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Beginner that 'Lost His Way' Part 2


MrCaptED

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Hello to all that have been reading the other two Threads based on questions from a Beginner....

Here are the Links if You do not know what I am talking about.....

Basic Help...... Viewed 248 times....

http://www.forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?showtopic=34642

Beginner that 'Lost His Way' part 1.... Viewed 130 times....

http://www.forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?showtopic=34990

The Reason for a New Thread is because most people will not read anything beyond 20 post.... <I am guilty of this myself

So the two above got long in the tooth....

ED

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Welcome to the New thread... I do assume if you are here you have read the other Part...

=====================================================

"AWESOME" lives up to his Nickname...

and here is how....

=====================================================

Now as a Beginner (Soaring) I have for the first time made a Flight for 43 minutes and 58 seconds...

I was launched by WinchX set at 1000 meters...

I had dropped all the Water out of the Genesis-2 ....

There will be several FIRST time events for me personally ....

First time to go higher than Launch Altitude...

First time to get a Thermal and actually go up and know I was going up....

First time to ever use the Spoilers to kill the Lift....

First time to ever fly into a Cloud... hence comments on lost....

(Yes you can get up to Cloud level)

NOT first time I got lost and ended up landing in a field...

Now in the Next Post I am going to detail ever bit of how I did it ....

Now as you read these Post you will remember that "Awesome" giving me hints on what to look for

etc...

======================================================================

NOW what I am detailing is strictly for the Beginner... and I personally know how you

Struggle to stay Up in a Glider....

This is by not means the only way... and as we learn more and more there will be

changes ....

But I cannot tell you the "Pure JOY" of your first time up and you can stay as long as you wanted and you

had to force the Glider down....

One other Note.. When you have Guest at your House and all the Beer is Gone ...

You could setup your glider for them to play with ... and them being new to it don't want to see them

in the dirt right off....

======================================================================

Now I did this in FSX with CumulusX and WinchX.... I am guessing but I could see it working

in FS-9 with CCS-2004... some of the settings might be out of line with CCS2004 ...

=============================================================================

I still need to learn how to Post several pictures and have viewers look at all of them...

Ed

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Hello to all Beginners reading this....

Much thanks to "Awesome" for the help....

---------------------------------------------------

NOTE to Everyone... Most figures are in Feet, Miles, Temp. are in Fahrenheit..

Unless I make note of it....

----------------------------------------------------

First thing Lets setup FSX....

Goto Settings...Customize.. Weather Tab...Thermal Visualization "Normal"

and all the other sliders to the Left side (Low) for now.... Click OK

Now goto Free Flight... there are 4 boxes to mess with....

1.) Pick your Glider... I picked L.A.K. Genesis 2 (Water Ballasted Glider)

2.) Pick your Location ... I used "4M3" which is Carlisile, AR.

Carlisile is Flat Farm Land East of Little Rock, AR. (Basically flat all the way East to the Mississippi River)

3.) Time & Season...I did the actual date May 13... Spring and time at 12:33 pm.... (Time is important as Thermals are time related)

4.) Current Weather... Tick User defined (at the bottom) Click "Customize" click on "Advance Weather"

There are 4 tabs that we are going to mess with....

CLOUDS Tab...Base at 9000(MSL)/Tops at 11000(MSL)...Cumulus Clouds...Scattered 3/8... Turbulence NONE / Icing NONE...

WIND Tab.... Zero in the Wind and Gust box.... Ground level to Max Alt. all set to "Zero"

TEMP/PRESSURE Tab... Remove ever thing out of this to start with....

0000 to 4000 ft. 80 degrees F. Dewpoint 65 degrees F. ....Add another Temp. Layer

4000 to 6000 ft. 60 degrees F. Dewpoint 50 degrees F. Add another Temp. Layer

6000 to 9000 ft. 40 degrees F. Dewpoint 38 degrees F.

( I know there is a relationship between Temp and Dewpoint... at this time I have not found out yet )

( So this is all Guess Work )

VISIBILITY Tab.....Unlimited Visibility ... Base 0 Top at 9903 (MSL) feet....

============================================================================

Now you should be back to the main screen that shows the 4 groups....

Now pick the "Fuel and PayLoad" this is where we are going to dump the Water Ballast

Now I will cover the "WinchX" and "CumulusX" in another Post... That is after Lunch...

