Bruce (a.k.a. brian747)
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Posts posted by Bruce (a.k.a. brian747)
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<BIG grin> I like the easy ones. (Mostly because they tend to be in a minority, unfortunately).
Well done for getting it sorted, Paul.
Great to see a new rotorhead in the Hangar, too. Now you can get some more practice at balancing the proverbial ball bearing on the proverbial sheet of ice!
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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It has evidently been a more difficult job to upgrade the Migration Tool than anyone expected. To quote the developer -
"Why is it taking so long?
Because Prepar3D v3 brings frustrating amount of changes to the simulator's existing structure. To bring you an example, since the very first version of Prepar3D, its version numbering scheme has looked like this:
1.3.3078.0
1.4.4747.0
2.0.9448.0
2.1.10201.0
2.2.10437.0
2.3.11345.0
2.5.12945.0
First number marks Prepar3D generation (v1, v2). Second denotes subversion within that generation (v1.4 and v2.5). Third is build number (increased with every change) and fourth unused.
Not only Migration Tool, but several other add-ons determined Prepar3D version by checking the third number, which was increased with each new update to the simulator (incl. hotfixes). This proved an easy and convenient way of knowing which simulator we're precisely dealing with. If we needed something do be done when the simulator is v2.2 or newer, we could've simply read the build number, see if it is equal or larger than 10437, and if it was, do whatever needed to be done.
This numbering scheme has been broken with v3. Build number now stands at fourth position:
3.0.10.14945
This may not look like much, but among other things, I traced FSINN's failure to properly run down to exactly this change. Suddenly, when we read the third version number and check it against 10437 like in previous example, we get an incorrect result that the simulator is NOT newer than v2.2, because number 10 is obviously smaller than 10437. This messes up Migration Tool's small internal engine that intercepts add-ons' version queries and alters them as needed.
To overcome this and many other similiar changes, much of Migration Tool has to be rewritten and expanded to adapt to Prepar3D's ever-changing standards."
Not exactly kind of LM, IMO.
But anyway, the first v3 version has now been released:
"I have uploaded a new build of Migration Tool, with FSInn working under all testing conditions:"
http://www.flightsim.ee/products/migration-tool#download
I wait with interest to hear how effective it is!
Cheers,
B.
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Ex-military guys, especially, will appreciate this one.
http://www.tickld.com/x/jaw/military-pilot-shares-the-most-amazing-story-ever
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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A great series of pics, Alan, thank you.
Great title, too: "Delta lady" is very apt!
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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Hi Richard!
And a warm welcome to Mutley's Hangar!
I can't help with your Guernsey problems, I'm afraid (the runway's too short to land my 747-400 there,so it has never been part of my simming) but I had a dim recollection that I had seen something here on that topic, and indeed I found the post I had been thinking of, which might perhaps have some stuff which could be relevant — as well as pointing you towards some denizens of the Hangar who may be able to help!
Check it out here: http://forum.mutleyshangar.com/index.php/topic/15444-earth-simulations-esi-packs/#entry125808
I seem to recall also some talk about ESI scenery conflicting with Orbx England, but I may be mis-remembering.....
(Do you have any Orbx stuff installed?).Good luck with your problem!
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a.brian747
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Just had a superb view of her as she overflew my garden away from Farnborough and on west.
Sad to think that those engines will soon be mothballed.
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
P.S. She departed Farnborough at 2:24 p.m. (BST), in case that helps anyone later on the route to work out an E.T.A.
B.
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Hi Paul!
And welcome to the Hangar!
Just one more suggestion if I may.... Could you go through your control assignments within FSX (all of them, all tabs. all controllers) and triple-check that you don't have two different devices assigned to the same axis? I know it's a chore, but that is a frequent cause of unwanted mysterious axis movements from hell.
Best of luck with fixing your problem,
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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Superb video, mon ami!
(Good to see it on the PSX forum, too).
Cheers,
bruce,
a.k.a. brian747
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Great pics, Adrian. A week of study, you say? You must have been studying hard!
It's hugely satisfying to master the intricacies of a complex aircraft, though — well done!
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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The Vulcan (specifically, "Vulcan bomber XH558" or G-VLCN) has in a sense been on her farewell tour for a while, now. But the farewell will definitely come to an end on Sunday October 11th, which will be the last day upon which she will ever fly, prior to being grounded.
