SIERRA PRO PILOT NOTES/TIPS PAGE
Updated 2/20/99
ProPilot 99 has gone "gold" read about it at 4CDs
SPP Version 1.x Downloads: Patch#1, Patch#2, Patch#3
View the "missing" SPP Version 1.x Patch#2, C172R aircraft instructions

SPP Pages and Forums

Screen Shots: Check out the SPP screen shots and ordering info at Sierra's New Pro Pilot Site.

SPP Version 1.x Patch Notes: SPP Patch#1 (1.01) was released 12/21/97. The Patch#2 (1.02) intended to address mostly aircraft flight model problems, was released 5/15/98. Patch#3 (1.03A) was released 10/06/98. Shortly thereafter, SPP99 was released. NOTE: Some have said that you must uninstall/reinstall SPP 1.x from the original CDROM then apply patches 1 through 3 noted above.

SPP99 Patch Notes: As of 4/17/99 three patches have been posted (1.01, 1.02, 1.03) for SPP99. Download version 1.03 from Sierra's SPP99 page or use the "auto-updater" that came with your copy of SPP99. Earlier SPP99 patches and a "European Scenery Update (90MB) posted 4/15/99 are downloadable from the AVSIM website.

Setup and Installation:
* SPP 1.xx needs at least 100MB of free hard drive space after installation of files to run properly.
* The setup program installs DirectX version 5.0 (DX5) which means it will replace your existing video, sound card and other drivers with DX5 compatible versions. If you already have DX5, it will leave the drivers alone. You might consider downloading the latest certified DX5 drivers from Microsoft's website.

Running the Program:
* To start engines: Remember, all the cockpit switches work! You need to turn on the Battery switch, select the fuel tank L-B-R then hit "S" add crank her up and advance the throttle.
* To see the frame rate: Shift+R
* To enable the onscreen digital data readout when you have the instrument panel off: Alt+R

SPP flights to see the visual scenery at its best:
* Big Bear to LAX in southern California.
* The Grand Canyon from either direction below the rim!
* To/from Lake Tahoe in nothern California/Nevada
* To find more scenic flights-get the "Aviation Topography Atlas" from DesktopWings ?

Performance Tips:
* Do a custom install and copy all the scenery files to your hard drive (540MB) if you have room.
* To minimize pausing: Add the below entry anywhere in your \Sierra\ProPilot\Flight\flight.ini file to force more hard drive space for frequently used scenery file storage:
[MemControl]
DiskCacheSize=5 to 300 (MB) The SPP patch readme file says try 20.

Known Bugs:
* Ground steering: No work or totally unrealistic.
* "Heading creep" caused by sloppy yaw calculations in most/all aircraft esp the Cessna 172.
* Autopilot: No work or causes more problems than it solves.
* Many more are documented on an ongoing basis in the above newsgroup and forums or places like Alex Ford's "Pro Pilot World".

Contacting Sierra:
* To report general SPP bugs or forward comments to "TeamSPP" click Here
* Ask SPP questions by EMailing Sierra Here

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