[How to start a fire on a plane in flight?]

I think you are right about the 30 day "roll back".  BUT, the latest upgrade seems to have its own mind when it comes to rolling back.  The impression I have is that Win10 (before the big November upgrade) will handle FSX properly.  But the post November update is a very different animal and during the update process old files seem to be "improved" with serious consequences for FSX.

 

In my case I found I had lost Dx9, and despite saying I did not want to save any files or folders i.e. I wanted a clean HD I had all the old files still present in my C drive.  I then tried to roll back (about 2 or 3 days after the first install) thinking I would go back to Win 7 and found I had gone back to Win10, with all my old folders still present.

 

As stated previously, I have returned to my shell and am staying with Win7; I expected to spend forever installing updates following a new install and was very surprised that it only took a couple of minutes.  I guess all the previous updates have been consolidated into a few new files.

 

If you are going to move to Win10, I would wait a while and keep this website handy http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109

 

It is the MS site where you can download the DirectX repair tool.

 

I have also seen a post that the author of FSRecorder is not going to modify this program for FSX STeam so this may be another reason to let sleeping dogs lie.

 

Good luck,

 

Clive

[How to start a fire on a plane in flight?]

Thank you for your help. 

 

In the end I decided to uninstall FSX and run FSX Steam.  However, I then found that it would not close down properly, I had to use Task Manager.  When I looked in the C drive I discovered I had a set of FSX files in the SteamApps folder and another set in my C\FSX folder so my attempts at uninstalling from my C Drive using CCleaner had not worked which was probably why Steam was confused.

 

I have now puzzled out how to go back to Win 7 and am now running FSX in this OS.  In Win 10 there is a claim that you can "roll-back" back to a previous set up.  I think that MS have recently released an update which means this is not as straightforward as before.  Certainly, the videos on rolling back on YouTube do not agree with what I saw using the most recent update, but the YouTubes are dated August and the new update was released in November.

 

As a final comment, when I was back in Win 7 I looked in my C drive and to my surprise saw a folder which I had created in Win 10.  I understood that all non-WinOS folders etc would be removed during the re-install process.  I was clearly wrong.

 

Again, I appreciate your help,

 

Clive

[How to start a fire on a plane in flight?]

The fixer is a good thought; I looked at it once but the install instructions looked a bit too complex, do you know if they have been simplified?  i.e. is it simple to install?

 

The PC which is not happy is my second machine which is my test PC; if that is happy I move to my FSX PC which has all my add-ons on (planes, scenery etc) it.  I am terrified that if I move that from Win7 to Win10 I will be in deep clag.

 

I have tried John's Starting Fire sequence; it really works and is very realistic; I was most impressed and seriously concerned for the pilot.  I am now looking for ways to make it into a macro so I can start a fire with my joystick (in the plane, if you see what I mean).

 

Thanks for the good idea,

 

Clive

[How to start a fire on a plane in flight?]

Thank you all very much for your informative suggestions, no plans to visit Sharm just now. 

 

I apologise for the tardy response but I have just moved the PC over to Win 10 (updated version) from Win 7 and discovered FSX wants Dx9 to run, the newly installed Win10 verson is Dx 11.2.

 

As you have already worked out no Dx9 = a black screen and request for Dx9.  When I downloaded Dx9 from MS and tried to install it i was told Dx9 only works from Win XP to 8.1.

 

Not sure what to do now.

 

Open to suggestions,

 

Thank you,

 

Tregarth

[How to start a fire on a plane in flight?]

This may seem strange but I would like to start a fire on a plane whilst it is in flight so I can then have a reason to use the ejector seats at a time of my choosing.

 

I can set a fire to start using FSX's Failures screen but it will only come on after a preset time, my flying is not that good that I can be sure of being in a particular place at a pre-arranged time, so I would like to fly to a pre-set spot, press a key combination and cause a fire to start.

 

Any suggestions as to how this coukd be done?

 

Thank you,

 

Tregarth

[How to remove a deleted flight plan which won't go away?]

You are absolutely right.  Tack ska Du har !

 

Tregarth.

[How to remove a deleted IFR flight plan from FSX?]

A while ago in FSX (boxed) I created a flight plan from London City to Farnborough as a test.  It was stored in C\Users\Me\Docs\FSX Files as IFR London City to farnborough.pln  Later I decided to delete it.

 

But now, whenever I start FSXI see a warning window on the Splash Screen saying he fike cannot be found.  I click on OK and the message repeats.  Again I click OK and FSX runs as adverised.

 

I have been back to FSX files and deleted all of my IFR files in the hope that would sort the problem out, it hasn't.

