Accu Sim for B-377

[jesseca5]

Howdy from deep East Texas. I bought the WOS B-377 yesterday sight unseen because of its similarity to my USAF Chariot, the C-97G which I flew for seven years between Tokyo Haneda and Travis AFB in California.

First, you have done a remarkable job and the similarities are truly amazing. I do have a question however. I also bought and downloaded the B-377 Accu Sim file. I have no idea what it does or how I can determine if it is even working. There was no documentation with it. The Manual for the B-377 does not include the Accu Sim that i can find.

Can someone enlighten me.

Thanks,

Jesse

[Scott - A2A]

Jesse,

Accu-Sim adds full system management and also a sound engine, that allows the crew to speak, brakes to squeal, etc. There is a manual installed in your windows START / All Programs / A2A Simulations / Wings of Silver B377 folder.

Scott.

[Para_Bellum]

After you've installed the Accu-Sim package there should be a PDF file (B377_Accusim_Manual) in your ...\flightsimx\A2A\B377 folder.

Also, by pressing "shift-3" while in the 377 you can access the control panel where you can see if AccuSim is activated or not, and where you can activate it if you've AccuSim installed, ->377 manual, pg. 118.


Edit: Scott beat me to it...

[Scott - A2A]

Para_Bellum,

You take great screenshots, btw.

Scott.

[jesseca5]

Thanks for all the help, fellas. I guess I had my head up and locked and eyeballs gaged when I installed the B-377. I did not even check the All Programs section to see if it contained any manuals. Sorry 'bout that.

You have a fine flyin' machine in this one. Lots of checking out to do before I even turn a blade.

The manual is not as large as my Dash One on the C-97, but it is concise and well written. I have one more question. How do I get a cold start? Each time I load an airplane, it is already running.

Jesse

[ryr755]

When the aircraft is loaded, press shift + 2
somewhere below the "turbo Man." button should be a cold start button

regards,
Julius

[GlennC]

At the risk of speaking heresy, my issue (if you can call it that) is that the airline we now work for spends, presumably, a fair amount of cash to train flight engineers to have them sit there and do nothing but read gauges and complain. If something is causing temps to get too high, DO something about it - isn't what you are paid to do in that seat? It is really frustrating to have that guy complainin' about carb temps when I'm on final in rough weather. Then, I'm supposed to get up, push him out of the way so I can do what he should have done to start with.

OK, rant over. This is one remarkable product. It is a lot of fun to fly - worthless FE or not.

Glenn

[Scott - A2A]

Glenn,

If you are prepared and stay ahead of the aircraft, your engineer won't give you those warnings. As for carb temps, you should have those flaps opened 1/3rd or sor so unless the weather is really cold.

Scott.

[crim3]

I agree with GlennC, it feels odd to be doing all the work by yourself in a 4 crew cockpit. Maybe future releases of 'accu-simmed' multicrew planes should have crew members doing their jobs as an option.

[Scott - A2A]

We certainly thought about having the engineer actually do more tasks, and may move in that direction down the road. However,we made a decision early to concentrate on the core system first as the whole Accu-Sim system was a big step into new territory for everyone. The idea is to get the core system well done, then build upon that.

My point now is this is an opportunity for anyone allowing the aircraft to fall outside it's limits to stop and asky why.

Specifically, it would be interesting to have someone post a situation where they receieved a warning, and we talk about why that happened so it can be avoided in the future.

Scott.

[SD_Research]

I agree with GlennC, it feels odd to be doing all the work by yourself in a 4 crew cockpit. Maybe future releases of 'accu-simmed' multicrew planes should have crew members doing their jobs as an option.

Just turn Accusim off and you'll have exactly that. Then the plane will work fine, you won't have any of the failures or anyone hollering in your ear. That's what the option is for. Accusim, as an add-on, is what actually gives you the chance to BE the flight engineer and co-pilot as well as the pilot. Without Accusim, the plane flies exactly the same but without the accurate engine management, failures, or crew warnings. So just toggle it off if you want to have the virtual "crew" do their jobs flawlessly -- which essentially amounts to being able to get away with improper engine settings without consequences as per the usual FS/X protocol.

