Aircraft.cfg Tweaks - Thanks Chuck and Steve

[csmj]

The thread with similar title that I started a few days ago was suddenly closed just before I tried to post this. I don't know why it was closed, but I wanted to post this, especially for my long overdue thanks to Steve, so here it is.

 

It can be 'ported' over (see pic of it in fSX). You need to add own sound (C-130 is my choice) and gauges in panel might not 'work' so get a compatible (FSX default) panel. Plus you should add 'Category=Airplane' in (General) section. Don't know what the fuss is all about. Below is pic of it in FSX Acceleration.

 

And all those cfg tweaks are 'cosmetic' and just 'compensation' for a bad flight model (sorry Mike). There is more to flight dynamics than just 'Flight Tuning' changes. I am talking about elevator trim effectiveness. It SHOULD be 1.000 (IF everything else related is 'right') PERIOD!!!. And the min throttle limit was already -0.250 so what up with that? Perhaps you got it backwards? Maybe increase reverse thrust with -0.390? That -0.750 is just TOO MUCH and would be considered 'Bogus' (ie: would act like spoiler which is not cool). What is a better tweak is to go into the air file and change 'reverse thrust' (313) from -25 to -50. Cheers.

Chuck B

 

Thanks Chuck, it's good to know that it can be ported to FSX. And I agree that my elevator trim and reverse thrust tweaks shouldn't be necessary, but that was the only thing I had to work with. I'm not experienced enough to know how to change an .air file (or other .cfg things that would make those tweaks unnecessary). It looks like something compiled by a program of some sort and I don't even know what's in an .air file or what it does.

 

I figured out my tweaks from reading comments from other past threads (I have a terrific freeware program called Treepad Lite that organizes a text file into folders and subfolders and allows saving and organizing all sorts of text information. So when I read something here that I think may be helpful later I copy it into an area dedicated to FS). I have a large collection of forum quotes and I found a number of Aircraft.cfg related things that allowed me to find the right items and finally arrive at those numbers, and they really do work well. I just try to do the best with what I have.

 

And Steve from Mudgeee, I have learned to land it without bouncing. With the help of the VASI and/or the visual ILS I try to keep the descent rate to 500-700 ft/min and then with just the right flare at the right time that rate drops to 200-300 for a smooth no-bounce touchdown. I have to figure this out for every plane I fly, each has its own unique characteristics - but I know you know this, just saying it can be done with this plane. Over all I find it a very enjoyable plane to fly, even with me being a keyboard pilot. Those two things were my only complaints and now they're fixed (and the touchdown smoke which is purely cosmetic).

 

BTW Steve, I've been wanting to thank you for all the help you gave me nearly two years ago with getting a plane and an aircraft carrier properly configured for take-off and landing. I never could have done it without your help and it's very much appreciated, so Thank You!. If I seemed to have dropped out of sight it was because I was away from simming for over a year due to illness but I'm back into it now and enjoying every minute. FS9 is great.

 

Clayton

[csmj]

Hello again,

 

Re your question...

 

>And the min throttle limit was already -0.250 so what up with that? Perhaps you got it backwards?

>Maybe increase reverse thrust with -0.390?

 

I first realized the problem when I went off the end of a 5,000 ft runway. According to this web site

https://sites.google.com/site/sf340com/ ...the minimum landing distance is 3395 ft, so I knew something had to be changed.

 

I do a lot of things at PBI because it's my home airport. The main EW runway is 10,000 ft long. I saved a flight with the 340B on approach to runway 27R so that I could repeatedly test quickly. My first attempt took almost the entire runway, barely making the final taxiway turnoff.

 

After learning that the .cfg item could be changed I made numerous tests, increasing (or decreasing I suppose) the number each time until finally arriving at something that seemed appropriate. I assure you that I passed through -0.390 rather quickly. I don't know if it can actually land in 3400 ft now, I'll have to experiment further.

 

>That -0.750 is just TOO MUCH and would be considered 'Bogus' (ie: would act like spoiler which is not cool)

 

I agree, but the .cfg file is all I have to work with, and now the plane can be stopped in a reasonable amount of runway.

