Best PSX Setup for a Gift

[emerydc8]

My first officer has bid to fly with me every month that I'm not scheduled to do line OE. He is retiring on November 30. I watched him do a gusty 30-knot crosswind approach in heavy rain last week and I don't think I could have done any better myself. As I taxied off the runway, I told him "I'll bet you're going to miss this -- just wait." He laughed. He's 58 and is moving there to volunteer at a Christian boarding school in Kodaikanal, India, where he attended over 40 years ago. Looking on Google Earth it's a beautiful place and he said at 7400 MSL, there are no cobras or other snakes (my kind of place). The man-made lake and town draw quite a few tourists. In fact, they limit how many tourists can be there at one time.

My FO and I have had numerous discussions about what happens to pilots after they step out of the cockpit and are no longer required to engage their brains at times of high stress. Over my 34-year career, I've watched retired pilots' cognitive skills and memories rapidly deteriorate such that a year later when I talk airplanes to them, they don't even understand half of what I'm saying -- even thought they were there and experienced it themselves. A lot of retirees seem to believe that as long as they keep busy fixing things around the house that their bodies are getting enough exercise and brains are getting enough stimulation. I don't believe it.

My thought is to buy my FO a gift in the $2000-ish area (plus $350 PSX)  touch-screen setup where he can make flights from point A to point B from situs that I created, so there would be no need for him to deal with the overhead (he never flew the 744 anyway). I was his first officer on the 747-200 back in 2011, but when I went to the 744, he stayed on the classic until he was displaced to the 767. He chose to be an FO because of the schedule. He is the #1 FO on the 767 now and can bid to fly with whomever he wants. I have a lot of respect for him and it has been an honor that he has chosen to fly with me so much. He's also a very good friend.

So, I'd like to throw this post out here and see what ideas come to mind. I was thinking of maybe an integrated Apple (no computer tower) with a touchscreen where I could plug in a joy stick. I really want to make it plug-and-play because I don't want his first experience with this to be bad. I've never networked or loaded PSX on Apple and I'm not sure what's involved or even whether Apple would be the best choice. The further away we get from just turning it on and opening a PSX file to launch everything, the more likely he's going to get frustrated and not use it.

Sorry about the long post but I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts.

Cheers,
Jon

[Hardy Heinlin]

Interesting thoughts :-)

Does your friend have any experience with desktop sims?

I think there's no Apple touchscreen all-in-one computer -- other than the iPad but that's a small one and can't even run PSX ...


Best wishes,

|-|ardy

[Ton van Bochove]

Very nice gesture Jon! Being almost 69 years old and for the same reason you described I returned a year ago to PSX ( and not only that...the itch never went away). I accept that I am not that bright anymore as in 1997 when I started with PS 1.0, I accept that the steep learning curve became more steeper and I accept that my learning abilities degraded but I also noticed that my brain became must more agile in the last year. It is so much nicer than doing crossword puzzles ;-)

[emerydc8]

Interesting thoughts :-)

Does your friend have any experience with desktop sims?

Zero. He does use a PC, like me, instead of Apple for his personal stuff. I haven't looked at computers in years so I'm not even sure where to start. I'm running an HP Mini-110 with Windows 7 for my person computer. Maybe I'll try to find a laptop with a large enough touch screen that will run PSX?

[Will]

I think your ideas are great. Maybe, however, I could suggest an alternative? How about you get him a computer, set it up with PSX so that it's all ready to go with minimum fuss (desktop icons all in place, and named intuitively, etc.), and then find a way to offer him a few hours of "ground school" so that he can take it from there.

I invited a good friend of mine over last year before COVID; he flies for Cathay and was F/O on the 744 on the very last flight out of the old Kai Tak airport in 1998. Now he's a 777 captain. Anyway, we had just moved into a new home and so I didn't have my PSX set up completely, it was just an Apple computer with a mouse; no joystick, no throttles, no add-ons, no extras.