(During that flight she will be passing over Farnborough — only a couple of miles down the road, so I should be able to see her from my house. The slight snag is that no one seems to know what time it will make the overflight, or indeed whether the public will be admitted to the airfield for the occasion (although somehow I very much doubt it, since Farnborough is nowadays a very private airfield for the seriously rich, apart from the biennial International Air Show, of course). One enterprising soul even rang the Farnborough control tower to enquire, and they don't know, either. Ah well).
Anyway, the full list of places which are planned to receive an overflight during her "Southern tour" is as follows:
RAF Waddington, Rutland Water, North Weald Airfield, Gravesend, Herne Bay, Manston, Dover, Ashford, Dunsfold, Farnborough, Middle Wallop, Old Sarum, Bristol Airport*, Filton, Cardiff Airport*, St. Athan, Staverton Glos Airport, RAF Brize Norton*, Wellesbourne, Bruntingthorpe and Newark.
*Passes at certain airports will be dependent on ATC clearances at the time of arrival.There will also be a similarly emotive "Northern tour" on the previous day (Saturday October 10th), during which the planned overflights are:
Gainsborough, Brough, Menwith Hill, Leeming, Durham Tees Airport*, Newcastle Airport*, Eshott Airfield, Alnwick, East Fortune, Carlisle Airport, Bowness on Windermere, Warton, Barton, Manchester Airport*, Woodford, RAF Cosford, East Midlands Airport* and Derby.
*Passes at certain airports will be dependent on ATC clearances at the time of arrival.
Sincere congratulations are in order to whoever chose the routes. I have to admit that for those of us who were in the RAF during the period concerned both lists of airfields are redolent with memory: I have visited the majority of them (the exceptions being mostly the smaller ones) at one time or other.
For more information, please see this page: http://www.vulcantothesky.org/news/710/82/Latest-on-National-Tour.html
There's also this on Twitter: http://twitter.com/XH558
However, you can watch almost twelve minutes of excellent video of the Vulcan, beginning with the flypast with the Red Arrows at the Southport Air Show on September 15th, here (the video also has the benefit of an extremely informative commentator):
And no sniffling at the back, please! We're British, dammit, so we're used to farewells....
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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http://www.orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/103890-ftx-global-and-openlc-eu-p3dv3-installers-ready/
"We're pleased to announce that the first lot of P3Dv3 installers are ready. The first two available products are FTX Global and openLC Europe.
FTX Global has advanced to version 1.40 and the only changes are a new user guide and installer behaviour.
openLC EU contains all the released updates (1.10,1.15 & 1.20). The openLC package is contained in four zip files and all need to be extracted for the installer to work. The four individual installers that were previously in the original version is no longer used, so there is only one exe installer file and 19 data files."
There is also a caveat....
"If you do not have P3D V3 and you already have these two products installed, you do not need these updates."
Cheers,
B.
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Hi Carl!
I'm glad you figured it out.
Yup, the numbers on the runway signs are part of the airport scenery, so they won't change automatically when the runway number changes IRL. I'd draw Garry's attention to it — you can give him the link that I gave you during our previous exchange of views:
> "The runway at Jersey Airport has been designated as 09/27 since 1952. As the headings are now 084.38 degrees and 264.39 degrees respectively it will change to 08/26 from 26 October." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-28167639
It is not unusual for scenery makers to provide an update when the runway numbers change, but since those signs are more complex to deal with than they might appear it's not a job they relish doing, so be sure to ask him nicely!
Also, if you are using the free try-before-you-buy version rather than the full version of Garry's EGJJ then he might perhaps be less motivated to make the change (unless he's done so already for the full version of the scenery), so ask him *especially* nicely!
Finally, did you know that Jersey is one of the few airports in this country which has a different ILS frequency for the two runway directions? Strange, but true.
Have fun,
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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Hi Carl!
We meet again....
Unfortunately, your screen's a bit fuzzy from where I'm sitting.... (This is my gentle way of saying that I need more information than you have provided).
When you said "...when I did the performance with topcat calculated but would not give me the calculation because the wind was above 15knotts" what do you mean exactly? In other words —
- Were you running TopCat standalone or had you called it from PFPX?
