Maintenance Frustrations

The world's most popular advanced trainer of WWII
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TatoBean
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Maintenance Frustrations

Post by TatoBean »

So I'm becoming a bit frustrated with maintenance issues coming up on what feels like every flight. I can understand a quart of oil after a 2 hour cross country. Or it's been 40 hours, I should probably change out the oil filter. But in the last 10 hours I've gone through a crankshaft, generator, blower, both brakes, air filter, and a magneto. Now I'm sure you're thinking "well stop kicking the s#@! out of your airplane." But I rarely bring the MP much above the top of the yellow arc, I wait for everything to warm up, I don't do much of anything in the way of aerobatics (I think I've done 2 loops and a roll in the 50 hours I've had the thing.) And every flight I come back and something major is broken. And yeah I'd imagine there are a few things I might be able to do to squeeze some more life out of the parts I try my best to baby it. I get it, it's an airplane stuff is going to break, but this damage model seems a tad accelerated and it's becoming rather de-motivating.
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TatoBean
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by TatoBean »

On a lighter note I did find this website, which includes the original manual (Plus Parts catalog and maintenance manual!)

https://www.usaf-sig.org/index.php/refe ... h-american#
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MkIV Hvd
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by MkIV Hvd »

TatoBean wrote: 17 Apr 2020, 14:20 So I'm becoming a bit frustrated with maintenance issues coming up on what feels like every flight. I can understand a quart of oil after a 2 hour cross country. Or it's been 40 hours, I should probably change out the oil filter. But in the last 10 hours I've gone through a crankshaft, generator, blower, both brakes, air filter, and a magneto. Now I'm sure you're thinking "well stop kicking the s#@! out of your airplane." But I rarely bring the MP much above the top of the yellow arc, I wait for everything to warm up, I don't do much of anything in the way of aerobatics (I think I've done 2 loops and a roll in the 50 hours I've had the thing.) And every flight I come back and something major is broken. And yeah I'd imagine there are a few things I might be able to do to squeeze some more life out of the parts I try my best to baby it. I get it, it's an airplane stuff is going to break, but this damage model seems a tad accelerated and it's becoming rather de-motivating.
That seems really excessive to me too! I run my T-6 relatively hard and random failures like that have been rare. I go through brakes and piston rings on a regular basis (short strips and aerobatics... :wink: ) and we've been in the hangar for self-inflicted issues, but I've not seen things like crankshaft, generator, blower failures over the 210 hours I've flown it in the last year, never mind over a 10 hour period... :?
Rob Wilkinson
A2A: Civilian Mustang, T-6, Bonanza, Comanche, Cub, C182, Spitfire, P-40, Cherokee, P-51 - VATSIM P4 and some other stuff...

Towerkeeper
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by Towerkeeper »

+1 to these two comments. To be sure I'm attempting to get the C172 Trainer P3Dv2-4 up and going in P3Dv5, loads/starts fine in P3Dv5 but these maintenance issues existed P3Dv4.5. Lights, gauges, flaps, controls, trim, etc., all work, but the engine refuses even to crank over (battery good!) - CTRL_E has no effect. Student pilot here with 100+ hours in a C172R - had hoped to go for my check-ride end-of-summer. With these covid issues, my flight school is closed and had intended to use this sim to help keep sharp.

Sure, the flight school keeps the plane maintained, but I've never had a dead battery, never fouled the plugs, never had the engine fail to crank over. Easy starting, unless you're the 8:00 AM pilot on a New England winter morning. Pre-flighting the aircraft and in-flight failures are other concerns, but think there should be a check-box that says "Flight School Maintained". :?

Larry

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Nick - A2A
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by Nick - A2A »

Towerkeeper wrote: 18 Apr 2020, 11:13 +1 to these two comments. To be sure I'm attempting to get the C172 Trainer P3Dv2-4 up and going in P3Dv5, loads/starts fine in P3Dv5 but these maintenance issues existed P3Dv4.5. Lights, gauges, flaps, controls, trim, etc., all work, but the engine refuses even to crank over (battery good!) - CTRL_E has no effect. Student pilot here with 100+ hours in a C172R - had hoped to go for my check-ride end-of-summer. With these covid issues, my flight school is closed and had intended to use this sim to help keep sharp.

Sure, the flight school keeps the plane maintained, but I've never had a dead battery, never fouled the plugs, never had the engine fail to crank over. Easy starting, unless you're the 8:00 AM pilot on a New England winter morning. Pre-flighting the aircraft and in-flight failures are other concerns, but think there should be a check-box that says "Flight School Maintained". :?

Larry
Hi Larry and welcome to the A2A forums.

Sounds like this is a technical issue with the installation rather than simulated Accu-Sim failures that you're experiencing. If you're having problems with the 172, please can you start a new thread in the 172 tech support forum with as much info about your P3D installation(s) as possible and we'll try and get you sorted.

Thanks,
Nick
A2A Simulations Inc.

