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Post by wombat32 on Aug 19, 2022 3:39:48 GMT -5
Hello All, Has anyone experienced any issues with flying the C172 G1000 with FSC/FCDU ?
The plane flys quite well but I am having a few odd problems. When descending down to an altitude it occasionally doesnt stop its descent - it just keeps going down - AP/ALT was set OK. Also today I had another problem with altitude - coming in to land it seemed to think I was 300FT lower than I actually was - QNH set OK. It's no big deal as I am just trying a few different aircraft to see whether I like them ! Mike (Wombat32)
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Post by peter on Aug 19, 2022 21:31:22 GMT -5
Hello Mike,
just to confirm: are you on FSX or MSFS 2020?
FSCaptain should not have any impact on the autopilot operation, unless you have activated the “I’ll Be Back” feature. Did you? Generally, in my experience what you describe could be related to the following:
- Some autopilot models require you to click on ALT SEL (altitude select) to stop a descent: you first enter the target altitude, then hit ALT SEL, and then start the descent. You can engage ALT SEL also later during descent, but without it, the plane will continue to descent even when it passes through target altitude. It is not entirely predictable which airplane models use that feature. I have often seen that developers have an ALT SEL button on the AP, but have not modelled its function properly.
- A difference in altitude could be because the G1000 reports altitude above ground instead of above sea level. I have seen that with a few airplanes in MSFS 2020.
Cheers,
Peter
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Post by wombat32 on Aug 19, 2022 22:49:35 GMT -5
Hello Peter,
I have been very busy with 'FSC research' and have been trying out lots of planes I havnt flown before with the FCDU. Also currently getting my mind around fuel burn estimates.
Am staying with FSX for a fair while yet.
Didnt know there was an 'I'll Be Back' feature !
The FSX default G1000 doesnt have (as usual) the 'complete' Garmin G1000 - lots of functions not included.
You may well be right about ALT/ALT SEL and I will investigate further. I like the ALT SEL concept though - far better than a descent or climb being initiated immediatly one changes the alt setting.
Will post again when I have tried it again and also followed up on that AGL point you made.
Mike
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Post by wombat32 on Aug 20, 2022 0:04:51 GMT -5
Hello again Peter,
Now I have something for you that is a bit more 'interesting'.
I intended to fly EGPE to EGPD in my Carenado Do228.
All went as expected using my prelims procedure until the 'normal' load completed successfully.
Next move was doors shut, some lights then engine start.
I tried to start the plane 'manually' as normal but I immediatly lost all lights/power. Nothing, just as if I turned off all electrical power, no readings on any instruments etc etc. A classic 'cold and dark' state.
I had no alternative but to abort the flight on the tarmac. I have the logs.
Now the strange thing - I repeated the flight without the FCDU. All went perfectly.
Any thoughts ?
Mike
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Post by wombat32 on Aug 20, 2022 10:40:10 GMT -5
Mike again,
Ignore my last post.
The moral is 'read the user guide' and the 'tutorial' - especially the parts about how to use the FCDU PROPERLY !
Mike
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Post by peter on Aug 20, 2022 23:33:24 GMT -5
Hi Mike,
great to see you are doing so much with FSCaptain. I knew you were on FSX originally, but you highlighted the fact that you are using the G1000 version of the C172. That made me unsure about your simulator, because the C172 is kind of famous in MSFS: the default version of MSFS includes a C172 with a G1000. It is quite a good plane for a default plane, but it drew considerable criticism for the quality of the G1000 implementation (which is also used in many other default airplanes). MSFS Premium also includes a "steam gauge" version of the C172.
But back to your question: It is possible that Dutch or Travis implemented it, but I never heard about this. Since you were flying a Carenado airplane, I can offer an alternative hypothesis about what may have happened. I have experienced in the past that in some Carenado airplanes the battery drains very fast, you only have a few minutes before the plane loses power. That was a problem especially when following all procedures by the book. It is conceivable that, when you repeated your flight, you started the engines right away and were not affected by the battery drain.
If Carenado implemented a GPU (ground power unit) in this model, you should start it right after you switched on battery and nav lights. If not, try to use external power (I remember at least one Carenado airplane where external power was not implemented correctly, but that is really rare).
