DF737 veering to the right

[flachi]

Hi everyone,

I noticed the following behavior with the DF737 :

In straight and level flight (no winds, cleared all weather), the airplane veers to the right. This turning is small, but constant, the plane turns about 1 degree every ~2 nm (at 180 IAS).

My question : is this behavior intended, I mean is it build into the flight model because the real 737 behaves like that ? If so, could someone explain the reason for that ?

Or is there something wrong in my system ? This doesn't happen with the FS2002 default 737, nor with any other plane ...


Dirk

[ilh]

It doesn't happen to me. Is your rudder trim off-center by any chance?

Lee Hetherington (KBOS)

[flachi]

Hi Lee,

just checked it :

Nope, rudder trim is in neutral position. If I set it one click to the left, the plane starts drifting to the left after some time. I checked the aileron trim too, same here, one click to the left makes the plane turn to the left. I also verified the trim values in the saved flight file, both set to 0.

Left and right fuel tanks are loaded equally, and both engines produce the same amount of thrust. What else could it be ? Any ideas from the 737 engineering team ?


Dirk

[Lou_Betti]

No ideas from us, this is essentially unheard of.

Any other programs you running with it?

Are you using the version of FSUIPC.dll (2.79) that we installed with it, or did you upgrade with latest version (2.8x)?

Regards,
[link:www.dreamfleet2000.com|http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/Forum_Banners/DF_BANNER_FORUM_LOU.jpg]

[flachi]

Hi Lou,

>Any other programs you running with
>it?

FSUIPC.DLL
FSNavigator
Autosave

>Are you using the version of
>FSUIPC.dll (2.79) that we installed
>with it, or did you
>upgrade with latest version (2.8x)?

Yep. I upgraded to 2.82. I will test this again
in a "clean" configuration, without anything
running.

Dirk

[Jon _Gibbs]

LAST EDITED ON Feb-11-02 AT 00:22AM (EDT)[p]I bet that your joystick is off center. If you are using the CH products yoke like me, I consider this common. If you use the mangager, make sure you activate the map before opening Fs2002. Use the FSUPIC to verify that your airleron position is zero when you think its zero. I recenter my joystick as part of my preflight checklist ( my virtual version of checking the flight controls) to avoid this. Also you may check the winds and yaw dampner.
Hope that helps,
Jon Gibbs

[flachi]

Hi Jon,
>I bet that your joystick is
>off center. If you are
>using the CH products yoke
>like me, I consider this
>common.

That was my first thought too, but my MS Sidewinder Precision 2 is perfectly calibrated, and as I said, it doesnt happen with all the other planes I have ...

>Also you
>may check the winds and
>yaw dampner.

I cleared all weather, 0 wind, and tried it with YD on and off ...

But thanks for your help,

Dirk

[flachi]

Update :

I tried it in a clean configuration (no other modules running), same thing. I did a complete DF737 reinstall, same thing...

So I am really the only one with this problem ? Well, I guess I'm left on my own then ... :(


Dirk

[JohnPenn]

Dirk
I get the same very slow drift as well

Using MS FF2 joystick, i tried altering sensitivity, null zone with no change.

Cheers
John

[flachi]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-14-02 AT 09:59PM (EDT)[p]Hi all,

short update : I found a workaround for this problem. The smallest adjustment of rudder trim I can make from the cockpit (one mouse-click) sets a value of -0.001000 rudder trim in the *.flt file when I save the flight. As I said, this adjustment is already too much, the plane begins to veer to the left instead.

So what I did was simply editing the entry in the *.flt file by hand and setting a value of -0.000600 rudder trim, and voila, the DF737 goes straight like the other planes.

Well, I guess now I always have to load a certain flight file with the "patched" trim settings whenever I want to use the 737...

So, my question to the DreamFleet team :

Is there any way to specify this permanent trim effect in the aircraft.cfg, or patch the *.air file for this ???


Thanks a lot,

Dirk

[flachi]

>So, my question to the DreamFleet team :
>
>Is there any way to specify this permanent trim effect in
>the aircraft.cfg, or patch the *.air file for this ???

