VOTE: Do You Prefer Steam Gauge or Glass Cockpit Aircraft

It’s pretty good at 55" in 4K… I like when I zoom in on the G1000 setting up a flight and it’s effectively a 40" screen. :face_with_monocle:

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The SDK was released today, though, much of it is still… to do

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I probably will not upgrade straight away BUT that does not mean I would run around buying any new FS2020 addons at this late stage.

I still am…. sigh

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Don’t see any reason not to kick the tires day one. I definitely have some concerns over how much is being streamed BUT that means the install is small and I know I’ll get it eventually may as well check it out.

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Same here, until I got the Octavi IFR1 hardware device. It has a real stacked rotary knob with push function. Having this in hardware suddenly made the units a joy to use. Highly recommended!

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The trick is getting a diy knob that has the rotary, push, and 4-way. To my knowledge there’s only one on the market (Alpine) and it’s the same the G1000 uses. I have one, but I’ve never implemented it because I can’t figure out how to mount it to my button box.

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Love the IFR1 too, really makes GNS/G1000 super easy to use. Plus AP/XP/Coms/NAV, etc. Awesome bit of kit.

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The VKB STEM has two rotary encoder dials with push which would work, but I use them for the radio tuning on COM1 and COM2.

The VKB ATEM has a rotary encoder with push and 4 way hat switch all on the one dial. Probably could map direction+rotate to control the separate garmin dials, I’ve not thought of that before so will give it a try. For sure the reason I don’t much like the G1000 is that it’s a real pain to use that interface with a mouse. That’s why I love the touch Garmins.

Can’t answer. I prefer steam for small non IFR capable aircraft and airliner style avionics for IFR. I don’t like the Garmins, especially the G900/G1000 series. A CDU although technically 20 years behind is so much more intuitive and easier to use. Especially in flight.

That would be “what the REAL plane uses”, no?

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I had that and sent it back because it didn’t work with most planes that didn’t have stock glass cockpits.

Not really. The C172 Classic is IFR capable. So are the BlackSquare Duke, Baron, Bonanza, TBM and King Air, as well as the FSW Sierra, Learjet and C414 etc.

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I just find it easier to use than knobs with 5 context dependent functions.

I’m always surprised by the strong preference for steam gauges. I’ve done my share of flying steam gauge aircraft in the old days before glass cockpits were common in-sim, but I absolutely wouldn’t go back now. In MSFS, I don’t fly anything that doesn’t have a glass cockpit or an option for one, and I strongly prefer the more modern glass over GTN or GNS etc. This, and the need for Air Manager panels for stuff I fly, does severely restrict my aircraft choice, but I’d rather fly a few things with depth than every single aircraft in the sim or available for it. I have a friend who is the polar opposite, and it’s all good :slight_smile:

I suppose one thing that strongly influences my preference is that I have a home cockpit setup with multiple touch-screens onto which I pop out the glass displays, so I don’t have the readability issues some people mention and I don’t have to find and click buttons with a mouse. It’s much, much easier to use G1000, G3000 etc with dedicated hardware, which I have.

I also find glass displays like EFIS easier to scan at a glance than dials. Of course I’m not a RL pilot and I’ve never had training on dials to really get used to scanning them.

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Yeah, that’s the thing, with a full time job, a partner, and other hobbies on top of this one, I just don’t have time for hardware addons that don’t just plug and play, where I’d have to spend as much time as I do updating all my software all the time updating the hardware if you know what I mean… I think I spend more time keeping FS up to date than I do actually flying, lol.

But, really, it’s not a readability thing. Like you I have a 55" 4K display right in front of my face, and my eyes are good enough that even in VR with an HP G2, I never use the zoom function to read my instrument panel. My preference for steamy things is solely about my experience using glass, I don’t, and I just haven’t taken the time to transition. That, and, yes, as others have noted, using a mouse to manipulate knobs, and how every implementation of these displays is different pages accessed different ways, egad, I don’t have time to remember them all (I like to fly a lot of planes). So I look for planes I can just create a flight plan, note the stations along the way, jump in and fly for a couple of hours. I’d rather spend my time learning to manage my engine than manage my glass display.

There was no glass when I learned to fly, and renting glass panel planes hasn’t been in my budget (though at one point I almost bought an SR20… got divorced instead… oh well), as well as a huge preference for vintage aircraft, dials are wayyyy easier for me than learning a new EFIS layout every time I fly.

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I’m not fussing with changing setups for 2020, but for 2024 I’ll do profiles for the IFR1 that includes map range(about the only thing really missing for better than ~95% of in flight shunning of the mouse) and bring a tablet in for using touch panels. Even if I want to spend the money on panels getting $1500+ worth of panels to do 5% more than the Octavi isn’t worth it(and some functions still not covered).

Octavi still works on all steam cockpits for com/nav/xp/heading bugs, most autopilots(just on the defaults-not mobi mapped) and I’m not looking at the ‘wrong’ hardware for what the plane is showing on the panel.

I’ll sort the rest out when 2024 is up and running as I have no idea how much effort it will/wont take to configure each and every aircraft yet, which I’m actually looking forward to even if more work initially.

I have always loved flight sim for the historical aviation aspect, so my vote is for steam gauges only. Most of the flying I enjoy is low altitude and I feel like I rarely need to use the instruments. If I was into creating flight plans and being efficient, then glass cockpits would be the best way to reduce workload. The modern avionics systems are really very full featured.

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Where’s the ‘gauges are for wimps’ option? :stuck_out_tongue:

Seriously though, flying something with no gauges at all can be fun, if it is historically appropriate: e.g. the Bleriot XI. Personally, I’m more interested in the older stuff, so steam gauges are generally my thing, but whatever is authentic is good.

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Ah yeah, I missed that one!!! Hahaha

I have the same love for the Ryan STA that I do for the FSR500. The STA doesn’t even have nav lights.

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