Microsoft Flight Sim 2020

[Feathered_IV]

On 7/7/2021 at 2:55 AM, DD_Arthur said:

 

Not sure, I can get mine up high no problem but continuous + 7 boost sounds a bit high.

Sight-seeing cruise for me is 2650rpm @ zero boost which equals an indicated 220 to 240mph. I have supercharger control on auto.

Thanks! I gave it a number of tries last night but the engine quits at 15,000 ft every time.  The fuel pump is on, supercharger is auto and rpm is 2500 with zero boost.  I downloaded the Spit again just to be sure it wasn’t a corrupt file but the same thing happened.  I also removed everything else from the community folder but no joy.  Eventually I just went with it and continued my world tour with a dusk flight from the Phillipines to Taiwan, but stayed under 10000.  

[Gambit21]

18 hours ago, Dakpilot said:

 

Nah, just slam the throttles to the firewall (all fighter pilot memoirs mention this, so it must be standard procedure) and leave them there for 7.5 hrs at WEP. I read a single page of a test which shows that this is guaranteed. 

 

R2800's don't need babying they have a reputation for being bullet proof, they don't need no stinking manual

 

(attempt at humour) 

 

V nice pics

 

Cheers, Dakpilot 

 

Or perhaps it just simply illustrates that 15 minutes is more than feasible/historical and anything less belongs elsewhere.@STURMI

 

 

Attempt at humor noted, but perhaps closer to hyperbole in this case. Let’s call it a near miss in the humor department.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Gambit21

[DD_Arthur]

1 hour ago, Feathered_IV said:

Thanks! I gave it a number of tries last night but the engine quits at 15,000 ft every time.  The fuel pump is on, supercharger is auto and rpm is 2500 with zero boost.  I downloaded the Spit again just to be sure it wasn’t a corrupt file but the same thing happened.  I also removed everything else from the community folder but no joy.  Eventually I just went with it and continued my world tour with a dusk flight from the Phillipines to Taiwan, but stayed under 10000.  

 

Strange.  Just to make sure I'm not dreaming;  Spitfire at 30,000 after normal takeoff and climb.

 

 

[ZachariasX]

7 hours ago, Feathered_IV said:

Thanks! I gave it a number of tries last night but the engine quits at 15,000 ft every time.  The fuel pump is on, supercharger is auto and rpm is 2500 with zero boost.  I downloaded the Spit again just to be sure it wasn’t a corrupt file but the same thing happened.  I also removed everything else from the community folder but no joy.  Eventually I just went with it and continued my world tour with a dusk flight from the Phillipines to Taiwan, but stayed under 10000.  

 

Did you check the oil and engine temperature? How are they behaving? Is it possible that you got carb icing?

 

You can easily climb to any altitude using 8 boost and 2650 rpm. It is better to stay on the fast side, as the Spit is built with speed in mind and efficient cooling requires good airspeed. It’s best using the power settings described in the PN if you want to get most from your plane and nobody is shooting at you. For cruise I‘d much rather go down with rpm than to zero boost. rpm is what makes most noise in flight and cruising at 2000 rpm 4 boost is much quieter and gives you more power than higher rpm and zero boost. But even then, noise levels are comparable to open cockpit biplanes.

[Blooddawn1942]

9 hours ago, Feathered_IV said:

Thanks! I gave it a number of tries last night but the engine quits at 15,000 ft every time.  The fuel pump is on, supercharger is auto and rpm is 2500 with zero boost.  I downloaded the Spit again just to be sure it wasn’t a corrupt file but the same thing happened.  I also removed everything else from the community folder but no joy.  Eventually I just went with it and continued my world tour with a dusk flight from the Phillipines to Taiwan, but stayed under 10000.  

I asked it already, but did You pressurised the fueltanks, which is mandatory iirc at a certain Altitude. 

