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"Getting started with PSX" tutorial - part 2 now available

Started by brian747, Tue, 30 Sep 2014 21:53

brian747

Thank you, gentlemen!

Yes, time is always the problem. My hope is that the time I spent in writing will save some time for the readers. In view of how amazing PSX is, that would make me happy.    :D

Cheers,

Brian
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).

danpil

Hello Brian,
After reading Dejan'sproject, I decide to get an apple config.
BRAVO and THANKS for your help about getting started PSX 1 but unable to use your PSX situation file  :have you any idea to convert it for apple?
Rgds.
Dan

Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers

PSX situation files are exactly the same for all supported platforms. No conversion needed.

brian747

I would like to associate myself with the remarks of the previous speaker.   :)

Are you sure that you can't "use" it, Dan? Or is it that you can't/haven't put it in the right place?

Admittedly, I'm no Apple man (an iPad doesn't count) but I have to ask: what exactly did you do, and what was the result (error messages, etc)?    :mrgreen:

I'm sure someone here will be able to help you out, but a little more information would be helpful.    ;)

Mind you, if you really can't use it there should also be enough information in the tutorial to enable you to recreate it.    8)

Cheers,

Brian
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).

Jeroen D

I thought i would quickly see if I could use that situ file. Here's what I found. I'm using an Apple Macbook Pro.

First I just tried to copy the file to the situations folder. Surprisingly my Mac came up with the message asking me if I would allow this program to make changes to my computer. Which is a bit odd.

So I tried just drag and drop and that works fine. So you need to drag the Gatwick2Heathrow1.situ file to the situation folder in the Aerowinx folder. That works fine. Pops in there neatly and it loads fine!

Jeroen

brian747

That's very helpful!    :D

Many thanks, Jeroen.

Cheers,

Brian
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).

Ivo de Colfmaker

Hi Brian,
Thanks for the tutorial, it is a great help .
Used your way to enter the weights in PFPX and Topcat, although the figures ar a bit different then Yours . Used the Virgin Atlantic model with the GE engines.
Amazing, planned a short flight from LEBL to EHAM , with set zones by flight track enabled.
Together with electronic flightbag, and active sky 2012 to send the weather to PREPAR3D on a second computer, and visual psx and ofcourse PSX on the first pc  this is  wonderfull.
And planned to land in Amsterdam with 10100 kg left, the actual remaining fuell was 10600 kg.
I know this is just a snack  for the lady, and long haul flight will  for sure give bigger differences, but anyhowe it's nice to see.
Just for experimenting tried the cruise scenario at 37000 feet, with a 100 knot headwind component and a 100 knot tailwind component and was surprised to see that the fuell flow was the same
2.2 per engine versus 2.3 , that is 400 kg per hour for 4 engines
I would like to know why this difference is so small?
Ivo
A day at this forum is a day learned!

Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers

#27
Usually there is little point in pushing harder. Aircraft simply push at more or less the same force and see what happens. If you start manipulating the Cost Index (try 0 and 1000) or directly the Mach, you will see huge differences in fuel consumption. Try getting her to M0.90  :-)

By the way 2.2 sounds like tonnes, not like thousands of pounds. About ten tonnes per hour for all engines is about right.


Hoppie

Hardy Heinlin

#28
Quote from: Ivo de ColfmakerJust for experimenting tried the cruise scenario at 37000 feet, with a 100 knot headwind component and a 100 knot tailwind component and was surprised to see that the fuell flow was the same
Hi Ivo,

I just tried ...

Basic 009 - Climbing to cruise altitude.situ

... and at cruise altitude FL310 I set 100 kt tailwind (jetstreams off). With ECON, I got M.805 and 2.9 FF. At 100 kt headwind I got M.819 and 3.0 FF. Cost index 80.

Maybe in some cases the difference is too small, and rounded, so that it's not visible on the EICAS indication resolution.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

Jeroen D

I would have thought it to be quite normal for the fuel flow in both scenarios to be the same. The engines dont know about head or tailwind, it would and will affect your ground speed. But for a given configuration, (e.g. Load etc) fuel flow should be the same wherever the wind comes from.

Jeroen

Hardy Heinlin

#30
Quote from: Jeroen DI would have thought it to be quite normal for the fuel flow in both scenarios to be the same. The engines dont know about head or tailwind, it would and will affect your ground speed. But for a given configuration, (e.g. Load etc) fuel flow should be the same wherever the wind comes from.

Jeroen
It happens only in ECON mode and when the MCP SPD window is blank. As you know, the cost index deals with fuel costs versus time costs. The groundspeed changes the times, thus influences the parameter in the economy algorithm, and that controls the FMC command speed.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

tim96

Hi Brian,

thanx for part 2. I like it a lot.

Best Wishes

nicolas

Great tutorial as usual Brian, thanks a lot!
Just to add that PFPX was updated to version 1.16. The only relevant PSX change I can see so far is that you can export the RTE directly into PSX FMC. No big deal as this was already possible before just needed to manually move the RTE file into the folder. Its a pity that PFPX does not offer aircraft templates tailored to PSX.

