SkyElite - a PFD + MFD for home cockpits

Discussion Hub Home Cockpit Builders
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There is a new MSFS addon which might be useful for some Home Cockpit builders. It provides glass-cockpit functionality on a PFD + MDF.

SkyElite
SkyElite1467Ă—824 126 KB

The licensed version is available from Aerosoft

https://www.aerosoft.com/en/sale/further-offers/3353/4flightsims-skyelite-msfs

The product page (still under construction) is here

http://4flightsimulators.com/index.html

From this site you can download several manuals as well as access the forum.

There is a demo which runs for 10 min but only once. Be prepared upon installation to UNCHECK the “Run now” checkbox, otherwise this “once” is already gone. Instead, finish the installer, start MSFS and SkyElite later. However, should you have run into trouble with the 10-min-limit, you can always run the installer again to have another 10 min (not even an uninstallation required).

SkyElite runs on the MSFS machine (can be auto-started), but the PFD/MFD is browser-based and can run in any Webbrowser. As an alternative, SkyElite comes with its own browser providing performance advantages.

The browser-based PFD/MFD can be displayed on the MSFS screen or on a connected 2nd, 3rd… screen. Moreover, you can access SkyElite from a networked machine via Simconnect and have the PFD in a browser on one screen and the MFD in another one on a connected 2nd screen. That’s the configuration I use.

This is not a full-fledged G1000, it has some limitations and differences from it. It’s highly suggested, to download and read documentation in advance and try it to see if it’s for you. However, I find it an inexpensive an neat solution to get a glass cockpit, notably if you already maintain a networked machine and some home cockpit setup.

Finally: I am in no way linked to the maker nor will I provide customer service, but I got quick answers to my own questions on their forum.

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Another owner of SkyElite and I pretty much agree with pmb2019.

As stated it is not a fully-fledged G1000, etc. but at the same time, it is a very nice and useful tool that is easy to use and enhances the experience.

Also not linked to the developer except for being a customer.

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I have tested it for a planned flight, after 10 min the test period had ended
and it killed by developers intention my flight (engine shut off and fuel switched off).

Its their decision to cease function of their own tool after the trial period,
but i dont like that they kill the flight in MSFS.

I purchased the license and wanted to enter the serial, but after the ended 10 min trial
its not possible. I had to find the solution in their forum, because after the 10 min
it complete ceases any function and you have to reinstall it to enter the serial.

And because i said that this is not good first impression and i used a different
mail for my aerosoft account and the forum account, they banned me from their forum.

My conclusion after 2 days:

  • installation and registration process : 1/5
  • idea of the tool : 4/5
  • customer relationship : 0/5 … worst in flight sim world i ever had
  • usability : 4/5 (its hard to use some controls on touch displays, like the dial knobs)
  • price seems okay

Found bugs:

  • CDI rotation does not center to 12o’clock position for ILS/APPR, you have to dial CRS to runway heading
  • resizing could be better on android tab
  • usablility for touch display could be better (dial knobs)
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Tried it. Trial period ended before I was able to actually test it. Still setting up the flight. Killed the engine when the trial period shut down, attempting to crash my flight. Very poor ethics of the developer. Also, unable to start another trial after the first 10 mins. 10 mins. That’s it. Complete c_r_a_p. Did I mention the devs poor ethics? Uninstalled immediately. Won’t bother with such c_r_a_p. :face_vomiting:

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Maybe you’re a bit hard here. I used the trial as well. You certainly can’t make a full flight within 10 min but get an idea how to install and see if it works on your system. A major question for me was to see if it would work on a networked system, and it did.

That remark on “ethics” is a bit questionable in my mind. It would apply after having paid for it, but not to a demo. I made a critical note on the trial period in their forum myself, and got a kind reply. I observed kind notes having a higher chance for success in general.

