DarkSarcasm

I just googled that Falcon 4.0: Allied Force that Turbo mentioned...the cockpit graphics look phenomenal! Bet the spec requirements are just hideous though...

I think I tend to do that a little...or I think we're higher than we are and get a surprise when we touchdown when I'm not expecting it i_dunno It helps to hear lots of people had problems, I keep thinking 'you've been in the circuit for 13 hours now, surely you must be able to get the hang of it!'

Bought it from a shop in QLD off their website

You are welcome to move/delete this thread if these questions have already been answered... :) I'm tossing up whether or not to ask for a flight sim setup for Christmas. I have a stack of questions though and I figured this was the best place to ask (if I went to a shop they'd just tell me what they think would convince me to buy it I reckon)... Right now I'm considering the Microsoft flight sim (FSX or FS2004) but I'm open to suggestions... 1st big question is: does it help your actual flying? I'm thinking I could use it as a sort of training aid, to work on various things (stalls, landings etcs). Is it similar enough to be able to do that? I'm slightly worried that I'll get it and get frustrated that it isn't realistic enough after flying a real aircraft (I know it's a game so it won't exactly be totally realistic but still...). Is it hard to look out of the 'window' in the sim and you end up flying mainly by instruments, or is it easy to fly like normal? The next thing I'm wondering about is if my system will run it. I've got a Sony Vaio CS laptop, which has these specs: Processor Technology: Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology, Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz) Processor System Bus: 1066MHz Memory Bus: 800MHz Cache Memory: 3MB Main Memory: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM Graphics Accelerator: NVIDIA® GeForce® 9300M GS notebook graphics processing unit (GPU) Dedicated Video Memory: 256MB It's currently running Vista but I am considering changing to Windows 7 (anyone got W7 here btw?). If it's any help, it runs The Sims 3 which has fairly demanding graphics. I can't afford/justify a different computer so these specs might be what decides whether or not I can play flight sim! How much hard drive space does a flight sim usually take up? If I got one I'd also get a joystick and throttle but probably wouldn't go for rudder pedals as well (at least not at the moment). Any suggestions on what type of stick/throttle to get (within a reasonable price range)? Basically any and all advice you could give me would be helpful! Cheers :)

I did that too and the one time I actually managed it, it worked well. Other than that, I ended up more scared about hitting the ground that I did before I tried it! I'm planning to get my FI to demonstrate a landing again next lesson so I can just sit there and try and get the picture in my head Happily, I am getting to the point where I can 'feel' if something's wrong (or I think I can)...I just tend to doubt that I'm right about what's wrong (need to work on my PIC skills!) I think it's also trying to manage the workload during the landing too. You're there going 'shape of strip?, staying in place on windscreen?, aim point? oh cr*p what's my airspeed!, centreline?, argh!' I'm hoping people here still forget to turn the carby heat off on final, I don't think I've remembered once i_dunno In my defence, the black handle blends in so I can't see the stupid thing! I told my instructor last week that they (Jabiru) should've made the handle yellow so us poor students could see it (and he agreed)...maybe I should write to Jabiru?

I'm still tempted to go back to them and try and get a new set...despite the fact that they're working better than they were, they still don't seem quite how they were when I first got them... not sure how much success I'd have with the manufacturer though, but I guess I can try :)

I've done that too... That's one of my problems too, I think once I get to the hold off part I tend to think "well I'm here, time to land" rather than just letting things flow and letting it land when it wants to. I will get the hang of landings eventually and then I'll probably wonder why it took me so long

Hey gang, Apparantly I have now completed all pre-solo maneuvers but my landings still suck (my term, not my FI's) so solo is still of a bit of a way off...I think I've managed to identify the main problems I'm having with the landings so I figured I'd put it on here and see if anyone has any tips... (and yes I have been talking to my instructor about it but I figured more tips/opinions couldn't exactly hurt) I'm flying out of YLIL which has a grass strip and I tend to have some issues trying to see the shape of the runway on approach (since it is a grass runway in the middle of a grass field)...does anyone have any tips for distinguishing the runway from the field so I can better see it's shape? It's a bit confusing to try and see the shape of the runway to try and see if I'm too high/low when I'm trying to distinguish it from the grass field surrounding it...any ideas? My second main problem is when I'm holding off above the runway, I keep misjudging how high/low above the runway I am and either touchdown before I want to or attempt to touchdown only to discover I'm not where I thought I was! I am trying to look at the horizon at the end of the runway but it is possible that I'm not looking far ahead enough... I know this is basically an exercise in developing judgment and I know that I am generally slow in developing judgment, you should've seen me trying to learn to park when I was learning to drive, I was atrocious But yeah, I guess, are there any cues that you use to tell how high you are or is it just a judgment thing I need to develop? I keep telling myself that I'll be extra proud of myself once I master landings after all this effort but right now it half seems like I'll never get there....it's frustrating because I know what I'm doing wrong, I just can't seem to get the hang of it! Cheers :)

I don't think so, I always try to wrap it loosely in the bag...I'll see how it goes next time I guess :) Good to have you back young Tomo

*snicker* I can never find that smiley holding the 10/10 sign...where does it lurk?