 

No doubt about this: FS9 is interesting and loads of fun! :)

 

Clayton

[old_wombat]

Clayton, you're welcome. As I recall, you and I got RCBCOP going and got the trapped landings done, but it was someone else who figured out how to get your biplane connected to the catapult.

 

Thanx for the no-bounce tip. Will give it a go. It sounds like you're a much better pilot than I am.

 

I looked at your web page and see that you are a big fan of the Saab. One of the best holidays of my married life was when we went to Kangaroo Island (KI) - Australia's second largest island (after Tasmania, our island state). We had penguins all around our rented house every night, and we saw Sea Eagles catching fish in the harbour. There are so many of the little nocturnal kangaroos there that you dare not drive at night time, because kangaroo damage to your rental car is specifically excluded in your rental insurance.

 

It is a short flight from Adelaide Airport to Kingscote Airport on KI. Kingscote has a very short runway, only just long enough for the Saab, so both landing and takeoff are a challenge on a fully loaded and passengered aircraft. Using photos I took whilst on holiday, I have modelled Kingscote in some detail using those old warriors Airport for Windows and Easy Object Designer.

 

The airline that flies Adelaide KI is Rex Aviation and there is a Rex repaint for the Mike Stone Saab. I have also made a Qantaslink repaint for it, even though QL doesn't actually fly that plane. Qantaslink is the regional arm of Qantas, sort of like American Eagle is to American Airlines.

[csmj]

Clayton, you're welcome. As I recall, you and I got RCBCOP going and got the trapped landings done, but it was someone else who figured out how to get your biplane connected to the catapult.

 

I kept daily notes of everything in the FS folders in my Treepad Lite program (still do). Looking back at those I see that the catapult problem was that they weren't mapped correctly. They each had to be carefully mapped as well as the landing zone, which I did using the plane in slew mode. I eventually got all of them mapped and working. The plane was the Dauntless, not a biplane. There is a picture of it flying over the Stennis in the Dauntless screen shot page in the web site, the first shot.

 

 

Thanx for the no-bounce tip. Will give it a go. It sounds like you're a much better pilot than I am.

 

Well I don't know about that, I'm not much of a pilot. But I have found that if I spend enough time in a plane I can learn what it needs to land properly. They're all different. I usually get a plane properly configured on an approach and then save the flight. Then I can go back to it quickly as many times as I can stand and eventually learn how to land it well (I did that with the Dauntless and Stennis). These regional twin turbo liners are something new to me, I've spent most of my time in singles, especially the Grand Caravan. It a great plane for barnstorming small airports and I've gotten addicted to the reverse thrust of turboprops, which is what made me first try a twin turbo liner. It's been a challenge but I've taken a liking to them. My other favorite is the Mike Stone Fokker F-27.

 

I looked at your web page and see that you are a big fan of the Saab. One of the best holidays of my married life was when we went to Kangaroo Island (KI) - Australia's second largest island (after Tasmania, our island state). We had penguins all around our rented house every night, and we saw Sea Eagles catching fish in the harbour. There are so many of the little nocturnal kangaroos there that you dare not drive at night time, because kangaroo damage to your rental car is specifically excluded in your rental insurance.

 

It is a short flight from Adelaide Airport to Kingscote Airport on KI. Kingscote has a very short runway, only just long enough for the Saab, so both landing and takeoff are a challenge on a fully loaded and passengered aircraft. Using photos I took whilst on holiday, I have modelled Kingscote in some detail using those old warriors Airport for Windows and Easy Object Designer.

 

The airline that flies Adelaide KI is Rex Aviation and there is a Rex repaint for the Mike Stone Saab. I have also made a Qantaslink repaint for it, even though QL doesn't actually fly that plane. Qantaslink is the regional arm of Qantas, sort of like American Eagle is to American Airlines.

 

That's interesting about all the penguins and kangaroos. Sounds like one of those nice places I'll never get to. I didn't know you were in the Australia part of the world. Amazing what this modern technology allows us to do. Good to hear from you. I was hoping you'd find your way back to this thread.