Later

Ed

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( I know there is a relationship between Temp and Dewpoint... at this time I have not found out yet )

( So this is all Guess Work )

As far as I know there is no direct relationship between temperature and dew point. There is a relation between relative humidity and dewpoint. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air and can be between 0% and 100%. The dewpoint is the temperature unsaturated air (< 100% humidity) has to be cooled to, to become saturated. This image shows how much water the air can contain at a specific temperature.

Relative_Humidity.png(Source: Wikipedia)

If the air for example contains 10 grams of water per kilogram then the dewpoint is about 14 °C. Now assume that we are at mean sea level and the air temperature is 30 °C. Now this 30 °C warm air has to cool down 15 °C in order to reach the dewpoint and become saturated. If the temperature falls below the dewpoint then clouds or fog is formed because humidity cannot be above 100%.

For example: the air contains 10 grams of water per kilogram so the dewpoint is about 14 °C. It is known that air cools down with 0,65 °C each 100 meter. So in this situation clouds are formed at about 2500 meters altitude because at this altitude the air temperature has reached the dewpoint. Well, of course only if the 0,65 °C/100m is consistent but that's normally not the case.

I tried to apply this knowledge in FSX but apparently the formation of clouds is not linked with dewpoint and temperature (correct me if I'm wrong). If you change the dewpoint and temperature, the cloud base does not change in the advanced weather menu. I wonder how FSX handles this.

Cheers!

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Thanks 'Awesome'

I will attempt to figure out what to do with it ... if anything...

Just a quick Guess is the Air becomes heavier and density gets thicker

===============================================

Going to finish my setup in WinchX & CumulusX then we shall revisit this topic....

Thanks Again

Ed

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This is Primary help for the Beginners...

I am going to cover "WinchX" & "CumulusX".....

WinchX: Fairly Simple if you have it running....

Cable (m)= 1000 meters...

Speed (km/h)= 75 ....

Limiter = 8.0 kN....

Runways at Carlisile are about 4500 Ft.... So I set the Cable to 1000 m ( 3280 Ft.)

I removed the Water Ballast to do my Thermalling....

I reduced the Speed down to 75 (km/h) Now I keep snapping the Cable when really heavy...

on the Limiter 8.0 was basically in the middle.....

=========================================================

Now to the "CumulusX" (this is set to easily pull you up in a Thermal) It in "NO WAY" is real weather... Well maybe EF-5 (if You know

your Tornado Scale)

First FSX is Minimized ...

Bring up CumulusX.... Uncheck "Ridge Lift" & "Script Thermals" (Only thing checked is Auto Thermals and it is Green)

Now click on File... Load Settings....You should be in the CumulusX Folder ... find the Default.cmx file and load it....

Now goto Tools...there will be two things AutoStart with a Check next to it.... and Configuration....

Now we are going to change these Numbers .....

Auto Thermals Section (Left Side of Settings)

Lift Ceiling (m) 3000min ----- 3000max Yes all the way up to the Clouds that we created in FSX.....

Lift Strength (m/s) 13.0min----15.0max This is like saying it will pull you up 49 feet a Second....

Thermal Diameter (m) 2500min----2500max the Diameter is 8200 feet in size...1.5 miles in Dia.

Thermal Duration (min) 45min----45max this is the maximum time a Thermal will produce lift....

Thermal Coverage ... 15.0 This is the max...

Thermal Sink 0.0

Thermal Surface Layer (m) = 0

Thermal Lean Factor = 0.00

Wide Spread Sink (m/s) = -1.00

Ground Elevation Effect = 0.50

Inversion Layer Probability % = 0

Thermal Weakening % = 0

and click OK....

Now it will take a few minutes to start effecting the Sky....

while waiting on things to change .... You might want to do a 'save' of this setting....

Now inside CumulusX control Screen Under "HELP" there is "UnBlue"

If checked there will be clouds above your Thermals at 9000 ft.

If it is too many clouds for your liking turn off the UnBlue .(You still have Thermals)

There is no wind set so you can winch in any direction....

Once off the cable ... and you should be something like 2500-3000 ft....

Now look around and you will see Cloud shadows on the Ground... alot of them.....

Now Fly straight into one and your Vero meter should go crazy.... mine pegs at 10 m/s

You can make a rather steep bank and go for it .... the Altimeter will go crazy Watch your self when you get above

7500 feet... (clouds at 9000 ft..) and the clouds will act as a sucking on your glider....

