Some pics for fun

[jackpilot]

For your enjoyment (I hope    )
Fast TO from a troubled Mediterranean country to Naples, Italy....

1)FL310 over the Sea to Sicily
2) Approach being vectored around the Vesuvio volcano
3) short final
4&5) taxiing / at the Gate
Good Ol FS9.
jack

[jskibo]

Nice!  I thought you took that thing apart?

Any stowaways in the wheel wells?

[jackpilot]

I Fly it, waiting for decent quotes on shipping+HD Cartons!!!
Taking it apart takes on hour max.

[Maurice]

Some of us are trying to build a flight deck and you are out there having fun flying. Cut it out already!

Maurice

[jskibo]

I wish putting it together took an hour....Sigh

[jackpilot]

Well I spent lightyears to build that stand the best I could to make it modular , so it pays off at the end. Mix of MDF for convenience and aluminum mechanical structure for ease of taking it apart when needed.
Must say that I got a lot of help from FDS for parts.
Just hoping that I will be able to set up the new DSTD fairly fast because I'm effectively more into flying than building.
Cheers
JP

[Maurice]

Just hoping that I will be able to set up the new DSTD fairly fast because I'm effectively more into flying than building.
Cheers
JP

So am I but this damn building part keeps getting in the way somehow. You do seem to have the right balance though and that's why you always sound so motivated 

Maurice

[jackpilot]

One interesting fact, to add to the subject, is that the manual flying I had to do until the MCP was plugged in, was actually a blessing.
I pushed the "game" by adding some degree of sloppy weather (same as outside!) gusts, snow, even turbulence at high altitude, not too much but enough to make it "plausible".
Even in real flying , smooth and calm air allowing the airplane to fly herself is a super rare occurence and you usually have to be 100% attentive to keep your altitude and heading within limits.
Back to the sim, that kind of flying with a fast airliner implies a fair amount of "pause"when you have to set radios, course bug, change ND display and range, redback ATC instructions, (and remember them)etc etc. With time, the "pause" interruptions tend to be shorter and less frequent, crabbing the airplane on approach in a crosswind and gusts becomes easier , trusting your instruments with no outside visual clue builds up confidence, managing power with your right hand instead of turning the AT dial...and you end up at the gate with a happy camper grin !!
Give it a try Guys, and after a few hours of that medication you will find that turning knobs and dials and letting the FMC do your job is a really boring exercise as far as Flying is concerned.
My 2¢.

[Boeing Skunk Works]

Jack's right, but I've been saying this for years now.

[jackpilot]

Agreed Mike,

One of the reasons may be that the pleasure of flying manual is far from immediate, as in real flying there are so many things to do that the first attempts are usually a disaster and may be a turn off for some.

The best way is to repeat again and again ( big+ of a Sim) simple maneuvers with the proper parameters of speed, angle, power,   like take off and initial climb out, watching speeds, flaps retraction, thrust reduction level off, and last but not least manual trimming etc ..until all flows well. Same for level flight, descent at idle , ILS /GS intercept.
This is one of the best way to get the "feel" of the aircraft and fly her gently with very minor adjustments.
Create a Situation with engines running on the active  threshold, with proper weight, temp,wind, etc and that way you may practice TO again and again

BTW, working with tables, (alt, temp,weight) shows that we always tend to use too much power for Take off which makes things happen too fast and leads to systematic overshooting of altitudes and speeds.
With an average TOW try to limit N1 to 80-85% and see how easier it is once airborne.
(depending on your flight model or engines...and runway length!).

My2¢ sipping my sunday morning black coffee!! 

[Boeing Skunk Works]

One thing that has helped me during departure is to follow what other airline 727 captains did.

Once 3,000' has been reached and flap retraction schedule has started, throttles come back to around 1.7 EPR and the nose is pushed over a bit. This not only keeps your speed managable, but allows you to see over the nose better in a dense traffic environment. This is a cruise climb to 10,000 at 250, or 240 or 230. I'm usually not in any big hurry.

The 727 will happily chug right on up to 250 before you know it even with the throttles back. It's pretty slick. A bump or two of trim will keep it in check on the way up.

Some departures have you maintain a very slow airspeed until much of your manuvering is complete. A lot of time the flap schedule won't start for some miles all the while climbing at a higher than normal (for a cruise climb) power setting to overcome the flap drag.

Several departures I regularly perform have max speed limits of anywhere from 155 KIAS to 210 KIAS. Some have mandatory bank angles or minimum bank angles of 25°. Juggling the bank angle and observing the speed restriction while being aware of your attitude can keep you pretty busy. Same with arrivals at some places. THe 727 doesn't have any problems manuvering at these speeds, but I think some pilots are scared of flying an airliner this slow while manuvering in close quarters. It's just a big Cessna to me as long as you pay attention to your configuration, airspeed, and attitude.

One of my favorites is LKPR to 24R. That is, the RAK24.