Helicopter Autopilot Not working anymore

[simtech95209]

I've been away from helicopters for a couple of months. I had installed HAP from Dirk Fassbender, in the Augusta Weston, the Dolphin, the Bell 206 and the CH-46. When I last flew these choppers, HAP worked like a champ. No issues. Now, I can get power on the control panel (the yellow triangle), but nothing on the display. The green data is missing. I doubled checked the .xml file and the hap.cfg and they don't seem corrupted. Question, : what happened?. I have downloaded a couple of aircraft, but none even use the HAP module. I even get the request to approve the hapx.dll upon load up. In addition, I can not start any helicopter, except the Robinson (it's gasoline engine). All of the turbine powered ones will not start even with CTRL-E unless I transition from another aircraft with its engine running, then the helicopter engine will be running. I've tried reloading FSX several times, no joy, even restarting the computer. The reason I wanted to get back to helicopters is I d/l the V-22 Osprey and it was such a delight, I wanted to try to freshen my helicopter hoist skills.

 

How am I really messing things up? very bizarre. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.:confused:

[PhantomTweak]

I haven't an idea about the start-up trouble, although...

Is your default flight a cold-n-dark configuration of some plane? If so, did you try reverting back to the "default" default flight? The one the sim came with originally? Just a wild thought...

As to the AP: Just hitting the button to turn it on doesn't activate anything, other than applying power to the system. You need to select something to get the green display. HDG button, ALT, whatever...

Give that a try?

Pat☺

[simtech95209]

Pat, Thank you for your reply. Yes, I tried selecting either FTDN, Hdg, or Hover, but nothing ever lights up. You gave me an idea about the starting configuration. I will try what you suggest. I normally before the default screen loads, I'll just select another aircraft and the default or last flight never gets to load. I'll try fully loading a default or last flight and then select a helicopter and see what happens. Thanks you for the tip. I'll let you know how that works. Ok, I tried loading a default 172 everything running, avionics on, etc. No change, unable to see any data in HAP panel. Power to panel as yellow triangle is visible and responds to avionics switch. I have downloaded about six aircraft since I flew the choppers. I may have to remove each one for a check. But if they aren't being loaded, how do they affect the helicopter selection?

[il88pp]

The c172 is not the default flight. It's ultralight over friday harbour.

[napamule2]

You CAN make the C-172 (engine on or off, full of fuel or empty, day or night, at any runway anywhere in the world, raining, snowing or clear) the DEFAULT flight. Cheesh!

Chuck B

Napamule

[il88pp]

But then the switches are most likely not in the right positions, and good chance the battery is drained.

[napamule2]

As a matter of habit I add this line to (electrical) section in aircraft cfg (especially if the electrical section is not 'complete': electric_always_available=1 . That way you never drain your battery.

 

As far as switches is concerned, well the panel you load (not the default) might be the problem. Not the default (any default) flight's panel switches. Not all panels are the same or 'good' (due to gauges, etc).

Chuck B

Napamule

[simtech95209]

Pat and Chuck, thank you for the tips. If it's any consolation, I had the APU on the helicopter and it still wouldn't start. Bus Voltage on the others read 24.1v. I will try the Ultralight just as a matter of curiosity. Strange phenomenon. Would like to get HAP to work again.

 

I started with the ultralight @Friday Harbor. cold and dark, started it and flew it no issues.

 

Changed to helicopter and, as expected, engines were running, flew it around the pattern but still no data on HAP console even after clicking on various modes of the panel with the yellow triangle.. Still stumped..

[il88pp]

To restore the default flight, close fsx, open fsx.cfg and change:

Situation=whatever it says

to:

situation=

Then start fsx and start a flight. (not cold and dark of course)

[PhantomTweak]

OK, heeeere we go!

First, I may have found your AP problem. It seems bass-ackwards, but to ACTIVATE the AP, you want the yellow triangle to be OFF, not on. see picture 1:

This is a screencap I just took, sitting on the ground in an SH-60, engines running at idle. I pressed the STAB button to turn the yellow triangle Off, then hit the HOV/HT switch, and got the display you see. If I were to increase the value displayed, up, up and AWAAAAY!

 

As to the start: First, how do you shut down? Lets go with B206, preferably the Eagle Rotorcraft Simulations one from Hovercontrol, the High Skid (HS) version. It's a great 206, flies fine, and there are a couple of HTR configs for it. You will need to add the AP to the panel of course, and I almost always add the Helitrim gauge too. Really handy little item. Lets you trim a helicopter in all 3 axes, like a fixed wing.

 

Anyway: when you shut down the helicopter, may I ask just how? Do you just hit CTRL+SHFT+F1, or do you follow the checklist, dialing down the collective throttle dial slowly, letting the EGT cool down for 5 min on the lowest throttle setting before OFF, then after you set the throttle to OFF, when the rotor stops, switching the Avionics, Fuel, and Master switches off? Or, do you shut down a fixed wing bird then switch to the chopper? Did you maybe turn the Magnetos OFF? If so, they need to be ON before you switch to the helicopter. Same with the Mixture lever. Needs to be full forward before you switch to the helicopter.

 

I am suspecting that, when you hit the START button, either you have the throttle dialed up too high (should only be on the first detent, or OFF),

 

 

or the FUEL switch still off,

OR, if switching in from a fixed wing, you need to hit CTRL+SHFT+F4 before you hit the start button, along with all the other things. The throttle in the first detent (OFF), Master, Avionics, and FUEL switches all ON.

 

 

HOLD the Start button, then rotate the throttle to the second detent (one line above OFF), after the ROTOR needle indicates about 20%. That's kind of hard, holding the Start button AND dialing up the throttle, but you have to be quick with your mouse, OR, assign a button on the joystick, or a key combo, to the Start Button. That way, you can do two things at once :)

 

 

Once the engine catches, release the Start button, and dial the throttle up to the third detent (Next line up). When the EGT stabilizes, dial the throttle up another detent, rinse, repeat.

 

I hope something in all babbling helps out a little...

Pat☺

[simtech95209]

Pat, You must be clairvoyant. That's what it was.. "assuming" Yellow Triangle" means power, but also the plot thickens that just pushing the STAB button and HDG or HOV doesn't do anything. As per the manual, I had to press FTDN, then a mode switch. But it works as advertised when the yellow triangle was NOT in view. Gee I really feel el stupido right now. Thank you again. BTW, I changed my Default and I'll fly that next. IRT shutdown, I usually use the shift-ctrl F1. I will check out that 206 @ Hovercontrol. Great site, don't visit it enough. Again..Millions Thanks.

[PhantomTweak]

Pat, You must be clairvoyant.

Well, I have been told I was psychotic...errrr...umm...PSYCHIC, yeah, that was it, Psychic :D :D

 

I am glad we got you squared away.

That ERS B206 really is an enjoyable bird to fly.

I also strongly recommend Helicopter Total Realism. Latest edition is v6.2. