SimLauncherX

[MichaelBasler]

Here is a Freeeware/Donationware tool I am sure you'll love:

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/453567-simlau...en-waiting-for/

If you recall the former SimLauncher, this is SimLauncher on steroids.

Kind regards, Michael

[Ian Warren]

Thanks for the HU Michael, something I have not played around with.

[BendyFlyer]

Highly recommended.

The basic concept is to provide a front end that effectively replaces the FSX start up and menu selection process with a browser style window system. I have found so far that it works really well and as advertised but as the developer said there is a hell of lot in the 'back office' of this program and it will do a hell of a lot. The manual that comes with it is 143 pages long.

I found it solved the clunky and deteriorating performance of the normal FSX startup process, select FSX wait, select aircraft wait, select airport wait, etc. etc. with a quick load up of all saved flights, access to all aircraft on your system and the capability to switch around and sort out the proposed flight parameters, then simply use it to launch FSX which it does bypassing the FSX menu to get you going. I do not know why but over time my FSX (SP2) on a Win7 system has deteriorated in terms of startup times and launch times from the standard MS menu, I suspect the issue relates to a lot of stuff relating to 32 bit systems, FSX's own internal processes (menus and configs) and the never ending stream of updates to windows OS by MS. In short it becomes clunkier and more fragile until it is running then it is fine. Well in my humble experience this little product has fixed all that and now I always start FSX from FSX Launcher not from the standard FSX icon on my desktop. I really like the way it pulls up the thumbnails so you change the aircraft for a particular flight start etc.

Important - what it cannot do is create a flight plan before launching, it only reads the FSX files already created so for that you will need a program like Plan G or similar to create a flight plan first then use the launcher or the tried and tested method of making up a plan in FSX and saving it. It is also configure to work with the Active X weather system not REX and I am not sure how to get them to work with each other especially given the launch capacity of REX and more recently REX Texture Direct for weather. This aspect of launching the sim and using real time weather via REX will need some serious study and thought. If anyone has some ideas or comes up with a solution like to hear it.

In my view a must have for simming and one you should make a small donation for in appreciation.

[MichaelBasler]

QUOTE (BendyFlyer @ Oct 19 2014,2:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Important - what it cannot do is create a flight plan before launching, it only reads the FSX files already created so for that you will need a program like Plan G or similar to create a flight plan

Are you definite about this? I didn't explore all the features, however, I think you can create new flight plans with the "Flight Plan Tools" with "New". You have to select Departure/Destination airport from the dropdown lists. You can drag and drop an airport from the map into the corresponding field which I find a very clever feature (detected this from the manual). Waypoints can be added from the map, too.

The manual is excellent and well worth reading twice.

Kind regards, Michael

[gojozoom]

Nice! I'm looking forward to try it today.

[BendyFlyer]

QUOTE (MichaelBasler @ Oct 20 2014,4:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you definite about this? I didn't explore all the features, however, I think you can create new flight plans with the "Flight Plan Tools" with "New". You have to select Departure/Destination airport from the dropdown lists. You can drag and drop an airport from the map into the corresponding field which I find a very clever feature (detected this from the manual). Waypoints can be added from the map, too.

I have to confess I have not tried this but at the moment I am using its features to work on some scenery stuff for flying boats but will have a look in due course. Maybe somebody else can enlighten us all in due course.