Newbie Questions

[veldthui]

Hi, Have been unable to find the answer to this so I will ask it here.

Does PM support just any FS plane (including addons) or is it just one set?
I am mainly looking at the PMDG 744X here. If it is supported 100% I may look at building my own cockpit slowely adding bits at a time (will have to find space in the house for a start though I suppose).

Cheers

John Veldthuis

[npbosch]

Yes it does. It only shows all the data on displays. Adds a good autopilot and cdu.(and al kind of other things like wheather radar, sounds, instructor station and simulating overhead logics with pmSystems.

But why using pmdg addons in combination with PM? Then you have 2 cdu's. One from the addon and one from PM.
You could use the airfile from pmdg without the other stuff if you like.

Main fact is, pm is software specially made to be used on a multi pc setup. I do not have experience with pmdg, and do not know whether you could use that via multi pc.

[dnoize]

PM can not be used with the FS9 747 from PMDG.
I expect the same will be the case for the FSX version.

Stef

[Tomlin]

John V

Welcome, and best of luck to you on your decision making. I would encourage you to find a simple 747 that flies very well (Project Open Sky maybe?) and I think you would find that could be a way to use PM software with a 747. OR you can talk to Gwyn (Westozy on here) and might determine you can build a decent 747 sim with PMDG and undocked panels. I have no idea how possible it is, but someone does Im sure.

[michelmvd]

A combination between PM and PMDG is totally impossible with the B747-400 for FS9 or FSX.
In the past, the PMDG airfile of their B737 could be used, but this is totally excluded from the B747 on.
This for the simple reason that PMDG is rewriting and developping a complete independent and new program in order to simulate correctly the behavior of the B747 qua dynamics and logic systems. Therefore the airfile/aircraft cfg can't be used separately of the mother program. In fact PMDG is only using FS for the external factors (weather/scenery).

It is a real pitty PMDG is not providing a SDK with offsets in order to let cockpitbuilders interface their program. But that's a company policy and until know they only provide drivers for commercial hardware as Engravity, Aerosoft Australia etc. Level-D software of B767 is here more helpfull, but also here a lot of functionally is lost when using it together with PM.

If PMDG would be fully interface - compatible, we would be able to simulate a 99% correctly B747-400 in our cockpits. Unfortenately this is not the case and B744 builders are missing a lot now in their magic Queen cockpits. ;( Till now PM is not going that deep in the simulation of the B747-400 comparing with PMDG or Level-D. Only the B737NG is more developped in that field.

Boeing type -builders with other cockpit types than the B737 doens't have a real good solution on the market at this moment.

[veldthui]

Okay thanks. Still not much the wiser on exactly what I need from the PM stuff and what aircraft stuff to use. I have had a rethink and maybe will go for the B738NG as there seems to be more hardware around for this at reasonable prices but still left with what do I need from PM software and what else do I need.
I am getting some IO cards soon that will interface to PM and have a GoFlight MCP Pro (when it comes back from a firmware update to A19) so no troubles doing the switches/panels and stuff.

Cheers