 

This warning is beginning to annoy me, can anyone please suggest a way to remove it?

 

I am using Win7 HP (64 bit) and FSX Gold edition,

 

Thank you,

 

Tregarth

[How to remove a deleted flight plan which won't go away?]

A while ago in FSX I created a flight plan from London City to Farnborough as a test.  It was stored in C\Users\Me\Docs\FSX Files as IFR London City to Farnborough.  After a while I went into FSX Files and deleted it.

 

But now whenever I start FSX I see a warning window on the Splash Screen saying the file cannot be found.  I click OK and the message repeats.  I click OK and FSX runs as advertised.

 

I have been back to FSX Files and deleted all of my IFR files in the hope that would sort the problem out, it hasn't.

 

This warning message is beginning to annoy me, does anyone know of a way to remove it?  I know about the trick when adding Scenery to FSX in Win 7, is there a similar to removing flight plan files

 

I am using Win7 HP with FSX Gold edition

 

Thank you

[Nice site I found :)]

Thank you very much for some useful websites, particularly AirCharts. I have just started flying the feelThere Embraer Phenom, the plane is very good but the tutorial flight is poor. The instructions make use of a particular way point which is not shown on either their supplied chart or moving map. Using AirCharts I now have a printout showing the waypoint.

Very helpful,

Thank you,

Tregarth

[Gatwick Flight Sim Group Meeting]

The Gatwick Flight Sim Group will be meeting at the Gatwick Aviation Museum ( http://www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk/ ) this Sunday Oct 2nd at 10.00.

I hope that some of you will come to join this new Group and share your enthusiasm for flight simming. The plan is for us to meet on the first Sunday of each month, to share knowledge and experience of all forms of flight simming.

If any of you attended the Flight 1 Open Day at Shoreham last Saturday you will have seen a flyer which has just been produced.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday,

Clive Drake

[Garmin 1000 DME does not show.]

Dear John,

I think the way round it is to use the "Nearest Airports" window. I followed the instructions under the heading "Nearest Airports" in the FSX Usinhg Garmin 1000 Help section. i.e. Press NRST softkey, turn the FMS knob to select required airport, press Direct-to key, press Ent key twice.

This tells the Garmin that your airport is a Waypoint, then, by setting the ILS frequency it all works.

One point I struggled with was using the FMS key. Move the mouse to the clickspot and hold the left mouse button on the spot for a couple of seconds i.e don't just click and expect a result. It may be responding but the window is small and difficult to read - at least it is for me (I had to use the + key to expand the panel so I could read it).

I set up a flight from Manston to Stansted using Detling & Lambourn VOR's. I had expected that on reaching Lambourn EGSS would appear as a waypoint but it didn't so I hurriedly had to learn how to use "Nearest Airports"!

I appreciate your reply, Thank You,

Bset regards,

Tregarth

P.S. I hope to be at the Weston Show, I see Mutley will be present so I look forward to meeting you there.

Pop-up panels are pretty easy to do. After you do one you'll wonder what you were worried about.

At any rate, come back and let us know how the flight plan/GPS method works. I'm afraid the annoyance is going to be having to reset the active leg of the flight plan every time you get to the field. If you're doing T&Gs, that will be a pain.

John

[Garmin 1000 DME does not show.]

Dear John,

Thank you very much for this, I did suspect this was the reason. How strange; I suppose someone at ACES forgot and then when the studio closed no one was able to correct it. I will follow your advice and try the flight plan solution. I am not comfortable with a panel pop up, if anyone can screw it up it is me.

I appreciate your help,

Tregarth

There does not seem to be a DME display per se in the FSX G1000. There are two ways around this. The DIS window you reference is the GPS distance to the next waypoint, not DME. You can put in a flight plan with EGMH as the destination and that should display the distance in that field if you make the last flight plan leg the active leg using the standard GPS functions.

A better way might be to put a pop-up panel in the panel.cfg file for this AC with a conventional DME instrument from another AC. It will always be there and will always work with no fooling around with flight plans, etc.

John

[Garmin 1000 DME does not show.]

I have started to fly the MS FSX default Cessna 172 SP with Garmin 1000 and the Baron 58 also with Garmin 1000. Normally with a standard C 172 the DME works so when I fly round Manston I always know how far I am from home and also use the DME to ensure I am at the right height to enter the glide slope.

But using the Garmin 1000 the DIS window stays at 00.0 nm no matter where I am in the circuit; I am only flying circuits and bumps at present so I do not have a flight plan installed. I have read the FSX Garmin manual but it does not tell me how to make the DME work. I have set and activated Nav 1 to the Manston ILS (111.75) and checked it is working with my basic C172 and all is OK. The Garmin ILS needles show when on approach but the DME stays on 00.0. I have even set Nav 2 to 111.75 but that does not work either.

