WestWind Airlines

Is there any post regarding this age old question of virtual flying software? I am stuck in a bit of a issue where i'm not feeling FSX that much. I have a machine built with dual Core AMD processor, 2GB ram and a 512 ATI PCI-E card. And i still seeing videos on FS9 looking better than my FSX.

What i want is a Sim that i can load up go to any airport in the world and get amazing textures and realistic views, also a vast amount of aircrafts and even more addons that are available. And right now it seems as if FS2004 is the way to go.

I would like to hear from my fellow captains on this which one do you prefer?

 

Thanks

 

PS if this is a repost point me in the right direction lol ...

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Kamau Harriott
WWA2185
Assistant Hub Manager
London (Heathrow) Hub - EGLL
Cat III Pilot

When it comes to graphics, the best thing to do with FSX is increase the visual settings on FSX to what you think your PC can handle, if its too slow for you decrease the settings, if you think the computer can hold a little bit more, increase them. It all works on trial and error. As for the difference, as far as I know FSX takes up a bit more memory than FS9 (I could be wrong), but I don't think there would be that much of a difference between FS9 and FSX, in gameplay anyway.

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Eoin Coates
Senior Command Captain
Real World Student Pilot
Frankfurt am Mein-Hub Manager

"If the thought came into my head, I would go out and buy a gun"- Herb Kelleher's reply after being asked if he would start another airline.

WWA2104:

When it comes to graphics, the best thing to do with FSX is increase the visual settings on FSX to what you think your PC can handle, if its too slow for you decrease the settings, if you think the computer can hold a little bit more, increase them. It all works on trial and error. As for the difference, as far as I know FSX takes up a bit more memory than FS9 (I could be wrong), but I don't think there would be that much of a difference between FS9 and FSX, in gameplay anyway.

 

Tru but i've seen some FS9 vids and it just look totally amazing after u download a lot of Addons, wondering if to downgrade and jsut get the addons or just stick with FSX

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Kamau Harriott
WWA2185
Assistant Hub Manager
London (Heathrow) Hub - EGLL
Cat III Pilot

If I were you I'd stick with FSX. If its scenery quality you want I reccomend you google what your looking for, eg. EGLL Hub Scenery for FSX, and something will come up. I would also reccomend AVSIM, if your not already a member. They have litterally thousands of freeware files available for download, both Aircraft and Scenery add-ons. I also reccomend that whatever comes up on the search become a member, most are free and it means you can download the Scenery when you want it. There are thousands of FSX Scenery files out there, avaliable for download, its just a matter of finding them. BTW, to you and all other pilots, AVSIM now have a Freeware Terminal 5 for EGLL, if your a frequent EGLL user, I reccomend it.

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Eoin Coates
Senior Command Captain
Real World Student Pilot
Frankfurt am Mein-Hub Manager

"If the thought came into my head, I would go out and buy a gun"- Herb Kelleher's reply after being asked if he would start another airline.

To add on to the above post, you also might want to look right here at Westwind because we do have customized Westwind scenery for all of  our FSX  hubs and most of our FS9 hubs.  Bob Sturm and I have put in a lot of work and sacrificed a bunch of personal time on the hub scenery files.  So look there too please.

 

Later,

Ed Bleck

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WWA 843
Toronto Hub

Luck is when preparation meets an oppotunity

Yes, FSX has really nice graphics. But as I say - it eats the computer's resources! If you have a good computer - why not! But when not, I strongly recommend FS9. With add ons you can make it as good as FSX or even better.

 So I say: FS9

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Pranas Drulis
WWA2097
Cat 4
FS9 + Level D 767

Assistant Hub Manager Amsterdam

It will come down to personal opinion and how powerful your computer is.  FS9 will have thousands of addons because it has been around a long time. There is scenery and aircraft addons for FSX, but because it hasn't been around very long (and rumors are out that it will not be around very long), and the SDK was changed from that of FS9 requiring a rewrite of many of the utilities used for design work.  Personally I prefer FS9 because I have a lot of addons that I made and or downloaded. Also, after purchasing a new computer that I expected would run FSX reasonably well, I was disappointed to find out that it takes a near super computer to get FSX to run at frame rates comparable to FS9.  True..the FSX Graphics are much better, but if you can't operate it to the max, what's the point.