- What phase of the TopCat operations had you reached (W&B/Take-off/Landing/TLR)?
- What version of Topcat are you using (e.g. v2.74 Beta)?
- What aircraft were you planning for, and which runway of what airport (i.e. was your problem with the EGJJ take-off or the EGCC landing)?
- What was TopCat trying to calculate?
- And above all, exactly what was the message that TopCat gave you?
If you could give us a screenshot of the problem, too, that would very helpful.
Please help us to help you, and all that jazz. (As Brett also said...).
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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Hi Joe!
Thank you for that, my friend, in my reading I hadn't come across the registry fix + dummy fsx.exe idea.
But I have several legacy items with only FSX installers that I would be loth to lose, so it seems that I may nonetheless have to await a V3 migration from fsx utility.
Certainly, many of the alleged fixes that have appeared so far assume that you have a v2 P3D to migrate from (which I don't, of course). Although in looking at the threads regarding the EZCA (a.k.a. EZDOK) v1.18 beta I found a thread on this page http://www.simforums.com/Forums/prepar3d-v3_topic53633.html beginning with the words "For Ezdok beta Users the following guide will allow you to use Ezdok normally (INCLUDING ez config tool) under a standalone install of Prepar3d V3", which seems hopeful. I'll let you know — when and if I decide to get P3D v3, of course!
But until I'm a little more confident of my ability not to lose too many of my legacy apps and airports, I'll be somewhat cautious about doing that. (J.G., I'm with you!) Cheers and thanks,
B.
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As regards the trim wheel not working with the PMDG NGX and 777, this has long been an irritating problem. But recently I came across a couple of videos from someone who claims to have got Saitek panels working using a combination of SPAD and LINDA (and LINDA requires Lua support from a registered copy of FSUIPC, see http://www.mutleyshangar.com/reviews/bc/linda/linda.htm). I haven't tried the suggested technique, so I'm afraid I have no idea whether it works, but FWIW here are the links:
NGX+Saitek video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUetVP7cSL8
777+Saitek video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQcP-ZIyXkc&feature=youtu.be
Good luck!
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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Hi Wayne!
You're probably already aware of this, but just in case — FSUIPC v4.946 was released on Sunday ("Full release of FSUIPC 4 (incorporating WideFS 7) for use with FSX, FSX-SE and Prepar3D").
In the change document it says "This version is suitable for Prepar3D versions 2.3 - 3.0"
You didn't mention which version you were using, so I just thought I'd mention it.
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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Having piqued my curiosity about P3D v3 (dammit!), Joe, I have been taking an initial look around at what might be involved.
There's a lot of stuff on the 'net about transferring stuff relatively easily from P3D v2.55 to v3, but not very much about transferring from FSX (P3D v0.0?).
Other than waiting for official v3 installers to be made available, people seem to be pinning their hopes on Flightsim Estonia's migration utility....
But please educate me (the above was on the dubious basis of a few hours of Googling).
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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@Matt
Sorry, my friend, I missed your comment —
> "Bruce...have I seen you on a TV before?! I swear you look like "generic English gentleman" from that section of the BBC Screen Guild Extras Stock Catalog.
:P"
Well not TV, but I have to admit to at least one indiscretion onstage.... I was singing the part of Lord Mountararat in a semi-pro production of Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe: 
Cheers,
B.
<grin> I think I feel a temporary change of avatar coming on....
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Spot on, John: Jess was
in the salt minesoops sorry on the PC Pilot stand.Maybe it was Joe's aftershave....?
Cheers,
B.
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Terrific pics, Steph! Especially the ones in panoramic mode.
> "Who are these handsome guys ?"
<*cough*> Should've gone to Specsavers....?
[boring explanation for non-Brits: we have a popular series of TV advertisements for a certain chain of opticians, which figures short-sighted shepherds shearing their sheepdogs and so on, the punchline being... "Should've gone to Specsavers".]
(If you have to explain it, it's never funny, right?).
Anyway....As to your photos of the fabulous (??) five, those will definitely be collectors' items in times to come. But how did you manage to get 'Brian a.k.a. Needles' in the shot? Every time I got my camera out he had vanished. Probably eating cake somewhere, I guess.
