...fix the snakey VOR following? I swear it was rock solid on my test flight tonight unless I messed something up and fooled myself. And the V-Speed cards and call-outs help a lot. I can see why this airplane is so well-liked. Sort of like the 727, but without the awkward engineer position. I held altitude perfectly, and even, lo and behold, held speed perfectly without an excess of fiddling around. Maybe I just got lucky.

Now I can't wait for a real flight.

I have some questions thought. I could not get the flight director to set pitch. Also, I found nothing to control pitch like the 727's big My First Autopilot knob. Nothing?

This is an amazing airplane. It's just beautiful in the VC. I'm surprised more windows don't pop up, though, like maybe the PDCS (is that right?) that I'm Never Supposed To Touch.

On the outside, well, it does have that baby-Boeing chubbiness going for it, but I think the JT8Ds look better strapped on a DC-9 than slung under a 737. I suppose we're so used to seeing those great big hamster pouch fans that the old model looks like a kid's toy he's taped some fourth-of-July rockets to. (In America we celebrate the defeat of the notoriously evil and wicked tyrant King George the Mad by blowing up stuff -- our own stuff -- in our backyards. Yeah. Tax US you.. king you. Guess we showed HIM. Uh-oh, that was the sound of my irony meter breaking.)

Anyway, this is a really nice contribution to classic jet flight. I suppose I am converted into the realistic EPR camp now, but won't enjoy it any less without it.

I could not get the flight director to set pitch. Also, I found nothing to control pitch like the 727's big My First Autopilot knob. Nothing?
The pitch is controlled by pushing\/pulling the yoke. Wherever you stop it, the A/P will hold it (or hold it close to where you let it go). This is much the same way that the banking is controlled by the A/P. That's CWS (CONTROL WHEEL STEERING).

You can read all about the A/P in the ‘737 Captain’ FLIGHT MANUAL Part II – Aircraft Systems (csx737_manual2.pdf) page 49. That might help you understand it better. ;)

I love this airplane! Easy to fly, satisfied with short routes for the evening. The autopilot works great on approach, too, which was a pleasant surprise -- just as good as my 757. It even holds speed well, which is something I always have trouble with on non-autothrottle jets. The 727 is awful nice, but there's something about the 737.

Tim Capps wrote on Dec 31^st, 2013 at 7:11am:

I love this airplane! Easy to fly, satisfied with short routes for the evening. The autopilot works great on approach, too, which was a pleasant surprise -- just as good as my 757. It even holds speed well, which is something I always have trouble with on non-autothrottle jets. The 727 is awful nice, but there's something about the 737.

Me too. I like the 737 better than the 727 too. :D ;D

ME three!! And Lex's paints are just so darn beautiful, I can't hardly get myself to fly any other plane.!!

Bruce

You can count me in on that as well.

Happy New Year everyone.