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Post by Dutch Owen on Oct 28, 2012 9:46:24 GMT -5
The Problem:
Your FO may complain about ice when there is none, and on the Information page there's a possibly large number in the "Ice Weight" field. But the temperature is hot so there can't be ice on the airplane.
The Solution:
Firstly let's understand what that "ice weight" really is. Microsoft FS simulates airframe icing but it does not report the amount of ice on your airplane such that a gauge (like the FCDU/FCOM) can read it directly. We measure it by adding up the total weight the airplane should have (empty weight + fuel + payload) and then comparing that to the gross weight reported by the simulator. Any difference between those two numbers is the hidden ice in a normal situation.
There are two reasons why that computation can go awry. One applies only to FS9 and we'll mention it first.
With FS9 FSCaptain uses FSUIPC to auto-load the payload into your airplane if you choose that option (most of us do.) FSUIPC can load the payload stations but when it does that it cannot also update the total weight as tallied by the simulator. Thus, when asked for the weight of the airplane after FSUIPC has changed the load stations it will report the original, not changed weight. This is a bug in FS9. The solution is to bring up the payload dialog from the FS menu (ALT-A then F) and click the Ok button. FS9 will then update its internal bookkeeping and all will be well. FSX does not have this problem.
The possible problem that applies to both simulators (and Prepar3d) is that the load map in the FSCaptain configuration doesn't match the real load stations. Often, FSCaptain will detect this and report it to you but sometimes it doesn't. When the stations in the load map don't match reality FSCaptain will add up the wrong stations for its comparison count and report the difference as ice weight. The solution is to use the correct load map, or fix the incorrect one to match the load stations as defined in the aircraft.cfg file.
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Post by Travis on Oct 28, 2012 12:06:44 GMT -5
If anyone has tried the Basler BT-67 that Dutch mentioned yesterday you might have noticed that there's an extra 1000 lbs of "aether" onboard your aircraft that's pretty impossible to find, and which your FO might report as ice. It turns out that the atc_model of the freeware aircraft is DC3... which may cause an incorrect configuration and loadmap to be used. A change to a different atc_model and a newly generated set of config/loadmap files will correct that. I'm making a few short hops today to try and generate decent numbers. I'm also leaning towards an atc_model of DC3T which is the ICAO issued type for this aircraft... but FS Captain 1.4 may ship with files for that or for BT67... we'll see.
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Post by robsgam on Nov 3, 2014 15:31:30 GMT -5
I am using the Q400 and am playing around with icing situations. I can get it to start accumulating ice but no of the deicing procedures stop the increasing ice or remove it at all. Is this an interface issue? I am using .10 of Q400. 1.5.1 beta 3 of FScaptain and the .32 interface.
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Post by Travis on Nov 3, 2014 19:53:10 GMT -5
Hi Rob, "Ice weight" is nothing more than weight that cannot be accounted for, so we assume that it's Ice. (It could be Gremlins, but we have no photograpic proof of such without William Shatner also hogging the lens. ) Otherwise, if you are using 1.5.1 Beta, then the XML interface is likely ignored. Delete it. If you are using the remote FCDU with the Q400, then it is certain that the Engine Anti-ice signals are not being honored. Email us your FCDU log files for such flights and we will attempt to analyze. (We hope to have this corrected for 1.5.1 Beta 4.)
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Post by Travis on Nov 6, 2014 11:20:24 GMT -5
Rob, The Q400 is undergoing a new anti-ice systems check today for 1.5.1 Beta 4. But allow me to ask, were you accumulating ice in the air or on the ground? Was it the aircraft's anti-ice systems not working, or the Ground De-Icing service?? (Or both??)
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Post by robsgam on Nov 6, 2014 19:10:50 GMT -5
My logs are gone and I haven't had a chance to reproduce this. I created icing conditions on the ground and watched the ice increase on the FCDU screen. I didn't bother with the ground deicing in FScaptain. I was did use the deicing feature of FSPS SimPhyics. That had no effect on the ice reported in FCDU. I turned on the anti ice in the Q400 as well with no effect. I took off and reset weather to clear and warm. Ice didn't change. As soon as I landed, the ice started to decrease.
I will try the new beta 4(where can I find it?). I also installed .11 of the Q400. Don't know how much different that is.
