FSCaptain 1.4.3 is released!

[Dutch Owen]

This is a release that fixes several important bugs in 1.4.2 and adds eight new enhancements. As always, the Fixpack downloadable from the Website or here:

www.fscaptain.net/downloads/FSCaptain_Fixpack.zip

will upgrade any previous release to 1.4.3.

From the README.txt:

These enhancements are included with 1.04.03:
---------------------------------------------

- The Save/Restore facility is made official. There is a new section in the User's Guide on page 30. In this release the allowances for your location when you restore versus where you were when you save are expanded to 15 miles and 5000 feet. Also, a save does not automatically happen when you exit FSX as it did in the beta version.

- During the loading process using the FCDU you may press the STAT shortcut key to get a display of your aircraft projected flight weights, useful in setting V-speeds and programming FMCs.

- Two new hazards are introduced; on aircraft with a working interface not setting your continuous ignition on during takeoff and landing, or in heavy precipitation, will increase your odds of a flameout; and not setting your window heat to on will increase the odds of a depressurization in the case of a bird strike.

- Bird Strike consequences are expanded to possibly include depressurization due to window breaks or stopped pitot and static lines in addition to possible engine failures -- the odds of the engine failures are somewhat decreased.

- The effects of depressurization are enhanced. If your interface supports it the changes in altitude and rate of climb will be shown in your gauges.

- If a message deadlock occurs (a one-line message is stuck on the FCDU screen) you can press the MSGS key to break out of the stuck condition.

- An experimental option is present in the options.cfg file, KNEEBOARD=1 will cause the dispatch release contents to be copied to the briefing portion of your FS kneeboard for easy viewing. Any time after you login pressing the DISP key on the FCDU will update the release document and display the Kneeboard.

- When the Admin detects a new version is available you can now download and install it from the new version dialog without having to access the website.



These problems are fixed in 1.04.03:
-----------------------------------

ID#0193: Early time estimates based on plan are overly optimistic.
ID#0194: 'Prohibit Service' option being ignored - service happens anyway.
ID#0195: Overrides not seen and aircraft.cfg fails to import into properly load maps feature.
ID#0196: Weather incorrectly being considered below minimums.
ID#0197: Dispatch complaining about insufficient fuel even when the fuel-auto-load is suppressed.
ID#0198: Clock continues to count after official arrival.
ID#0199: Under certain circumstances winds aloft data is not retrieved when it is available.
ID#0201: Some edits on aircraft performance data are too low for some high performance aircraft.
ID#0202: Gate Change message keeps repeating same gate over and over.
ID#0203: The score reported for a promotion on the Career tab is incorrect.
ID#0204: Admin fails to get winds aloft data on download of Wx from Internet.

[dlarrok]

Do the ignition and pressurization failures work in the NGX? I know the pitot/static problems don't since PMDG for whatever reason didn't implement any sort of airspeed malfunction.

[Svilen Vassilev]

Thanks for the update, guys!

[Dutch Owen]

Ignition and pressurization failures can trigger in the NGX. Don't forget your window heat and the proper use of your ignition switches.

But both of these new failures triggers will be rare. The depressurization can happen as a random mech failure and that has always been the case. The change here just adds that effect as a possible consequence of a bird strike (bird hitting the windshield, wish I could show it cracking!) - having window heat on reduces the odds of a crack by about 75% if you're hit.

Engine failures due to ignition not being on during takeoff and while in precipitation: the way that's implemented is if you don't have the switches on during these situations a set of virtual dice are rolled once with the odds of failure being your normal failure percentage doubled during takeoff and quadrupled during flight in precipitation. Thus if you are flying through rain with your ignition off and your normal mech failure percentage is 0.5 (half of one percent) then your chances of a failure are 2 percent or one in 50.

FSCaptain will never fail more than one engine from one cause. We try to never put you in a position from which you can't recover. However, bird strike, random mech failure, and the new didn't-set-ignition are all different causes. You could have a very bad day and forget your switches in rain, get a failure there, then hit a bird on the emergency landing and get a double failure. It could happen, but very very unlikely.

Dutch

[dlarrok]

Sounds good, Dutch!