rddaos

There are always improvements that can be made. For example, maybe put descriptions on more of the instruments so when you hover the mouse over the instrument the description pops up. And, it doesn't appear you can test magnetos by cranking the ignition to R, L, or both. These are minor things, the most important for me would be updating the lettering, that would make the cockpit pop. And for pete's sake, get some bigger speed brakes. I don't see how those tiny little things that pop up can ever slow an aircraft down. Joking. I'd be interested in knowing what updates are coming with the next update and/or version 2.0, and ballpark time frame for releasing those updates.

What would make the Corvalis better? For me, it would be nice if the control stick, and rudder pedals moved. Also it would be nice if the lettering on the cockpit buttons were crisper and easier to read. I bought the Yak 55 payware and the font on the instruments is very crisp and sharp. Conversly, I have the ERJ ..150 I think it is, my GOD is the font blurry - very hard to read! I'm sure there are many other things that could improve the aircraft, but since I don't know very much about flight systems, I wouldn't notice them. By the way, what's a "DRM system"? I tried googling it, but I cannot find information on this acronym. I assume I can get my hands on the new release in ...a month or so? Thanks!

Just wanted to know if there are any plans to release an updated version of the Cessna. It's a great airplane, but would be even better with an updated version and updated manual. Incidentally, I noticed today that it doens't appear to simulate DME equipment. Maybe the next version could include DME? Thanks!

No, I cannot load any flight plans. Please see the attached flight plan file. I had to attach it as a .txt file extension, because the website doesnt accept .fms extensions. Thanks! MIA_to_UCA2.txt

I created a flight plan in the C400 flight computer and then saved it. Although I can use the C400 computer to browse for the saved flight plan, and I can indeed locate it, when I load it, nothing happens. Any ideas? Thanks...

Perhaps this is a limitation in the flight physics of xplane?? You would think that based on xplane's flight model, real world behavior, like spins, would be easy to replicate.

I have been trying to practice spin recovery in the Corvalis. But I cannot get the plane to go into a spin. I've heard that it should be easy, just go into a steep climb, and once the stall horn goes off, apply full rudder. The only thing I've been able to accomplish is a normal dive, not a flat spin. Does the corvalis flight model not emulate spin behavior? Thanks!

A minor comment: Some cockpit controls in the Corvalis seem overly-finnicky about where you have to grab them with the mouse to operate them. For example, the flaps control. If you hover the mouse over certain areas, you cannot operate it even though the cursor icon changes from a pointer to a hand. You almost have to grab it right at its hinge to work it. Some of the knobs are also a bit touchy - especially in 3D view. You have to grab at open space - quite a ways out to the side of the knobs. Don't want to nit pick, but it's tough hand-flying the plane in 3D view while trying to do the controls. And resorting to keyboard shortcuts gives a less immersive experience.

I got the gizmo plugin a while back when i bought the corvalis. And now i've bought the mitsubishi MU-2, which I cannot activate for some odd reason. I thought maybe I needed a newer version of gizmo, so i went back to x aviation, but now it seems gizmo is no longer free? I don't remember gizmo costing before. But this is neither here nor there, I just wonder if my trouble in activating the MU-2 is due to the fact that i have an older version of gizmo. Oh and one other question. I'm probably the only one still clueless about this but ....will the payware aircraft be compatible with the new version of x plane, i.e. x plane 10?

By the way, am I the only one who's flight plan is wiped out when I save the situation and close x plane? After quitting x plane and returning to it, the FMS is empty. I then have to go reload the flight plan and scroll through waypoints to direct to the appropriate waypoint. And in lieu of that, I can pause the simulation - except this causes a different and even more severe issue - after pausing the sim overnight, and coming back to it - the frame rate is totally destroyed and the simulation is barely limping along on its last legs with full fog. Anyone else ever seen this issue?

I had an issue as well with flight plans not loading. I never figured out what the problem was, but I assumed it was because I used parenthenses in the name. You see, I created a flight plan for KJFK to KDTW and saved it as ....KJFK (new york) to KDTW (detroit), but couldnt load it - but then I created another KJFK to KDTW plan and saved it as KJFK to KDTW and was able to load it. The flight plan file without the parenthenses is the only one I use now

I didn't realize that icing was modeled with the corvalis. I'll try the same route with some pitot heat and see what happens. I haven't really experienced the HSI going crazy with other routes. I'm going to try a few experiements and see if I can replicate the malfunction and figure out exactly what is triggering it. Will report back.

