Blackbird Sims / Milviz Forum Archive

Those of you who have purchased the MilViz Cessna 310R now have the opportunity to fly a specially crafted Mission designed to provide a tailored degree of multi-engine instruction to both understand the specific operating techniques for the 310R as well as overall multi-engine requirements. In other words, the Mission is designed to allow a person unfamiliar with multi-engine aircraft operations get a full scope of instruction on them, but also allow someone familiar with multi-engine operations merely gain an insight into what techniques make operations in the 310R work optimally.

In addition, the package provides you with a highly updated and realistic rendering of Portales Municipal Airport, NM (KPRZ). In case you're wondering why I chose this airport it is because the 310R you fly is N5077J, which is the aircraft that I own and base at Portales. This customized airport includes the T-hangars as they are actually constructed, the brick FBO building, and two large hangars near the parking ramp. In fact, you actually start off in the exact spot where I tow my plane out of it's hangar and onto the ramp to start the engines!

The Mission walks you through power-off and power-on checklists, engine start, avionics power up, taxi, engine test runs, takeoff, climbout, and then reviews the precise power control necessary to learn how to conduct a smooth and accurate entry into the traffic pattern plus approach and landing. You will join the left downwind leg and land on Portales runway 19. To help guide your actions, I guide you through the steps through the kind of instructional voice one might expect to hear during actual flight instruction. Though, as is always the case, this Mission is not intended to substitute for formal flight instruction, but merely serve as a tutorial to fly the virtual aircraft in the FSX game.

Even if you have not purchased the MilViz 310R, the package is freeware and gives you an upgraded and accurate general aviation airport. It includes a Readme file with installation instructions. You have your choice of either a WinRAR or ZIP archive to download. Once downloaded, extract your chosen archive into a temporary folder, conduct a simple copy and paste of three folders into three specified locations in FSX. Once this is done, you will need to add the contents of two of those folders to your FSX Scenery Library using the normal methods for your operating system.

ADDENDUM: I have decided that due to filesize getting a bit large to upload and download efficiently, that I have re-packaged the missions. Now, the base package includes only the first mission. The second and now third missions are separate smaller packages and all you have to do is download your choice of WinRAR or ZIP format and then unzip it to a temporary folder and then copy and paste to your FSX/Missions folder. The second mission is modified to make the triggers work more efficiently and consistently, so if you previously downloaded the second mission, please download this update and delete the previous second mission from your FSX Missions/MilViz/C-310R folder, and then copy and paste the updated version.

Link to basic package WinRAR archive: http://www.kenstallings.com/downloads/C ... raffic.rar

Link to basic package ZIP archive: http://www.kenstallings.com/downloads/C ... raffic.zip

Link to the second mission WinRAR: http://www.kenstallings.com/downloads/C ... ission.rar

Link to the second mission ZIP: http://www.kenstallings.com/downloads/C ... ission.zip

Link to the third mission WinRAR: http://www.kenstallings.com/downloads/C ... ission.rar

Link to the third mission ZIP: http://www.kenstallings.com/downloads/C ... ission.zip

Give the missions a try and feel free to provide your feedback in this thread.

I plan on working on a few more missions in the near term future. As I finish them, I will update this thread with the advisory they can be downloaded.

Cheers,

Ken

Ken

I tried it out and enjoyed it.

I usually don't do missions but this one caught my attention.

Looking forward to more.

Thanks for your efforts.

Russ

Russ,

I just finished the second mission and successfully tested out all the elements. I think you folks are going to really like this one. It is a mission that focuses on the primary AMEL maneuvers that are listed in the FAA's Commercial AMEL Practical Test Standards.

I am currently uploading the revised complete package with the second mission incorporated. It is going to take at least three more hours to get both the ZIP file and the WinRAR uploaded to my server. The WinRAR is uploading first and needs about another hour itself.

These are the list of PTS maneuvers you will perform, each preceeded by a detailed instructor-led description of the maneuver and the FAA tolerances.

1. Engine Failure before Lift Off

2. Straight Ahead Power-On Stall

3. Departure Power-On Stall

4. Arrival Power-Off Stall

5. Drag Demonstration

6. Engine Failure Inflight

7. Vmc Demonstration

8. Enroute Navigation back to Portales Airport

9. Emergency Steep Descent

10. Pattern Entry and Landing

I'll come back and post a notice when the new packages are ready for download. Again, the WinRAR should be ready first in about an hour.

Ken

The WinRAR is ready for download (see the link in the first post of this thread). The ZIP archive is uploading now since it bombed on the upload to my server overnight. I am re-starting it now.

Ken

The ZIP file FINALLY uploaded to my server! I have no idea if it was merely my ISP connection or the server, but I had to attempt five uploads to get the thing uploaded just now!

So, both the WinRAR and the ZIP options are now available for download.

Ken

Anyone successfully completed the second mission? If so, how did you like the end part?

BTW: the final goal to get success is to land at Portales, and I think FSX requires that you touchdown in the normal landing zone. On my last test flight, I landed long of the zone and never got credit for the landing.

Ken

I made an update to the second mission and also completed the third mission. See the opening post of this thread for all the latest download links.

The third mission is a modified version of the second one that allows you to select or skip any of the PTS maneuvers. The intent is to give you an efficient way to practice only those maneuvers you wish to practice as well as get the same instruction previously provided on the second mission.

The main modifications to the second mission is to provide a bit better information on the Drag Demo and to include the requirement that you right click the prop condition lever hot spot to move the lever out of the feathered position to facilitate your air restart.

Ken

Ok i would try them but for some reason whenever i download from your server i get really bad download rates (8 KB/sec) but if i try to download something else from somewhere else i get 4-6 Mb/sec. Ken? how do i get around that?

Don't know. It is a strange situation. I can only wonder if my server host is restricting bandwidth from overseas locations.

I'll see what I can find out. Who is your ISP, and am I right to presume it is based in South Africa?

Ken

Jon,

Just got feedback from the man who hosts my server and he does not see anything on our end that would throttle down your bandwidth, especially to such a horrible degree. Have you contacted your ISP to see if they have an explanation?

Ken

Not going to try....As far as ISPs are concerned here in SA, they couldnt give a damn about issues on the customer's side unless the system is entirely down. Ill just keep trying at different times of the day to download.

Update: Success. it seems to only happen at certain times of the day...guess the ISP limits some areas at certain times.

Yeah, you know I thought that might be the case. It was the same stupid situation with my former ISP (Hughesnet satellite) and it is the prime reason I fired them and ran to a local ISP provider with a wireless modem. And that has worked better than I thought it would.

Glad you got it!

Looking forward to your feedback on it. Because as I said, I actually had you in mind when I coded these missions. When you reported some challenge with mastering the 310R, it made me wonder whether I could build missions that functioned as something approaching the value of actual flight training with a CFI-I or MEI-I.

And while I am certainly not going to say this matches it, or comes even close, it's closer than I thought I might be able to get to it.

At least I don't think it's junk!

Ken

Thanks for the missions Ken . I enjoyed and learnt from the first one , but am I doing something wrong in the second and third mission All I am getting is a cold and dark start - no other input from the mission. Everything functions fine , I can start up and go for a fly .Nothing else is happening. Is this what it is supposed to be ?
Cheers.

You saying you are not hearing my voice start within a few seconds of sitting in the cockpit?

Ken