Since he had so much time in the 744, I thought he'd have fun with a chance to play around in the cockpit, so I loaded up a cold and dark scenario. He looked at me seriously: "Will, I haven't been in a 747 in over fifteen years, I can't remember what all this stuff does." He was partly joking, partly not, but I didn't want to put him on the spot so I switched to some takeoff situs where he could get airborne and fly with the autopilot.

After just 15 minutes with some guidance (and Jon, this is the reason I'm telling this story), he got quite comfortable with PSX, including the mouse conventions, the layouts, and the instructor page navigation, and we had a good time. He's not a tech enthusiast. He likes airplanes, but he has no interest in tweaking the inner workings of a PC or using the Mac in terminal mode. PSX was perfect in that regard: intuitive, good looking, and easy to master quickly.

So in sum, if you set up PSX on a computer and then donate an hour or two of you of time, you can probably have your F/O feeling capable and independent and ready to go on his own, regardless of the platform.

I do like the idea of you setting up situs where he won't need the overhead. But I bet he'd have fun playing around, and teach himself without even trying.

Best of luck, and you're a good person for thinking of him.

[emerydc8]

Thanks. Getting a computer and spending several hours with him is not going to work. We fly this month for 14 days, presuming I'm not pulled off to do IOE, and then he's leaving for India. There's no way I can fit a computer in my suitcase with all my other stuff. You're right about the situs -- they would probably all be set up for takeoffs or approaches. The other issue is that he's not thinking about how much he's going to miss flying right now and may not for quite a while -- He's more worried about how he's going to get through this idiotic 14-day quarantine when he gets there. At this point he probably isn't even interested in flying.

[Hardy Heinlin]

What does OE and IOE mean?

[emerydc8]

Initial Operating Experience. I guess it's just an FAR 121 term.

[andrej]

Jon,
what a noble idea! This relationship must mean a lot to you, when you going such great lengths. As your co-pilot will travel to a new location, I can imagine that size is of an essence. I would like to suggest to take a look at the Mac-mini option. It is well within your budget, and offers more than just base for PSX simulator.

You can install PSX on it and it should be ready to go.
Pros: size, utility of this computer.
Cons: no keyboard, mouse,  and monitor. It has integrated graphics card only (PSX should still run on it pretty good).

https://www.apple.com/ae/mac-mini/specs/

Another option(s):
Gaming laptop (I have Lenovo Legion Y740) will cover most of your requirements.
Pros: This will cover all your needs. Only thing that I would recommend is an external mouse and joystick (with this I use cheap Logitech and it does its job).
Cons: bit pricey (but with expensive materials, I expect it to last for a long period of time), and heavy on power use (battery life: 2 hours max).

I am very happy with my Y740 (as my work PC + as my secondary PSX machine). Legion Y540 might be a good alternative as well.

https://www.lenovo.com/ae/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-y-series/Lenovo-Legion-Y740-15/p/88GMY701059

https://www.lenovo.com/ae/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-y-series/Lenovo-Legion-Y540-15/p/88GMY501214

Whatever your decision is, I am certain that your co-pilot will be more than pleased.

[emerydc8]

Thanks for the good information, Andrej. Since he is more familiar with PCs, I think the Lenovo gaming computer would be easier for him (and me) to operate. I've used the Logitec 3D Pro in the past and it's probably the best bang for the buck when it comes to cheap controls. Plus, if it won't fit in his shipping crate he can always buy one of those when he gets to India. Do you use any other external screens with yours?

Has anyone from the US ordered the PSX disc, or anything else for that matter, from Flight Deck Solutions in Canada lately? I hear there are major shipping delays between Canada and the US.

Jon

[Hardy Heinlin]

Most retailers, FDS included, now sell PSX via download only.


|-|ardy

[emerydc8]

Do you know if FDS still has the discs? My download speed here is so low that I couldn't even download P3D. It said it would take a week to do it. Even with a download manager I tried about five times and after about 17 hours I'd get a notice that the file was corrupted. I ended up having my brother do it for me on his cable Internet.

[Hardy Heinlin]

They have no DVDs anymore.

The zipped PSX download file is only 460 MB in size. It's a lot smaller than P3D.