Great show, great memories. Do we really have to wait a year for the next one?
Cheers,
B.
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<sigh> Thank you, Kevin: understood.
I'm just old-fashioned, I suppose.
Cheers,
B.
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OK, they have allegedly changed the license terms in v3. But TBH I'm still not sure about what they expect.
If you check out the "License Matrix of Acceptable Use" on this page http://prepar3d.com/product-overview/prepar3d-license-comparison/ then you'll notice that:
"Personal Computer Entertainment" is definitely unacceptable on any basis whatsoever. (!!)
(According to rumour, because Micro$oft insisted).The "Academic License" is only available to "undergraduate students" or worse still "K12 students" (whatever they are).
The "Developer License" is what it says. "No matter if you are a seasoned developer, or just starting out, we want to encourage you to develop for Prepar3D."
On that basis, I don't think I fit into any of those categories except perhaps the first, which is explicitly ruled out.
Am I the only simmer who finds this situation unfortunate, to say the least? It seems that if I wanted to use P3D I would have to knowingly lay claim to a pattern of use which is not in fact the case.
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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<grin> As the old saying goes, "It takes all sorts...".
Yet another great thing about our obsession -- there are *so many* aspects of it that can interest different people in different ways. Painters, ATC folks, long/short haul, VRF/IFR, pax, cargo, air charter management, procedural simming vs. "jump in and go", Virtual Airlines, military, props/jets, online flying.... the list goes on and on.
But we all appreciate each other's enthusiasms. It's great.
Cheers,
B.
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Some miscellaneous impressions from bruce:
Before anyone gets around to posting a proper show report, I thought I'd post this very quick overview for the benefit of anyone who's in a hurry to see what they missed.
From my point of view, the first thing to say is that it was really great to meet so many of our regular posters: thank you for stopping by to say say hello!
But the overwhelmingly vivid impression, one that stayed with me during the long drive home (having spoken to so many visitors to the stand that by the time I finally arrived home I found I was hoarse), was the huge extent to which people very much appreciate Mutley's Hangar. I quickly lost count of those who said that a particular review or other article had really helped them out, and a number of them came to the stand specifically to say hello and thank us. That was quite amazing, and (I reckon) a huge tribute to everyone who contributes articles and reviews here, and above all to Joe for providing us all with a haven.
I even had a few people who quite seriously asked how we made any money out of it. <sigh>
But enough of such witterings, and on to a few photographs. Here is the New Banner (10ft wide x 3ft deep) which Joe unveiled for the show:
Impressive stuff.
Joe had not only managed to install P3D v3 (and a lot of Orbx and some freebie aircraft) onto the review Chillblast machine, but he brought his 34" Dell Ultrasharp curved screen and his control setup too. This proved to be a very attractive centrepiece, and certainly grabbed the attention of the passers-by. Here he is setting it up:
And here's some shots of a few more faces which I'm sure you'll recognise.
Tim, Micke, and Jess:
Joe and I making the most of the last few quiet moments before the doors opened:
Micke, holding The Baton:
Steph tries to hide, but Micke isn't fooled:
Luckily, Kevin Firth had brought his daughter Eillithia along to show us how to do it:
But just to confirm that the rest of the show was mobbed too —
There was some very impressive kit to be seen here and there — although strictly for those with deep pockets!
And finally, here's Joe demonstrating his ability to fly and answer daft questions at the same time (an essential skill, at Cosford):
All in all, it was a really great show, and I enjoyed it immensely. Enormous thanks to Joe, and to everyone involved!
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
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A few v3 compatibility news items....
in Prepar3D Series
Posted
A few news items on the general topic of P3Dv3 compatibility:
A couple of notes about the Orbx page, though....
First of all, although it's not listed there, the free Global Lights Config Tool was updated for P3Dv3 two days ago (see their Portal at http://www.orbxsystems.com/forum/portal/ — the tool can be downloaded from this page — https://www.fullterrain.com/freeware# ).
Also, whilst they claim that the HD Trees package is now P3Dv3 compatible, I downloaded it (I always like to have the latest version, ready to go) and ran it, only to find that the only available options are for FSX. P3Dv1, and P3Dv2:
All good clean fun....
Cheers,
bruce
a.k.a. brian747