Cheers,
Peter
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Post by wombat32 on Aug 21, 2022 4:51:36 GMT -5
Hello Peter, yes I have been very busy in FSC.
Apart from delving into the detail I set up a new airline with nodes etc. It all worked very well but I changed my mind and decided for the time being to stick to just one.
The G1000 C172 is indeed a standard default aircraft in FSX.
I like some parts of it but as I mentioned it really isnt the 'full Garmin G1000' - of course many Garmin GPS' found in FS planes are also painfully short of basic functions.
The 'battery drain' issue could well be what I experienced first time with subsequent flights in the Do228 being 'set up' somewhat quicker - before the batteries went dead. Certainly sounds a logical answer given the symptoms I experienced.
I am unaware if either a GPU or an external power option is available for the Do228. No good however expecting any sort of guide/documentation from Caranado though !
Will post any developments (and questions),
Mike
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Post by wombat32 on Aug 21, 2022 5:10:44 GMT -5
Hello Peter,
Now I know this may be considered 'cheating' but in the electrical section of the Do228 cfg file there is a line :
electric_always_available = 0
I most definitely like to take my time in 'setting up' before a flight and if you are right about battery drain then the amount of time 'allowed' by Carenado in the Do228 really is indecently short - I wonder where Dornier source their batteries from !
So unless I am breaking a fundamental FSC rule I propose to change the zero to 1 and see what happens.
Will report back.
Mike
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Post by Travis on Aug 21, 2022 12:55:29 GMT -5
Hi Mike, ACME doesn't care if you have a thermonuclear power source connected to your aircraft, so feel free to change that aircraft.cfg setting. Although... if you're using FSUIPC, you can set its option of "Extend Battery Life" (IIRC) to keep your lights running. Fyi, some multi-engine aircraft allow one engine to remain running (the engine opposite the PAX door!) to keep your battery charged... and also some air pressure to keep your packs going.
"I'll Be Back" is a feature that will mind your aircraft while you're away, given these demands: - You need an FO.
- You need to be in the Enroute Phase of your flight. You also need to be at a stable Groundspeed.
- Your autopilot needs to be on, and visible to the FCDU. "Default autopilots" are fine in that regard.
When it's set, "I'll Be Back" will monitor any ill-effects of your flight (heavy turbulence, low fuel, groundspeed change, system failure, etc.) and pause your simulator until you return and judge what should be done. It's intended to be used on flights of 2+ hours where you may need to step away from your simulator for a while to handle real-world actions. (Doorbell, spouse, rowdy grandkids, Call of Nature, etc.) Look in your README-32 file for more details... it's not mention in the User Guide.  And it works fine when ported to P3D4. Ahem. 
FS DreamTeam's GSX provides a GPU unit for all aircraft. GSX is payware....
Something you should watch for is that some systems on third-party aircraft (Carenado included) do not use the standard MS signals. This could be some of the lights, anti-ice systems, barometers, engines, etc. While sitting on the tarmac in your 'new' aircraft, go to the FCDU's SYSTEMS screen and scroll through the pages listing your aircraft's controls and see which of your VC controls affect the values the FCDU sees. (You don't have to be in a dispatched flight to do this....) The FSCaptain documents... - Introduction To FSCaptain Interfaces
- FSCaptain Airplane Configuration How-To
... can give you some some tips on how to access this information. (Skip any text that refers to creating an XML Gauge... unless you're interested.) The Introduction To FSCaptain Interfaces document mentions the LINDA shareware add-on. If you find any aircraft systems that the FCDU cannot access, then LINDA could assist you to find any LVARS (Local VARiableS) which the aircraft developer may be using. You can ask any questions you may have here. Best, |
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Post by peter on Aug 21, 2022 22:43:31 GMT -5
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Post by Travis on Aug 22, 2022 22:04:46 GMT -5
Peter,
Good Call! When I was collecting Carenado aircraft, I would visit the Avsim Carenado forum for various "fixes" and "corrections" to my fleet.
That is a nice 'tutorial' for the DO-228 startup.
Best,
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