If you should get inside the clouds.... ( I did ) you will not see anything outside the cockpit.....

So watch your gauges making sure you are no up side down.... Turn on the Spoilers and drop the Wheel....Looking for Drag

to kill lift....

Now the first time I did this I forgot to turn on the Stopwatch.... So I redid it with the Corno Stopwatch inside the gauge...

I also forgot to turn on the GPS tracker and use it to fly back to Carlisile ... causing me to get lost....

I do think adding Water Ballast atleast 1/2 tank would help... smooth things out....

------------------------------------------------------------------------

One other Note for Now... You have as much downward force as Upward.... so watch your gauges and if you get in bad sink

move away as soon as you can.....

I know there is going to be some thing I missed if so I will try to update....

Have Fun Everyone....

Ed

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Thanks to 'Awesome' and 'Hi to All'..

Revisiting the subject of Settings in the Weather....'Temp/Pressure'

Section...

**************************************************

I'm over my head so any input is appreciated....

**************************************************

There are 4 things that can be adjusted ...

1.) Altitude....You can create multi Temperature Layers...

2.) Temperature...I know it gets cooler at you gain in Altitude...

3.) Dew Point.... There is the "Fly in the Ointment".

4.) Barometric Pressure.... I know it changes...

============================================================

*.) decreases in temperature 6.5 degrees C./ 4 degrees F. per 1000 feet.

*.) I used my Current Temp. 80*F.

*.) Current Dew Point 67*F.

==============================================================================================

This table give density in slugs per cubic foot because it uses the American system of altitude in feet,

pressure in inches of mercury and temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

While people often use pounds per cubic foot as a measure of density in the U.S., pounds are really a measure of force, not mass.

Slugs are the correct measure of mass. You can multiply slugs by 32.2 for a rough value in pounds.

Altitude Pressure Temp. Density -

(ft) (in. Hg) (F.) slugs per cubic foot

0 29.92 59.0 0.002378

1,000 28.86 55.4 0.002309

2,000 27.82 51.9 0.002242

3,000 26.82 48.3 0.002176

4,000 25.84 44.7 0.002112

5,000 24.89 41.2 0.002049

6,000 23.98 37.6 0.001988

7,000 23.09 34.0 0.001928

8,000 22.22 30.5 0.001869

9,000 21.38 26.9 0.001812

10,000 20.57 23.3 0.001756

11,000 19.79 19.8 0.001701

12,000 19.02 16.2 0.001648

13,000 18.29 12.6 0.001596

14,000 17.57 9.1 0.001545

15,000 16.88 5.5 0.001496

16,000 16.21 1.9 0.001448

17,000 15.56 -1.6 0.001401

18,000 14.94 -5.2 0.001355

19,000 14.33 -8.8 0.001310

20,000 13.74 -12.3 0.001267

-------------------------------------------

Sorry about the way this looks.....

Off to do more Studying .....

Later

Ed

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Here is the Answer to Dew Point.....

Dew Point

You really don't need to care about dew, unless you're sleeping under your airplane's wing. But when you're planning a flight you should care about the dew point—the temperature to which the air must be cooled to reach saturation.

The air around us contains invisible moisture known as water vapor. The difference between a location's temperature and its dew point indicates how well the air can currently hold moisture. Because cool air has a harder time holding moisture than warm air, pilots use this information to determine how likely it is that fog, clouds, or precipitation will form.

The temperature/dew point spread is usually given in terms of a percentage of relative humidity. For example, if the temperature is 72 F (22 C) and the dew point is 52 F (11 C), the relative humidity is 49 percent. Using this example, the air is 49 percent saturated with moisture.

When the air is cooled to a point where it reaches 100 percent saturation, the water vapor condenses, forming clouds. If the temperature falls further, water drops form and fall to the ground as rain or, if it's cold enough, ice or snow. The presence of clouds does not guarantee precipitation, but the presence of precipitation guarantees there are clouds in the area.

In Flight Simulator, the Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS) reports the current temperature and the dew point. The closer the dew point is to the current temperature, the more likely you're going to encounter clouds. If you're flying into an area where the temperature is 80 F (29 C) and the dew point is 65 F (18 C), you don't need to worry about a thick layer of clouds blanketing the area. If the temperature is 65 F and the dew point is 60 F (15 C), watch for clouds.

