What's your flight simulator ritual?

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1

I’ll go first -

After some daydreaming throughout the day as to what I’d like to fly (STOL, GA, old planes, modern planes, steam gauge, glass cockpit, long haul jets, short haul bizjet commuter routes, etc etc), I’ll boot up my Xbox, kill the last flight sim session so we’re starting fresh, and wait for it to load.

Meanwhile I’ll grab my Honeycomb Alpha and Bravo off the wall and screw it in, swing my Turtle Beach Flight Stick mount over to the left hand side, set my Axair MIAP and a keyboard in front of me, and rig up my mouse. Attach the appropriate throttle configuration to my Bravo for whatever I ended up deciding to fly. By this time I’m usually on the MSFS “home screen”.

I’ll choose my aircraft then load right into the World Map just to play around with Estimated Time Enroute distances to fit whatever allotment of time I have for the flight. Once I’m happy with my route, I’ll clear the arrival airport, zoom into the departure airport, and pick a gate or a parking spot to spawn cold and dark. Don’t really use the World Map for setting full routes.

If I’m straight up VFR low and slow, I’ll load up LittleNavMap on my MacBook and plan my route here. This is rare - I’m not all that proficient with this app yet, but I’m playing around with it more.

More likely, I’m opening SimBrief on either my MacBook or iPad, planning my route here, and also opening up any checklists I’ve saved for more complex aircraft that I’m still not super sharp with (DC-6???)

Then I’ll open Navigraph, import the SimBrief plan if IFR, or just set up the route if VFR. Cold and dark startup checklists, call the ATIS and take notes on my computer or iPad, and we’re off to the races.

Successful flight is if I can perform all the inverse instructions of my setup and still put away my Bravo with the parking brake set and the gear lever down; this tells me I didn’t goof anything up too badly :joy:

What y’all got?

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Pull up FlightAware and choose a departure that’s Southwest Airlines based from my last arrived airport. Input the data into Simbrief. Load up the sim at the correct gate and then fly the flight using the correct altitudes or waypoint shortcuts if applicable. This process averages me within 0-1 minute flight time of the real flight. Doesn’t get more satisfying than that. Real flight data and real 1:1 flight times. Have flown this way for as long as I could remember or FlightAware offered their track graph for flights. I actually just finished a 14 hour and 30 minute long haul using correct stepped altitudes. Unfortunately data dropped out once I was in China territory but I was only about 10 minutes earlier than the real flight. Still quite an accomplishment.

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3

Mount yoke if not doing heli stuff. Start msfs. At main screen, realize hdr not turned on (win/alt/b), restart msfs. Every…single…time :smirk:

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4

I’ll fly until MSFS crashes - usually 10 or 15 minutes
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An almost exact carbon copy of what I have also been doing for years, only in my case it is Delta. Poor eyesight prevented me from pursuing a commercial airline pilot career, so I am grateful for an amazing simulator environment, nearly study-level aircraft, and associated flight planning/tracking systems to help me feel like I am actually there. It is truly remarkable this hobby has come this far.

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Switching on my external MCDU and the 2nd Monitor, starting all external programs like navigraph, OBS….., during the startup I go to Simbrief and decide which routing I go and let Simbrief calculate a good routing. Meanwhile, the sim came up and I set my cold & dark position. When I’m in the cockpit i start my prep. Bring the aircraft to life, IRS, Groundpower, Pax, Cargo. During boarding, I program the FMS and when everything is finished, Rock’n’Roll. :hugs:
Unspectacular in my eyes but that’s how it goes. :innocent:

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Open MSFS, obsess about FPS, watch some YouTube videos on improving FPS, tweak already tweaked settings then obsess on why the FPS is now lower than before and repeat !

Yippee , MSFS2024 many more years of tweaking the tweaked.

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8

LOL. My MSFS life!

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9

Lately I have been so busy doing work that I have not gotten a chance to do any real flying.

Normally I do the following…I have my rig all setup so I don’t have to set it up everytime I fly. I turn on the computer wait for it to load, then I start FS2020 wait for it to load and while doing so I try and figure out what I want to do. When FS2020 has finished loading I choose the airport I want to take off from (I try and “see the world” so I try and take off from a different airport every time) . I fly VFR most of the time and go look around at the scenery. When I have spent some time in the area I have chosen I land and shut off FS2020 and my computer. That is a typical session for me. GREAT TOPIC!!!

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10

Interesting thread….

For me my rig is used daily for other tasks so I usually set up the TCA joystick, throttles and pedals as MSFS boots up. Boot up LNM and FSLTE as that loads and think about where to fly.

For my go to flights I am following the excellent “Hopping Around the World” flights published by David Dossiere on flightsim.com that I downloaded way back for FS2004 (yes I go that far back, and further!). The weather and flight plan files don’t seem to be compatible with the current version but I set up the same conditions and as near as possible aircraft in the sim and I am really enjoying them again.

If I fancy a bit of VFR I am following the also excellent “World Sightseeing Tour” from gamer4805 on flightsim.to. Again one I can thoroughly recommend.

I do need to set aside some time to get my head around the helicopters though.

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Turn on computer and start the sim
Walk away for 5-10 minutes…

Load Spad.next
Spend twenty minutes deciding what aircraft to fly and where to go
Create flight plan in simbrief and load flight
Walk away for 5-10 minutes

Set up aircraft for mission
Get interrupted by the wife
Walk away for the 5-10 minutes

Start the flight
Get interrupted by the wife
Pause sim (or autopilot)
Walk away for 5-10 minutes

Continue flight
Get interrupted by the doorbell
Walk away for 5-10 minutes
“Are you going to be in there all day”?

Quit Flight because I’m frustrated about being interrupted every 10 minutes

Try again later or the next day…

Repeat.

