Prepar3d

[LH-B744]

What for do you need prepar3d. That was one question which I had in my mind since.... I could say now since 2010. That was the year when p3dv1 was published. That probably is a little bit too much.

But let's say, since the year 2014, I wondered what this shiny new simulator would be good for. P3dv2 was the best version you could buy in that year.

I own the Mega Airport Düsseldorf, on DVD (!). I know, I become old and older.. But this thing is good for fsx and, without that you have to say a word, also for p3dv1. The only thing which I have to telephone about with the support crew of Mega Airport Düsseldorf is,
that is such a nice program. Where is the update for p3dv4?
Without that I use my telephone, that p3dv1 program is running rather bad than good here on my machine. The three terminal buildings and the big arrival building do exist, also with v4.
The Sky Train is missing with v4, and
the so very brilliant ground textures are also not there where they are in fsx.

But I have to compliment the Mega Airport Düsseldorf crew. Where else can you take a seven year old DVD from your shelf, and it works at once, on a platform which has only been invented
three years later (2017).

So, for a moment, I'll operate two simulator platforms, fsx and prepar3d . And I have learned, that this is rather harmless. Out there, there seem to be a few people who operate
fs9, fsx, prepar3d and.. the new msfs 2020, all simultaneously.

Back on topic. I am very very new in the prepar3d business, but if you ask me, what for do you need prepar3d, I have found at least one answer:


This is the Rockwell Commander 114 propeller aircraft, p3dv4 in DirectX11 mode (normal mode).

I must say, my machine (computer) is not fast enough for msfs 2020. But DirectX11 is feasible. And the fps in my screens are always top left ...

[LH-B744]

What for do we need p3dv4.5? - Well, recently I had a very friendly discussion with a man from Vienna. Who - of course - again asked me the same old question.

Why do you operate p3dv4, and not p3dv5? - And, after I had admired him for his wonderful first name, I told him that my video card only provides 2 GB video memory, and this rather classic AMD Radeon HD card is restricted to DirectX11 . End of the discussion, I am not (yet) p3dv5 ready (you need DirectX12 for v5).

But I also told him, that in my eyes DirectX11 is not so bad. Otherwise I wouldn't have started this topic with a DirectX11 picture.

What for do we need p3dv4, part II. Flight Captain R.S.R. could probably write books about that topic. One of the best reasons to join the p3dv4 community:

Better night lighting on the airports, better cockpit lighting than in the previous versions, and finally the -800 with a degree of realism which first of all shocked me a little bit.
Die Lufthansa grüßt Hamburg. On this short winter excursion from LPPT to EDDH (both default p3dv4), December 5th 2021 .


We'll soon be prepar3d for the next arrivals during this short winter excursion. Hamburg feeds us for Lohausen Intl (EDDL), then Vienna, and finally Rhein/Main. And then I'll take her
to the long haul, for what she's definitely been made for.

[Alex - Spot-This !]

You seem to forget that people looking for realistic flying use X-Plane .....

[LH-B744]

You seem to forget that people looking for realistic flying use X-Plane .....

Harr. Young men (younger than me) often talk about themselves, don't ya? A few minutes ago, again I had an online conversation with Mr. Wellige and Mr. Kok (of Aerosoft). And during that conversation, I perceived alot of facts:
1. Among my namesakes, i.e. men with the same first name, I am the second oldest (!). At least when it comes to rather young German TV hosts. Only Aminati (*1973) is older than me...
And even here on this international platform, only Gabriel is older than the two of us... And I still love the fact that I am the older one between you and me..
Soon 44 years,
we better are prepar3d for it, but I still hope that so many things don't change from 43 to 44.

2. There is a quite famous man who again is rather on my side than on your side. His name is Flight Captain Robert S. Randazzo. If you ask him, X-Plane is nothing. He only provides his
Boeing 747-800 for p3dv4.

Not for msfs 2020, not for fsx (!), not for xp11. Randazzo is p3dv4 and p3dv5 only. He is the only reason why today I operate two simulator platforms on one computer,
fsx, still, since the year 2010, because in my eyes that still is one of the most convincing simulator versions of my home airport: Aerosoft EDDL Lohausen International fsx (Mega Airport EDDL),
with a running SkyTrain, with the Hotel at P2/P3, with the U79 trains at Lohausen (!), with the S11 S-Bahn Tunnel trains, with the (now closed) visitor deck (dt.: Besucherterrasse)
at the ICE airport train station (long haul trains, dt.: Düsseldorf Flughafen Fernbahnhof), with long haul trains at the ICE airport train station, ....
and
p3dv4.5, since the year 2021, only due to two facts: 1. my Intel i5 cpu is (by far) not fast enough for msfs 2020.

And 2. Randazzo sells his LH-B748 for p3d4 and p3dv5, only.

The Electronic Flight Bag in his LH-B748 is a little question for me. Apparently, that only works when I'm online with my p3d. But that issue seems to be solved, since I use a slightly altered hardware configuration: 16 GB Corsair RAM in three dual channel modules (2 x 4 GB Corsair on Channel A,
together as a Dual Channel with 1 x 8 GB Corsair on Channel B), Intel i5-2500k,
the rest Brian knows already since years..

Since I doubled the Corsair, I'm again able to write jetphotos forum entries when I'm in the air, either with p3dv4 or with fsx. I'm prepar3d again.

[LH-B744]

Ahm. Did I forget my very best wishes.. how could I..

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Merry Christmas. Buon natale da Genova Sestri (SES 108.60). Joyeux Noel en France!
I'm not (yet) fluent in five languages, so, Erwin, what do you say at Schiphol. Vrolijk kerstfeest.

All the very best for the rest of 2021. Baci d'Alitalia, although that airline does no longer exist since October 2021 (!), here a jetphoto of the happier days in Italian aviation. And, as I provide that weblink, you can be sure that a 747 is in it.

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/7024575

Baci da Alitalia, Baci dall'Italia. This almost 25 year old jetphoto is one of the reasons why I love the nightblue color so very much, especially on a 747 tailfin....

Baci, e Buon Natale, a Roma, a Genova, a Malpensa, e a Sao Paulo (!) .

And now back on topic.

[LH-B744]

I only very rarely try to write three forum entries in the same topic within 12 hours and without that Alex has given me back his very best wishes for the rest of 2021.

But in this case, it might again be interesting for you, Alex. And I promise you, Alex, this is my last forum entry for this year in this topic, when you don't publish at least a short message here, e.g. '?' . Which is a short message, often used here on this forum, between ATLcrew and me.

Since I operate the Randazzo Operations Center v2 in combination with p3dv4, I know that Randazzo also provides fictional liveries for his Boeing 747-800 passage version.

Among these fictional 747-800 liveries, there is one where upon I at once was thinking of you, Alex. Here is the prototype for that fictional 747-800 livery:

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10366702

LX-B748 does not (yet) exist in aviation history. But Swissair indeed has a 747 history. In 1998, with this incredibly beautiful Swiss 747-300. I don't know why somewhen after 1998,
the Swiss 747 story found an end.

This landing angle, this red tailfin, the Swiss cavallino rapante [...].
On a 747-800, available for p3dv4. I swear, today or tomorrow (December 24), I'll try to copy this jetphoto with my p3dv4. Although, there is nothing as good as the Original, and
the Original jetphoto was taken in August 1998. So, we had to wait until next August, theoretically, if there were no flight simulators with a free choice of the season...

Nochmal eine recht schöne Bescherung uns allen, auch @ Switzerland.

PS: Eines wäre mir noch nützlich, welche Landebahn in Zürich hat der Kollege im jetphoto da damals benützt?

[LH-B744]

The Swissair.
Member in the 747 club between 1971 and 2000. The Swiss today would be the second German speaking Gold member in the 747 club (since 50 years or more),
if they hadn't sold all their 747-257B and 747-357. And what they bought instead was not such a big success, the SR-MD11 ...... .............
...