Can anyone please tell me where I am going wrong?

Thank you,

Tregarth

[Trying to start a FS Group in Gatwick area]

Thanks Rob,

I will contact them both to see if they are agreeable to my posting a message.

Clive

Good idea Clive.

There are a few user groups around the country and I believe that they are quite popular. Have you tried posting on places like AVSIM and the VATSIM forums?

[Trying to start a FS Group in Gatwick area]

I would like to start a Flight Simulator User's Group so that Flight Simmers can meet to talk about and share their knowledge and experiences with Flight Simulation (any platform).

So, if you are flying a glider in FS 95, a 747 in X-Plane or a F-18 in FSX or a helicopter in FS9 and would like to meet fellow enthusiasts and demonstrate your set up please contact me on 07511 60 60 79 or c.drake7@yahoo.co.uk

I am thinking about meeting on a Sunday morning, once / month, probably in the Gatwick area.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Clive Drake

[Saitek X52 Joystick and FSUIPC]

Dear Gabe,

Now you have me confused.

I am unclear about what you refer to as "Control Panel" in "I use the the Control Panel for the Saitk to set basic deadzones etc. and then fine tune it in the FS9/FSX control panel. BUT... you need to check that the joystick assignments in the sim control settings have been deleted."

Do you mean the FSX panel found in Settings\Controls\Calibration\Controller? How do you "fine tune"?

I have looked at the Saitek site and found these drivers: Saitek_X52_Flight_Controller_SD6_32.exe and Saitek_X52Pro_Flight_Controller_SD6_32.exe which are both for Vista and Win 7 32 bit. Do these not work?

It took me a long time to figure out how to program the X-Rotation button in SST, I use this button in FSU to set the trim and it works well. The trouble was that when I was using SST in Virtual Cockpit in FSX moving the X-Rotation wheel caused the view to pan around the cockpit at a dizzying speed. Which is why I have been looking at FSU again.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Can I vote in your Presidential Campaign?

Tregarth

[Saitek X52 Joystick and FSUIPC]

Thanks for your reply.

I agree, FSU is very powerful but you have to be very dedicated to use it. I have tried to use SST, but because I have been using FSU which is menu driven it took me a long time to realise SST is keyboard driven and, as I said before, the SST Support did not fill me with confidence so I struggled with FSU.

Can you please tell me more about SST? I realise they have profiles but do you have to set up "common commands" say, the joystick sensitivity, for each plane or can you have a base set of instructions and simply add specific commands for each aircraft by using an "Aircraft Profile"?

In FSU I have set up a set of "common commands" in Mode 1 i.e. flaps up, down, gear up down, spoilers etc and then have an extra section in Mode 2 for a 737 i.e. thrust reverser etc, another for the F-18, toggle hook etc and another for the C-130 cargo ramp up/down. When FSU loads it looks at the aircraft in use and then activates the relevant section by reading

[buttons.FA-18 Hornet]

0=CP(+0,28)....

or

[buttons.C-130 Hercules]

0=CP(+0,28)....

I appreciate your comments.

Tregarth

[Saitek X52 Joystick and FSUIPC]

Dear Gabe,

Thank you for your reply.

There is a rather odd work around which was found by Gypsy Baron. It is reported as "Interesting discovery vis-a-vis Saitek "Mode" switch" which can be found in Pete D's site. The address of the post is http://forum.simflight.com/topic/67099-interesting-discovery-vis-a-vis-saitek-mode-switch/page__p__421203__hl__%2Bgypsy+%2Bbaron__fromsearch__1#entry421203

Basically what he found was that if you open the Saitek X52 properties window and LEAVE IT OPEN whilst flying FSX the mode switch and a couple of buttons on the throttle now work. Close the window and they are switched off. I now have a shortcut to the X52 Devices & Controllers screen and then manually open the Properties window before starting FSX, a minor irritaton but it means I can use FSUIPC. (I am using Win 7)

The other downside is that if you wish to use the 3 modes you have to use the script for all 3 Modes. The script is:

Item#=CP(+0,27)0,Button#,Command#,9 (Note there are no spaces in the script)

The actual script is 8=CP(+0,27)0,7,C65589,9

In English this means

8=Compound Pulse(Joystick no, Mode 1) Joystick button no i.e 0,7, FSX command no C65589,9

In my set up this means the instruction in line 8 is

"In Mode 1 pressing joystick button 7 toggles the spoilers". The last 9 is, I am told, a "command parser". Whatever that is

I could then make button 7 in Mode 2 have a different function i.e.