[Feathered_IV]

Hi BD, thanks for chipping in.  I really appreciate it.  I started the flights on the ground with engine already running and switched the fuel pressure boost pump on - the one underneath the trim wheel.  I did this both before takeoff and on other flights once airborne.  I haven’t used the wobble pump though, as I figured with engine already running if wasn’t required.  If there is another way to pressurise the tanks however I’d be glad to know.  A spit isn’t really a Spit when it’s down low (looking at you Mr clippy wing).  

[Blooddawn1942]

25 minutes ago, Feathered_IV said:

Hi BD, thanks for chipping in.  I really appreciate it.  I started the flights on the ground with engine already running and switched the fuel pressure boost pump on - the one underneath the trim wheel.  I did this both before takeoff and on other flights once airborne.  I haven’t used the wobble pump though, as I figured with engine already running if wasn’t required.  If there is another way to pressurise the tanks however I’d be glad to know.  A spit isn’t really a Spit when it’s down low (looking at you Mr clippy wing).  

There's a lever at the 1 or 2 o'clock position low where You can pressurise the tanks. The wobble pump ist only for the start up procedure as Your correctly pointed out.

Edited July 8, 2021 by Blooddawn1942

[Feathered_IV]

I’ll check it when I get home.  By one or two o’clock low, do you mean under the instrument panel?

[Dakpilot]

9 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

Attempt at humor noted, but perhaps closer to hyperbole in this case. Let’s call it a near miss in the humor department.

 

I think the hyperbole was in the other thread. The End ?

 

@ our feathery friend hope you come right with settings so you can enjoy the Spit.

 

Just run it at 25Ibs boost we all know the Merlin is helluva strong ??

 

Cheers, Dakpilot 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Dakpilot

[Blooddawn1942]

19 minutes ago, Feathered_IV said:

I’ll check it when I get home.  By one or two o’clock low, do you mean under the instrument panel?

Aye! I'm away from my rig too, so can't send a picture. There's a lever beneath the instrument panel offset to the right side which is to be pulled to the right iirc and is labeled accordingly. 

[Feathered_IV]

Got it at last! ?

It seems the trick is to turn Off the red Fuel Tank Pressure switch down on the right when turning On the fuel pressure pump underneath the trim wheel.  I did that and climbed up to 15000, awaiting the sudden and irretrievable loss of power... 

 

Nothing happened.  The Merlin kept on going and I continued on up through 16,000 and beyond.  ?

 

 

FS2020 seems to have made me into a live weather snob, so it was getting dark in this part of the world as I made climbing figure-eights over Hengchun.  Pretty delighted now with my first payware addon.

 

 

Very much enjoying the view and made it up to 33,000 before I realised I had 17% fuel remaining and should probably head back down.

 

 

Managed to put it down safely on the unlit runway.  Big thanks Arthur and BD for the help getting this thing going.  Cant wait to take it up again!  ?

 

 

 

[Lusekofte]

1 hour ago, Feathered_IV said:

Pretty delighted now with my first payware addon.

I lost over 50 % of my planes month ago. After a update. It made me so angry that I have not flown , nor purchased anything ever since. I do not have the time , nor energy to look for that hidden folder where the shit is.

But I am glad for your success, because I am not a complete asshole, just a little bit

[Feathered_IV]

Ouch, I hope you get them back.  There aren't many 3rd party planes that I'd be interested in currently.  Although I just discovered that Dave Garwood of FSX fame is rebuilding his Dragon Rapide for FS2020.  No way could I resist that.

[Gambit21]

6 hours ago, Dakpilot said:

 

I think the hyperbole was in the other thread. The End ?

 

 

 

Not so much.

Ir’s OK - they can’t all be knee-slappers. You’ll get em next time. ??

?

[itsbillyfrazier]

On 7/2/2021 at 11:15 PM, CUJO_1970 said:

This is already one of the greatest pieces of software I’ve ever purchased.

 

I've been lurking here watching all these pretty images of MSFS 2020 for awhile now.

 

For some reason this comment was my breaking point the other day. I pulled the trigger and bought the Deluxe version.... and I'm so glad i did! ?

