Nov 25
I always thought X-Plane looked pretty good for night flying, but in my research for even more realistic looks, I came across a number of blogs mentioning an updated lights.txt file used by X-Plane to set the light/shader configuration. The difference is amazing, especially in VR! Here’s a link to the file, enjoy! The lens …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/25/better-lights-x-plane/
Nov 25
Since I began my flight training, my goal was to build a sim at home and work with it as I would in a real plane. This means, using the appropriate checklists for various times in the flight and using Foreflight for navigation and flight planning, plus finding appropriate runways and frequencies during the flight. …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/25/foreflight-x-plane/
Nov 25
In 2 days, my girlfriend and I will be attending the I/ITSEC 2017 event in Orlando, FL. It’s billed as the largest modeling, simulation and training event in the world. This is where the pros come together to demo their professional products to military, police and commercial training facilities. Besides CES, it’s the best new …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/25/i-itsec-2017/
Nov 24
The research that kept me going in the past few months of work. Flight Sim References On The Glideslope – This guy does really knows his stuff and does great work on his blog. I learned quite a bit about setting up X-Plane properly and using the X-Plane world editor, WED, although I haven’t done too …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/24/flight-sim-inspiration/
Nov 23
Hopefully soon, X-Plane will release built-in support for VR, using the Oculus or Vive headsets. I’ve been eagerly waiting for this since I started using FlyInside last year. FlyInside is a great plugin for VR, although it doesn’t work well with my multi-monitor system. If I had a single screen system it would work great, …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/23/vr-x-plane/
Nov 23
At my home airport, in my training, I’m only flying a Diamond DA20 trainer, which I love to fly. But virtually, I like to fly aircraft that have similar real-world flight characteristics. These may not be accurate on paper, but they feel right while in the sim. . I’ve been flying many different aircraft, virtually, …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/23/glasair-pattern-work-kugn/
Nov 21
ArdSimX Interface [From the site] ArdSimX Interface is an easy to use Arduino-based Input/Output software for creating DIY controls (inputs and outputs) for your home cockpit X-Plane simulator without programming and advanced electronics knowledge. It allows connection to your Arduino using LAN or USB. I personally use USB as it’s easier for me to connect …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/21/ardsimx-interface/
Nov 21
Top X-Plane Plugins for Added Realism I’ve spent alot of time tweaking my system and have it pretty well dialed in to avoid crashes and conflicts. Here’s a list of the plugins I’m currently using, what they do and links to download. ArdsimX Interface – In my opinion the best plugin out there for maximum flexibility …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/21/x-plane-plugins/
Nov 21
Many people ask what tools I use to create my cockpit panels. Here is my most used tool to get the job done. X-Carve 1000mm X 1000mm CNC: I’ve been using the X-Carve since it was first released as the Shapeoko. I absolutely love this tool. Since I primarily only cut wood on it, I …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/21/toolset-part-2-x-carve/
Nov 12
I carefully cut, cleaned and painted the two halves of my new main cockpit panel and mounted a monitor behind the holes cutout for the main gauges. That went easier than expected. But I had to cut a channel in the back of the panel to run the encoder wiring for the OBS, VOR and …
Permanent link to this article: https://m1sims.com/2017/11/12/version-4-construction/