At RIAT there seemed to be a bit of a push for P3D, which is fine but it’s expensive.
If this is a useful feature we can request it for X-plane (I’ll see if I can find a link).
ETA Here’s the link
Suggest posting as personal users
P3D is the MOD preferred and is used by the ‘big boys’.
Fine if they are funding it…
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The software packages were the other the issue. Why FSX is acceptable but not the latest version is a little mind boggling.
Again fine for central budget for formal training, not so on Sqns on a shoe string & just giving familiarity to cadets.
I’ve also found PCs slow down & become also unusable after about two years - not something you want to happen after spending out over grand.
I’ve not noticed a huge issue as long as Windows is kept up to date and 3rd party applications kept to a minimum. I also removed all the ‘tiles’ on Win 10 from ours that I could.
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Can’t you look at the control column that’s physically in front of you? Why would you need to see the one on the screen?
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Expensive? It’s $59.95 for an Academic licence. True, the web page implies this is for students but if you read the licence:
1.2 Academic License: Subject to and conditioned on Licensee?s compliance with the terms and conditions of this EULA and payment of the applicable license fee, Licensor hereby grants Licensee a nontransferable, nonsublicenseable, nonexclusive license during the Term of this EULA to use the Software: (1) on a single Machine, (2) by no more than one user at any one time, (3) in connection with Academic Education, (4) by students, instructors and staff associated with Licensee’s Academic Education, (5) in the Academic Territory, and (6) for purposes other than personal/consumer entertainment.
you can make a strong case that RAFAC is an educational setting so I’d say P3d, given it is the RAFAC preferred choice, is a no-brainer.
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Pretty sure ours is on an academic licence. And we’ve been in direct contact with their support to switch machines too.
As for dual monitor, it’s doable on a single card even a few gen back if you’re just at 1080p.
There’s been no guidance sent out from HQ saying to use P3d, and most of our units locally use X-plane, to the extent that we have moved from Microsoft FSX to that.
At another youth organisation I help with, we were told we would need the commercial licence for P3d.
The most ‘friendly’ licence seems to be Microsoft’s!
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While im waiting to upgrade / replace machines, we use FSX.
Will be getting the academic licences for P3D for them. Do you know if you can multiplayer P3D, like you can with FSX?
P3d isn’t the ‘approved’ flight sim, but it is the one the Immersive Technologies team use themselves mostly (though I’ve also seen some demos with MSFS 2020). We’ve been trying not to be too prescriptive precisely to save cost. FSX works fine. So does XPlane (and it’s better for gliding). I’ve not tried FS on XBox but I can imagine it being OK too.
I don’t, but I do know that there are recommended models of Tutor and Viking for it.
You can.
And there’s always JoinFS which links different flight sims (XPlane, P3D and MS definitely included) but NB that its unsupervised use by cadets isn’t allowed because there are safeguarding implications (due to voice and text chat with strangers). HQAC is looking at an HQAC server but not sure how that’s gone.
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PS JoinFS also allows you to sit in different seats of the same aircraft but annoyingly doesn’t have a means of handing over control, which would be seriously useful.
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Certainly not essential to view both external and internal simultaneously. We did not when I did the training with wing aviation officer.
IMO you only need a simulator for step 3. Steps 1 and 2 could be taught as well or better by taking cadets to the local airfield hangar to walk round and sit in a real aeroplane.