You can set the temperature and dew point for any temperature layer in Flight Simulator. In practical terms, this means you can create conditions where it is more or less likely that clouds will form (although Precipitation is a separate setting within User-defined weather). Be aware that setting a low cloud layer in Flight Simulator weather will not constitute a layer of fog. To create fog-like conditions, modify the Visibility settings using the User-defined weather option.

====================================

Got to go... Real storm coming, got to shut down PC...

Ed

EDIT: Sorry I forgot to tell where this 'Info' came from... "FSX Learning Center"..<< Inside FSX when it is running..

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Hi to All Readers....

I have finally Posted some pictures of my flight with the settings form the above Posts....

http://picasaweb.google.com/Mr.CaptED/SoaringFor43Minutes?feat=directlink

You can make this a Slide Show or single images... I tried to add comments to all the images...

On the comments about the time it took to climb from 3300ft. to 9300ft. zoom in on the chronometer..

Now the Glider is a "Genesis-2" by David Rowberry..(FS-9/FSX) You can get it on http://www.avsim.com also do a search by Author

and You will find a "Horton HoIVa" ...(Download it) Not for the extreme weather we have setup..

Later

Ed

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Hi to All Readers....

I have finally Posted some pictures of my flight with the settings form the above Posts....

http://picasaweb.goo...feat=directlink

You can make this a Slide Show or single images... I tried to add comments to all the images...

On the comments about the time it took to climb from 3300ft. to 9300ft. zoom in on the chronometer..

Now the Glider is a "Genesis-2" by David Rowberry..(FS-9/FSX) You can get it on http://www.avsim.com also do a search by Author

and You will find a "Horton HoIVa" ...(Download it) Not for the extreme weather we have setup..

Later

Ed

I enjoyed watching those pictures, please make more series :P You also have a very nice frame rate

I'm just curious, why do you prefer FSX over condor?

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Hi "Awesome" & all other Readers of this Thread....

I am glad you enjoyed the Screen Grabs... You have no idea how hard it was for me to figure out how to upload and get a link to work.... hehehe

I assume from your comments you were able to see them ....and that the slide show feature worked....

And Yes I am going to make other Screen Grabs...

==============================================================================

Thanks for Noticing the FPS ... I do not have it tweaked in any way....

I have not added any Scenery .... I have pulled all JetLiners out of mine....

I have only added Gliders....

Scott (when he gets over his sickness) is going to help with the Tweaking.....

==============================================================================

On your question about FSX vs Condor... I just went back to the website and Got to say it looks interesting....

I did look at some of the Videos ... It cost about $60 USD... Uses TrackIR

I know alot of FS-9 Guys went to "Condor Soaring" after Microsoft produced FSX and Dumped on the Soaring Guys.....

Later

Ed

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Hi "AweSome", and all Readers...

You question #10

>>> I'm just curious, why do you prefer FSX over condor?

You have me asking myself why, I would think as a Beginner (including ME) would want to know about all Possible Sims...

So with that thinking, I have Several Questions about FSX vs Condor Sims... (You are in a good position to answer)

------------------------------------------------------

Cost is to be Considered:

FSX with Acceleration Pack ($39.95 USD)

Condor with Plane Pack ($61.50 USD)

FSX requires a rather good computer Setup.. Cost money

Condor I have no idea about computer requirements...

==========================================================

Do you have FSX Installed..??

I know you have 'Condor' installed.... on what kind of computer (CPU, Video Card, Memory)

What kind of Frame Rates are you getting.. or does it display FPS..(Frames Per Second)

Do Gliders and Scenery come with Condor ..?? or do you buy it all as you go..??

Is there any thing such as Free Scenery... Free Gliders.... for use in Condor....

Now I downloaded the Plane Pack Video... and it is flying towards some mountains.. What Mountains.??

I am guessing FSX has the same places...

From what Airport is the basic condor flying from..??

I have not seen anything about Thermal Soaring in Condor (or is it only Ridge Soaring)...

Is there any Training for Beginners in Condor..?

I did goto the Condor Forum.. wondering about the IPAQ questions... (do you have to have a IPAQ

connected to your Computer ?? If so what is it for??)

Can you Set the Weather in Condor..?? can you setup for Real Weather in Condor..??

How many controllers will Condor use..?? Is there a limit...??

