wow, what a beast to learn. We sat there and while he was in the driver seat, I read the tutorial outloud step by step (not very romantic, I know).

My husband finally thought he got the hang of it last night when, for the first time, we found out that fuel can freeze and shut down the engines...

... when we were over the middle of nowhere near the Arctic Circle