I've never used it but this shot looks exactly like my office! These sims are pretty impressive, does the FMS work? How about the switches etc.?
Oh ya, full FMS, EICAS, ND, IRS, fuel, hydraulics, APU, bleed systems, overhead, every switch and button on there works. Failures are modeled, CATIII autolands are realistic, uhhh, really I cant think of it all, but it does it all.
After flying it for 250 hours or so, and studying the manual (I think its like 400 pages) I was able to get a 76% on a practice written exam for the 744 type license that one of their pilots got for me. :rawk:
http://www.precisionmanuals.com/priv/pages/prod/fs9/744f.html
thats the page for it, it really is amazing how detailed it gets, you would be very suprised if you actually got to fly it on a PC.
A features list from the site -
I went and found a few more screenshots that might give you an idea just how "realistic" this simulation is. Now, go fly them online under "real people" working ATC, and flying real world routes and approach procedures (our Navdata is updated once a month with new SIDs,STARs, routes, approaches, and runway information.
They also make a 736/7/8/9, and an MD-11 now with the same detail and quality.
Yes, all of those are 3D clickable buttons, and do what they are supposed to all around the plane.
"plan" view on the F/o side
Can you find the runway at 150 RA? :buck:
I can't even begin to describe how much the simulator has helped me in my flight training. I just about taught myself IFR (did my first IFR flight when I was 12, and the II didn't have to assist very much at all)
With "condor soaring simulator" (
www.condorsoaring.com) I taught myself how to fly a glider cross-country faster (racing.)
Anything that you can do in real life, you can practice on a simulator, to make yourself an all around better, safer pilot.
I have even gone as far as giving 2 presentations in ABQ at the national soaring convention on simulators for use in training, proficiency, and to get experiences and practice you might not get in a real airplane.
Sorry for the ramble, this is just something that I am passionate about and I feel that most of the aviation world hasn't realized its potential.
Sure, out of the box, FS9 and FSX kinda suck. But load it up with some addons like this 744, a good weather program, some nicer scenery, and you can really get a realistic experience.