I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the plethora of choices at every stage embarking on the endeavor

[Windy]

If anyone reads this history of the markers of my pilot saga, you will find out why I received the nickname Windy before my first solo in 1959. I was a typical ramp rat of a kid doing minor chores for stick time from those pilots I helped.

 

I need clarification on all the options in MSFS with the massive number of add-on planes and scenery and just setting up the software. As I had almost 5,500 hours in the Cessna 337 (flying part 135 single pilot autopilot) before I had to quit in 1986, I see a version https://secure.simmarket.com/carenado-c337h-skymaster-fs2004.phtml   that will be close to what spent the most time flying. 

 

I will also grab my copy of Stick and Rudder from the shelf. I have a very battered copy that looks much like the 1944 edition shown if you do a google search on  Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche. Still, on my copy, the copyright page and a few others from the front of the book are also missing due to the state of the binding. ( on second thought, I best grab a fresh kindle edition) I received it from my primary flight instructor in 1960. He gave each of his primary students a copy once he had a feeling they would stick with it.

 

 

I was an ATP S&MEL (flight engineer on 727 briefly in 1970) CFII AGI (Oh, I also had a celestial navigator endorsement, but I never used it). The short version is that I got my private in 1962 at 16 and my commercial in 1964, then CFI work until 1970 and got my ATP in 1968. I was hired by a major airline in 1969 as a 727 flight engineer.

 

In 1970 I had to quit due to a family medical emergency; it meant finding a flying job near my parent’s retirement home with much scheduling flexibility. For a few years, I was back to being a flight instructor, which I did enjoy. By 1973 I was flying again as a scheduled air taxi pilot in various aircraft, from a Beechcraft model 18 to DHC 6  Twin Otter in size. Then when I was needed for more family caregiver hours, I was able to buy a Cessna 337 super spymaster with a cargo pod and went to work as an owner-operator charter pilot in part 135 single pilot autopilot configuration. And that was a wonderful life though flying into LGA in IMC down to minimums while keeping up with NYC ATC requests for more speed meant it was very much a young man’s game.

 

In 1986 I stopped flying entirely due to my own medical problems, which meant the loss of any class of FAA medical. That was a significant wrench, and I could not even look at an aircraft cockpit for many years. 

 About a year ago, I had a series of minor strokes. I am fortunate to be having a good recovery, aside from needing a cane to walk and a tendency to stutter when I am stressed by not being able to recall a word or fact. I can now drive on my own, but my therapist thinks flying a simulator will be good for me as it was the job I truly loved (until they caught me at it)

Cheers

Windy

[lnuss]

Welcome, Windy. I'm sorry you've had such a rocky road, but you've come to a good site for discussing and getting help with the sims. I don't have the MSFS 2020 sim (still with FSX), so I can't help with your request, but I wanted to be sure to welcome you here. For best exposure, future requests for aid may be a bit better in the MSFS 2020 forum. For information on other real world pilots here, the Real World Profile forum below has entries from a lot of us, similar to your information above.

I envy much of your flying experience, but agree with your CFI that Stick & Rudder is invaluable for pilots. 5500 hours is a lot in a Mixmaster, but I expect it was very valuable experience.

So welcome to this site, and hope your future sim experiences come out well.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

Well stated Inuss. We have an amazing group with experience real and sim that can be shared with all. I learn something everyday here. And yes, welcome to Windy and all the new users. Also, hello to all the sage long term members I've not yet interacted with.

[lnuss]

27 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

Well stated Inuss.

Thanks. You might note, though, that the first character in my screen name is a lower case 'L', a disadvantage of the sans serif typefaces.

[Nels_Anderson]

Hi Windy, welcome to the group. You have quite a life story, thanks for sharing. We love hearing about other's flying adventures.

In starting out with MSFS 2020 I'd suggest keeping it simple at first. You didn't go from a ramp rat to an ATP in the real world in just a day or two, and you won't become an MSFS 2020 expert overnight either. Even though you know how to fly you might want to start with the lessons, as they also include info on how the controls specific to the sim work.

Then you can work your way up much like you did in the real world. Master a simple plane first, the go on to something more complex. Learn how ATC and IFR flight works in the sim. One little step at a time and it won't be so overwhelming.

[PhrogPhlyer]

4 hours ago, lnuss said:

Thanks. You might note, though, that the first character in my screen name is a lower case 'L', a disadvantage of the sans serif typefaces.

Noted!

 

[Windy]

Thanks to you all

lnuss, PhrogPhlyer,and Nels_Anderson for the warm welcome. And I plane to do exactly to do as you said Nels, start off in the 172 to get feel of the controls  then on to one of the Cessna 337s i see for sale (I can still close my eyes and sort of see the panel of my old mixmaster) to learn the basics of all this glass cockpit stuff yhat totally bewildering right now... I am not in any hurry and my long term goal to become an asset to the flight sim community... 

I Have been "on line in some form since I was learning to program the PDP 10  at my college in the 1960s and that was via punch cards. then I worked on the IBM 5110 as a side hustle through the 70s I got an acoustic coupler modem in 78  for my 8k Apple][ to wrk BBS and in 79 I was on The Source as TCD457 after that in the 80s i was on Compu$erve as 72405,32 and in 92 I got my own Domain... but with all that background I am uncomfortable with most modern social media I have never done Twitter and i just do FaceBook to keep an eye on my big sister who is an artist. But well run Forums with good moderation sort of feel comfortable and I am glad to have found your site.