I've tried twice to fly from KJFK (new york) to KDTW (detroit). Each time, towards the end of the trip, near one of the last waypoints, the autopilot goes bonkers and flies beside the waypoint, instead of right over it, and then the plane stays banked and flies in the wrong random direction instead of proceeding toward the next waypoint. Also, the HSI goes haywire and freezes up. The plane can bank, or climb, or dive and the HSI doesnt respond. The horizon doesn't reflect the true orientation of the plane, the heading stays frozen and doesn't change as the plane changes heading. Attached is a screenshot showing that even with the plane banked at 90 degrees (basically falling out of the sky), the HSI still indicates a nearly horizontal orientation. Please advise.

Just wanted to report on some "interesting" phenomena I've experienced during my flight attempts in the Corvalis. Lately, I've been so busy that I've had to break my flights up into 30 minute increments, stretching over a period of days. So i'll fly for 30 minutes (checking in every few minutes to make sure autopilot crashed me), and then I pausinge x plane and coming back later. In the process I've noticed that each day when I come back unpause the flight, the frame rate has taken a hit. It gets so bad that by the 3rd day, x plane has introduced fog to reduce visibility to zero, and still the frame rate is choppy. But here's where it gets interesting. Last night, in the midst of thick fog and a choppy frame rate, as I passed over the 3rd to the last waypoint, the autopilot, instead of turning directly toward the next waypoint, took a looping course and flew past it (instead of over it) then continued in a straight line. As a test, I tried to redirect the autopilot to a different waypoint, but that threw it into a circular flying pattern. Worse yet, even though the plane was circling, the HSI needle wasn't moving, and the heading indicator kept reading 279 degrees. could this have had anything to do with halloween?

That is one thing I did not check, will keep that in mind. I did reload plane and it started right up. cheers...

Had trouble starting the Corvalis this morning. I have both batteries on, mixture set to full rich, throttle open about 1/4". I depress the primer for 5 seconds (although it's hard to tell for sure if it stays depressed since it doesn't appear to be a manipulator that is visibly depressed). I turn the key, the props turn over and I can hear the starter, but the engine doesn't start. Are there any "likely culprits" that I might check? I didn't have this issue the other day so I don't know what could be wrong. Thanks...

I'm having trouble finding an instrument approach plate or a depature procedure or even a .pdf airport diagram of Sangster airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Anyonw know where I can find one? Thanks!

I have programmed the FMS, put the corvalis on autopilot, cycled the HSI to GPS, pressed the "direct to" key on the FMS ready pad, pressed the "N" (navigation) button on the PFD, set the bearing input to GPS, and yet the autopilot is merely tracking my current heading. I'm having trouble figuring out how to get the AP to ignore the heading bug on the HSI and instead direct the aircraft per the FMS. Please see the attached files and THANKS!

What's going on is a simple thermodynamic combustion process that produces shaft work. If it were explained as such, I would probably get it. Thanks for pointing out that the throttle is merely a valve restricting air flow. That is VERY important information, whithout which, an explanation a mile long still wouldn't make sense to me. I'd like to be able to reason my way through the mixture settings from a physics standpoint. The problem is, there are still (i'm guessing) about 3 more puzzle pieces missing from my knowledge. So please allow ME to explain to YOU how the Corvalis mixture settings OUGHT to work, and then you can point out the variables I'm failing to account for. Throttle: Limits the amount of air (oxygen) available for reacting with fuel. The throttle has 2 sides - the side open to the atmosphere, and the engine side. When the cylinder head moves to draw air into the combustion chamber, the throttle valve blocks some of the air from moving from the atmosphere side to the engine side. Therefore, the cylinder head actually draws a partial vaccuum into the cylinder, i.e. the air in the cylinder is less dense, i.e. contains less oxygen. Therefore, the maximum engine power is achievable with a wide open throttle. Now why an open throttle helps to cool the engine, I can't say. If cooling is solely attributable to excess air diluting the hot combustion gases (CO2 + H2O), then leaning the mixture should give the same result. Somehow, in addition to restricting the amount of air that gets into the combustion chamber, the throttle must ALSO be preventing air from passing over the engine block. Mixture control: self-explanatory. Propeller pitch control? A mystery. Don't know why it matters. If the throttle is 1/2 way open, and the mixture is 3/4 toward full-rich, then the air & fuel flow to the combustion chamber is fixed, i.e. the amount combustion energy is fixed, i.e. the amount of power (thrust) the propellers can generate is fixed. You would THINK then that increasing the pitch would simply make the props harder to move through the air, and there would be a corresponding decrease in rpm - the end result being the increase in pitch is cancelled by a decrease in rpm. Of course, this assumes the propeller can spin at a different rpm than the engine crankshaft, and that the EGT is unaffected by changing the pitch. Exhaust gas temperature. The hotter the EGT, the more energy wasted to the atmosphere, i.e. the less combustion energy converted to spinning the propeller. However, one can't tell solely from the EGT how efficiently the engine is running because the mixture effects the EGT as well - hence one watches for the PEAK in EGT. One more gap in my knowledge. Does running rich REALLY provide enough excess fuel to cool the engine at high power settings solely by virtue of the fact that the unburned fuel itself soaks up enough heat to cool the EGT significantly? Is that the total picture?? If so, wow!