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Post by Travis on Nov 6, 2014 23:02:20 GMT -5
Rob, I do not know that the three of us (Majestic Q400, SimPhysics, FSCaptain) will ever get along well all-together. Back in 2009, FSCaptain originally held close to the FS9/FSX model of how aircraft operated. In later years, we adopted an "aircraft interface" for aircraft that went beyond the "default model" of how things operated and were reported. As years went by, we reached out to various developers to accommodate their aircraft. Currently we have several dozen I conferred with the Majestic team during its development, and after its initial release. I have a "good idea" how they are operating, and I trust my instinct in how they will progress. I have had limited experience with SimPhysics, and while I can say that they do not "break" the "default model" and that they do offer a nice product, I do not know that they expose their services to other applications. (I had pinged them once with an inquiry, but perhaps they had no idea who I was....) So while FSCaptain has its own Hazard Pack of items (ground & air icing, flying weather, surface contamination, braking, and others), if there is another application attempting to model one or more of the same issues, there could be conflicts. If Application 1 says that "surface conditions at ABCD is 'okay" but Application 2 says otherwise... well there will likely would be a conflict in that instance - App "1" might add its ice, but App "2" might not see that ice, and add its own, or vice versa. It can be difficult.... Btw, FSCaptain 1.5.1 Beta 4 has not been released for public beta testing yet. Perhaps this weekend....
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Post by davicho61 on Oct 25, 2016 15:06:12 GMT -5
I fly with FS9.1 and still the same advice Ice 1190LB or something like that, but I used manual load. I've to do it the same as auto-load? Thanks.
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Post by peter on Oct 25, 2016 16:55:14 GMT -5
Hi Davicho61,
Can you send us (see blue link below) a zip file with your FSCaptain\Data\Log folder? Please send the email to all of us and copy the address of this thread into your message so that everyone on the FSCaptain team knows what the logs are for.
Cheers, Peter
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Post by Travis on Oct 26, 2016 14:17:34 GMT -5
Hi Davicho61,
We have your logs, but we are not certain what we should be looking for.
The version of FSCaptain which we are building will have resources to track the "extra weight" of an aircraft when certain conditions are met. When we release it (Version 1.7.3 Beta 1 - hopefully this week) I would ask you to upgrade to it and if you are seeing "Ice weight" where you feel you shouldn't have... then you could send us your logs again.
One other thing - I believe that I see you are using the FCOM on a majority of flights. Please consider to change to the FCDU as we are not updating the FCOM with new items - it simply cannot support many of the changes we have made in the past year or two.
With regards,
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Post by davicho61 on Oct 27, 2016 4:01:28 GMT -5
Thanks Travis I'll trying with the Version 1.7.3 Beta 1 and if the extra weight still present I'll send you my logs. By the way, I only have the message "Ice weight" when I fly with FCDU, and this is one to the other reasons that I fly more with the FCOM. Thanks again and have a good day!
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Post by Travis on Oct 28, 2016 18:20:57 GMT -5
Hi Davicho61,
When you get the "Ice Weight" message in the FCDU, what are the weights that you see? A few pounds, several dozen, hundreds???
We need to get you into the FCDU - the FCOM has been long unsupported. Let us know how we can manage to get you there....
Best,
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Post by davicho61 on Oct 29, 2016 4:34:09 GMT -5
Hi Travis, sometimes 1900 lb, others 590, and 796 lb, etc. And of course I put the pounds suggested by the FCDU.
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Post by davicho61 on Oct 30, 2016 11:57:35 GMT -5
Just installed the FSCaptain version 1.7.3 Beta 1 and for my first FCDU flight with the Beta1 still "Ice Weight". At 6000': 1354LB; FL140: 1284LB; FL310: after 25' flow = 1180LB; FL330 = 954LB; FL350 = 810LB after 1h25' flow; at TOC = 269LB 2h45' flow. I'll continue to fly with the Embraer ERJ-170 from DreamWings Design. Ta-ta for the moment.
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Post by Travis on Oct 30, 2016 12:09:38 GMT -5
Please email us the FCDU log for this flight and we'll have a look.
Did you check that your structural anti-ice was on? Look at the SYSTEMS screen, page 4.
Regards,
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