Nic

Hardy Heinlin

#33
Quote from: nicolasIts a pity that PFPX does not offer aircraft templates tailored to PSX.
I think it does. Just use the templates that refer to the real 744. Or are there FSX templates only? (I don't have PFPX.)


|-|ardy

nicolas

Hi Hardy,

the only 747-400 templates I can see are referring to PMDG with different engine configurations.

Cheers,
Nic

brian747

Hi Nic!

Template.... That might be the problem.

There are at least two possible things that might be going on, here.  :D  

It may perhaps be that you are confusing the aircraft types available within PFPX (see http://www.flightsimsoft.com/downloads/PFPX_Aircraft_AddOn_List.pdf) with the aircraft available within TOPCAT? I agree that it can be confusing, not least because although both programs were written by the same person, and they can work closely together: however, they are distinct, and their aircraft lists are not the same.

On the other hand, perhaps you're confusing the PFPX aircraft types that you can see in the above list (which in my version of Windows 7 are found in C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\PFPX Data\\AircraftTypes) with the PFPX aircraft templates (C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\PFPX Data\\AircraftTemplates)?

Yes, I totally agree that all this isn't especially clear....

So, within PFPX, try this.

From the start globe (top left), select Aircraft Manager and then Aircraft Database (NOT Aircraft Template). Then click on the New icon and again be careful to select "New aircraft" and NOT "New from template". Now enter your registration (and tail number, if you wish).

Now click the Type dropdown and select Boeing 747-400 (or the 400F for cargo) and also select your engine type from that dropdown, and you should then be using the Doug Snow and Judith Blaschegg non-P**G version. Enter any other information, if you wish, and then save the result, and then try loading it as your aircraft for your next planning session.

I hope that helps,

Cheers,

Brian

[Later edit]  P.S. Oops sorry, I forgot to mention:
With reference to PFPX v1.16, please see this thread: http://aerowinx.com/forum/topic.php?post=21331#post21331
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).

Simicro

Hi,

I confirm what Brian is saying.

Indeed PFPX aicrafts list is not exactly the same as TOPCAT although the developer is the same.

And here is a screenshot of the 747 profiles available in PFPX V1.16 as described by Brian.

- Tony -

* Aerowinx PSX, PFPX, TOPCAT, PMDG 777 (FSX)
* i5 4670K 4.3 Ghz 4 Core - MSI Z87-G43 Gaming - 8 Gb DDR3 - GeForce GTX 770 2 Gb
* SSD 256 Gb - iiyama 1920 x 1080 - Win 7 64 bits

nicolas

Thanks Brian! Will try tomorrow. For now good night :-)
Nic


Quote from: brian747Hi Nic!

Template.... That might be the problem.

There are at least two possible things that might be going on, here.  :D  

It may perhaps be that you are confusing the aircraft types available within PFPX (see http://www.flightsimsoft.com/downloads/PFPX_Aircraft_AddOn_List.pdf) with the aircraft available within TOPCAT? I agree that it can be confusing, not least because although both programs were written by the same person, and they can work closely together: however, they are distinct, and their aircraft lists are not the same.

On the other hand, perhaps you're confusing the PFPX aircraft types that you can see in the above list (which in my version of Windows 7 are found in C:UsersPublicDocumentsPFPX DataAircraftTypes) with the PFPX aircraft templates (C:UsersPublicDocumentsPFPX DataAircraftTemplates)?

Yes, I totally agree that all this isn't especially clear....

So, within PFPX, try this.

From the start globe (top left), select Aircraft Manager and then Aircraft Database (NOT Aircraft Template). Then click on the New icon and again be careful to select "New aircraft" and NOT "New from template". Now enter your registration (and tail number, if you wish).

Now click the Type dropdown and select Boeing 747-400 (or the 400F for cargo) and also select your engine type from that dropdown, and you should then be using the Doug Snow and Judith Blaschegg non-P**G version. Enter any other information, if you wish, and then save the result, and then try loading it as your aircraft for your next planning session.

I hope that helps,

Cheers,

Brian

[Later edit]  P.S. Oops sorry, I forgot to mention:
With reference to PFPX v1.16, please see this thread: http://aerowinx.com/forum/topic.php?post=21331#post21331

nicolas

Hi Brian,

quick question. I followed all steps as described in your tutorial. Now, when I plan a flight in PFPX I am getting quite different Vspeeds compared to the Vspeeds calculated in FMC. Any thoughts why this is?

Thanks.
Nic

brian747

Hi Nic!

 I think it would be true to say that many of us who fly PSX find some of TOPCAT's figures a bit off from time to time. I know of no solution, I'm afraid: it seems to be something that we have to live with, since at present TOPCAT is the only tool we've got.

Having said that, though, I have heard a whisper that a PSX-specific tool is in the course of development, so hopefully the problem will be alleviated at some point!    8)

Cheers,

Brian
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).