Engine Auto Start

**miatamariner** · 05-19-2012, 10:43 AM

Some 3rd party AC do not employ the engine auto start feature (Ctrl E) and require a step by step procedure to start the engines. I would like to know if the auto start feature can be added to an AC that does not originally include it, and if so, how to do it?

Thx

**ScatterbrainKid** · 05-19-2012, 10:54 AM

Which 3rd party aircraft won't start with Ctrl E?
If they're freeware give me a download link so i can see if they start for me.
I've got about 50 addon aircraft and they all start with Ctrl E

**miatamariner** · 05-19-2012, 11:25 AM

Thanks for the reply.

The AC in question is Fraser McKays L188 Electra, file name "FML188AP" which can be found here at Flightsim. I originally had this AC on FS9 but have recently switched to FSX. The manual starting sequence for this AC in FS9 worked just fine, but I can't get the engines to manually start in FSX. Ctrl E does not work either. No doubt because of programming differences between FS9 & FSX and that the AC was programmed for only FS9.

I was just wondering if the command for Ctrl E could be added to an aircraft where that command doesn't seem to work on a particular AC and would that command have a different set of parameters for FS9 vs FSX?

Thx

**ScatterbrainKid** · 05-19-2012, 12:39 PM

Well I just downloaded the FS2004 Electra file (FML188AP.zip) and it flies fine in FSX.
The engines can be switched on and off okay with the keyboard (Ctrl E=on, Ctrl Shft E=off)
Look, in this first pic i've switched them off-

And I then hit Ctrl E to start them, there's a wait of around 10 seconds until the left outboard prop begins to spin as below.
Turboprops (like these) are notoriously slow to start up so be patient! (you can hear them whining into life before the props spin)

About 10 seconds later the next prop begins to spin (below), and so on, until all 4 are spinning-
(You don't have to press the engine start button 4 times, just one press will start them all, one after the other, that's also true for all multi-engined FS2004/FSX planes)

SUGGESTION- uninstall the Electra from your system via the 'uninstall' icon in the package, then download and re-install it afresh like I did and see if the engines on/off keys work for you, your original download might have got corrupted.
If they still don't work, you might have used a different installation procedure than me; we'll go into that if your fresh install won't work so let us know.

**miatamariner** · 05-19-2012, 02:32 PM

I uninstalled as you suggested, but still no luck on a fresh install. I deleted my FSX cfg (Bojote's modifications) file and let FS build a new one. Thought maybe I might have a setting in the cfg file that was preventing Ctrl E from working with this AC. Still no success. I loaded my default AC (A321) and started the engines using Ctrl E. Worked fine. I then selected the Electra and all engines were running as I suspected they would be. Shut them down using a preset toggle on my Saitek. Hit Ctrl E and they started the engines as you noted.

So I don't know what to think or where to go now. Seems as though I've got a setting somewhere in FSX that is preventing the cold start of the Electra seeing how you were able to do a cold start using Ctrl E.If you have any more thoughts on this, I welcome them.

Thx

**miatamariner** · 05-19-2012, 03:04 PM

As a further experiment, I D/L'd the C-130J from the library and using Ctrl E, had no problem starting the engines.

**ScatterbrainKid** · 05-19-2012, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by miatamariner

... I loaded my default AC (A321) and started the engines using Ctrl E. Worked fine. I then selected the Electra and all engines were running as I suspected they would be. Shut them down using a preset toggle on my Saitek. Hit Ctrl E and they started the engines as you noted...

Sorry but I'm losing track of what you want to do. You say in this quote that you shut down the Electra's engines and then started them again with Ctrl E.
So what's the problem?

**miatamariner** · 05-19-2012, 04:51 PM

Sorry for the confusion. Let me try this.

1. Load default AC and using Ctrl E, start the engines on the A321.
2. Switch AC from the A321 to the Electra. Engines on the Electra are running.
3. Shut down engines on the Electra. Using Ctrl E, the engines will restart.

Where my problem still exists is that the Electra will not start, using Ctrl E, on a cold start when it is selected as the desired AC after loading the sim. Even using the proper starting procedure as described in the manual, it won't start. I'm completely baffled as to why seeing that you were able to start it just fine from a cold start. I've got a conflict-I just don't know where.

Thx for your help.

Thx

**ScatterbrainKid** · 05-19-2012, 05:36 PM

When I start FSX it opens at this 'Default Flight' screen, (Boeing 247 with engines running on Ford Island).
I can click the 'Change' tab to change the aircraft to an Electra or anything else, then click 'Fly Now' and there's the new plane, sitting on the runway with engines running.
Does your FSX open with a Default Screen too, or does it open at some other screen?

**miatamariner** · 05-19-2012, 08:09 PM

Yes, it opens the same way as yours. I have chosen to stop all engines on the default AC (A321) and go to a cold, dark cockpit, then save it all as my default flight. The Electra by Fraser McKay (originally designed only for FS9) is the only AC out of 30 or so in my Airplanes folder, that won't start from a cold dark cockpit, using Ctrl E. I'm sure he designed it this way and the original question I asked if anyone knew anything about the command Ctrl E, where it might be located and if it was transferable or capable of being modified. My hope was that I could somehow alter it so it would adapt to the Electra.

Thx