And it is not only me who does not quite understand this step, to sell the bigger B743 (length 70,60 m) for the much much smaller MD11 (61,2 m). Flight Captain RSR has provided me with something like a Swiss 747 future. So either it was his wet dream,
or the wet dream of a Swiss Boeing 747 lover, who told Randazzo, man, we really shouldn't have sold the Swiss B747 fleet:


This bird is called the HB-IGK, a/c type Boeing 747-800, LSZH rwy 34. Nickname LX-B748. And I have to repeat myself, it wasn't my wet p3dv4 dream.
But very very nice.

Alex?!

My software: Lockheed Prepar3d 4.5, Randazzo Boeing 747-400 p3d4.5, Randazzo Boeing 747-800 p3d4.5, and ... Orbx Global Base Pack p3dv4 ,
to be soon extended with Orbx Vector
(if my telephone line again survives such a Gigabyte orgy..).

[LH-B744]

Somewhere else, it is the Cessna 195. A single engined propeller with one 300 hp piston engine with seven cylinders. First flight December 1945.

Here on my side it is the Rockwell Commander 114. A single engined propeller with one 260 hp piston engine with six cylinders. First flight December 1970. I don't know if that represents the difference in age between Doering and me .

My telephone line again has survived another Gigabyte orgy... And, what am I allowed to say. The result is really quite unique. Who ever has wondered where the new road B8 between Lohausen and Duisburg (completed 2014) has vanished in his simulator, should try what I have tried. I also have pictures, but I don't know if I'm allowed to publish them.

[LH-B744]

This is not yet Lohausen International with her surrounding. But this is the Rockwell Commander 114, and this is the town, where I took 'before' and 'after' pictures. Do I have to explain this town?
Not really. I only should explain what happened 'after' the Gigabyte orgy. The so called Neuer Elbtunnel on the German Interstate No 7 finally has vanished where it really vanishes
since 1974. This is my very very first 'after' picture. With the Lombardsbrücke in the foreground, and the Köhlbrand in the background.
And I can really tell you, you don't wanna see p3dv4.5 at Köhlbrand without my newest Gigabyte orgy.... (!). So I here I only show the 'after' picture.


Orbx Vector p3dv4.5 somewhere over the Binnenalster, with the Rockwell Commander 114. In Hamburg.

[LH-B744]

Is it only me, who just wonders why there is no color in Hamburg?! That must've been my mistake. Here on my side, I am able to deliver 32 bpp HD color.
Which I often reduce to 24 bpp colors before I publish it.

So that is not a technical insufficiency, but rather my own personal mistake. Let me see what happened, and let me bring back the colors to Hamburg!

[LH-B744]

Ah. It was only one switch, and the 24 bpp colors are back in Hamburg. Sorry.

Do you notice the brighter blue on the Elbe, near Finkenwerder? Quite astonishing what colors Orbx Vector in combination with p3dv4.5 is able to give us, isn't it...
One thing is also true, I have altered the season, which is very easy to do in p3dv4.5 . This picture depicts the future (!), I set the date to: March 21st 2022 (in Germany the beginning of Spring).

Let's try it again.

Ah. So these are the colors which p3dv4.5 expects to happen in Hamburg in six weeks, at the beginning of Spring in Germany,
with the support of a quite new Orbx Vector data set (a year 2020 Vector data set is obviously what they delivered).

PS: But I promised Orbx Vector at Lohausen Intl, didn't I. But that's a little test for my not so very new hardware (not a year 2020 hardware, really, not by far).
Am I able to stay online here in this forum section when I start the simulator. In the past, with fsx, that was not a problem, never.
Orbx Vector p3dv4.5 is really a longer dick ..bigger than fsx. And I know that for the best results, I really need a strong 8 GB video card. Which I don't (yet) own.
Would you expect that, with a rather classic 2 GB AMD HD video card, you are able to achieve 41 fps,
in combination with Orbx Vector p3dv4.5?
I hadn't expected that. But that rather shows how experienced the guys at Orbx are. But what I've never done so far, online here at jetphotos
plus Orbx Vector p3dv4.5. It might be that I'm back here only in a few minutes, but this test has to be done.

So.

