Flight Simulator x and CAP add on

Started by hotoppb, August 17, 2012, 06:22:32 AM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

hotoppb

has anyone used the Civil Air Patrol add on for flight simulator x? how does it compare to real life?

hotoppb


Al Sayre

I have it and have used it, but not sure what you mean by real life.  The mission assignments are pretty standard, fly a grid, creeping line, electronic search etc.  The graphics and controls modeling are only as good as your sim computer & FS2004, and the panels are representative, your aircraft equipment may vary.   I'd say it's generally a good practice tool for a new mission pilot trying to get the hang of the different flight patterns...
Lt Col Al Sayre
MS Wing Staff Dude
Admiral, Great Navy of the State of Nebraska
GRW #2787

Shotgun

I bought it for use with MS Flight Simulator X mainly for the G1000 cockpit and the CAP airplane models.

I flew a couple of virtual missions with it and found it to be a good for "buttonology" and programming the G1000.

I remember getting a CAP discount when I purchased it. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I purchased it or how I got the discount.

Al Sayre

Purchase it from Abacus Software directly.  For a 25% discount put your CAPID in the comments section.
Lt Col Al Sayre
MS Wing Staff Dude
Admiral, Great Navy of the State of Nebraska
GRW #2787

Robborsari

We have used it for a tabletop.  We set up seperate monitors for each of the 3 crew and had them in another room with an ISR to be the cap radio.  Went through the whole sortie.  I got a lot of good feedback from the crew and the staff.  Its not terribly realistic but its better than nothing.
Lt Col Rob Borsari<br  / Wing DO
SER-TN-087

NIN

Sadly, I just threw that out the other day...
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

a2capt

Kinda surprised you didn't offer it on here .. even for just shipping..

NIN

Quote from: a2capt on August 18, 2012, 01:26:54 AM
Kinda surprised you didn't offer it on here .. even for just shipping..

I was in a fit of cleaning.  Wild hair and all that. Moving tends to do that to you :)

Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

hotoppb

Since my SQ. can't do sorties overseas we wanted to prepare the cadets a little bit for when they return stateside. we almost have a fully functioning FS and i thought if the CAP add on for flight simulator 2004 was somewhat close to a real sortie that it would be an effective teaching tool for us.

jeders

Quote from: Robborsari on August 17, 2012, 11:20:08 PM
We have used it for a tabletop.  We set up seperate monitors for each of the 3 crew and had them in another room with an ISR to be the cap radio.  Went through the whole sortie.  I got a lot of good feedback from the crew and the staff.  Its not terribly realistic but its better than nothing.

At LESA they do something very similar where they set up a simulator with multiple monitors for the pilot and observer. They fly through an entire sortie in the evening, and then the next day they fly the same sortie in the real world. There have been a lot of good reviews on it, and the tech is getting a little better each time.
If you are confident in you abilities and experience, whether someone else is impressed is irrelevant. - Eclipse

hotoppb

Thanks for the help guys. really appreciate all the input

flyboy53

I've found the flight simulator itself a better tool for cadets than the CAP add-on, especially the tutorials for flight instruction.


BFreemanMA

I'm pretty active in the Flight Sim world and using the free utility "Airport Designer X" lets you create a fake "airport" that could just consist of a downed plane and some coordinates. Having a cadet "go up" and fly a search pattern for a real objective could be neat. I haven't tried the FS9 add-on, but, from what I've read, I can't imagine there is anything in it that you couldn't get alone without on a budget.
Brian Freeman, Capt, CAP
Public Affairs Officer
Westover Composite Squadron


a2capt

Setting this up with a multiple monitor system, with the G1000 visible to a scanner/observer like is possible in the actual aircraft, and doing a table top mission even with headsets and intercom, with some cabling fun you can put the "base" in a separate room, behind a partition, etc.

Then you can simulate a lot of procedural stuff.  With the simulator being "real time" it goes to show about how long you've got to work while enroute, what each crew position needs to do, etc.

All the typical mission paperwork can be filled out and get a good idea of how long this stuff actually takes. Then realize that the "real world" takes even longer most of the time.

Things like other planes involved.. and pesky air traffic controllers. ;)

West MI-CAP-Ret

Could someone give me a list of software and hardware I would need to set up a flight simulator on my computer?

Thanks, Dave 8)
MAJ DAVID J. D'ARCY, CAP (Ret) 8 Apr 2018 (1974-1982, 1988-2018)
A former member of:
West Michigan Group MI-703,
Hudsonville Cadet Sqdron MI-135 (name changed to Park Township, Al Johnson Cadet Sqdrn)
Lakeshore Cadet Sqdrn MI-119
Van Dyke Cadet Sqdrn, MI-117
Phoenix Cadet Sqdrn MI-GLR-MI-065 (inactive)
Novi Sixgate Cadet Sqdrn (inactive), MI-068
Inkster Cherry Hill Cadet Sqdrn MI-GLR-MI-283 (inactive)

Flyboy-F22

Also, without add ons they have a plane (Cessna 172 Idaho CAP).
Thank You,
C/TSgt Gerot
Element Leader
Omaha Composite Squadron, NEWG

West MI-CAP-Ret

Besides software, what are some hardware I'll need to make this software work, e.g. rudder peddles and flight steering wheel (yoke/control column)?


Dave
MAJ DAVID J. D'ARCY, CAP (Ret) 8 Apr 2018 (1974-1982, 1988-2018)
A former member of:
West Michigan Group MI-703,
Hudsonville Cadet Sqdron MI-135 (name changed to Park Township, Al Johnson Cadet Sqdrn)
Lakeshore Cadet Sqdrn MI-119
Van Dyke Cadet Sqdrn, MI-117
Phoenix Cadet Sqdrn MI-GLR-MI-065 (inactive)
Novi Sixgate Cadet Sqdrn (inactive), MI-068
Inkster Cherry Hill Cadet Sqdrn MI-GLR-MI-283 (inactive)

BFreemanMA

Demon,

     For the hardware end of things, you don't need anything, but if you're trying to make the experience as realistic as possible, there are a bunch of controllers and such you could buy for this purpose. There's a "super package" of flight control surfaces available here http://www.bing.com/shopping/saitek-pro-flight-ultimate-flight-sim-bundle/p/56C8E01C6BD28DAB5020?q=saitek+yoke+and+pedals&lpf=0&lppc=16&lpq=saitek%2byoke%2band%2bpedals&FORM=CMOPEE, but it's likely too much money for most squadrons to handle without grants.

For my at-home setup, I have the yoke, TPM, rudder pedals, and the radio panel. You could do without the radio panel (I fly a lot online with VATSIM, so being able to change frequencies like the real guys do is handy), which would line you up for a product like this http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/search/find.asp?init=y&search=saitek with the yoke, throttle, and rudder pedals.

There are other companies in the game and you can certainly buy used or buy individual parts to the extent of your budget. I've only ever used Saitek products, so I can't comment on the quality of an other company's gear, but I've been using Saitek for 5 years now and haven't had an issue.

Also, for FS2004, this isn't a huge problem, but make sure youre computer is able to run FSX well. She was, unfortunately, very poorly programmed by some accounts and you need an excellent computer to run FSX smoothly.
Brian Freeman, Capt, CAP
Public Affairs Officer
Westover Composite Squadron