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Although the DEMO behavior, time limit and re-installation was explained and stated both in the download site and the manuals, and the real intention of the demo limitation was never to bother anyone but to protect the software of illegal use, I can see that it has not been well understood, and I have bothered some users unintentionally. Sorry about the inconvenience.

The DEMO is going to be changed and updated very soon to avoid further misunderstandings.

Keep you posted.

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Let’s see how the tool develops.

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The point is there are not many alternatives. The only other solution I know of is based on AirManager 4 + popped out gauges. Now, AirManager is a really nice program and the bezel looks good indeed, I have installed it. However (i) you have to shift the popped out gauge into the bezel every time which is nasty, but there may be tools to relieve from this, (ii) the fps loss incurred by popping out the gauges, and this is a serious issue. I tried again yesterday, and popping out one G1000 reduced my fps from 36 to 24, in an easy surrounding. Remained this way after shifting the gauge into the bezel running on a second screen. Granted, the display remained sort of fluent, but a fps loss of 30% isn’t something I am going to accept.

SkyElite, on the other hand, works networked and doesn’t incur any performance loss if running networked.

There’s certainly room for improvement, and personally I would like to see the display and behavior of SkyElite more closely mimicking a G1000.

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As said before, there are not many alternatives so far. SkyElite is brand new and I suppose the application has not been tested enough before it has been released. I suspect the dev. team wanted to be part of the first projects to provide us with G1000-like out-of-MSFS solutions. But it is gonna change soon :

Some folks are working on using MSFS datas with web tools. It is an open door for many new apps connecting the sim. SkyElite is just one the first of these apps…We just need to be a little more patient…

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If you guys want home cockpit solutions, I have a different touchscreen remote cockpit tool that I can also open source if that’d help. Instead of running the HTML gauges I also remote the panels to Windows tablets over the network.

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Exposing html gauges to a external screen or device is a great feature, but nothing to do with SkyElite approach. Both are totally different approaches. And both have different functionality and users target. SkyElite is totally independent of the simulator and autonomous, with lot of own proprietary features. And even you can use it in a plane with no glass cockpit instruments. Different users, different needs and also different solutions.

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So definitely not a solution for us simmers.

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Well, that its up to each simmer to decide, some will like it and use it, some others not, but as of today there are lot of people very happy with it. That is why there is a demo for that purpose.

And, by the way, SkyElite evaluation demo has been updated and now evaluation is more flexible and with less annoying limitations. I hope users will enjoy this new evaluation version. Everything is explained in the documents on the download page.

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Its a great program. I use it on 2 Android tablets and use a 12 inch monitor and all works fine. The Dev is working on having AI planes and MP planes on the map once he can sort it.

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It’s starting as a developer tool but running the HTML gauge system externally with soft buttons sounds pretty similar to what SkyElite is doing above and says it does in the docs. There’s just a different set of infrastructure components and configuration driving each solution. No reason you can’t stick a G1000 in a C152 based on how the sim is currently organized. Both solutions are driving simulation variables and rendering UI independently.

That said it’s not done yet (the map and flight planning are not working), so if people need this working right now, they should purchase SkyElite. Down the line I expect there will be many web avionics solutions that could be used.

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I appreciate the update to the demo. I was able to test it multiple times by waiting 15 minutes, changing aircraft and start locations. This let me try an old tablet, which did not work so well, a non touch monitor and a MS Surface tablet, which worked very well. I’m now a new customer! Keep up the good work.

PS, I would love to see a full G1000 version in the future.

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It’s a very nice starting point now, but that’s exactly the direction I would like to see development heading to as well.

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in very old times of P3D i remember i used to use a cool program, free download, that shows pfd and mfd and some other stuff on separate window, each instrument got its executable, everything connected via a “comm” executable, you can save size and position for each instrument.
Does anyone know the name or help me to find it again?

EDIT found it. doesnt work with MSFS2020 :frowning:

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Picked this up and started playing with it this evening. Very nice.

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I hVe been using this for a few weeks abd I have had no issues with it and would recommend this.