fms Matt Clements
05-27-2003, 02:58 PM
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fms Matt Clements
Woops. I guess I hit the enter button. 
I was about to order the buddy cord and fms from Matt Clements website. I'm just not sure what cord I'll need. I'm at work and cant look so I was wondering if anyone knew offhand. It came with the avistar setup from tower. It's a futaba skysport 4 channel 4vf model. I think it is the one with the 6 pins. But he also has the older 5 pin. Anyone know for sure so I can order this today?
Thank you all,
Shane
I was about to order the buddy cord and fms from Matt Clements website. I'm just not sure what cord I'll need. I'm at work and cant look so I was wondering if anyone knew offhand. It came with the avistar setup from tower. It's a futaba skysport 4 channel 4vf model. I think it is the one with the 6 pins. But he also has the older 5 pin. Anyone know for sure so I can order this today?Thank you all,
Shane
05-27-2003, 03:07 PM
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fms Matt Clements
Make sure that you are running Windows 9x, as that cable won't work under 2000 or XP.
I'd recommend buying a more advanced gameport cable, which works in all Windows versions and with most or the sims, not just FMS:
www.milehighwings.com/joystick.htm
It costs only about $10 more, but the benefits are well worth the price defference, IMO.
Back to your question: Futaba Skysport 4vf has a regular 6-pin DIN connector, just like all contemporary Futabas except for 9C.
Hope this helps,
Boris
I'd recommend buying a more advanced gameport cable, which works in all Windows versions and with most or the sims, not just FMS:
www.milehighwings.com/joystick.htm
It costs only about $10 more, but the benefits are well worth the price defference, IMO.
Back to your question: Futaba Skysport 4vf has a regular 6-pin DIN connector, just like all contemporary Futabas except for 9C.
Hope this helps,
Boris
05-27-2003, 03:12 PM
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It most certainly does. The thing that cought my eye was that it came with the simulator as well as the cord. I've noticed that most flight sims are around 150.00. Way too much for me. 19.00 was more like it. If I do go with the other cord, can you get the sim cheap elsewhere?
Thank you very much,
Shane
Thank you very much,
Shane
05-27-2003, 03:35 PM
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fms Matt Clements
Only if you call FREE cheap. You can download FMS. You can also download numerous airplanes from a lot of different sources, all for free. By giving you the FMS CD, Matt is simply providing you the program on a CD as a matter of convenience a little initiative to order his cable.
05-27-2003, 03:53 PM
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I just saw that. Well that works for me. I'll download the free version and try it with my keypad to see how it goes.
Thank you again for your help.
Shane
Thank you again for your help.
Shane
05-27-2003, 07:28 PM
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hello guys/gals
hello
im matt
yes you can download the software and even plans to make your interface yourself, but it will probably be more expensive than the 18.00 or so that i sell mine for. by the time you order the parts from the net because radio shack doesnt carry them you get close to my price. im not making a killing on these obviously, but it buys a servo or two.
your radio will work fine and i also make an XP/2000 serial port version for 25.00 using the PIC chip. its very hard to make an XP/2000 interface so buy one of those from someone (me or otherwise).
good luck
http://fms.mattclement.com
im matt
yes you can download the software and even plans to make your interface yourself, but it will probably be more expensive than the 18.00 or so that i sell mine for. by the time you order the parts from the net because radio shack doesnt carry them you get close to my price. im not making a killing on these obviously, but it buys a servo or two.
your radio will work fine and i also make an XP/2000 serial port version for 25.00 using the PIC chip. its very hard to make an XP/2000 interface so buy one of those from someone (me or otherwise).
good luck
http://fms.mattclement.com
05-28-2003, 11:04 AM
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Thank you. I'm hearing from a few people that FMS isn't really good for training purposes. That it isn't as life like as some of th others. I know it's free, and some of the others are pretty expensive. Would this be worth doing for a person whose never flown?
Thanks again,
Shane
Thanks again,
Shane
05-28-2003, 01:23 PM
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Assuming a simulator can depict an aircraft so the pilot can discern it's orientation and subsequently react to it and control it, how can it not be valuable to the student pilot? While maybe not as accurate or realistic as other simulators, FMS seems to work nicely for developing the hand/eye coordination necessary to control an aircraft in 3D space from the ground. Best of all, the price is right.
Just my .02
Just my .02
05-28-2003, 01:26 PM
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fms Matt Clements
> FMS isn't really good for training purposes...
I'd disagree with your harsh statement.
FMS is a pretty decent learning tool for a beginner, it is definitely sufficient to learn "from you vs. towards you" trick.
One of the problems with FMS is that there are way too many planes around, and not all of them are good. The one plane I like the most is a little red Fokker, I guess it's called "litefokker". This one flies like a real thing!
I'd disagree with your harsh statement.
FMS is a pretty decent learning tool for a beginner, it is definitely sufficient to learn "from you vs. towards you" trick.
One of the problems with FMS is that there are way too many planes around, and not all of them are good. The one plane I like the most is a little red Fokker, I guess it's called "litefokker". This one flies like a real thing!