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Worst part about this hobby - in order to enjoy it to its fullest, you really need at least 2 hours of solid, uninterrupted time to carve out of your day, IMO. More than that if the flight is longer (obviously) or if the front end of your session includes troubleshooting or restarting for whatever reason.

Envious of the folks who are happy to just pick it up and play.

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13

And this is why I consider MSFS to be more of a benchmark tool than a sim. Lol

When not tweaking, my usual is boot the computer, launch FSLTL and another mod, launch the sim, stop the world from auto-rotating so I can select a departure airport, set up a flight plan, then often have clearance cancelled by kids, pets, etc.

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Launch msfs and exit the game after several hours of flying

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15

what I can probably do blindfolded,
plug all devices, start the sim, walk into the kitchen to make a coffee, come back with coffee and be upset sim still hasnt finished loading, then drink the coffee and go to toilet instead of flying

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16

Pretty much an OCD routine for each flight.

  • Log into the VA and look at available routes for my rating and aircraft (always depart from where I left off)

  • Bid / Book flight

  • Generate OFP and review in Simbrief updating flight times and alternate as required

  • Check in with VA Dispatchers to get departing and arriving gate assignments

  • Review route along Meteoblue checking weather, clouds and Clear Air Turbulence

  • Fill out VATSIM notepad on my kneeboard with all departing and arrival information

  • Turn on SIM PC

  • Launch Addon Linker and enable all scenery, mods, etc, for departing, arrival airports as long as anything along the route (Birds, Ships, etc…)

  • Start up the rest of my supporting apps (18 button presses on the StreamDeck)

  • Enable Space Desk, connect iPADS and Tablets

  • Download vPilot and MSFS OFP’s via Simbrief Downloader

  • Start Sim

  • Load OFP into Sim, pick departing gate given by dispatch, turn fuel slider down

  • Use MSFS Pop Out Manager to pop out displays

  • Enable Air Manager pannels

  • Connect VATSIM and load / file OFP

  • Load Flight Plan into Volanta and Little NavMap

  • Initialize Flight in VACARS client

  • Load flight into Navigraph Charts

  • Bring up OFP within Simbrief

  • Use GSX Pro to operate Jetway and call Fuel Truck

  • Start going through the preflight and startup checklist

  • Get the ATIS and jot down on VATSIM sheet

  • Get my IFR clearance (VATSIM)

  • Get the aircraft to a state of ready for passenger load which includes bringing the Flight Plan into PACX and starting, starting passenger load via Simbrief, as well as Fenix iPAD which starts the fuel loading and passengers then baggage

  • Continue through checklists

  • Push and start

  • Taxi clearance

  • Take off clearance

  • Fly the route, land, taxi clearance to assigned gate

  • Start unloading and shutdown (back to cold and dark)

Depending on flight I spend more time pre and post than in the air, but I enjoy that aspect of it.

3 Likes
17

I’m both happy and sad to see that the “problems” I have are shared by several of us.

The most msfs-compatible computer I have is also my work computer and work, unfortunately, takes precedence. In addition, the desk in my home office is not suited for the sim-hardware so I generally have to set it all up on and around my kitchen table: yoke, throttle, pedals, spare monitor, lighthouses, VR-headset, etc. All of this limits my chances to start the sim at all — but when I do, I generally leave it readily available for a full weekend.

The startup generally includes three steps: start all 3rd-party apps, then start msfs, wait 15 mins, check if the sound works in VR, then either let it ctd by itself or shut it down. Then start it again and wait some more. For me, the sim generally runs much better the second time around. And yes, I too spend way too much time trying to get smoother frame-rates.

After that, the fun begins (if there is any time left, that is). I often have more than one multi-leg (GA-) trip active at once, so I check the weather websites to find out which of the trips I can continue with live weather under VFR. Adjust the flight-plan, export it to the in-sim-tablet, make sure all 3rd-party apps are still running, and then, finally, dive into VR. Sometimes, all I have time for is planning my flights, but I really enjoy it.

Once seated in the VC, in VR, I immediately remember why I go through all the tedious setup. It’s worth it. Definitely worth it. Positive escapism; far from work, far from home (virtually); replacing all my distracting to-do lists with focus and check-lists. No mobile, no Slack, no work computer. Almost mindfulness, almost zen. An experience, focused but relaxed.

Best hobby ever, until I have to pack it all away again and silently complain about how long it will be until I get another chance. When I get a chance, I’ll definitely build a setup I don’t have to pack away.

That’s the ritual. A cumbersome setup and tear-down, with some relaxed flying and exploring in between; enjoying some time “away.”

2 Likes
18

Grab the game controller (mouse/keyboard static on the desk), pic a random airport, pic a random destination airport, load up the A320, release the brake, juice the throttle and fly to my chosen airport VFR (airport markers on), and compass heading. Enjoying the scenery as I go, Land, park, shut er down and give a sigh of relief, I had a good flight. :+1::grin:

3 Likes
19

For me, it depends on whether I’m doing a “real flight” or just going on an uncontrolled sightseeing tour. For the latter, there’s typically not much planning or pre-flight thought outside of selecting my starting airfield.

But assuming it’s a “real flight”:

  • set up my route in Navigraph and export the flight plan to .fpl format if it’s a new route
  • fire up all my touch monitors
  • open Air Manager. I have it set to auto-load my panels based on the plane I’m flying, so that’s automated
  • open Pilot2ATC and load up my flight plan
  • Fire up the sim
  • Get any drinks / snacks ready and within reach while the sim is loading
  • load my flight plan from the world map
  • get into the plane, run my checklists, etc and fly.

Fairly simple, really. It’s enough to get a fair amount of realism, I guess, but without being too hardcore.

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So no taxi to the runway, just full throttle right from the apron? Been there, done that. :laughing: