Aircraft Failures

[marciano]

The aircraft failure feature of FS2002 is nice, simulating engine or system failure makes a (simulated) flight more interesting. Unfortunately, there is no warning when a problem occurs on the aircraft. For example, if you run out of fuel or if an engine stops, you have no warning at all on any instrument. The only thing you see is the needle of the engine gauge going down to zero... In a real aircraft, you have so many visual and audio alerts that you can't miss it!!

Is it a wish for the next release of FS, or can we already do something?
Please let me know your opinion about this, and any info if you have...

[Simon Evans]

I agree. A module add-on (from MS or the aftermarket) could be exceptionally useful if it could interpose itself between the engine and air file and offer the farts, spits and burps that are symptomatic of a fuel-starved engine, some rapidly increasing temps showing impending brew-ups or damage caused by overheating, under-cooling. Shock cooling would be my prime candidate for piston engines.

I doubt whether it could truly simulate a wheel falling off or other mechanical disasters but it would be a step forward at full realism levels to insist on correct engine management or pay the consequences...

I haven't really looked in detail at the failure modes in FS2002 but they don't seem to offer consequential failures, only incidental ones.




Simon Evans

[marciano]

I just hope that the engine failure detection will be possible when Microsoft will publish the FS2002 SDK. I hope that some variables will be used by gauge developers to detect an engine failure and show it on the panel gauges.
Do you think this would be possible?
It would definitely be a step forward in realism...

[flyinggriffin]

I assume you mean that there is no warning on larger aircraft. System failures on the light aircraft are quite realistic. Sometimes all the warning you get is a loud bang and the prop stopping dead.

[marciano]

You're right, I was thinking about large aircraft. But even on small aircrafts, alerts are missing. In a real flight in a small aircraft, I ran out of fuel because I forgot to switch to the fullest fuel tank. Before the engine really stops because of the lack of gas, many alarms (lights and sound) could be perceived in the aircraft. Not is FS...

[reach6]

have you folks checked into "FS failure" or "nasty control center" ? while i am no FSUIPC expert it appears that at least according to the author ((?) sorry.) of "nasty control center"
you can control a lot of these things to react that way via fsuipc. i expect that we will see some of these kind of programs soon.....

[NightEye]

I fly a Cessna 172, and in real life, theer is NO warning of an engine failure, other than visually seeing the propellar stop, checking your fuel/oil gauges or hearing the engine stutter and shake. That's the way it is, and that's how it is in FS2002 - realistic.

Don't know about any of the larger aircraft, but for the smaller ones, it's realistic.

[Frederf]

I'd like to try a landing in a small twin with retracable nose gear failure.

[flyinggriffin]

In the four place aircraft it varies from aircraft to aircraft if there is any lights. The warrior and archer in our club has annunciator lights for the big three problems. Skyhawks you have to scan the gages sometimes set in rather inconvenient spots depending on the model.
This is what makes jumping from airplane to airplane even the same model so much fun.