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The sim continues to teach.
Heavy wind shears reported at my destination but I figured they'd dissipate by the time I got there (Ron Howard voiceover: "They hadn't") and took off for it anyway.
Three approaches, three go arounds. Should've diverted but tried a fourth time. I nailed a landing all right...at the top of an NTSB investigative docket.

If I didn't respect wind shear in the real world, I sure as hell do now.

The super-easy start-up procedures for the T-7A Red Hawk. Slap some missiles on this puppy 'cuz she's cleared for alert duty :)

youtu.be/-1QtM1RJckk

Traversing the Keystone State at .5 Mach on a TBM 900 Tribute Flight. Fingers crossed for an XP12 version.

youtu.be/S2dOaATPHY4

The perfect time to do loops in a high-performance aerobatic jet plane through breaks in the clouds and my dumb ass is stuck on the ground at work. FML.

Was invited to dinner by a friend and his wife and allowed a plus-one, so that's you. We fly the Cirrus SR22TN to Honesdale, PA (N30), and compare the recently installed VStates ortho scenery to satellite imagery. But the focus is on accuracy, not looks.

youtu.be/nrWBSrN06Tw

Using a Philly International mod as a launch point, I take-off in the stock TBM 930 and track north to Boston Logan through a clearly unregulated virtual sky. Along the way, there are musings about other add-ons and MSFS visual quirks.

youtu.be/ZYLeEjS3Y5o

One of the Cirrus SR's biggest selling points addresses every pilot's greatest fear: falling out of the sky. To that end, I'll demonstrate the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). With not one but two critical control surface failures, you get to ride along when I pull the 'chute.

youtu.be/yBh788jZwMg

Afternoon, pilots. This will be a chatty entry since I didn't post anything at the end of last year. My first Logbook entry with the 2023 gaming rig sees me on a hand-flown jaunt down to Salisbury, Maryland. During which, I explain my absence, detail the specifics and pitfalls of the upgrade, and TWICE manage to sneak-in the world's worst Al Bundy impressions. Lastly, I publicly and sincerely apologize about MS Flight Simulator 2020.

youtu.be/gTfDm0Ft2PY

@MeTheUnfiltered Not quite. The Sith are definitely evil, no doubt, but we should probably look into the Jedi taking kids from their families ;)

Starfleet has become to Star Trek what the Skywalker family has been to Star Wars: an existential threat to the galaxy posing as a savior.

Wasn't the best day to fly, nor did I do my best, but all things considered, I was just glad to be in the air.

youtu.be/vG3D1JakIWY

For this hop, I take a break from the X-Plane 12 beta and my beloved SR22 to fly the somewhat more familiar Piper Arrow III in X-Plane 11. I'll launch to Portland, Oregon, direct from Spokane Felts Field. It's a crystal-clear day, perfect for checkin'-out the Orbx scenery along the way. And for a little added excitement, I briefly shut-off my fuel supply because I'm so sharp :)

youtu.be/0O7yDrCalqU

Over a period of several days, I performed dozens of flights of varying complexity to get an idea of where we were at with the Early Access edition of X-Plane 12. In this quick door-to-door dusk hop from Philly to Lancaster in the TorqueSim SR22TN, I share my observations of the new systems, features, and bugs yet to be squashed. Your mileage may vary. A lot.

youtu.be/UlLBU2Zf6sI

@elmaxx You could always try it out in demo mode, but maybe it's better to wait for the release candidate.

TorqueSim's Cirrus SR22TN for X-Plane, the gold standard in Cirrus simulation.

@elmaxx Other than that, the G1000 is too simplistic, the SR22 doesn't have Perspective avionics or even a parachute, and until recently there were no study-level planes. Oh, and the whole bubble gum oversaturated color scheme gets kinda old.

But you wanted specifics... ;)

@elmaxx It's unpredictable. If it isn't crashing for no good reason, then the elevator trim completely goes apeshit because a butterfly in the Phillipines farted during a blue moon. No real replay function, the viewing system is a mess, and WTF...Active Pause? More like Active Crash (continued...)

@elmaxx I've got the highest of hopes for XP12 and I have little doubt that it'll be solid once it goes Release Candidate.
I've tried and tried to Rick with MSFS but my experience with it is more frustrating than anything else. I'm at the point where the nice visuals don't justify the grief it gives me. Oh well, maybe in another two years...

In a fairly virgin-install, I test-fly Laminar Research's take on the Cirrus SR22T and give my first impressions of the plane. It brings my personal hanger of Cirri to TEN :) Should I do a custom skin for it, the registration will NCIL22.

Although this is not a review of the XP12 Public Beta, per se, I do touch on little things I noticed while in flight.

youtu.be/PDIvuXaYqkI

A pleasant slice down the mid-Atlantic with full point-to-point Vatsim coverage. Then, I got the word that the X-Plane 12 Public Beta dropped and I realized that this might be my last XP11 flight and video. Surprised to say that it made me a little sad. So I'm gonna enjoy this video and, if you can get beyond the stuttering and my labored breathing, maybe you can like it, too :)

youtu.be/w3OrHETFRFI

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