05-28-2003, 02:23 PM
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fms Matt Clements
shanet75,
Why are you so hesitant to try FMS and/or PRE-Flight?
You won't spend much $ on them (they are free!), so, "what we've got to lose?"
A simple interface cable for FMS can be assembled in a couple of hours for a total of $5 (assuming you have a soldering iron and know how to use it).
> So you would recommend, or not recommend?
> I really dont have the $ for the 200.00 sims.
If you don't have a chunk of cash for a "real" sim (or if you, like me, prefer to spend your hard earned buck on some tangible goods), you have little choice: go with freeware sims and make your own interface.
Why are you so hesitant to try FMS and/or PRE-Flight?
You won't spend much $ on them (they are free!), so, "what we've got to lose?"
A simple interface cable for FMS can be assembled in a couple of hours for a total of $5 (assuming you have a soldering iron and know how to use it).
> So you would recommend, or not recommend?
> I really dont have the $ for the 200.00 sims.
If you don't have a chunk of cash for a "real" sim (or if you, like me, prefer to spend your hard earned buck on some tangible goods), you have little choice: go with freeware sims and make your own interface.
05-28-2003, 03:11 PM
#14
Articles on Flight Simulators
There are a couple of articles on my web page concerning R/C flight simulators. It would be a good idea to read both of them. I feel sure they will answer a lot of questions for you.
Any flight simulator will benefit a beginner even Microsoft Flight used in tower view. In my opinion, FMS is better than that and it is free. I have used the Dave Brown RCFS since the early days, Dave Brown RCFS 2001, RealFlight, and FMS. All of them work equally well for a rank beginner but differ significantly in their benefit at later stages of experience.
One thing I want to caution you against is trying to teach yourself to fly using a simulator. You, like many others before you, may establish some bad habits that will be next to impossible to break later on. I know a guy who taught himself to fly with a simulator and he is now an excellent pilot but he has one very bad habit that shows up even though he has progressed to full 3D aerobatic models. He cannot make a smooth gentle turn. He bumps the stick like he is trying to nudge the plane through the turn. This results in erratic movement in the turns. This is a result of being self taught with a simulator. His instructor tried to teach him to make smooth turns with gentle stick movements but he simply could not break the habit that was formed by months of flying the simulator incorrectly.
Use the simulator after a training session to practice what the instructor has taught and again before the next session to brush up on your learned skills. Properly used, the simulator can greatly decrease the time before solo. Improperly used, it can cause problems for months to come.
Any flight simulator will benefit a beginner even Microsoft Flight used in tower view. In my opinion, FMS is better than that and it is free. I have used the Dave Brown RCFS since the early days, Dave Brown RCFS 2001, RealFlight, and FMS. All of them work equally well for a rank beginner but differ significantly in their benefit at later stages of experience.
One thing I want to caution you against is trying to teach yourself to fly using a simulator. You, like many others before you, may establish some bad habits that will be next to impossible to break later on. I know a guy who taught himself to fly with a simulator and he is now an excellent pilot but he has one very bad habit that shows up even though he has progressed to full 3D aerobatic models. He cannot make a smooth gentle turn. He bumps the stick like he is trying to nudge the plane through the turn. This results in erratic movement in the turns. This is a result of being self taught with a simulator. His instructor tried to teach him to make smooth turns with gentle stick movements but he simply could not break the habit that was formed by months of flying the simulator incorrectly.
Use the simulator after a training session to practice what the instructor has taught and again before the next session to brush up on your learned skills. Properly used, the simulator can greatly decrease the time before solo. Improperly used, it can cause problems for months to come.
05-28-2003, 03:23 PM
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Now that sounds like a plan. Hopefully if the weather cooporates, I'll be able to get out there this weekend. It's been a tough spring though (really wet). Let's hope for the best.
Shane
Shane
05-28-2003, 03:34 PM
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> Properly used, the simulator can greatly decrease the time
> before solo. Improperly used, it can cause problems for
> months to come.
I've been building my first kit, after 15 years out of the hobby, for wo years (damn home improvement takes all my spare time). During this time, I was practicing with FMS. It took me only one flight with an instructor to realize that I could fly myself. Flying ever since, no bad habits that I can think of.
Disclaimer: All my crashes were due to radio malfunction, including one "wife interference".
> before solo. Improperly used, it can cause problems for
> months to come.
I've been building my first kit, after 15 years out of the hobby, for wo years (damn home improvement takes all my spare time). During this time, I was practicing with FMS. It took me only one flight with an instructor to realize that I could fly myself. Flying ever since, no bad habits that I can think of.
Disclaimer: All my crashes were due to radio malfunction, including one "wife interference".
05-28-2003, 03:38 PM
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Hehehe. It's either that or child interference. Sounds great. I'm sold, for free, so I don't really know what I am. Anywho. I just can't wait to get in the air
Thank you all for you'r input on this.
Shane
Thank you all for you'r input on this.
Shane