 

Doing the Bush Trip of France (Bordeaux, Pyrenees & Alps)  and really loving it. This really is a serious piece of software, even if my aging computer doesn't do it justice, I guess it gives me another reason to get the finger out and upgrade.

 

 

 

 

[ZachariasX]

3 hours ago, Feathered_IV said:

Got it at last! ?

It seems the trick is to turn Off the red Fuel Tank Pressure switch down on the right when turning On the fuel pressure pump underneath the trim wheel.  I did that and climbed up to 15000, awaiting the sudden and irretrievable loss of power... 

Glad you sorted it out. As I don't have that aircraft (yet, I guess...) with the Bendix-Stromberg carbutetted Spits you should have a fuel pressure warning light on the lower right of your front dash. If you have a rear tank installed, you should have three position switch, OFF, On(main) , On(rear). If you fly on your main tank and you climb and that fuel pressure warning light comes on, then you turn on the main tank booster pump. Or you can use the wobble pump to get some pressure again (if installed) to make the fuel pressure warning light go out.

 

Also, you want to always turn on the booster pump of the alternative tank you are going to use before selecting fuel flow from that tank. It might be that the engine tolerates this without hicup (if there is absolutely no air in the system), but it is not the procedure not using the booster pumps.

 

The fuel tank pressure cock as I understand it, is a valve to depressurize the tank after landing. (You dont want a pressurized tank for adding AVGAS.) If you have that one on, you cannot pressurize the tank at all. You should turn that one OFF when you get ready to start the engine on the ground. I'd say is actually an open/close setting, not on/off.

 

The fuel pressure pump under the trimwheel I do not find in the PN. But there is the booster pump switch on the throttle quadrant.

[Gambit21]

1 hour ago, itsbillyfrazier said:

 

I've been lurking here watching all these pretty images of MSFS 2020 for awhile now.

 

For some reason this comment was my breaking point the other day. I pulled the trigger and bought the Deluxe version.... and I'm so glad i did! ?

 

 

 

It was @DD_Arthur and the Sinatra DC-6 video that did me in. It won’t happen for a time, but he insured that it will happen.

[Lusekofte]

1 hour ago, itsbillyfrazier said:

 

I've been lurking here watching all these pretty images of MSFS 2020 for awhile now.

 

For some reason this comment was my breaking point the other day. I pulled the trigger and bought the Deluxe version.... and I'm so glad i did! ?

 

Doing the Bush Trip of France (Bordeaux, Pyrenees & Alps)  and really loving it. This really is a serious piece of software, even if my aging computer doesn't do it justice, I guess it gives me another reason to get the finger out and upgrade.

 

 

 

 

It is not true, that software has caused millions of people a lot of headache and frustration. 

But it is the most ambitious sim project to date. And it is beautiful. However getting a chopper into the bargain seem difficult. 

[CUJO_1970]

11 hours ago, itsbillyfrazier said:

 

I've been lurking here watching all these pretty images of MSFS 2020 for awhile now.

 

For some reason this comment was my breaking point the other day. I pulled the trigger and bought the Deluxe version.... and I'm so glad i did! ?

 

Doing the Bush Trip of France (Bordeaux, Pyrenees & Alps)  and really loving it. This really is a serious piece of software, even if my aging computer doesn't do it justice, I guess it gives me another reason to get the finger out and upgrade.

 

 

Glad to hear it!

 

I built a new computer just for it, worth every penny.

 

[ZachariasX]

I had some more airtime in the DC-6, mostly to get an idea of its engine limits and their implementation. As there is the iPad in the cockpit that gives you rather detailed diagnostics one gets an idea of what works.

 

There is one thing about the DC-6 engines that I don't understand and maybe @Dakpilot can elaborateon on: So far I assumed that MAP is rpm always dependent in supercharger aspirated engines. This is nicely shown in the BoX planes where you can see that changing rpm changes MAP accordingly.