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Bob S.
Senior Command Captain
E.V.P. Scenery

I have been tempted to get the FSX but I have found FS9 to really suit me.  About a year ago I went to 2 gig RAM from 256 and it made a big differance obviously.  I still have the 128mg Nvidia 5200 after almost 5 years and am running FS9 maxed out.  Most all flights are top notch unless I encounter alot of terminal traffic.

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Scott Williams
WWA 1404
Senior Command Captain KBOS
Commercial ASMEL Instrument
CFI #1876545

Hi, well i did downgrade, and im still happy. It is completely upto personal preferences. I ran FSX for about 2 years before deciding that i wanted to have more a/c in my hanger and better f/s. and thats what i got. The city scenery isnt quite as good and the top-down view isn't either, but i am very happy with FS9. I no longer get green runways, and my scenery are right upto the full, and thats with AI traffic, UK airport sceneries and on a laptop 3 years old. I also find that my other programs are running a little quicker too.

My word of advice - get a copy im certain you can get one somewhere for about £5, try it, if you like it keep it, if not go back to FSX

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Well, I'll add my $0.02-worth to this, but it really is a matter of personal preference.

 My last FS9 flight for the company was an excutive charter flight, P160, to the Galapagos Islands. When I arrived at the destination, the airport had a runway and nothing else, no ramp to pull off on. I had owned FSX for a few weeks by that time, but I hadn't flown Westwind flights on it yet. So I decided to try the return trip on FSX. The airport actually had a parking ramp! Since then, I have found, when I fly to smaller airports, FSX has much better airport scenery than FS9.

 OTOH, there are still shortcomings in Westwind's FSX fleet. We could use more cargo aircraft, and there are no helicopters for the executive charters yet. But if you fly mostly passenger routes, the fleet is pretty good.

As for the comment about FSX not being around long, don't forget we had one of the FS developers post in one of our threads that they are currently concentrating on TS2 for a Christmas 2009 release, so the next version of FS won't be out until late 2010 at the earliest, and maybe not til 2011.

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Tony Lyons
WWA1369

TS2?

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Bentley S.
CAT II
KSFO
WWA2183

Reading these explanations. It seems to me. If you want to  sight see use FX. If your want to aviate use FS9!

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Randy Donnelly
AHM KSLC
WWA2024

If GE CF6-80C2B8F engines were attached to a typical automobile, at takeoff power the car would accelerate from zero to 60 mph (96.5 kph) in less than .5 seconds.

You can find the specific numbers elsewhere, but FSX has a higher capability of resolution per pixel compared with FS9.  For example the resolution is much higher in add on products like the Megascenery X titles. That can be useful when flying VFR, but again you need a system with the horsepower to take advantage of that. ( BTW:it is reported however that the Megascenrary titles can actually boost FPS, as you can turn autogen down or off entirely to get the best experience with their product)

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Bentley S.
CAT II
KSFO
WWA2183

Bentley:

TS2?

Microsoft's Train Simulator 2......

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EHAM-YSSY B772LR

We had a fellow come out to the house to repair a Lazy Boy chair and his real job was as a railroad engineer.  He had some great stories and the most memorable was when they were passing through rural Mississippi in the dark and what they thought was a possum sitting on the tracks with glaring eyes turned out to be an automobile much farther down the line.  He had hit three cars in 20 years.

I want to get this train sim but I do not know much about the locomotives etc.  Does anyone have this?

Yes, I am way off topic and sorry for that.

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Scott Williams
WWA 1404
Senior Command Captain KBOS
Commercial ASMEL Instrument
CFI #1876545