Dazza, I can see what you mean about the different intercoms. The thing is, when I first got my Zulus (when they worked like an absolute dream) I was using them in the same aircraft as I am now, so I'm not sure how it could be the intercom affecting them. :confused: I'll definitely keep it in mind though :)

Hi Dazza, They seem to be going better at the moment (just when I was going to write to LightSpeed and ask for a replacement). I'm just seeing how they go each time I fly now and seeing if there's any difference between planes etc. They still do seem to be noisier (background noise I mean) than they were when I first purchased them but that might be something to do with squelch or something instead...? But yeah, they're better than they were which is good :)

The thing I really hate is when two pilots decide to have their own little private conversation over the frequency... There I am, making my way around the circuit, ready to make all the appropriate calls, and I can't (or have to wait until I'm nearly past where I should make the call) because there's these two idiots talking about what they're doing that arvo and what they're going to have for lunch! :raise_eyebrow: I also dislike it when people crack it at each other over the radio (well, actually I find it pretty funny to listen to but think it's awfully unprofessional). Recently I was doing circuits and two pilots at Coldstream had a bit of an argument because one was on short final and was cut off (or nearly cut off) by the other (the one who was cut off was clearly in the "I hate RA-Aus" camp too, I didn't see why it was necessary to point out that the one who cut him off was an ultralight...) Just the thoughts of a circuit-bashing student

It looks like you both had an awesome time :big_grin: I actually had a dream last night which went through an entire pax flight from startup to shutdown (and I haven't got a PAX endorsement (or a licence at all yet) so I've never done one btw)...I woke up and felt like I should've written down what I said in my dream for the pax briefing!

Just get one with better font so people don't ask you why "drag" would have been cheaper

I know where you got that quote from dude Totally true though...

:thumb_up:

You mean I can't fly with my hat on? :ah_oh: But it looks so stylish!

The main reason I don't think that it's the intercom's fault is that when I first got the headset and used it in the exact same planes, it worked perfectly (worked like a dream). I don't see why it would've changed now. If I hadn't had the previous problem with the headset then I might be more likely to wonder if it's the intercom but, yeah, I reckon it's the headset. I'm going to email LightSpeed I think. I mean they can constantly repair it under warranty or they can just replace it, they may as well just replace it... Also, you know when you get something new and it breaks down soon after, even if you get it repaired it never seems quite the same and you always wonder about it?...that's where I am at the moment, and if I can manage it, I definitely want to get a new one....now let's see how good my negotiation skills are (Ian, methinks you need a *rubbing hands together evilly* smiley :))

I'm going to buy an adaptor (only a couple of dollars apparantly) that'll let me plug it into my laptop and see if it makes the noise then too (so lets me check the plug). I'm seriously thinking of trying to get a replacement from LightSpeed though. I've used it for maybe 10 hours now and it's had two problems so far, I'm not too pleased considering how much I paid for it...

Are the intercoms the same brand? I've no idea, they're the school planes...all I know is that they were factory built by Jabiru :confused: The thing I'm wondering is that when I first got the headset it was totally fine, completely silent like it's meant to be etc, it's only recently started with this problem which is making me wonder if it's the headset. Although that might also be because I'm not really trusting that my headset is working since I had to get it repaired recently, I tend to wonder what's going to go wrong next (even if there's no reason to think that)...if I'd had it for longer then it wouldn't bother me so much but when something has a problem after less than 2 months of occasional use it makes me panic about it breaking again... Maybe I can try and convince LightSpeed that I got a lemon and they should replace it under warranty? Maybe I'll email them...

Yeah it definitely isn't 'dead quiet'. It was the first time I used it after purchasing it but things seem to have gone downhill since then.... Do you mean different types of aircraft or just different aircraft? I've used it in two different J160s recently and had the same problem in both...maybe it's related to the Jab? I'm going to have to have a play around on Saturday I reckon :)

That'd be great, thanks. The plugs are still nice and shiny so I don't think it's corrosion. I'll have another listen on Saturday and see if I can add any more info :) Maybe I haven't fitted it properly and there's a gap between it and my ears? Is that likely to cause this kind of noise d'u think?

The noise disppears when I talk or when someone else is transmitting over the radio...although I guess it's possible that the noise is still there but the other noise (intercom/radio etc) just covers it up?

Hi gang, I have a question about ANR headsets. During flight, when I have the ANR on, I get this sound (not really loud but loud enough to be noticable) that sounds a bit like...I guess the closest thing I can think of is the sound of...crumpling cellophane? It's slightly high-pitched and sounds a bit like something scrunching. The thing is, I don't know if this is a sound that just comes from the ANR working or if there's an issue with my headset (I have a Lightspeed Zulu btw). I do know that it only happens when plugged into the aircraft, I tested the ANR at home and don't get that sound. So yeah, is this noise normal or do I need to (again) take my headset in for repairs? (I think if I need it repaired again, I'm going to sell it and buy a Bose :|...) I apologise if this post is a bit confusing, I'm not really sure how to describe the noise... Cheers :) I just noticed that I've hit 400 posts and been promoted to Group Captain...:thumb_up: