Making the FE do stuff

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Chairman
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Joined: 17 Nov 2014, 16:46

Making the FE do stuff

Post by Chairman »

Disclaimer : I bought the Connie about 2 minutes ago and haven't even downloaded it yet, this may be completely obvious when I actually try to fly it ...

I watched Captain Mac's full flight tutorial where he couldn't make the FE start the engines, and I'm pretty sure (although it was 4am when I watched it) in the comments someone from A2A said he should have used the checklist in the sim not a printed one and if he'd used ctrl-E to start the engines the FE would have snapped to it nicely. Does this mean that to make the FE start the engines you just turn the master ignition on then hit ctr-E (or 4 variations of it to start the individual engines) and turn the individual ignitions on at the appropriate moments ?

The shift-3 popup panel has 3 buttons with fairly generic labels at the bottom to make the FE do stuff, but I haven't seen anything in the manual to suggest exactly what they will make him do ?

As I say it may all be obvious when I try it, but in the meantime, any clues ?

Cheers :)
G.

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Tug002
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Re: Making the FE do stuff

Post by Tug002 »

He will do everything the flight engineer is supposed to do but it is fun to do it yourself while airborne on a long journey.
Ctrl E will set everything up and have him start the engines but it is more fun to do it yourself.

Keep smiling
Tug :)

flapman
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Re: Making the FE do stuff

Post by flapman »

Hi G, congrats on buying the Connie. She can be a handful but she's fun to fly! A lot of your questions will be obvious as you get experience, but here's a reply to help.
Does this mean that to make the FE start the engines you just turn the master ignition on then hit ctr-E (or 4 variations of it to start the individual engines) and turn the individual ignitions on at the appropriate moments ?
No, I've never seen any interaction like that (but I almost always start the engines myself). CTRL+E will of course work, but you also have the option on the SHFT+3 Pop-up panel to choose "Auto-start." This will prompt the FE to go through the start process. He'll start the engines in the wrong order, and the process will happen basically instantly, but really the start sequence is so wonderfully modeled you'll be doing them yourself anyways (and it's one of the big features of this product... why wouldn't you do it?)

The FE basically keeps the aircraft and engine systems from getting out of limits after engine start. Some complicated stuff like ice protection and fuel tank management I don't believe are included in his abilities, but he'll do the things he needs to to make sure the engines don't burst into flames (basically ensures you won't experience damage or failure because of mistakes made with his controls). You'll be managing power and engine RPM in the front seats. Not sure about emergencies.

Chairman
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Re: Making the FE do stuff

Post by Chairman »

flapman wrote: 28 Dec 2020, 21:30 but really the start sequence is so wonderfully modeled you'll be doing them yourself anyways (and it's one of the big features of this product... why wouldn't you do it?)

The FE basically keeps the aircraft and engine systems from getting out of limits after engine start.
Oh cool. In every video I've watched the starts were done manually and it does look fantastic and it's absolutely one of the things I'm looking forward to !
flapman wrote: 28 Dec 2020, 21:30 Some complicated stuff like ice protection and fuel tank management I don't believe are included in his abilities, but he'll do the things he needs to to make sure the engines don't burst into flames (basically ensures you won't experience damage or failure because of mistakes made with his controls). You'll be managing power and engine RPM in the front seats. Not sure about emergencies.
Even more perfect, if he gets on with the housekeeping without being told to after I've started the engines so I can get on with the fun stuff that is absolutely the setup I would be aiming for !

Thank you both :)

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WB_FlashOver
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Re: Making the FE do stuff

Post by WB_FlashOver »

Everyone has their own ideas of what an enjoyable flight is. I prefer to manage what I can without over saturating myself. I don't like the way the FE manages the engines or the pressurization. He will run the engines at 230C and that is not good. He seems to concern himself too much with drag and not enough with engine preservation. When I started managing the pressurization I no longer have crying babies on approach. He fiddles and diddles with the knobs. In his defense he really does not know where you are landing or what the airfield elevation is. He will also switch the blowers to high when you are not ready. The code is somewhat generic in that they attempted to make it work under most circumstances but when is a flight a normal flight?

I have a 2D panel with all the cabin climate controls on it so I don't have to jump over the seat and stick my head in a hole to make adjustments to the pressurization or climate control while I'm on short final. This really helps with that.

Point is, fly how you like. Maybe add another task to your plate when you get comfortable. Challenge yourself to learn another function of the aircraft. She is a wonderful plane to fly. Gentle, lumbering, powerful, smooth. Yet she can saturate your abilities in a hurry. I cannot stress enough the importance of RTFM. At the very least look to the bottom and study the charts and procedures.

Cheers
Roger
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TreeTops
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Re: Making the FE do stuff

Post by TreeTops »

Roger's point about taking on another task when you are comfortable is the best advice.
The other thing I will add is dont be afraid to break it during the first 10 flights or so during the getting to know the plane period. You can always go back and rest to a new airframe.
Cheers
Trev

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