Flight Simulator Tips and Tricks

I just ran across this Web Site which provides an easy way to calculate Fuel etc. for your next FS flight.http://fuel.aerotexas.com/You simply enter the departure and arrival ICAO codes and select the type of aircraft you will be flying from a drop down menu.Output is available in several different formats.I find it useful - hope you do too.

Q) How can I make my DVC gauges look more crisp?A) To make your DVC gauges look more crisp add these line under FS9.CFG [PANELS] section:VIRTUAL_COCKPIT_TEXTURES_SCALE=2.0This might not work on all video cards.

Here's something a few users might want to try: I did this because I have multiple controllers, plus the need to fly an airliner in Seattle, a BirdDog at Orcas Island, and a Helicopter - and having to alter, tweak, twist and squirm the last few fps out of my beast for each of these differing configs.. Doing this means saving cfg files and then remembering why you saved them!The bitsnpieces:-http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o83/pj_3_bucket/Controls/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ16

This thread has been produced as a result of a request placed on the FSX forum. The idea of this thread is simply to provide a reference/start point for all FSX enthusiasts to refer to when they are;· First setting up the software· Wanting to modify/tweak it for whatever reason· Looking to improve performance· Solve any problems that may have arisen· Any other reason….In the first instance this thread is designed to be impartial and something that should be continually modified as and when new developments are found. This thread is a knowledge space for all to benefit from.So if you do have any suggestions or feel certain items shou…

I just ran across this excellent guide to customizing what is displayed when using Shifted Z in FSX.http://blogs.technet...nformation.aspxI had no idea this was even possible.Hope you find the information useful.

Thanks go to Bernt Stolle who first came up with this clever tip.The standard, and most add-on GA aircraft have an annoying habit of locking the wheels when braking.This looks silly when watched from the outside view..It turns out that the anti-skid function which is selectable on most airliners also works on GA planes.Two ways of enabling:1. Set a key in the Controls panel of FSX to correspond to Brake Anti Skid toggle and use this key2. Add a little XML gauge to your favorite aircraft that sets the Anti Skid function when the aircraft is loadedHere is a gauge that will do just that: <Gauge Name="Anti_skid" Version="1.0"><!-- Turn on Anti-skid --> <Elem…

I have posted this information several times in various threads but thought it might be of value to post it once again.The Learning Centers which are normally accessed while the sim is running contain a wealth of information (and answers to many common questions) can be viewed at anytime without the sim up and running.This is how it is done:For FS2004 -Create a new shortcut on your Desktop and paste the following line in the "target" box:C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\FSweb\frameset_ingame_help.htmEdit the path if you installed FS2004 elsewhere.Give the shortcut a name such as Shortcut to FS2004 Learning Center and hit Finish to complete the shortcut …

I just ran across this Microsoft site which explains, in detail, what all of the various parameters in an aircraft.cfg file are and what edits can be made.A fine resource in my opinion. :( :( :( http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc526949.aspx

For anyone whose has attempted to install the RAF texture (brihw.zip by Henry William - available in the Avsim library) into the fine Bristol Britannia by Mike Stone - and has found the fuselage does not display, here is a simple "fix".Open the texture folder named texture.raf and find the file named fusigc_t.bmpRename it as fuslg_t.bmp (the c is removed) The fuselage should now display properly.It works well for me - Hope it works for you also.

Note to the Moderators, I am aware that there is a hardware sub-forum, how-ever I dont seek advice and am offering this tip for flightsim users that may not be aware of it. If you feel the need to move this topic, feel free.This tip has also been posted on the Australian OzX and FTX Forums.Ever wanted an extra 20 customised button/switch controls for your flight sim?How much can you expect to pay for such a device...$100?...even more I hear you say? What about if I told you that you may already have such a device in your home or can buy one for under $30 NEW. Anyone that knows PS2 and PS3 consoles will be familiar with the "Buzz" games series...those USB controllers are …

Maybe this can help you if you have the sound crackling issues with the Nvidia cards, it cured mine completely in every environment (standard scenery, photoscenery and high autogen situations like Orbx PNW) with no ill side effects. Be aware that you might need some tuning for your system, and I suspect that this fix only works on a quadcore.My system is a Q9550 standard speed, a 285GTX with 2GB RAM, 8GB RAM on Win 7 64 Ultimate. I am running a dual monitor setup with DualHead2Go in 3360x1050.Do the following changes to a clean fsx.cfg - which is set up for your monitor and autogen settings, though. Be aware that you should be on the conservative side with autogen, for me…

Screenshot over Darrington Wa.It has been many years since I started lurking at AVSIM and other FS sites soaking in all the knowledge and expertise of those who have found out how to run various versions of MSFS. Eventually I registered and begin to participate, while trying not to be a part of any problems, but perhaps helping in a solution here and there. Everything any of us know in the core FS community come on the shoulders of those who have done most of the heavy lifting. We all know who they are, but for the recent arrivals they would be a long list of devoted helpers beginning with Nick Needham and as of this date ending with ******* (Hey sus) aka. Bojote. Of cour…

Pilots,I had an issue with the default GPS displays (Garmin GPS295 and Garmin GPS500) where they were not showing any terrain elevation detail other than color. I discovered that there were no terrain relief shadows showing on the displays. Which give you an overhead view of the surrounding terrain relief. This is so you can gauge the height of the terrain near your aircraft by seeing the 3D elevation features of the mountains or hills nearby.If you are having a similar issue with these displays in FSX, please go to this thread I started on Flightsim.com, (Not sure if I'm going to get in trouble for this since it is my first ever post on these forums) :( http://forums.fli…

FS X terrain is defined in the terrain.cfg file that can be found in the FS X root directory.While testing FS X, Dick Ludowise (rhumbaflappy) and I made various modifications to the file.For most users, the principal modification concerns the display of water.Responding to complaints from users, the FS X team eliminated the sloping water that displayed in previous versions - now, when water encounters a slope, a rock texture is displayed.Unfortunately, this has an unwelcome side benefit in that many rivers now display rocky patches in them, for example, the Thames in London:http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/160725.jpgWe have modified the terrain.cfg file so as to elimina…

VC | PAN RATE | FSXI find the horizontal pan rate in VC to fast for my liking, and wanted it similar to the vertical speed. To adjust the variable, open the CAMERAS.CFG (located with your FSX.CFG) at:"Drive:Documents and Settings"User Name"Application DataMicrosoftFSX" folder -(Not the camera.cfg in the main FSX directory.)Look under (CameraDefinition.002) (this is the virtual cockpit)and change:HeadingPanRate=75toHeadingPanRate=45This seems to make the vertical & horizontal roughly about the same speed, or tweak them to your preference.Additionaly if you wanted to add the "lens flare effect" to your VC mode, simply change the variable ShowLensFlare=FALSE to TRUE.Rega…

Hello,after a lot of trial and error, I found a solution to a graphics glitch I recently discovered.It's about the baggage carts (the trailer vehicles that move to your plane when you open the cargo doors).There are 4 models used, two US style vehicles and 2 flatnose Euro style vehicles. One of each type had the problem. It was caused to faulty contact point data in the corresponding sim.cfg file.The resulted was vehicles that "sink" into the ground like this:When I noticed that some cart versions did not sink and some did, I thought I should look for the problem and if it can be fixed by simply changing some configuration files.The baggage carts are found in these direct…

KEYWORDS: FSX | default.xml | autogen fix | FPSHi all.A trick to increase FPS in FSX is to delete or rename the default.xml file found in the Autogen folder. It works.What it does is it removes all the added value random autogen from the sim ( burger joints, shopping malls, light poles... ). Unfortunately, it also eliminates many trees and shrubs in the process, leaving a slightly barren look to the sim.The default.xml can be altered to remove all the added value objects, and still allow randon trees and shrubs.The objects are arranged in classes, and while the GUID must be maintained for the classes themselves, the GUIDs for the objects can be dummied: <CLASS> …

KEYWORDS: GPS | Intersection | PLN FilesI don't know if this is old news or any other way to do it from within the flight planner, but here is a way to get the GPS to point one the way to a sight seeing spot. My problem was that one can only make use of the internal GPS database. If an intersection is not there I could find no way to add it to the GPS. My workaround is to edit the flight plan... any other tips/corrections would be appreciated!In the following case study I've used Yellowstone to fly to Ol' Faithful. I planned the trip to use the Bell but you may use any aircraft of preference. Note the cruising_altitude=8500, but take care to avoid high ground.The tips:1. …

Tom came up with an excellent idea to try and keep all the tips and tricks here organized and easily searchable: "If a message posted started out here with key words, then users when doing a search in this forum could search on those and quickly get to the meat of their quest." PeterR also helpfully pointed out that as the forum grows to contain tips for different versions of FS, specifying where appropriate in your Keywords the FS version would be of great value. So, when you make a tip or trick post on this forum, please begin your post using the following example:---You post a message with a concise but informative subject such as: "Enabling the autothrottle for ne…