Item#=CR(+0,28)0,Button#,Command#,9

9=CR(+0,28)0,7,C65735,0 i.e.

9=Compound Repeat(Joystick no, Mode 2) Joystick button no i.e 0,7, FSX command no C65735,0

Line 9 means "In Mode 2 pressing button 7 pan the view down" I have no idea what the difference between 0 and 9 is.

(On my stick Mode 1 = 0,27, M2 = 0,28 and M3 = 0,29)

The other downside is that if you want to go this route you need to insert all the Mode "bit" into all the commands (i.e. for M1, 2 and 3). In my case I have set all my basic commands in Mode 1 using the normal FSUIPC window, then go into the FSUIPC.INI file and change the script from P0,2,C#,9 to CP(+0,28)0,2,C#,9

It is a fag and I am not sure if I will continue with it. I have enough difficulty remembering the commands for 2 Modes so I think 6 (with the "pinkie") would be too much. I value FSU because I can set the stick sensitivity using the slope command. I have not tried SST but when I contacted their support people I had the feeling I knew more about their product than they did.

I hope this helps and you do not fall out of the sky too often. At least in FSX you can pick yourself up and have another go.

Thanks for your comments,

Tregarth

[Saitek X52 Joystick and FSUIPC]

I am trying to make my Saitek X52 joystick work with FSUIPC. I have programmed Mode 1 with basic aircraft commands and all is OK, but when I move to Modes 2 and 3 they do not work. If I go to Mode 2 the Mode 1 commands still respond, but Modes 2 and 3 do not. So effectively I have a 3 mode stick which only works in 1 mode.

I have contacted Pete Dowson but his very prompt response on New Year's Day is that he is doubtful that the X52 Modes 2 and 3 will work with FSUIPC. Having purchased a FSU licence to be able to use all the FSU features this is not good news.

Does anybody have a X52 which is running under FSU and uses Modes 2 and 3, please?

If so, can you please tell me how you do it? (I am using FSX with Win 7)

Thank you,

Tregarth

[HELP please FSX Hangs on start up]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I looked in the Windows Application Log and saw 945 error messages. This frightened the S**t out me so I suddenly remembered System Restore.

I have removed my Saitek programming software and also reverted to a point before I installed my C-130 FSX update.

FSX now runs OK. Whopee.

One question please. Mutley said "I am always moving aircraft out of FSX to a holding folder when not in use." How can I do this so I only have the aeroplanes I want to fly in a "Ready for Use" Hangar and the others in a "Standby Hangar"?

I am grateful to you all for your help.

Tregarth

[HELP please FSX Hangs on start up]

Can anyone please tell me how to make FSX start when I click the desktop shortcut?

I am using FSX with Win 7 HP. I click on the desktop icon, the Splash Screen appears and that's it. The little cursor wheel just goes round and round. Going to Task Manager I see a line "FSX is not responding". Clicking on End Task does nothing, the only way to stop the programme is to switch the PC off.

What can I do to make FSX run OK?

I don't think it is a programme, after I have installed an add-on I always close down and restart and then start FSX and all worked OK. This has been an intermittent fault but now it has become permanent.

Thank you.

[FSX - Fatal Error]

Good, see you there.

[FSX - Fatal Error]

Yes, I have Googled all the possible combinations I can think of but with no success.

What I can tell you is that although the screen settings have been changed, NONE OF THE NETWORK SETTINGS WERE TOUCHED so my network still works !. Hallelujah! :dance:

I have never understood this program, when I looked in Win Explorer many of the Add-on aircraft folders which I thought had been removed during the uninstall were still in the SimObjects/Aircraft Directory. I thought if looking inside but have not had the courage to do so.

I appreciate your help, are you going to Duxford on Sat Sept 4?

Tregarth

[FSX - Fatal Error]

Well, I tried "REPAIR" , no effect what so ever. Watching as it ran through disc 1 and 2 it seems to overwrite various files, but it didn't overwrite my problem file or setting.

Tregarth

[FSX - Fatal Error]

Dear Joe,

Yes, I will try Windows Restore. I may already have a "clean" copy (or two) of the Scenery.cfg file! When you say Repair only functions on the core software, does this include the network settings? I don't think I can face rebuilding my network - my main PC runs Win 7, the slave PC runs XP

I will tell you what happens,

Thanks

Tregarth

Have you got windows system restore? You could try that first.

I have never used the repair function, with all the reviews and testing I do I have to re-install FSX quite often but the repair will only function on the core software not third-party programs so any scenery you have will still be there but make a copy of your scenery.cfg (You should know where it is by now :nea: ) as it may overwrite it, then you can pop it back in place after.

Joe