Yeah…I think an Aero Commander 500…one of the X-Plane vendors has a nice one I think…
I think Nimbus. (looks like it is on sale for $20 right now…) - Not sure how well it works with XP11 though…I always check the forums for issues prior to buying stuff…
And Carenado has a 609 Commander too I think…
Just picked it up. So far so good. And VR adds a nice, subtle, ‘texture’ to the dash 
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It has a beautiful sound to those engines…
Gonna need to take the doors off my Cessna 185 I see…
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What kind of scope do you have on that?
It’s a very pedestrian Bushnell AR Optics 1-4x24mm PCL Throw Down. I wanted to try a cheapo before spending more on a magnified optic. Made in Korea, it works pretty well for $250. Bushnell doesn’t offer them anymore though. Mine has been reliable and the BTR reticle hold-over marks seem to work well once it’s zeroed. I haven’t used it farther than 300 yds, which is probably about what these type of optics are made for, even though the aiming points go out to 500.
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Iron sights for a man sized target at 500.
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I could probably do that…depending on what unit of measure the 500 is…inches? Centimeters would be better. 
I just want a site with the little red dot.
I thought you measured in fathoms?
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No no no, that’s the Royal Navy…the US Navy measures everything in leagues, I’m pretty sure.
Both.
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Having a go at building ortho tiles for the border between Washington State up to about the halfway point of the southern portions of British Columbia and Alberta since I might find myself running cargo up into those areas over time.
My test area I’m trying ZL16 and high_zl_airports TRUE and using Arc as the imagery source and default X-Plane Global Scenery to build the overlays.
I might be wise to pause the project and see if I shouldn’t be using AlpilotX mesh or something, but I can’t remember how exactly all that is supposed to work.
On first blush anyway they appear to be working out well. Just hopped in to the default airport at Lethbridge County (CYQL) and it looks pretty good.
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Just did a quick Google on this and…based on 30 seconds of reading, using AlpilotX to build the tiles is only useful from the standpoint of perhaps getting better OSM overlay data (ie: the buildings, houses, streets, etc…). I don’t know just HOW much better AlpilotX OSM data is compared to the default X-Plane world…but it might not be worth the effort.
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Another observation by an FIU (Faceless Internet User) notes that HD mesh OSM data was better than the OSM data available in X-Plane 10, but inferior to the OSM data which was updated in default X-Plane 11. Allegedly, the author of AlpilotX mesh has apparently agreed that this is the case. YMMV.
Some comparisons just south of Calgary where my newly built ortho tile “seam” is…you can see it makes quite the difference and (at least so far) the Arc imagery seems OK at the ZL16 level anyway. I’m sure as I travel across it I will find areas that aren’t so great…but for batch tile building I think I might keep these settings. Now the question is how high in latitude they will remain decent.
(these are not edited together pictures…this is the actual “seam” in the scenery…)
Left side default / Right side ortho
Left side ortho / Right side default
Left side ortho / Right side default
Left side default / Right side ortho
Ok, first sortie. That was interesting.
Did a few donuts on the taxiway (had the tail-dragger model - gota go full Granpa Red here). Took off, did a short trip around the local area…and even landed it, successfully. Mostly.
Made it about 3/4 way down the runway and did Something I Shouldn’t Have Done and ended up on the side doing donuts again. Cloud of dust I’m sure.
Gotta a lot to learn:
- Taxing and the whole tail-dragging thing. Didn’t have much issue in the C-185.
- GROK this prop pitch stuff.
- Figure out how to slow it down. Made a LONG final cuzz it didn’t want to get to flap/gear speed.
Interior graphics are ‘dated’ but it was cozy and comfy in VR. As you mentioned, the sound is great.
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I can’t remember if that model has a locking tailwheel or not (some of those old taildraggers did). Weight and CG can be important in those taildraggers too…get it too far behind those mains and she will want to swap ends quickly. I’m also unsure to what extent X-Plane models the downward force on the tail with regards to using the elevator to give positive downward pressure. I’m not even a very experienced tailwheel pilot in the real world - so someone like @smokinhole can maybe give some input on how that works. I assume too much “back” pressure on a stick can stress the airframe…and not sure what level is required to give best positive steering control on the ground.
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