Try turning Accusim off until you really get the hang of flying the plane. Then turn it on and see how well you're REALLY doing.

[Gypsy Baron]

Here's a simple way to facilitate moving about the cockpit if you happen
to have an unused POV hat or buttons on your stick/throttle.

For the Camera.001/.002/.003 entries in the aircraft.cfg file, add a
hotkey assignment statement at the end of each "Camera.00x" section:

HotKeySelect=5 ( or 6 or 7 )

In the FSX controls section assign a keyboard key or joystick button
for each of those hotkeys under the 'settings/controls/buttons/keys menu.

Here are the entries I use for the above hotkey assignments:

'View Camera 4 (select)' CTL+F9
'View Camera 5 (select)' CTL+F10
'View Camera 6 (select)' SHT+F7

and for the VC left seat default:

'Virtual Cockpit (Shortcut)' default is assigned F9

Just assign the approriate Stick/Throttle buttons to activate those commands
via the FSX menu or program the Stick/Thrttole buttons with key
assignments and add them in the FSX menu in the Keyboard column.

On my X-45 stick I am using the #2 POV hat to switch instantly between the
four B-377 stations, at a flick of my thumb.

I also have TrackIR4 so I am able to 'look over my shoulder' from
the pilots seat and see the FE station gauges for a quick status check.
The same is true for selecting the navigators map pop-up from the
co-pilots seat. I look over my left shoulder and click on the map.

The combination of the hat switch position change and TrackIR makes
it alot easier to keep things under control when ATC is constantly
handing you off and vectoring you during an IFR approach!

Paul

[GlennC]

Scott,

I hear you - and appreciate the position. I actually hoped you say just about exactly that. It'll develop (pun intended) over time.

I do fly with Accu-sim off about half the time - but I do love the squeeky brakes. The"complaints" from the back are always appropriate to the situation, no problem there and certainly no problem with the airplane itself.

I know you will get there - I'd just love to have a "please take care of that" option.

Glenn

[PepperWhiteMini08]

There are times when the workload does get a bit hairy, and it would be nice to have a problem taken care of at option, especially since things are a little tricker to accomplish sometimes in the VC what with all the zooming and fiddling. Sometimes I feel like I'm letting Otto Pilot have all the fun flying the airplane while I'm messing with stuff in back. Usually not, but sometimes I would like the option to tell the engineer to handle it because the captain is busy flying the airplane at the moment.

Another potential direction would be to have the crew go through a checklist with the pilot. We've seen that in a lot of add-ons... I'm trying to remember if I ever had a plane that came with it. I would pay for another layer of interactivity. It would be nice to have someone supply speeds for takeoffs and landings, and that is something that has not been that unusual with payware a/c.

Of course, I guess maybe the engineer is not infallible. I was suprised on a flight when I had turned over the turbos to the engineer and he managed to break not one, but two of them! I descended to 17,000 feet and pressed on... it was kind of fun to have to make that decision and have the extra excitement of making sure my other turbos survived.

And while I'm talking about my crew, what about the Navigator? He is using a chart that isn't even from the correct hemisphere, and when I call up the map flying over ocean I get a circle on a blue background Is the map supposed to have any functionality at all? I have to check the map from the pull-down menu if I want to know anything. Again, I would pay for additional coolness at his station, too.

(We don't have '40s and '50s airports and traffic for FSX, either, at least as far as I know, and that is something else I'd like to see from somebody.)

This is a very solid product and I am not complaining. I am spending nearly all of my flight sim time in it and having a lot of fun. I just think there are areas where there is room to build on the platform.

[Gypsy Baron]

-SNIP-

And while I'm talking about my crew, what about the Navigator? He is using a chart that isn't even from the correct hemisphere, and when I call up the map flying over ocean I get a circle on a blue background Is the map supposed to have any functionality at all? I have to check the map from the pull-down menu if I want to know anything. Again, I would pay for additional coolness at his station, too.

-SNIP-

Perhaps something like this 'custom' chart....

Approach to Midway....



Enroute Kevflavik over Greenland...




Shown are 'borders', flightplan, own ships heading and projected ground track
as though 'drawn on the 'chart' from fixes...

Just a bit of XML dabbling I like to do when possible...

Paul