Is the plane alive?

[disidd]

No development news since summer.  Is the plane alive?

[mizra108]

Very much, just set the ignition knob to GRD and add fuel, she’ll come alive in no time 

[Cameron]

4 hours ago, disidd said:

No development news since summer.  Is the plane alive?

Does it suddenly not work for you?

[disidd]

6 hours ago, Cameron said:

Does it suddenly not work for you?

VNAV, HOLDING do not work properly. The question is not that the plane is not working, the question is will it work correctly? Or did the development stop there?

[disidd]

10 hours ago, mizra108 said:

Very much, just set the ignition knob to GRD and add fuel, she’ll come alive in no time 

[Litjan]

No, development is not dead, it is just taking a pause because Tom is busy with something else. That is the way it has always has been, I wish we could do this full-time but this is not economically feasible. So we have to pursue other avenues of making a living that sometimes preclude us working on the 737.

The plan to implement/improve VNAV, holding and a slew of other features has not changed, but as always we can´t provide an estimate or much less promise when it gets done. We are fully aware of our customers waiting for these features and will endevour to complete them as soon as we can.

For VNAV and Holdings I made videos that show how to "get around" this functionality missing. 

https://forums.x-pilot.com/forums/topic/17872-ixeg-videos-13-and-onward/

This is not an excuse to not do them - but the real aircraft´s FMS is covered by the MEL, so you can actually fly it in regular passenger service withouth the FMC working (I have done this once in my career in the late 90s.).

Cheers, Jan

 

[aljaz41]

Jan, I had no idea that the FMS was on the MEL so I'd like to ask you a question. There's been a movement towards more and more RNAV operations in recent years if I'm not mistaken. Things like RNAV departure and arrival procedures with some airports (I believe Austria is quite famous for that?) completely abandoning conventional SIDs and STARs which means you need an RNAV capable equipment on board. Free Route Airspaces have also seem to be appearing but that I find it easier to manage with the IXEG 737. I'm wondering, if you're left without an FMS and assuming the ATC doesn't want to help you (or you get a radio failure on top of everything), what would you do? How would you fly an arrival at an airport like Salzburg for example?

[Litjan]

I don´t recall what the MEL says exactly, but usually it has a modifier that says "unless it is needed for the type of flight/approach intended".

So technically you can fly without CATIIIa capability, but it wouldn´t be smart to do so when going to an airport that is fogged in.

I am not sure what the MEL says on the 737 Classics still flying today - but as far as I know it is not mandatory to be RNAV5 capable in Europe yet. You may not be able to fly in free route airspaces, or maybe you can and would get vectors in that case.

Same goes for RNP arrivals - often there are backup procedures or ATC would offer vectors - or you simply can´t go to an airport that mandates use of those procedures.

My company still flew A320s (before Covid) that had no GPS on board - they couldn´t fly RNP1 or GPS approaches, either.

Cheers, Jan

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by Litjan

[CYUL900]

How long before development will get back on track Tom?

Feel we should have been informed that development was put on hold.  

Edited December 30, 2020 by CYUL900

[pita12]

On 12/14/2020 at 1:04 PM, aljaz41 said:

Jan, I had no idea that the FMS was on the MEL so I'd like to ask you a question. There's been a movement towards more and more RNAV operations in recent years if I'm not mistaken. Things like RNAV departure and arrival procedures with some airports (I believe Austria is quite famous for that?) completely abandoning conventional SIDs and STARs which means you need an RNAV capable equipment on board. Free Route Airspaces have also seem to be appearing but that I find it easier to manage with the IXEG 737. I'm wondering, if you're left without an FMS and assuming the ATC doesn't want to help you (or you get a radio failure on top of everything), what would you do? How would you fly an arrival at an airport like Salzburg for example?

737ng can be flown without FMS and I did it a copule of years ago(Both FMS failure at an airport with no maintance cover). You just set the vspeed and N1 limit using the knobs instead. Regarding the RNAV,  Airports  should have  contingency procedures in case an aircraft lose its rnav capability(eg:omnidirectional departure or radio aids to hold in case of radio failure). In Salzburg the airways bring you directly over the VOR and from there you can star your procedure.