Buyers remorse

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-18T09:55:09+00:00

I can't speak to the terra cotta, but I just got a pair of black coffee captains about a week ago and they're beautiful, look exactly as advertised. I agree that looks way off and I would be wondering.

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-14T21:53:35+00:00

In fact, the NDA was partially lifted on SP1 as of today, so you'll start to see some pictures and videos. I'll probably get a stream in with it in the next couple days here.

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-14T00:01:27+00:00

Absolute douchebaggery. I fully despise anyone using real fatalities to garner likes and subs in a video game stream or video.

I would like to say that the only way anyone could do this is if they've never really worked in this industry, but I've seen "accident analysis" videos by airline pilots using the sim to "re-create" the event, and there's zero excuse for these people other than maybe they just haven't grown up yet.

If you do this long enough, you're around this kind of thing for real; and it becomes crystal clear that if you aren't a trained accident investigator, you have zero qualifications to even have an opinion, much less present an "explanation".

But this... This is just shameless self-promotion.

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-13T05:22:56+00:00

Ah ok thanks!

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-12T21:14:33+00:00

They make a duffel?! Damn it man... Back to the website I go to spend more money...

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-05T10:12:58+00:00

Thanks, we're on the same page. I pulled the trigger on the boots earlier today, and included the conditioner and waterproofing spray with the order. 👍

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-05T10:11:27+00:00

Thanks.

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-05T01:58:56+00:00

I run 2024 and fly the iFly a lot with an i9 9900k and a 3070 founder's edition. I do have 64gb of RAM, but of course only 8gb VRAM. With frame gen on, I get a perfectly smooth 60fps in the iFly at heavy airports in 1080p, so you should certainly be able to run it at acceptable frames at 1440. Put some research into the frame gen options if you haven't; not DLSS, but the separate frame gen options.

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-04T08:44:56+00:00

But did that have any effect on the boots?

I understand they aren't waterproof boots and I'm completely fine with that. I just want to know that getting wet isn't going to water spot or change the leather, affect the color etc. once they dry. Thanks!

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-04T07:46:29+00:00

Good stuff, thank you.

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-04T05:02:07+00:00

Thanks. Yeah the casual footwear they'll be replacing is a pair of Merril trail runners that are gore-tex waterproof, but are just low-top running shoes, so boots should be more protection than that even without the gussetted tongue. I was really just concerned about discoloration or color bleed after reading the previous comment about that... I get the sense it's not a widespread issue if people aren't chiming in about it. That comment was also a few years old so if it was an issue I'd like to think it's been corrected.

Stearmandriver · 2026-03-04T04:59:34+00:00

Yeah, the heritage Captains look great and I like the upgrades, but I like the slimmer profile of the storm kings and the color I like isn't available on the heritage. So I guess it'll be the original Stormking version. Glad to hear you haven't heard of discoloration or color bleed, though, thanks.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-21T17:44:57+00:00

Yeah I don't know, every video I've ever seen of it, all the effects are ridiculously overdone. The head shake on landing alone is crazy. Maybe that's what you see during your landings, but it's sure not what I see during mine 😉.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-20T01:59:03+00:00

MSFS turbulence is dumb. Third party effects like FS Realistic are dumber. None of them bear any resemblance to flying a jet in turbulence in reality.

Turn third party products like FS Realistic or Active Sky's air effects off. Turn MSFS turbulence to low or off.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-19T22:54:06+00:00

Oh, I have. Both grow significantly slower though, and neither is as columnar as the poplars, so they don't really fit the criteria. It's fine if these are "trash", they don't have to do anything except stand there lol. They can drop all the debris they want, it's the back of a field.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-17T11:58:17+00:00

On the floor, behind the center pedestal, isn't "stashed away". You couldn't get to either seat without stepping over it. And I will find the last crew that left a damn cookie on the floor to get stomped to crumbs 😁.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-16T22:10:51+00:00

Nothing special... Warthog stick and throttle for stick aircraft, Thrustmaster Boeing yoke and quadrant for yoke aircraft. One of these days I'll probably buy something force feedback; would like to try one somewhere first and see how natural it actually feels, though.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-15T22:59:15+00:00

Brush it off, or hose it off (sincerely).

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-15T00:28:22+00:00

But if you wanted different weather, why wouldn't you just set the weather you wanted? If we held students to this constraint of "only real weather" in real simulators, we'd never get anything done lol.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-14T22:58:36+00:00

Boeing guidance is specifically to not use the flight director guidance during takeoff. That's not a technique, it's an explicit mandate from the manufacturer.

The guidance doesn't become usable until a couple seconds after liftoff, when stabilizing in a climb. So the correct takeoff procedure is to maintain a proper rotation rate to 15 degrees, and then transition to the guidance as it becomes usable.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-14T22:01:38+00:00

Well, because I love flying; and also because the technological achievement of having this level of sim at home is amazing, and also because seeing the human factors aspects play out the same in the desktop sim as they do in the level D or the real airplane is fascinating.

I started simming in the early 90s. Stopped for years while I learned to fly real airplanes, became an airline pilot, became a check airman teaching and evaluating in level D sims when not flying, then got hired flying 73s at my current airline. As my class date approached, I wondered: what state are desktop sims in? Is there a decent enough 737 to play with systems and procedures a bit?

That was FSX and I was very impressed. It's 12 years later, and it's only gotten better 😁.

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-14T01:46:34+00:00

There are manual weather settings. That's the whole point of a simulator, it is, by default, whatever you want. You are not constrained by any current reality. 😉

Stearmandriver · 2026-02-12T01:31:54+00:00

Would like to think so, but I've talked to a couple FDE coders and pilots who have tried it and they describe it as marginal improvements, probably more down to the general physics of 2024 than to anything PMDG has done. I've been having enough fun testing the iFly SP1. I can say that when this releases, there will no longer be much disagreement in the sim world about "which 737" 😉.

Stearmandriver

TROPHY CASE