 

Clayton

[napamule2]

Clayton,

You are right in doing what you have to do to make the ac fly & land right with cfg tweaks. I realize not everyone knows about air files. I work with them every day. For 10 years (more actually-FS98 on). With this Saab it uses a King Air 350 air file (2004) which was for FS2002. So some things are different for FS9.

 

For example. Your flaps, and reverse thrust are not enought to stop you. Why? Because in the air file the flaps drag is =240 (it should be =400). The reverse thrust is HALF. In the cfg in flaps section the drag_scalar=1.500 to compensate for that (could be =1.000 if the drag in air file was =400). And since this is a TurboProp, there is a delay in engine power (spool up/down) so that complicates the handling.

 

You give it full flaps, you cut the throttle, and it keeps flying faster that a piston (for 5 seconds-a lifetime when landing) so you run off end of runway your reverse thrust isn't enough, your brakes are not enough, and your flaps might as well not be there.

 

So you tweak the cfg. But don't sell yourself short with '0.02' adjustments. Fire in something that will work: ie: '0.650'. Stick to spec as much as possible, but hey, forget that if the model (ie: brakes) are not right (or is a port over with problems).

 

The idea is that you want to land safely - no matter what it takes (tweaks). So you take liscense and change things to where you can predict the outcome of any 'action' you take (ie: flaps,reverse or brakes). Flaps should have drag, reverse thrust be enough to help, and brakes work, enough to slow you down (maybe with even 20% power for 'safety' in case of miss or go around) but stop when you want to stop.

 

Some normal flying (20 min?) will expose the weakness of an ac and with changes you should have a flyable ac with some thweaks in 1 hr. That is what keeps me busy. And I am still working on airplanes from 2007 so I'll probably never catch up. But I try. I get something new every other day that I can work on. That's what I do. So FIRE THOSE TWEAKS IN and MAKE it fly right. It's your sim. Cheers.

Chuck B

[csmj]

Clayton,

You are right in doing what you have to do to make the ac fly & land right with cfg tweaks. I realize not everyone knows about air files. I work with them every day. For 10 years (more actually-FS98 on). With this Saab it uses a King Air 350 air file (2004) which was for FS2002. So some things are different for FS9.

 

For example....

 

So FIRE THOSE TWEAKS IN and MAKE it fly right. It's your sim. Cheers.

Chuck B

 

Thank you Chuck, I've saved your comments for further study. I've learned so much here, very much appreciated.

 

Clayton

[1biggles1]

Some new tweaks fresh from the developer.

Link: http://biggles11.wix.com/the-natural-world

Howard

[gwillmot]

A Tweak ......

 

Locate your fs9.cfg file Open the file with notepad.

 

Under the [controls] section, add the following:

stick_sensitivity_mode=0

 

It should look like this if done properly:

[CONTROLS]

stick_sensitivity_mode=0

 

NOTE! Don't remove any other settings. Just add the line in directly below the [controls] section.

 

Now, you are NOT done!

 

Go back into the simulator and open up your control settings. For your joystick (and rudder if applicable), set your sensitivity for all axes to HIGH. Set your Null Zones for 1, or close to one. Alternatively, you can manually adjust all the axes.

 

If you find it a little too sensitive when the stick is centered (it moves ever so slightly on its own), raise the null zone. Make sure the sensitivity of the control is at it's highest to give the FULL range of motion. Not doing so will limit the effect of your aileron, rudder and elevator. The sensitivity acts as a slider which adjusts the full range of motion. If set to 50%, then the aileron for example will only move within 50% of its full motion with full deflection of your joystick.

 

You will now find your controls more responsive to smaller inputs. Making turns should be easier, especially slight inputs to adjust for course or otherwise.

 

[csmj]

Thanks Glenn, I can try this later today, have to go now for a few hours. I'm a keyboard pilot, no joystick, yoke or pedals. Will this have any effect for me?

 

Clayton