[LH-B744]

Now, as promised, Lohausen International, with Orbx Vector p3dv4.5 . And again, I hadn't expected that this very very classic four core i5 cpu here would pass this hardware test
with Orbx Vector p3dv4.5. So, obviously it was only my personal insu, insufficiency, that I had to concencrate on the flight, all manual, no a/p available in that Rockwell Commander 114. Otherwise, with a second pilot on board, I really were able to describe the flight here live, minute by minute.

I'd say, try this with msfs 2020, only one cpu, two pilots in the simulator, one PF, one PNF, and the PNF in msfs 2020 is online here at jetphotos, live, to describe the flight.

I'd bet, you'll fail. Or show me that it is possible also with msfs 2020, with not more than 16 GB RAM (plus 2 GB vRAM) !


The highway 44 Reichswaldallee in direction to the German Interstate No 3.


Highway 44 AS Ratingen Ost, direction Wülfrath, and a little bit more East, the interchange Ratingen-Ost between the 44 and the Interstate 3. And without Orbx Vector p3d, you would here see almost nothing, or only the Interstate 3 (!).

Home is where your home airport is, Lohausen International, since more than 40 years.

PS: I've never tried p3dv4.5 with an inflight video. Without an inflight video today you are nothing, or what would you say. But I'd still say, one pilot is the PF, and the second pilot sometimes can take a one or two minute video. With photos it is always a little bit easier.
If you're keen enough, you fly the Rockwell Commander 114 and you are the photographer in one person. Nothing else is what I did in the pictures here in this forum entry.
But a video, as the one and only pilot on board that cute little propeller. Seems to be worth a try, if not in a simulator, where else. I can say where this flight here was continued . From Ratingen-Ost to the Interstate 3 direction Oberhausen-Königshardt, at Wedau a left turn to the Wedau Stadium, which is not really part of p3dv4.5, then west of the highway 59 over Buchholz, Großenbaum, to the B8n and over Kalkum back to Lohausen.

I have taken pictures but I don't know if somebody is interested. Lohausen Intl is still so little and cute, compared to Rhein/Main.

Lohausen International (est. 1927), and my home airport since 1982.

[LH-B744]

Good evening, you people.

Well. A few days ago I said to Gabriel, well, I am so very very new to my new p3dv4.5, probably I need another year to find out everything which is possible with this p3dv4.5 .

Today, I even have two new things which I have found out which are possible with p3dv4 . New for me, that does not mean that it is also new for you.
Prepar3d exists since the year 2010 (de wiki). But in that year, I was quite happy with fsx.

To make a long story short, I only joined the p3d community in the year 2021, and since then my simulator combination is, fsx + p3dv4.5 . Two simulators, one computer.

And for people who own the same simulator combination as me, and only for the combination of fsx + p3dv4,
I have found out an easter egg.

First of all, a picture, because pictures always say more than 1000 words:

Aha. So. You might think, that really is his sensation, but where is the sensation. Then, let me mention the software which has been used for that picture:
Lockheed p3dv4.5 + Orbx Global p3d + Orbx Vector p3dv4.5 .
And the aircraft: DeHavilland Beaver sea plane. Now that still does not ring a bell in your head? I simply took the DeHavilland Beaver sea plane with me, from fsx to p3dv4.5 .

And it works like a charm. But I should say that one sentence which always has to be said in such a case:

Don't try this at home.

Unless you really own both licenses, fsx and p3dv4.5 . But if you really own both licenses, then it should work like a charm!

PS: For those who still a skeptical. Let me publish a short instruction how to take your DeHavilland Beaver sea plane fsx with you to p3dv4.5:
[I should say, we need a little bit of experience with your fsx, not necessarily since 2010, but it might be good if you know where on your computer is
the folder where freeware a/c like the Rikoooooooo Beech D18S Amphibie fsx are stored. Or even better, if you know the folder where the fsx a/c are stored.]

The first thing is, p3dv4.5 indeed has the DeHavilland beaver sea plane installed, but only as AI (ask your friend about that abbreviation).

So, the first thing which will happen, if you simply try to take your Beaver sea plane with you to p3dv4.5 is, your computer tells you,
bah nonsense, the Beaver is already here at p3dv4.5. Which is true, but not in a flyable state of mind (a.o. the panel folder is missing).