Thanks for the information. But now my cylinder head temperatures went bonkers, and I can't figure out how to get them to come down. I'm sitting on the runway trying to figure it out. I've tried running full power and full rich, I've tried running full power and lean of peak. Temperature is just continually creeping up. What's the best way to reduce the CHT, please? Who knows, maybe I have to actually be in the air flying around for the CHT to come down. Gonna give it try. Back to mixture settings. I've done some reading on mixture control, and it seems most of the articles are long and complicated while presenting very little useful information. i HAVE, however, taken away a few key points from my reading, i.e. at high power settings, the engine creates lots of heat and the mixture should be rich to cool the engine, but at low power settings, you can run lean of peak for fuel economy. Oh yeah, and also that during descent, I may need to enrich the mixture since the air density goes up. But other than that, mixture controls are still a mystery. By the way, what's the purpose of adjusting the propeller control and manifold pressure?

Thanks for clearing that up. I actually wasn't watching carefully enough at first when I first hit peak and the blue bars were set to their max. So subsequently, I couldn't understand why the bars were frozen. Now it makes sense. ;D -rddaos

Quick question on leaning the mixture for fuel economy. I've read the POH and the tutorial that come with the Cessna 400. My understanding is that the peak TIT temperature is indicated by the blue bar on the TIT gauge, and I should operate about 50 degrees lean of peak (at power settings less than 65%). In fact, best power is reached at 1625 degrees. Well, the blue bars are right in the middle of the red (danger) zone, at about 1800 degrees. 50 degrees lean of this "peak" is 1750 degrees, which is still in the red zone. Moreover, the blue bars don't seem to change position as I change the throttle setting, they're stuck at 1800 degrees. So even if I'm at 50% of power (throttle), I cannot operate at 50 degrees lean of this peak. Also, it appears as I move the mixture setting, I peak out in temperature - not at the blue bars, but at a significantly lower temperature, so I'm not sure if the blue bars truly represent the peak temperature. Any suggestions? If it's as simple as adjusting mixture to hit 1625 degrees, that's pretty easy. But something tells me there's more to it. I'm a little foggy on how this leaning procedure works as you can tell ;D

I'm currently working through some tutorials on setting up radios, and I have 3 major questions: 1. Why there are two different COM radios (COM 1 & COM 2) each with an active and standby frequency (a total of 4 frequencies)? Why not just use a single COM radio with a single frequency and switch the frequency as needed? Or better yet, why not have 10 COM radios, if more is better? 2. My understanding is that the NAV radios exist so that aircraft instruments (e.g. ADF) may recieve signals from waypoint beacons, while the COM radios exist so that the pilot can have conversations with humans (e.g. air traffic control). Is this the correct distinction between the two categories of radio? 3. Is it only necessary to manually switch between waypoint frequencies when flying by hand? In other words, if the autopilot is engaged, and each waypoint has already been fed into the FMS, is there any need to fiddle with the NAV radios along the way? Thanks guys!

I'm currently working through the Cessna Corvalis tutorial, and I hope someone will be generous enough to answer a few questions (fingers crossed): 1) The tutorial instructs me to set the altimeter according to ATIS. However, what is the procedure for doing this? Because as I understand it, the altimeter knob on the PFD is for selecting an altitude for the autopilot to climb/descend to. I don't want to change my selected altitude, only to calibrate the altimeter. 2) It appears that whenever I save and exit x plane, the flight plan I entered into the FMS is wiped out! Is there a way to avoid this? 3) The tutorial states that air traffic control will contact me with vectors when I'm approaching my destination. But the tower did not contact me, I must be missing a step. Hitting the "enter" key brings up a menu where I can choose to request vectors - but am I really supposed to request vectors through this menu because the tutorial doesn't say that? Put it this way, if I'm flying toward the destination airport, am tuned into the destination tower frequency on COM 1, and I have my FMS set up with the destination airport as my last waypoint, what ELSE do I need to do to automatically be contacted by the tower with vectors?

A certain tutorial I'm currently going through instructs me (in autopilot) to press the "nose up" key to enter the vertical speed. I don't see any "nose up" key in XPlane's menus and the elevator trim key doesn't seem to work either. Any ideas? Thanks...