Is MS Flight Sim worth it for T-6B?

[0621 Hertz]

Lots of pros/cons for both.

MSFS one is great for starting the jet/working on ground ops flows, course rules and shooting instrument approaches, you just cant use TACAN approaches right now, so I use airports with VORTACs. Despite being garbage about FAM maneuvers (pattern work/aero and stalls are horrible), worth the money to me. Jet starts up reasonably realistically, its just missing the CAUG and RADALT bit test, but allows you to move the switches for "chairflying" it. Does not have high gain NWS, its on by default and you can't turn it off

The VNAO T45 for DCS for me was great for bouncing in the pattern, doing PAs, and some FAM maneuvers, handling was OK but much better than the MSFS one. However the systems are bad and it starts too fast.

 

[Odominable]

Slight threadjack - I’m interested in getting one of these VR setups going just for fun. Looking for an assist with some of the component research I’ve been doing and I’d bet my paycheck you guys are probably smarter on it. Anyways, I’ve been researching the prebuilt systems (I think building one would be fun but not realistic in the current chip shortage) available on Amazon to use with an Oculus Quest 2 - the big question I have is if it’s worth shelling out the cash for a 3080 card or if some of the cheaper options are sufficient for MSFS / DCS. Any other gouge/gotchas to be on the lookout for would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[RoarkJr.]

Slight threadjack - I’m interested in getting one of these VR setups going just for fun. Looking for an assist with some of the component research I’ve been doing and I’d bet my paycheck you guys are probably smarter on it. Anyways, I’ve been researching the prebuilt systems (I think building one would be fun but not realistic in the current chip shortage) available on Amazon to use with an Oculus Quest 2 - the big question I have is if it’s worth shelling out the cash for a 3080 card or if some of the cheaper options are sufficient for MSFS / DCS. Any other gouge/gotchas to be on the lookout for would be appreciated. Thanks!

My VR Sim setup is:

AMD Ryzen 7 3800 gaming computer desktop with RTX 2060 super 8g VRAM GPU. Runs everything fine. You could probably go pre-built, but building your own via PCpartpicker.com is pretty easy as well. I already had most of the parts. ~$1500

Saitek X-56 flight controls with Logitech rudders. You could go a level up and get the warthog, But the Saitek has been fine for me so far. ~$500

Oculus Rift S VR. I’m not familiar with the standalone version in the Quest 2, but I know people are using VR Sims with it. I just tried the goshawk in DCS with the Rift S and it looks pretty good. $299

MSFS (If using IndiaFoxtEcho T-45C). $59
X plane 11 (if using fliteadvantage T-6B). $59
DCS world. $0
Prepar3d. $199

IndiaFoxtEcho T-45C for p3d/MSFS. $???
Flite Advantage T-6B for X plane 11. $99
VNAO T-45C for DCS world. $0

Ortho4xp software (free) for custom imagery data (makes course rules better) for X plane 11.
Process Lasso (free) makes everything run more efficiently.

I don’t have any experience with prepar3d but I know someone who got it for the T6 and it was a little complicated. I am probably going to buy Microsoft flight simulator and the T-45 for that, already got the DCS world stuff. I’ve never had too much of an issue setting anything up. At least with fliteadvantage I could always go on their discord to ask questions, hopefully it’s the same with the goshawk, or at least some forums.

 

[Duc'-guy25]

Don’t they have these things for your use in the VT’s? Why are you guys dropping money on them if they’re already available?

 

[0621 Hertz]

Don’t they have these things for your use in the VT’s? Why are you guys dropping money on them if they’re already available?

If they let me use the squadron VR sims in my underwear with a beer and a bag of Doritos, perhaps I'll reconsider...

 

[RoarkJr.]

Don’t they have these things for your use in the VT’s? Why are you guys dropping money on them if they’re already available?

Because we can have them available for use before we even move to the new location or check in. Can have them available at home, anytime. Few hours at home to kill? Shoot an approach from home field to wherever, etc.
I think it’s weird not having one. But to each their own. For me, ~$2k isn’t that much given the benefits to my professional development. Some might question the reality of those benefits but, at the end of the day we all have to find what works for us individually.

 

[Odominable]

Because we can have them available for use before we even move to the new location or check in. Can have them available at home, anytime. Few hours at home to kill? Shoot an approach from home field to wherever, etc.
I think it’s weird not having one. But to each their own. For me, ~$2k isn’t that much given the benefits to my professional development. Some might question the reality of those benefits but, at the end of the day we all have to find what works for us individually.

While I think it’s really, really cool technology (I’m probably gonna get a home setup) that I guess I wish I had back in the T-34, I’d probably also be lying if I said I’d shell out the cash for it (I can think of some hobbies that would happily eat two grand up real quick), and after all generations of aviators did just fine with nothing more than hard copy NATOPS and manual flight computers. Is it relatively common for studs to have this kind of stuff privately?