Then. What did I do. I was quite radical. I removed the DeHavilland beaver AI folder from my p3dv4 and I replaced it with - what would you guess -
the DeHavilland beaver fsx folder.

That's all. Step into your Beaver p3dv4.5 cockpit, start your engine and be happy.

[LH-B744]

AI traffic: Artificial Intelligence traffic.
Here in this context, these are aircraft models which due to restricted cpu capacity come to you whithout a panel, so that you can't fly them, e.g.
the DeHavilland Beaver p3dv4 AI aircraft.

Here in entry #13 is descripted how to make the DeHavilland Beaver flyable in p3dv4.

But please, don't let me hear about unfair things. Be fair to the developers. You really need a valid fsx license to also fly the Beaver in p3dv4.5 !

PS: Also trucks, limousines, buses and apron vehicules work as AI traffic, if you move your p3dv4 traffic slider to mor than zero. ....

As AI traffic uses alot of your cpu, I have set my p3dv4 AI traffic slider to zero. I rather fly the Beaver by my own, than waiting behind her for t/o ..

Btw, I don't really know how many US-$ you'd have to pay for a brand new ms fsx license, the Beaver included. But I know one alternative:
https://www.carenado.com/sitecarenad...float-fsx-p3d/
If you buy it now, within the next two seconds, you can have it for 9.95 US-$ . With only one disadvantage,
the Beaver provides you a 16 liter 9 cylinder radial engine (dt.: Sternmotor) with 450 hp. The C172... , doesn't.

But if I weren't a Beaver owner, the Carenado C172 sea plane would certainly be interesting for me, in 2022.

[LH-B744]

You seem to forget that people looking for realistic flying use X-Plane .....

Please forgive me, man. I just was lookin here through my topic, and if you hadn't intervened here back then in December 2021, now here in this topic I had said,

that I own a quite unique or a really unique combination of simulators, fsx + p3dv4.5 .

Now since you have intervened, x-plane. Do you like to say that you work together with Doering (who afaik owns the combination of xp11 and msfs 2020),
and that I am alone in the desert with my combination? *heul*

But I'm also in a conversation with Doering, every 4 or 8 weeks as I would say. And one thing is for sure, and that hasn't changed since last year.

Flight Captain Robert S. Randazzo sells more items for p3dv4 than for xp11. And, since I visited his website, three seconds ago, it is completely different.
Today (April 3rd 2022), Randazzo sells all his products only for p3d.

With only 1 exception, the Douglas DC-6 for msfs 2020. So, if you like Randazzo, you are not able to fly xp11, as he simply sells not one xp11 product.

And you know my avatar since more than 13 years. So you know why I like Randazzo, and then you also know why I fly p3dv4.5 instead of xp11....

Greetings my young friend!

PS: Afaik, Captain Randazzo is one of the very very few men on this planet, who sells the longest Cargo jet on Earth, i.e. the B748F (since no one gathers another 500 million US-$ for a second brand new AN-225) for your and mine private personal simulator chamber at home. But he only sells the
B748 passage version and the B748F for p3d, exclusively! So.
Who am I to not follow Cpt Randazzo into the p3dv4.5 adventure, on board his LH-B748 p3dv4.5 . See this topic, entry #2...

The newest thing for me is Randazzo's LH-B744 for p3dv4.5 in as I would say, completely wrong colors. I should find a picture for this state of mind,
as pictures always say more than 1000 words. Flight Ocean #132 from Rhein/Main to FYWH Windhoek Intl, is here on my screen, and as I own the nickname which I own since more than 13 years, I chose Randazzo's LH-B744 (QOTSII) for p3dv4.5 for this flight.

With a short shock I perceived that during this flight I haven't yet taken one picture. But that mistake should've been repaired within the next 45 minutes...

Alex, .. You know that I today am online here to open a new topic, Scruffy Ducks ADE in combination with fsx and p3dv4.5, and in how far you can use
ADE fsx products for p3dv4.5 ...

But only for you, I'll publish Randazzos LH-B744 p3dv4.5 in completely wrong colors, before I proceed with ADE ...