 

The DC-6 however has the MAP set as it is set by the throttle levers. I have made a couple of flights now, but what I find is even above critical altitude, changing rpm only affects torque/BMEP, but leaves indicated MAP as set by the throtte. This not just at sea level where I could explain such away with a wastegate, but even at altitude this happens.

 

Among other flights, I did the following: I climbed to FL226 on the low blower with 45'' MAP and 2600 rpm. Above critical altitude, MAP couldn't be held anymore and it started to drop while the throtte levers were full forward. I kept on climbing to 22'650 ft. and leveled off, MAP now down at 30 inches from 45 inches originally, still on the low blower gear.

 

What I found is that I had an rpm range of 1'500 to 2'500 where MAP was constant, regardless of the rpm in that band, and the engine was happy.

 

At 1'500 rpm, I got ~155 BMEP and the ~215 knots ground speed. 30'' MAP maintained.

 

At 2'000 rpm, I got ~155 BMEP and the ~260 knots ground speed. 30'' MAP maintained. But the fuel flow increased a bit.

 

At 2'500 rpm, I got ~105 BMEP and the ~235 knots ground speed. 30'' MAP (barely) maintained. Increase in fuel flow.

 

At 2'700 rpm, I got ~65 BMEP and 30'' MAP (barely) maintained. But airspeed dropped such that it turned me into a glider. Fuel flow decreased.

 

Gernerally, it is a specific feature in controlling these engines that you have to lower rpm (to cruise settings) in order to maintain a decent power output. At 2'700 rpm it is largely impossible to achieve the power output required for cruise. I am losing fuel flow, hence I must be losing air at these higher rpm!

 

About the inbuilt timers, it generally shows that increasing MAP allows higher power output. Max. power that can only be reached reasonably down low is full throttle, water injection and 2'700 rpm. However, if you climb away like that, very quickly you'll see the BMEP dials drop (a lot!) while you still have decent MAP (maybe 45 inches or so) and 2'700 rpm. But the crate gets tired. Dialing down to 2'600 rpm (yes... climbing rpm), then the BMEP dials go back up to 190 or so and you'll have a good climb. One out ofthe book, for that matter.

 

This also makes it near impossible beating the power settings recommended by the manual. I made a couple of climbs to 25'000 ft will full power, but I mostly earned four blown engines at 25k ft. Or they were in a bad state already and one would blow when switching supercharger gears.

 

If you go higher, you can maintain good BMEP (~155, as the book says) by dialing further back on the rpm. Had you kept MAP and rpm higher, you'd still have less power output and a slow aircraft.

 

In the example above, I am too high above critical altitude of the blower to make for an efficient journey. But by going down to 2'000 rpm, I am actually not that much below desired efficiency. I mean, I would never have thought that such a configuration would make that much sense. (Ideally at this altitude I should have high blower that would give me ~41'' max. MAP and I would go with 35 inches and 2'300 rpm. Then I had about 150 BMEP.)

 

But why does MAP not change between 1'500 and 2700 rpm?? I mean, I should have about the double amout of air for the engine at 2'700 rpm?? In BoX, the MAP always rises nicely when upping rpm. What is going on in the DC-6?

 

 

Now regarding THE TIMER:

 

If you keep max. power setting from a wet takeoff, then you will outclimb the altitude where MAP is still high enough for requiring water injection before water ran out. You can however fly at low level with this power setting until water ran out. Funny enough, once water is gone, you can still fly and the engines will be ok as long as the switches are still set to water injection. The engines do not produce smoke, but there are no contrails to the plane anyway. But the engines will become delicate and lose power. It's like the "exceeded timer" functions dials your MAP back to 45 inches or so and you will not get the power back, you engine is toast. In this light, I don't think that the P-47 is that much neutered, it is the 190 and the 109 that are given a lot of slack.

 

Should you do what you do in BoX to "conserve timer", dialing back rpm, say to 2'500, then the engines blow in about 1 minute and you become a glider. This DC-6 HATES you going high power, low rpm as the internal stress of the engine, seen in the BMEP produced, goes up dramatically.