If it's really a problem, you can just purchase it from FDS, get their invoice, and give your friend your PSX copy with the latest update 10.128. It's the same software.


|-|ardy

[andrej]

Do you use any other external screens with yours?

I do, but only in the office. For my personal time (PSX time), I am using full screen mode. Currently, I am evaluating to use visuals of MSFS2020 (via WidePSX), again on my 15 inch screen only. I will see how it will work.

I use 2 identical screens at work, and I do not use the laptop monitor (it has 3 connectors for 3 monitors, but only 1x HDMI, 1x USB-C, and 1x Mini DisplayPort). Two monitors work flawlessly (I have not tried 3).

I am very happy with this laptop.

Best!

[emerydc8]

Thanks Hardy,
If I can't download PSX after buying the license from Steve, I'll go the alternate route you suggested. 460 MB might be small, but it will probably take 12 hours on my connection. You mentioned that PSX won't run on an iPad. Does that mean it can't be used as an emulator for the CDU in lieu of an FDS CDU?

Andrej,
It's good to hear that you can drive two screens from that laptop. That opens some options up if he wants to add later.

Jon

[andrej]

Jon,
There is a CDU app for iPad, called PSX CDU. I use it quite extensively.

Cheers,

[paradoxbox]

FYI I have PSX jars running on an Android tablet - so it can be done. But it requires some technical skill to get it working, possibly too much for the average person, and involves rooting the tablet or phone which may not be for everyone.

Ages ago I also had the original PS1.3 running on a jailbroken iPad using DosBox. I don't think that is possible anymore, and I doubt you can do the same with a modern iPad and PSX.

I wonder if something like a netbook/chromebook can run PSX well enough? If you don't need a scenery generator like P3D or X-Plane, I bet that it's just powerful enough to maintain a good frame rate.

[emerydc8]

Thanks, Andrej. I thought I saw someone running an iPad for the CDU.

Paradoxbox:  I can't imagine running anything on an Android tablet. In fact, I'm amazed that my dad manages to use his. I guess he's just used to it. I got him an iPad recently, but he still likes the Android. Go figure.

Regarding the Chromebook, I know nothing about Linux so that would likely be additional problems of having to figure out how to use the computer to set it up. As bad as Windows is, at least I kind of know my way around.

Jon

[Alec246]

I applaud your effort into giving your Work Mate such a special Gift.

I found the topic which you described most interesting, as I have had several Teachers during my College degree, most with over 30/40 Years of Flight Experience, retired for some time, and when we showed them some Addon from a Simulator Running, sometimes even the airplane they have flown for so many years, it looked like they were looking at Alien Technology. It really must an area where Constant Exposure and Daily Pressure makes all the difference in "Overclocking" the Brain to work with so much information in real time while taking complex decisions.

I have searched the Web for some kind of Mini PC, Running Windows, which I believe would better fit the Requirements you specified, and I found this Asus Mini PC to be very good for the Price, Compact, Pretty Good Performance, specially if you just want him to focus on PSX.

Asus  Mini PC PN50
https://www.asus.com/Displays-Desktops/Mini-PCs/PN-PB-series/Mini-PC-PN50/

It seems it a new Product from Asus, so I'm finding it hard finding it in Stock Online. Maybe you can find it.

With such Mini PC, you could install the OS, configure PSX yourself, then create an Image of the entire HardDrive, with proper software, and include the Image in an External HDD, in the case something goes wrong in the future, and he needs to reinstall everything. He would always have a working system this way.

Best Regards

[emerydc8]

Thanks. I bid on, and won, a Lenovo Legion 17.3" for a fairly good price. The Asus above looks interesting too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Legion-Y540-17-3-Gaming-Laptop-Intel-Core-i7-16GB-Memory-GTX-1660-Ti/284064910405?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

When I get it, I'll have to see if I can download PSX via my incredibly slow DSL Internet connection. This laptop is almost as powerful as my current sim desktop from five years ago, at least comparing the statistics of the two. It has at least one external video port, but it also has a USB-C which I'm not at all familiar with but have read it will drive video as well. I presume PSX CDU for iPad connects only via wireless or can it use the lightening port on the iPad?

Jon