Given the fact of my stroke recovery I have lost almost all muscle memory and I am working hard to get it back in many areas. i was part of alpha/beta program with a nearby college that concentrated on getting safe driving skills back and it has worked wonders (and I am actually enjoying driving my 2004 Mini cooper S I added all the important JCW stuff to it myself in 2005  and once more I can enjoy rowing through the 6 speed on the back roads of Maine) the therapists there are the ones who have induced me to get into flight sims.

Once I settle into things a bit more and don' have to fight with Windows 11 (the OS from hell I last worked on Windows95 but I have been driving a Macintosh from March of 1984. so Win 11 has been a struggle. One of the youngsters from the computer department is due this afternoon to help me wipe and reinstall win11 so wish me luck on that front he helped me with the build as well and said he was bringing his young female coworker to meet as well as some snacks. I am providing soft drinks and beer.

this is my hardware set up  AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8-Core 4.5GHz (5.4GHz Max Boost)

ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-E WiFi

32GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 (2x16GB) 5600MHz

Cooling : iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 16GB

LG UltraWide QHD 34-Inch Curved Computer Monitor 34WQ73A-B,

 IPS with HDR 10 Compatibility, Built-In KVM, and USB Type-C, 

I got a hell of deal on the graphics card due to all of the bad press about the 12GB version and the monitor I got quite cheaply from Amazon scratch and dent department the box aw very damaged but only the back of the monitor was scratched up.

I will seek out of the other old farts here to do some hanger flying

[MAD1]

Hi Windy, from an 'armchair pilot' in Australia. Whilst I only have 6 hrs solo in a Blanik glider in 1979 for real-world piloting experience, like many guys I enjoy flying vicariously through others, and always enjoy the 'old boys' stories such as yours. I think simming is not only beneficial during aging to keep the mind active, for someone in your situation it's no doubt useful for physical rehab.

[Windy]

G'Day Mad  https://imgur.com/Ivf6VBW

the world of. the ANZAC has been at the to of my bucket list for a very long time but I doubt I will make in person but I plan ti fly over most of it in flight simulator Are you any relation to the Mad in the hilarious Terry Pratchett novel ?                 

The Last Continent: A Novel of Discworld

This is a sample quote  of Mad and its anotation from a website that annotates his books for those that cant research their own cultural references.

 

- [p. 109] "'This is what I call a knife!' [...] 'No worries. This [...] is what I call a crossbow.'"

Two film references for the price of one. The competitive knife-sizing is straight out of Crocodile Dundee; Mad's move of trumping the whole issue by pulling a crossbow comes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Harrison Ford pulls a revolver on a show-off swordsman.

 

and a bit later on

There is also a well-known Australian folk song that goes:

There was a redback on the toilet seat
when I was there last night
I didn't see him in the dark
but boy I felt his bite

And now I am in hospital
a sad and sorry plight
I curse the redback spider
on the toilet seat last night

[jgf]

On 1/23/2023 at 4:12 PM, lnuss said:

Thanks. You might note, though, that the first character in my screen name is a lower case 'L', a disadvantage of the sans serif typefaces.

Lol, and all these years I thought it was "Inuss" also.

[lnuss]

1 hour ago, jgf said:

Lol, and all these years I thought it was "Inuss" also.

As have many others. Mostly I ignore it, but once in a great while I make a comment like the above.

[mrzippy]

Heck, I always called you Larry!  Guess now it must be Iarry....with a capital i.  Aye yi yi!  

[lnuss]

3 hours ago, mrzippy said:

Heck, I always called you Larry!  Guess now it must be Iarry....with a capital i.  Aye yi yi!  

Iats right, Iharlie...

[MAD1]

Hi Windy, have been away from this site for awhile, busy buying a new house. Re Ozzie (aka Australia), no I don't know the Terry Pratchett books. Just looked at the link you included, to his 'The Last Continent'. The Ozzie sense of humour (notice British spelling, not humor) is a derivative of the British, and is understood by Kiwis (New Zealanders) and Canucks (Canadians) but unfortunately not as well by Yanks (USA folk). It is very self-deprecating. And it often plays on opposites, e.g. a redhead is called 'Bluey', we have a few weird (for fun) institutions e.g. the Alice Springs Sailing Club, in the centre of this 'driest continent on Earth', which has an annual regatta in the Todd River, which is just sand! They make boat shaped things and guys and gals get in them, with their feet on the dry creek bed, and then race each other. So it IS a true regatta, just no water! And on the rare occasion that there is water, the regatta has to be cancelled, because of the water!

 

Yes, touring Ozzie by air seems like your best bet. Am happy to ride along as virtual copilot or passenger as needed, and can give tips of places to see, as I'm sure the more experienced simmers on this site. I haven't done any of that, don't have the scenery files etc. One activity you might enjoy, I downloaded a FS2002 flight a few years ago but never got around to installing it, is the historical (hysterical) flights, this one is Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (he of the trans-Pacific inaugural flight) in his famous Ford trimotor (he called it 'the Old Bus', which is in a display hanger at Brisbane International Airport, from Sydney to Brisbane. I can get a reference to where it is on this site if you wish.

So, nothing heard from you since Jan 26, are you still with us Windy? How is your flightsim journey going?

 

Cheers, MAD1 (Crocadile Dundee to the punk kid in New York: 'heh, heh, that's not a knife, THIS is a knife!)

[MAD1]

Quote

https://www.bne.com.au/passenger/shop-dine-explore/explore/kingsford-smith-memorial sorry a Fokker Trimotor not Ford