 

In this light, it is well probable that some dudes flew their crates at obscene MAP, especially in very hot and humid climates, where a MAP much smaller than a MAP in cold and dry climate. You can do this if you rev your engine very, very high, as this will absorb structural load. But one has to keep in mind that net thrust is not that much higher as one might expect compared to a slightly coarser pitched prop. In any case, you'd be riding on the edge. In BoX, we have largely indistructible engines (compared to the many ways you can kill the engine in the DC-6) and having a study level engine tolerances, that would surely result in a great lot of blown engines. Especially given such engines hate you wiggling the throttle too hard (and will make themself noted about that).

 

[Monostripezebra]

Just a reminder.. July 25th as aniversary for the Bleriot channel crossing is coming up!

[CUJO_1970]

Had a little 170 show up in my hanger:

 

 

[ZachariasX]

Some more serious flying in the DC-6 again. Finally I made it from Torreon International (MMTC) to Panama Marcos A. Gelabert International (MPMG). Some 1700 nm as the crow flies. A relatively short leg. Still I got careful and took full fuel load but no weight other than that.

 

The gyro pilot is indeed hooked up to "sensitive equipment" as stated by the manual and (as long as that doesn't fail) is extremely reliable and accurate. The heading bug is a very useful method to get where you want. The weather was great as well. After killing a lot of engines in stress testing, I resorted to specified power settings.

 

Not too long into the flight, that changed. That was the moment where I revised my oppinion about aequatorial flying in Central America being of "no problem" and appreciated being able to fly above 20k ft.

 

There were thunderstorms all along the way an in the Cessna, that would have been very unpleasant. As I cruised along at some 22k ft. following the heading bug and dialing in to different nav beacons to get an idea of my position, I had to think about how I will do the landing in Panama. MPMG doesn't have neither an ILS or a VOR. But there is a VOR in the Island of Taboga, just some 11 nm in front of the runway, allmost exactly in the direction of RWY 01. I will use that one as directinal beacon. I will intercept it at a bearing of 10° and just pass it. I should be at about 3500 ft, when I pass that localizer. I rule out an approach from the north. There be hills and the beacon will be less precise over that distance. Windy suggested little wind in Panama, so RWY 01 it will be. Regardless of what the tower says. At least the weather cleared along the southernmost coast of Mexico. I'm just passing the Reserva de la Biosfera La Encrucijada. It has a very prominent kind of coastline.

 

Later in the flight, a familiar sight appeared.

 

I have been here before. Guatemala City. the airport has an interesting approach in between of volcanoes.

 

At least the weather here is not that bad. I hope it will be so farther south as well. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case and the further south I flew, the more thunderstorms appeared.

 

Dialing in on some localizers, I saw that I was within range of Panama and needed to start my descent. I could even tune into MPMG tower and ask for a landing. But they wanted me to come in from the north. No way. I proceed as planned. But the weather... down there to the far left, some 40 nm away, there should be the airport. I proceed the intercept of my 10° VOR radial, guessing glideslope by distance from the VOR.

 

I really hope I will get a visual of the runway in time. It is evening now... but after turning in on the radial, I can see the island where the beacon is placed, just ahead. The left one. But the cloud bank above it worries me.

 

Passing the VOR and now following the radial in direction "From", things get messy. Some 10 nm to the airport.

 

Bloody rain. I can't see much, but remebering my last visit, the runway must be in between those two hills.

 

What else can i do but just let it fly there. I prepare myself for a go-around. But suddenly, the ruunway comes into sight. In about the right place.

 

I am a tad too high, but better than than too low among these hills. I cut the power let it glide in. It is windy, but the landing was smooth. Bloody thunderstorms.

 

A decent VOR would come very handy here. But I am happy that, even though ATC hated me, the approach worked as planned.

 

Now.. i figure where to go Nex. Probably La Paz, some 1700 nm. But that will require some more planning.

[Bremspropeller]

Spoiler

 

 

 

Found any of them "papers" yet?

