how to make long flights more...

[EHM-2089 Vincent]

Let's take a situation where I am flying between LSZH and EGLL on a Saab 2000 - rather slow plane compared to jets or any other plane. It should be an hour and a half's flight. Playing the game online can be a little monotonous if there are no controllers who will ask you to do a bit of aerobatics to avoid oncoming planes.

However the same can also happen when flying offline. Where the inbuilt ATC will keep you busy too. But you can choose not to fly to the tunes of the ATC and stick to your flight plan.

What are things you do to make your flight of 80 - 90 minutes or longer ones more interesting. I do something with my flight plan, I will tell that later, but I want to hear what others do before I tell my secret!!!

[EHM-0654 Murray]

'intendo DS (I'm trying to get through Final Fantasy III at the moment... )

And I look out for other EHM pilots (and friends from IVAO-GB when I'm on IVAO) for chatting purposes.

[EHM-1343 Jonathan]

MSN and Myspace

[EHM-2089 Vincent]

Ha good replies, ok let me be specific, what do you do to make the flying process interesting. If the scenario is that you cannot change to anything else and only fly the plane? In the same sense, it just means to say that imagine you are in the cockpit of the plane, you cannot browse or surf something else ... what would you do to make the flying interesting?

[EHM-0654 Murray]

I direct the honourable gentleman to my original reply

If were pretending real-world, you'd either be PF (and busy checking flight) or PNF (and busy coordinating with ATC), even on longer-haul. It's only the transcontinental crews that get a chance to "break" during flights (to the best of my knowledge).

[EHM-2029 Sotiris]

Fully agree with Murray.
When I was flying Cessna's around Athens I was constantly busy either flying (the easy part), responding to overzealous ATC and avoiding the oncomers to the old airport.
Hence, if you imitate reality 100%, even in a smaller plane you must always have your eyes open and your ears on the look out for anything unusual. And believe me, unusual things happened often (minor failures, popped-out breakers, gauges out of calibration etc.)

So really, no time to rest...

By the way: have you tried letting FS have some failures on your plane? This is standard Simulation Training in real life and can really catch you off-guard if you're not careful.

Saying that; some of the procedures we have to execute on IVAO etc. can be much harder than flying the Cessnas!!

[EHM-1883 Matt]

Well, usually I just mess around. Usually, I tend to take a friend with me on flights, such as javier or Ben, so we can have a good chat while en-route.

[EHM-2089 Vincent]

Great chatting seems to be the best remedy to hit boredom ....

Well try this on bigger flights, these are somethings I do on smaller flights too
1. Monitor fuel levels against consumption / check proposed consumption against actual consumption.
2. Monitor my Route and plot my VOR / intersection reaching times and fuel consumed
3. If online, check for weather towards the approaching places (ATC also gives this info)
4. Ofcourse chat with people who I know and also planes in my vicinity ... its helps to build new friends.
5. Since we constantly do new flights routes, unlike other pilots who often fly the same route over and over so they know the routes well. I keep studying new routes and flight plans.
6. Study the STAR and SID carefully to help me take off and land as per prescribed routes and not as I like.

I look to extend the list .. add your points here ...

[EHM-0654 Murray]

In the larger birds (those with FMC/CDU/MCDU), you could also add:

7. Monitor/update programmed flight plan and update METAR data to improve CDU/MCDU planning.

[EHM-2110 Matt]

8. In the Level-D 767 set the air con to cool in one of the compartments and wait for the stewardess to call you to complain (ok that one is rather sad!)

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Matt, similarly for the PMDG Boeings and FS2Crew (although I always used to set it hot so they whine about making it cooler...)

[EHM-1500 Jim]

Hand flying the SIDS and STARS does it for me.....

Also, getting Fs2crew for the pmdg and leveld aircraft adds a few more things to do whilst in the cruise - payware though.

jim

[EHM-2089 Vincent]

Great, this thread is growing ....
I on smaller flights do one more thing. The GPS can be programmed to direct to one particular place. As of now the GPS cannot be programmed to multiple waypoints. Once I finalize the route to be taken via VOR or intersections, I take a print of the default NavLog in FS 2004. I don't save that flight log and go with a blank NavLog to FS to start the game. Now punch in the first waypoint using the "direct to" button and make your airplane point to that using autopilot or manual flying. Once I close in, around 5 nm to go, I open the "direct to" once again and punch in the second waypoint. Its more easy when its autopilot though.  This way I keep myself engaged thru the whole flight. But it should be a small flight, otherwise it can get a bit too boring to monitor constantly.

[EHM-1800 Franz]

10. fly with FS Passengers and keep the passengers in the mood with feeding them, put the failures to ca 15 % and you can be sure that each 3rd flight will have any troubles (engine failure, cannot lock the gears, ........)
And at all, online flying you will always meet sombody for a chat - it would be nice, if there were more EHM pilots present !

[EHM-0948 Bruno]

11. Feed the cat, change baby diaper, get some coca-cola from the fridge and relax a bit on the sofa ...

[EHM-2089 Vincent]

Flying with FS Passenger is a good idea, but thats why you don't need to use PP. Otherwise there will be too many things controlling you. The best with FS Passenger is when you do a take off from a dangerous zone and get your plane riddled with bullets and then, following emergency procedures!!!

[EHM-2141 Roger]

I usually try to follow VOR s   and if they are around 50 nm appart that keeps me on watch; also, a DC-3, for instance, without GPS and no VOR is quite a challange if you try using the ADF to trck VORs or even flyng ADF; landig VOR instead of ILS is also quite interesting. That's my way to get more of a flight. Before joining EHM , in IVAO, I have about 1800 hrs and 95% of the flight are around 1 hour; happy landings, Cmt.

[EHM-2089 Vincent]

Hi Roger,

what you have suggested in following the VORs is the best thing I do to keep myself busy. VORs Intersections etc all keep you busy!! Also I keep watch on my flight plan to make sure that I tick mark that I am at the correct altitude when passing the same. I usually delete my flight plan and make the punching using the "direct to" button on the GPS to point to the next VOR or Intersection. In this way, flights of 2 hours durations really become a joy and also you make sure that every minute you are doing something, like feedign your passengers, checking fuel, failures!!, or where you are right now!!
Cheers

[EHM-1883 Matt]

How about listening to iTunes? That's what I've been doing recently

[EHM-2144 Terry]

I'm still trying to learn all this stuff in between t/o & landing :%:]

Terry
Ehm-2144

[EHM-1883 Matt]

Message original :  EHM-2144 Terry
I'm still trying to learn all this stuff in between t/o & landing :%:]

Terry
Ehm-2144

lol, I'm trying to learn the procedures on my payware aircraft. I guess eventually you get into a rythm with it. I hope!:o

[EHM-0005 Maarten]

In real life, connect your ADF to the speaker of your aircraft and you can listen to AM radio stations. Makes the flights less boring

[EHM-2155 Mariano]

I have a little  MP4 player my father got me for b-day, and i play a movie or two depending on the flight. Although Murphy likes to mess with me and when im on the best part of the movie, its time to make the initial descent xD

[EHM-0744 Alex]

If flying through UNICOM areas, tune your TS to some extremely busy airport and listen to the controller, most of the times you learn something. Apart from that, iTunes, MSN and even homework will do

[EHM-2029 Sotiris]

Originally posted by EHM-2155 Mariano
 Although Murphy likes to mess with me and when im on the best part of the movie, its time to make the initial descent xD

They always come at the worst times, don't they? :] :]