===============================================================================

Here is the reason for asking...

Lets compare the flying Area's in FSX with the Condor..

One big advanage with FSX that comes to mind is I can fly in Arkansas .. Just as easily as in Germany...

Will check in later (tonite)

=============================================================================

Ed

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Hi to all Readers...

If you have read the last few post.... You know I was asked why FSX over Condor....

http://www.condorsoaring.com/

So I go Reading... The Default "Condor Soaring Sim" has a rather nice group of Gliders.. Look on the Website..

FSX has as big a selection of Gliders I might add....

Condor only has one area supplied with it "Slovenia" You can find some free add on Scenery and some to buy...

FSX scenery is the world .... but to be fair, FSX has 4 Airports in Slovenia....

There is One Airport in FSX that is Close to the Alps... (LJLJ) Ljubljana Brnik, Slovenia...

Look at these images of Slovenia..

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pVJoamMCd7Zmad3lgnkQ_w?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xYs0N-sShYd0j_W1pOpNeA?feat=directlink

Now you did see the Airport "LJLJ" the Alps are about 10 miles at a heading of 25 degrees...

Now you see hwy 82 (blue) the three mountain peeks are "Skuta"@7489ft. "Grintovec"@7983 ft. "Kocna"@7819ft..

(forgive me if I have misspelled and of them...)

So what, your asking.... Beginners we are going Ridge Soaring There...

It will take a few days to figure out some stuff for FSX .... and CumulusX .....

Later

Ed

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NOTE: Although I'm quite enthusiastic, I do absolutely not mean to advertise for Condor and because this is a General SOAR Related forum I assume we're allowed to talk about other programs than FSX and FS9. If I'm wrong I'll understand and remove everything immediately!

So, let me answer some of your questions about Condor.

FSX requires a rather good computer Setup.. Cost money

Condor I have no idea about computer requirements...

Do you have FSX Installed..??

I know you have 'Condor' installed.... on what kind of computer (CPU, Video Card, Memory)

What kind of Frame Rates are you getting.. or does it display FPS..(Frames Per Second)

These are my computer specs (4 years old):

CPU: AMD Athlon 3800+ 2.4 GHz (single core..)

Video: Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT 256 MB

RAM: 2 GB DDR1

Yes, I do have FSX installed. But I can only play it with a reasonable framerate (> 40) when I set ALL settings to their minimum.

Surprisingly, I can run Condor with every settings maxed out and never dropping below 60 frames per second. And it looks awesome in my opinion, I'll attach some screenshots. So it is very easy on the framerate.

Do Gliders and Scenery come with Condor ..?? or do you buy it all as you go..??

Is there any thing such as Free Scenery... Free Gliders.... for use in Condor....

Condor by itself only comes with one scenery, the country of Slovenia in Europe. BUT there are many add-on sceneries available, both payware and freeware. Many of them have photoreal textures.

There are no add-on gliders for Condor except their own plane packs. The reason for this (according to them) is their very complex but very realistic flight dynamics. I count 13 different gliders in my Condor and I did not purchase a plane pack (yet).

Now I downloaded the Plane Pack Video... and it is flying towards some mountains.. What Mountains.??

I am guessing FSX has the same places...

From what Airport is the basic condor flying from..??

Most sceneries have many different airports you can choose from. Default Slovenia scenery has 8 airports I think.

I have not seen anything about Thermal Soaring in Condor (or is it only Ridge Soaring)...

The level at which they simulated the atmosphere and the weather is absolutely amazing. It is so much better than FSX and it resembles reality very closely.

Thermal soaring is very realistic. In FSX I always get the feeling that the air is like "standing still" and turbulence are only random movements of the plane. In Condor the air is really "living". Little movements of the air are picked up by the plane and your head moves accordingly (simulated by the camera). This is very nice. Also they very will simulate the roughness of a thermal. Depending on conditions it can be very hard to stay in a thermal or even getting up.

They also simulate ridge soaring and even wave soaring.

Is there any Training for Beginners in Condor..?

Yes, there are 15 flight lessons and every lesson has a video to show you what it looks like in the simulator. Although the documentation is nowhere as detailed as the FSX flight school.

I did goto the Condor Forum.. wondering about the IPAQ questions... (do you have to have a IPAQ

connected to your Computer ?? If so what is it for??)