[Monostripezebra]

16 hours ago, CUJO_1970 said:

Had a little 170 show up in my hanger:

I have the same issue.. and I love it.

 

[ZachariasX]

So... after asking around, I think I found the reason why MAP in the DC-6 remains constant across the whore rpm range, where the engine can operate. It is simple, MSFS cannot do superchargers. It doesn't offet that functionality (yet). All you can do on the dev side is offset the ambient MAP. In case of a two speed supercharger, you can toggle between two MAP offsets, but essentially the engine will act like an unaspirated engine. And this is what I am seeing in the DC-6. What a bummer. No wonder A2A simulations are not bringing anything (yet) to MSFS. It just can't do complex aircraft yet. Jörg being against developpers taking the systems out of the simulator does not help either.

 

Ah, well. the plane is still fun.

[Dakpilot]

I was going to say things are not always how they seem they should be in sims vs RL, because it sounded a bit odd and recommend downloading the r/L manual from somwhere. 

 

I never flew with DC-6 the DC-4 was not pressurised so we rarely flew above 12000ft and had no oxygen, we also only had MP and RPM no torque/BMEP guages 

 

Glad you got to the bottom of it and hope this limitation is updated in the future 

 

Cheers, Dakpilot 

[DD_Arthur]

 

[CUJO_1970]

Oh my, it's impossible not to get this bird^^

[Feathered_IV]

Looks like even God Almighty is making flight sims now.  

[ZachariasX]

1 hour ago, Feathered_IV said:

Looks like even God Almighty is making flight sims now.  

Yes and he‘s talking to @Gambit21.

[Monostripezebra]

Dear Fellow Early Airplane Enthusiasts..

 

I promised elsewhere to make a reminder, and here it is: the 10 day countdown to flying the Channel in MSFS with Bleriots on July 25th and everyone is invited to join!

 

Meeting point is Calais, takeoff at IRL sunrise time (06:09) MESZ I will be on western euro servers, but off course everyone feel free to form their own flying sewing machine gaggles and post their experience here.

 

Recomend is the R.I.P Ansani version and live weather.. Have fun!

 

 

 

 

[ZachariasX]

Unfortunately I will not be near my rig on that day. But I assume you'll capture a nice vid of the flights.

[SYN_Vander]

I bought the plane for this occasion and now I realize I won't be at home on July 25! ?

[AndyJWest]

06:09 MESZ? Authentic, I suppose, but I'm not sure I'll be awake, unless I stay up all night. I'll give it ago, if I can convince my body clock to cooperate.

 

Are you going to use Teamspeak or something? It might help with coordinating things...

[Gambit21]

13 hours ago, ZachariasX said:

Yes and he‘s talking to @Gambit21.

 

It’s that plane (and Arthur) that sold me...and I’m not normally a civil-sim kind of guy. 

[Feathered_IV]

I wasn’t either, but it’s made a believer out of me. I’ve found much more satisfaction lately finding my way with a map and compass in changing weather, than I ever had getting shot down and strafed in my chute by some pimple farm on Wings of Liberty. 

Edited July 16, 2021 by Feathered_IV

[Gambit21]

12 hours ago, Feathered_IV said:

I wasn’t either, but it’s made a believer out of me. I’ve found much more satisfaction lately finding my way with a map and compass in changing weather, than I ever had getting shot down and strafed in my chute by some pimple farm on Wings of Liberty. 

 

I can see that ? 

 

I’ve always known that with the proper mechanics in place I could easily enjoy flying a transport on BoX.

 

Anyhoo...with regard to MSFS, I’ll be doing this at some point.

 

Can you save in mid-flight?

 

 

 

 

 

[CUJO_1970]

18 hours ago, Feathered_IV said:

getting shot down and strafed in my chute by some pimple farm on Wings of Liberty. 

 

???

[ZachariasX]

14 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

Can you save in mid-flight?

Unfortunately no. It is possible in FSX and P3D but not (yet?) a functionality in MSFS. You have to restart and maybe slew your aircraft back in position, as precise positioning on the global map is semi-practical.