 

[RoarkJr.]

While I think it’s really, really cool technology (I’m probably gonna get a home setup) that I guess I wish I had back in the T-34, I’d probably also be lying if I said I’d shell out the cash for it (I can think of some hobbies that would happily eat two grand up real quick), and after all generations of aviators did just fine with nothing more than hard copy NATOPS and manual flight computers. Is it relatively common for studs to have this kind of stuff privately?

I’d say it’s still uncommon. But who wants to do “just fine”? ?. FWIW The two people I know with the highest NSS’s I’ve heard of in both my squadron and “ever” didn’t have home setups. I enjoy having one, though I was always a bit of a hobbyist/enthusiast anyway. My dad/grandfather had a F-22 sim setup on a Windows 98 computer in the late 90’s, along with other worse ones. One was a 4 pixel wildcat that merged
you with a 4 pixel zero, shooting yellow blocks at each other. Lol.

 

[Python]

I think it’s weird not having one.

I’ll have to hard disagree this one.

Either way, just stay away from the DCS T-45 ?

 

[Jim123]

My dad/grandfather had ... a 4 pixel wildcat that merged
you with a 4 pixel zero, shooting yellow blocks at each other. Lol.

Hellcat Ace had all kinds of combinations. F4F against a Zero, F6F against a Zero, shoot down a bomber, shoot down a floatplane, I want to say the Yamamoto shootdown was one of the missions (video game poetic license with history). As you can see from the game play, the aircraft types are very distinct in this game.

The guy playing this needs to get rolled back to the beginning of aerial gunnery school. No sense of lead, sheesh.

Yes, we did have to wait that long for games to load and we liked it! We learned patience! That buzzing noise is the floppy drive working, it's normal.

Hellcat Ace evolved into MiG Alley Ace, where you could do 1v1, 1v2, 1v3, or 2v2. Fly a P-80 and shoot stuff, fly an F9F, and of course F-86 vs MiG-15. Pretty sure you could play the bad guys in this one too.



Try to ignore the guys talking over the game:

You kids were born too late

 

[Pags]

Hellcat Ace had all kinds of combinations. F4F against a Zero, F6F against a Zero, shoot down a bomber, shoot down a floatplane, I want to say the Yamamoto shootdown was one of the missions (video game poetic license with history). As you can see from the game play, the aircraft types are very distinct in this game.

The guy playing this needs to get rolled back to the beginning of aerial gunnery school. No sense of lead, sheesh.

Yes, we did have to wait that long for games to load and we liked it! We learned patience! That buzzing noise is the floppy drive working, it's normal.

Hellcat Ace evolved into MiG Alley Ace, where you could do 1v1, 1v2, 1v3, or 2v2. Fly a P-80 and shoot stuff, fly an F9F, and of course F-86 vs MiG-15. Pretty sure you could play the bad guys in this one too.



Try to ignore the guys talking over the game:

You kids were born too late

Aces of The Pacific was the peak of fun but historical accurate flight simulators (could fly Yamamoto kill mission as well). Change my mind.

 

[Gatordev]

It sounds like Roark is talking about Wings of Fury. It was a side-scroller, but actually really well done. You even had to trap to get your plane fixed, and you had a campaign limit of airplanes. The game just kept going until you ran out of airplanes, but every island you captured, you got an airplane back. Not that I didn't spend countless hours playing it on my family's Apple IIc, or anything.

 

[RoarkJr.]

It sounds like Roark is talking about Wings of Fury. It was a side-scroller, but actually really well done. You even had to trap to get your plane fixed, and you had a campaign limit of airplanes. The game just kept going until you ran out of airplanes, but every island you captured, you got an airplane back. Not that I didn't spend countless hours playing it on my family's Apple IIc, or anything.

I don’t remember the name, but I do remember it just being a wildcat versus a zero although maybe it could’ve been changed. I think it was just cockpit view as well.

 

[Gatordev]

Sounds like a different game. Wings of Fury was a Broderbund game, which also made Choplifter (the original), which meant that Wings of Fury had what I referred to as "Broderbund People" that required strafing. The satisfying "tink" when you hit one was a feature (4:43).

 

[Jim123]

Sounds like a different game. Wings of Fury was a Broderbund game, which also made Choplifter (the original), which meant that Wings of Fury had what I referred to as "Broderbund People" that required strafing. The satisfying "tink" when you hit one was a feature (4:43).

In Choplifter they screamed with a "tink" sound if you hit them.

Hard to tell at 0:48 if it's a shot from the enemy tank or friendly fire:

I love the nicely inconspicuous name that this guy picked for his youtube channel.