No you don't need to have an IPAQ. It is a PDA in the cockpit used for navigation, very useful. (see screenshots)

Can you Set the Weather in Condor..?? can you setup for Real Weather in Condor..??

You can customize the weather a lot. But it doesn't have real weather nor very bad weather like rain. The user interface is very nice and clean. The weather looks quite good in my opinion. It even has cloud shadows.

How many controllers will Condor use..?? Is there a limit...??

I assume you mean things like joysticks? I don't know, but it's just like FSX. You can use joystick, pedals etc. even Track IR.

Condor also has nice possibilities to fly in competitions online. Something that FSX totally lacks.

I absolutely recommend this software. What makes it so good is that the sim has only one purpose, soaring. Also the creators are real glider pilots. The screenshots show one of my favorite sceneries, OAHU HD.

Cheers!

post-28076-127427521902_thumb.jpg

post-28076-127427523654_thumb.jpg

post-28076-127427526782_thumb.jpg

post-28076-127427529424_thumb.jpg

post-28076-127427531828_thumb.jpg

post-28076-127427533783_thumb.jpg

post-28076-127427535796_thumb.jpg

post-28076-127427537632_thumb.jpg

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Thanks "Awesome"

I did truly enjoy the Screen Shots....

The Condor Website should have used your pictures....

Awesome check your "Private Message" box...

Will check later tonight...

Later

Ed

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Hello to "Awesome" and all others that read this Thread.....

Well my "Arky" was showing earlier... Had to look up 'OAHU' turned out to be in Hawaii...

Went to check with FSX and they do not have any Airports on that Island...

But they do on the next Island... I flew from Port Allen, Hawaii (PAK)

Here are a couple images of the Islands.... You will be able to tell exactly what I am talking about....

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Let3JaDkz6Be3XzsM4dmbg?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/b66rt7yNAGLReMgXhWkWTg?feat=directlink

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Found out real quick Ridge Soaring looks easy but it is not....

Here are a few pictures... Click on Slideshow and reduce time to 2 seconds...

http://picasaweb.google.com/Mr.CaptED/Hawaii?feat=directlink

I am flying a ASW28 full of Water... Glider can be found at UKVGA website...

Notice the Moving color map ... Cool to say the least...

======================================================

sure have to re-do our Weather setups...

Enjoy it

Ed

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Hi to all, and a Special Thanks to 'Awesome' for all his help..

This is mostly having to do with Thermals... Ridge lift setup in a few days...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am talking about the Advanced Weather Section of FSX where we set everthing....

I know you have been in and out of this alot as you tinker with it....

I removed all settings in the Clouds, Winds, Temps etc. Sections

I am assuming you are capturing the Tables etc... and printing them....

You will need the tables.. as we enter Temp. Dew Point & Baro Pressure....

This is all a work in progress as you know I am a Beginner...

You need one more table so here is the link download it and print it or make your own either way....

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tTVXaXqzfQgFH8kErDdDPg?feat=directlink

Right click and save image as ...and you can print it out.....

======================================================================

By Now you have figured out that CumulusX.. does depend on the weather settings in FSX .....

With the Graph printed out ..... You know that the temp cools by 4 degrees Fahrenheit per 1000 ft....

So on a 80 degree day on the surface (MSL) but at 10,000 ft. it is 40 degrees F.

So for every 1000 feet of altitude a reduction of 4 degrees and 1 millibar less in Barometric pressure

Look at the table of Temp and Baro Pressures it comes from NOAA .....

Now Dew Point Stays the same (ie) 65 degrees F in example... or what ever.....

and Cumulus Clouds will form at about 4000 ft...

Now less say you want Clouds at 6000 ft... leave your ground temp. at 80 degrees and decrease the Dew Point.. to about 55 degrees...

Looking at the Graph will show exactly what I am in reference to ....

So how do we know how high we want clouds in a area You have never Flown ... Your friend Google Earth... and you can get a reading on Altitude of

things such as mountains, the Airfield... etc.... You do not want to fly inside a cloud and run into a mountain.....

====================================================================================

Now in the Temp/Pressure Layer Section... If all settings are removed.....

Lets start adding layers per 1000 ft. (depending on how high you plan to Soar) will determine how many layers you need....

So lets figure on clouds at 6000 ft.. and it is Spring so 80 degrees F. is Great....

First Layer Altitude 1000 ft, Temp at 80 degrees F., Dew Point 55 degrees F. and Barometric pressure at MSL 29.92....

