Fire switch not working, controls rudder/pitch locked

[Styggron]

Hello everyone,

Found some possible bugs.

Besides engines never starting unless I start on the run way and not cold and dark (see other thread) I have found the following

1. Sometimes surface controls remain locked even though they are not shown as locked in the cockpit. Rudder and pitch not functioning. (Only B377 affected all other planes ok). This is not consistent just happens sometimes but often enough to be frustrating as you need to quit, get back to FSX, start on active runway THEN it works. Then you quit and start up at parking and your controls are now ok.

2. There is a C02 fire supression button in the middle of fire warning 2 and 3. This switch does not seem to work. I cannot turn it on. The APU Co2 is fine but not the other one. You can click but nothing changes, mouse wheel, up down, nothing......this is a problem when I have fires.
[EDIT: I think I found that this might have been because I did not use the selection switches first]

3. I put in the latest accu sim update. It did not detect B377 but it did detect COTS. I only applied the latest did not try to get old ones and do them in order.


Thanks in advance everyone.

[Jacques]

For the update, if you have COTS, it will not detect the 377. I know that seems strange, but it is correct and normal.

You got fires figured out? Good! ( If you have an engine fire, you operate the gang switch for the affected engine which, in turn, isolates fuel and oil to the engine and arms and fires the CO2 for that engine. First shot as always worked, I'll have to play around and see if I can see what you see.)

As far as your control surfaces being locked, the control lock bar is forward of your center pedestal and at the bottom of the instrument panel. if it is sticking up, your surfaces are locked, if you can't see it, they should be unlocked. I've never had them behave in a contrary manner.

[Styggron]

For the update, if you have COTS, it will not detect the 377. I know that seems strange, but it is correct and normal.

You got fires figured out? Good!

As far as your control surfaces being locked, the control lock bar is forward of your center pedestal and at the bottom of the instrument panel. if it is sticking up, your surfaces are locked, if you can't see it, they should be unlocked. I've never had them behave in a contrary manner.

Ummm yes I already mentioned in my post about the control locks, I know how they work, they are fine but you have no rudder and no pitch control. Sometimes you do sometimes you don't. The only way out is quit, set plane to active run way, quit, set plane back to where you wanted it to be in the first place.

[Killratio]

As to controls locking, make sure you don't have a stray "z" being thrown out by a joystick button, axis etc.

[Styggron]

As to controls locking, make sure you don't have a stray "z" being thrown out by a joystick button, axis etc.

Good suggestion. How can I check that ? I don't have a joystick button assigned to do that.

Also it would not explain why the control locks on the cockpit is coming up as unlocked (ie all the way down).
Worth a try though....


Oh also I see you have a Spitfire, do you have it without Accu-Sim ? If so was wondering if not having accu-sim makes it far easier to fly.

[Killratio]

I can't remember whether there is a standard or not, so long since I've used the FSX/P3D basic controls. But if you look down the lists of functions you may find it.

I usually find it happens to me when I reach out of the Spit and over across to the keyboard.

The easiest way to check is, next time it happens, hit "Z" ...if you get the "off" beeps, then it was active and "something" has triggered it. It is actually the AUTOPILOT, not a control lock, so yes, your VC control lock will still show as off but the controls will feel locked. (actually the FSX autopilot fighting you).

Yes, Picked up the Spitfire somewhere along the way .

Accusim will make a difference mostly in the engine handling and sound. Nope, not easier to fly but easier to handle without Accusim. Some people complain that the engine management is too hard...largely people who know nothing about baby Spitfires.


Darryl

[Styggron]

I can't remember whether there is a standard or not, so long since I've used the FSX/P3D basic controls. But if you look down the lists of functions you may find it.

I usually find it happens to me when I reach out of the Spit and over across to the keyboard.

The easiest way to check is, next time it happens, hit "Z" ...if you get the "off" beeps, then it was active and "something" has triggered it. It is actually the AUTOPILOT, not a control lock, so yes, your VC control lock will still show as off but the controls will feel locked. (actually the FSX autopilot fighting you).

Yes, Picked up the Spitfire somewhere along the way .

Accusim will make a difference mostly in the engine handling and sound. Nope, not easier to fly but easier to handle without Accusim. Some people complain that the engine management is too hard...largely people who know nothing about baby Spitfires.


Darryl

Thank you so much.

Fantastic this is MOST helpful. Yes it MIGHT have been the stray Z somewhere !!! The autopilot would be fighting you it all makes sense. Thanks HEAPS !!!!! You're wonderful !!! Lets see if that is what it is.

As for the Spitfire, the problem with Accu-sim is you can't "turn it off" which is silly and one of the first things that should be coded in. By easier to handle do you mean things like overheating and take off, starting is easier without accu sim than with ?

I am a big spitfire fan but I'd like to ease in and I think Accu-sim might make it too hard, plus it is very expensive (usually 2/3 of the aircraft cost, 1/3 tops would be better......yes I know it takes them a lot to make that I understand) when you add it to the aircraft combined.

[Killratio]

Glad to help.

Shift 3 brings up a menu where you can turn off the damage modelling in accusim, leaving all of the "good" stuff.

The aircraft without accusim is perfectly servicable and IMHO much better than any of the others on offer, with the possible exception of the Realair IX / XIV package (I still prefer the A2A, but I would say that)

I did fly it recently without accusim and I did enjoy it...just not as much.

After several thousand hours I still smile every time I climb into the Spitfire...engine damage is just a side benefit.


The A2A aircraft are really "The Accusim", that is why it is a large portion of the price...and of course since the C172, the "package" is not split anyhow..reflecting this.

[Styggron]

Glad to help.

Shift 3 brings up a menu where you can turn off the damage modelling in accusim, leaving all of the "good" stuff.

The aircraft without accusim is perfectly servicable and IMHO much better than any of the others on offer, with the possible exception of the Realair IX / XIV package (I still prefer the A2A, but I would say that)

I did fly it recently without accusim and I did enjoy it...just not as much.

After several thousand hours I still smile every time I climb into the Spitfire...engine damage is just a side benefit.


The A2A aircraft are really "The Accusim", that is why it is a large portion of the price...and of course since the C172, the "package" is not split anyhow..reflecting this.

Indeed. Yes the non splitting is a problem and will stop me getting future craft unless on sale and sales are very rare. The first sale this year was only for this weekend and only 1 product so they don't like having sales sadly. I was expecting 3-4 in a year across the line but nope. The exchange rate is also unhelpful but not under their control of course but it affects me. I will have to get the Spit and a few others without accu sim while they are available like that and of course some Air Craft Factory ones.


Yes I would have liked to see a later model Spitfire. I know you can turn damage off but does this make it the same as without accu sim for handling ?

Don't have antything by RealAir, i think they lock your install to one computer which I will not put up with.

In the Spit can I use the FSX GPS ? Always intrigued re navigation in the Spitfire as it has no VORs or anything. I know A2A have their map system but I'd like to still use the default FSX GPS just to starters to ease into things. I would love to be able to just jump in and fly the spit it is my favourite aircraft of all time. Second is the Lancaster. I really want to buy the Avro Anson as it is non accu sim and a good price.

[Killratio]

Yes I would have liked to see a later model Spitfire. I know you can turn damage off but does this make it the same as without accu sim for handling ?

Don't have antything by RealAir, i think they lock your install to one computer which I will not put up with.

In the Spit can I use the FSX GPS ?

I can't really answer the first part..even if I disabled it, after so many hours I do so much automatically that I doubt I could tell whether it is easier or not...maybe someone who has tried will chime in?
Flying with a full throw control set makes things much different to a desktop anyhow.

I don't deal with Realair anymore either..but that is another story.

Without a panel.cfg amendment you can't use the GPS in the Spitfire but as I don't use GPS in the air at all, real or Sim, I can't help much. I did do a change at one stage to add ADF to the Spit but it was a hardware ADF I was using in lieu of Lorenz, so just the aircraft .cfg needed to have adf turned on but I didn't need to change the panel itself. If it can be made to work with the 377, then it can be done with the Spitfire as well, I would imagine.

Yes, the Anson is a nice little bus. I just find it hard to fly anything non-accusim these days...well, actually, apart from testing, I find it hard to fly anything but the Spitfire

[Killratio]

Oh..and as to navigation in the Spitfire.....if you ever really want to feel pain, use the P-8 Compass. A fantastic bit of kit that is accurate to within about 5 degrees for a skilled user!!

I can get within 5-7 degrees. Between parallax error, aircraft movement and similar looking compass points, it is a nightmare.

I tend to aim for a LOT of coastlines..nothing quite as accurate as the "large blue compass"

[Styggron]

Oh..and as to navigation in the Spitfire.....if you ever really want to feel pain, use the P-8 Compass. A fantastic bit of kit that is accurate to within about 5 degrees for a skilled user!!

I can get within 5-7 degrees. Between parallax error, aircraft movement and similar looking compass points, it is a nightmare.

I tend to aim for a LOT of coastlines..nothing quite as accurate as the "large blue compass"

Cheers

[Styggron]

Ok your hint helped and there is now no surface control locks. Well, bar just once where only the front nose wheel would not turn for some reason. Maybe I hit the lock for the front wheel. I must have.

So now it is only how to use the fire system. I had Number 2 catch fire so I hit the fire switches for number 2 and hit the CO2 twice. (only works twice) but the fire remained.

[Killratio]

So now it is only how to use the fire system. I had Number 2 catch fire so I hit the fire switches for number 2 and hit the CO2 twice. (only works twice) but the fire remained.

I don't fly the 377 but occasionally do the B-17 (to be honest, more than two engines make my brain hurt) and the fire system is not a guarantee that the fire will go out...it depends on how bad the underlying cause is....so if there is an oil leak and flash fire, you may get the fire out and some nice black smoke. But if the fuel lines burn through and a fuel pump is still happily squirting fuel onto the fire, "your results may vary" *G*


And yep, accusim does go into that kind of depth. When something goes wrong, I don't even bother thinking "what would the programmed cause be"? I automatically think "black smoke, what's my oil temp?..OK, what's the pressure?..right, high temp, pressure OK, cylinder?..or low pressure, temp rising, oil line?".... etc etc.