XPlane on the cheap.

[ak49er]

Just a quick text update on my progress in converting from FS9 to Xplane.

I first purchased Xplane 9.22 and was able to run it on a fairly feeble computer, Intel Cleron 2gig, 1 gig  RAM, 256 Nvidia FX5200. It took awhile to lodd and even with the rendering settings set very low it would "fog over" quickly.  The fog effect is XPlanes' tool to reduce your draw distance to compensate for slow systems. This made it hard to fly as you were always in IFR. But I downloaded a free program called Clear Skies, which overides this effect and allows me to set my draw distance in 10 mile increments.

I then discovered Spivvys XPUIPC which allows you to run any FSUIPC capable program with Xplane, which allowed me to use the FS/FSUIPC program Free FD so I could have an instrument panel. This program allows you to use FS scenery packages as well, so that completely fixed the, " ...Xplane scenery sucks argument...."as well. 

I now needed an aircraft, so I went with Benedict Stratmann/EADS Project x737, free of course. Which is simply beautiful and has many of the features that the PMDG 737 has, and more. This worked well with FreeFD, PM Sounds, and all the other old FS programs I use.

Then I downloaded the free VAS FMC, which now features a PFD, MFD, FMC, and MCP, everything but standby guages (which I supplemented with FreeFD's)

I of course needed a flight planner, and could have used FSNAV or FSCommander via XPUIPC, but I purchased the Goodway Flight Planner.


And Xplane even interfaces with my Go Flight MCP-Pro, via a Xpalne driver form GOFlight.


The Bodnar card works flawlessly with XPlane of course, so I was able to add some controls.

In the end I now have upgraded to a 2.9 ghz processor even though Xplane/XPUIPC ran all the other programs faster than FS/FSUIPC did.


Pictures to followI have just been to busy with "work"