Add a layer Alt 2000 ft., 76* F. , Dew Point 55, Baro 28.86

add a layer alt 3000 ft. 72* F. , Dew Point 55 Baro 27.82

You got the idea by now....

NOTE: Watch as you go because if you mess up and add a layer and it has a higher temp... it is called a "Temp Inversion" << Lift Killer

Inversion will be set in Cumulus X...

Now after getting all your layers set in the Temp/Pressure... Lets go to "Clouds Section" and set the Clouds at 6000 Ft. and about 2000 ft thick

and 3/8 coverage... basically helper clouds ...

Now to the Wind Setting.... Remove all layers ... You remember from my first attempt I got Sucked into the Clouds and the wind was 20 knots... when I was

thinking it was set at Zero ....

On the issue of Visibility, I set my top to the top of the Clouds... and Unlimited Visibility...

One other thing .... Once you got all setup like you want ... You need to SAVE it with the Glider... Call it something like "Soaring_80F"

That way the next time you want to Soar then just load this... Change Location, Change Glider.... Watch your Time and Season....

==================================================================================================

Next few days I am going to tweak the "Cumulus X" settings for Thermal Soaring....

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IMPORTANT NOTICE

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As a Beginner I could have missed something or mis-understood some of the info....

If you feel I am wrong ... Post it...

Thanks

Ed

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Hi to all that are Reading this....

We are using FSX and in the Advanced Weather settings....

Temp/Pressure setup....Because it effects CumulusX...

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Well if you followed the above you know I made a mistake....

It has to do with Barometric Pressure Settings....

Turns out that it needs to be 29.92 and not changed.. for each Layer....

and if I had read it correctly I would have notice it is for Ground level....

When set at 29.92 and you press "B" key for Baro. it auto sets Altimeter to AirPort Altitude...

Also you probably noticed that at 6000 ft. Temp Layer it is 60 degrees F and dew Point is 55 degrees F.

and up a 1000 ft... (ie) 7000 ft now temp and dew point are within one degree.... 56 and 55 ......

So Clouds will form.....in real life they will according to NOAA

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Now click on the Clouds Tab.. and set one layer of Cumulus with a base at 5500 tops at 7500... Scattered 3/8...

Besure to check your Wind Tab and make sure you got it at zero.... also make sure Visibility Tab settings are above the clouds

and Unlimited if you want....

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http://picasaweb.google.com/Mr.CaptED/FSX_May?feat=directlink

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The above link has 4 pictures.....

Pic-1 Shows the Clouds with CumulusX turned off.. now in CumulusX click on File then Load... Now Pic-2

Pic-2 This is the Menu to pick from and I picked the Beginners one..

When you pick this all three tabs are turned on ... I unchecked Script Thermals & Ridge Lift

Now at this time you will not see any difference cloud wise... the reason is UnBlue is not checked by default...

So in the Help menu of CumulusX click on UnBlue for the next two Pictures to make some sense....

Pic-3 Shows Auto Thermals checked and nothing else..... Look at the clouds...

Pic-4 Same angle except un-checked Auto Thermals ....

If you can not see the difference then download both and compare side beside...

By now you know the limits of the settings in CumulusX configuration .... or leave it at beginner....

Now go Soaring .... it will be a little harder to find and stay in the lift ... lift will be less also ....

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Next is figuring out Wind settings for Ridge Soaring .....

Have Fun

Later

Ed

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Hello Ed, just found a few minutes to chime in anyway, by the way, thanks for the documentary. I've learned a little about how the weather actually works now. BUT, your information about the island of Oaho is wrong. Most, if not all, of the airports are there in FSX. I always fly out of the Dillingham airport when I'm there and ride those ridges near there on that side of the island. I always fly with real-world weather and really enjoy it. I almost always start up GoogleEarth before FSX to check out world weather conditions at a glance so as not to waste too much time going from airport to airport trying to find one with good flying conditions.

You can take a look at video of just one of my flights there at THIS thread.

Scott

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Hi to all Readers.....

Thanks Scott for your input...

Thanks "Awesome" for his input also....

Moving to the next Part .... account this thread is getting to long

to email comments added... I have no idea why I just know it stops emailing you around

16-18 comments....

So here is the Link.....

http://www.forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?showtopic=35468

Ed

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  • 1 year later...
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