Please ....


Thx,
Dirk

[flachi]

>>So, my question to the DreamFleet team :
>>
>>Is there any way to specify this permanent trim effect in
>>the aircraft.cfg, or patch the *.air file for this ???
>
>Please ....


So there is really noone of the DF Team willing/able to answer
my question ? Where else could I get help if not in this forum ?

Ok, my problem might be one of the "exotic" ones, but it is not only my setup, as at least one other user reported the same problem ...

And, as I said, I already found a workaround, I just need some info from the DF developers if there is a way to make life a bit easier.

If it is not possible to set this permanent trim, ok, I can
live with it, but then PLEASE tell me at least ...


Regards,
Dirk

[Shotgun]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-29-02 AT 08:42PM (EDT)[p]Dirk,
My guess is that the small amount of rudder trim is compensating for a slightly off center rudder or joystick axis - even though you cannot see it in the joystick calibration.

Try disabling the joystick in flight from the FS2002 menu and see what happens.

Try increasing the dead zone on the rudder and/or joystick roll axis. Crank it all the way up to see if it has any effect at all first. (You may have already tried this.)

Also, go into FSUIPC "Joysitck" tab. Watch the raw joystick numbers with a centered joystick and rudder. See if they bounce around. Move all the axis' through their full movements and watch the numbers to see if the counts are approximately the same in both directions. You can also try following the FSUIPC instructions to set up your controls. The docs describe it well.

Bill Browning - KOKC

[Lou_Betti]

Indeed, Bill. Sad to say, but based on number of sales and reports of this, this IS very much a system-specific issue, and there is nothing we can do about it, for if we attmepted to for this incident, we'd then have the majority of users experiencing problems, including me. ;-)

Due to the high degree of complexity of the 737, the inperfection of the FS environment, and the myriad of computer systems and configurations out there, it is impossible for a simulation of this complexity to run 100% on 100% of the systems out there, and not possible for us to make this so.

Regards,
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[flachi]

Hi Bill,

thanks a lot for your response.

I suspected an issue with my joystick at first too,
but I can definetely say that is has nothing to
do with the joystick. I disabled the joystick,
and it is still the same.

And as I said before, the DF737 is the ONLY plane
where this happens, all other MS aircrafts and
third party planes dont show this behavior...

But thx for you trying to help. :)

And I want to repeat, I'm not asking for any fix
or so at all - I found this workaround and just
wanted to get an answer to my simple question ...


Dirk

[flachi]

Hi Lou,

>Indeed, Bill. Sad to say, but
>based on number of sales
>and reports of this, this
>IS very much a system-specific
>issue,

I never denied the possibility that this is a system specific issue. But as I said above in my reply to Bill, the DF737 is the only plane that shows this behavior, so I mentioned this here in the forum ...


>and there is nothing
>we can do about it,

Lou, I didn't ask you to do anything about it, right ?
All I asked for was a simple answer...

I know that it is basically my personal problem, the DF737 behaves that way on MY computer, and it could be some weird constellation that a certain setup issue only affects the DF737 and not other planes. But the problem persists, I love to fly the DF737, and so I have to cope with this problem ...

I mentioned in my post that I found a workaround, and my only question was if it would be possible to set this little permanent trim in any other way than having to specify it in a saved flight, which is pretty tedious ...

Is it really too much asked to give me a short answer to my question ?


Regards,
Dirk

[flachi]

Could someone please tell me what I've done wrong ?

I dont have the feeling that I am in a SUPPORT forum, because I'm just being ignored. My simple question to the DF team was (see some previous posts above) :

>So, my question to the DreamFleet team :
>Is there any way to specify this permanent trim effect in the aircraft.cfg, or patch the *.air file for this ???

I have asked this question now FOUR times here in this thread, and although DF team members have read this, I did not get any response.

Even a short and simple "No sorry, thats not possible." would have done it. But instead I have been continuosly ignored. Thanks a lot, folks ...


Regards,
Dirk