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TatoBean
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

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MkIV Hvd wrote: 18 Apr 2020, 10:27
That seems really excessive to me too! I run my T-6 relatively hard and random failures like that have been rare. I go through brakes and piston rings on a regular basis (short strips and aerobatics... :wink: ) and we've been in the hangar for self-inflicted issues, but I've not seen things like crankshaft, generator, blower failures over the 210 hours I've flown it in the last year, never mind over a 10 hour period... :?
Okay so I'm not crazy. I mean I have 2400 real world hours, but mostly jets and horizontally opposed engines. So I know the operating principles are slightly different compared to radials, but I can't imagine the basics are much different, be gentle on power changes, don't push hard, be smooth. Which I mean I'm trying because even in simulator world, nobody wants to break things.
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Nick - A2A
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hello TatoBean,

It might be that you've simply been really unlucky over that particular 10 hour period. I can ask to Scott to chime in on whether a conscious decision was made to 'accelerate' the wear model for the T-6, but the nature of randomized failures means that occasionally they'll come along in clusters.

A few quick question though. How do you initialise the T-6 in the sim? Any third-party 'launchers' used for example, and which aircraft is saved in your default flight? Oh, and which host sim are we talking about here? I don't think you mentioned.

Thanks,
Nick
A2A Simulations Inc.

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TatoBean
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by TatoBean »

Nick - A2A wrote: 18 Apr 2020, 14:38 Hello TatoBean,

It might be that you've simply been really unlucky over that particular 10 hour period. I can ask to Scott to chime in on whether a conscious decision was made to 'accelerate' the wear model for the T-6, but the nature of randomized failures means that occasionally they'll come along in clusters.

A few quick question though. How do you initialise the T-6 in the sim? Any third-party 'launchers' used for example, and which aircraft is saved in your default flight? Oh, and which host sim are we talking about here? I don't think you mentioned.

Thanks,
Nick
Hi Nick.

I'm sorry I hadn't mentioned. I'm using FSX-SE and the default flight is an Extra 300 saved in place of the Texan. (I finish the flight switch to the extra save it, then when I start up again I switch it back before clicking the "fly now" button) And as far as 3rd party launchers go, ummm no? I don't really know what that means so that's my basis for my answer :lol: I'm a crotchety old hag when it comes to computers, I can barely work the one in my work airplane :lol:

Thanks!
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Paughco
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by Paughco »

It’s my understanding that you need to actually start the sim with a default aircraft, then switch to your chosen A2A aircraft.

I might save a flight under “Another adventure.” When I want to pick up where I left off, I start the sim with a default airplane at a simple airport (Maule at Forks in Washington State, usually), then load the Scenario “Another adventure.”

Seeya
ATB
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Scott - A2A
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by Scott - A2A »

I'll echo what Nick said. It may be that you have had a bad string of luck. Also, it's important to hand prop the airplane before starting because it's possible you started it after it was sitting and you didn't have the oil drain can attached. This will be a quick and sure fire way to bend a rod or worse starting an engine with oil pooled in the bottom cylinders.

Scott.
A2A Simulations Inc.

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Medtner
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by Medtner »

Scott - A2A wrote: 19 Apr 2020, 07:20 I'll echo what Nick said. It may be that you have had a bad string of luck. Also, it's important to hand prop the airplane before starting because it's possible you started it after it was sitting and you didn't have the oil drain can attached. This will be a quick and sure fire way to bend a rod or worse starting an engine with oil pooled in the bottom cylinders.

Scott.
Yeah, this sounds very much like the culprit. It can be easy to forget to do the proper proping :-P

Listen to Kermit Weeks as he is pulling through his AT-6 and explaining it:

He starts proping at 00:34 (but by all means watch the whole thing - 3 videos of pure AT-6 fun!) :-)

Erik Haugan Aasland,

Arendal, Norway
(Homebase: Kristiansand Lufthavn, Kjevik (ENCN)

All the Accusim-planes are in my hangar, but they aren't sitting long enough for their engines to cool much before next flight!

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TatoBean
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by TatoBean »

Scott - A2A wrote: 19 Apr 2020, 07:20 I'll echo what Nick said. It may be that you have had a bad string of luck. Also, it's important to hand prop the airplane before starting because it's possible you started it after it was sitting and you didn't have the oil drain can attached. This will be a quick and sure fire way to bend a rod or worse starting an engine with oil pooled in the bottom cylinders.

Scott.
I do pull the prop through unless I just stopped for gas or something fairly short like that. Plus something like bending a rod from hydraulic lock is going to do a lot more damage than a couple of engine accessories so I know it wasn't that.
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Medtner
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Re: Maintenance Frustrations

Post by Medtner »

TatoBean wrote: 19 Apr 2020, 12:45
Scott - A2A wrote: 19 Apr 2020, 07:20 I'll echo what Nick said. It may be that you have had a bad string of luck. Also, it's important to hand prop the airplane before starting because it's possible you started it after it was sitting and you didn't have the oil drain can attached. This will be a quick and sure fire way to bend a rod or worse starting an engine with oil pooled in the bottom cylinders.

Scott.
I do pull the prop through unless I just stopped for gas or something fairly short like that. Plus something like bending a rod from hydraulic lock is going to do a lot more damage than a couple of engine accessories so I know it wasn't that.
How interesting. I don't pull the prop if I just had a short stop either...

Looks like you've gotten the runt of the litter. I'd trade with you, as my aircraft seems almost boringly dependable (which in turn means I will become complacent and have more of a shock when something eventually fails). :-)
Erik Haugan Aasland,

Arendal, Norway
(Homebase: Kristiansand Lufthavn, Kjevik (ENCN)

All the Accusim-planes are in my hangar, but they aren't sitting long enough for their engines to cool much before next flight!

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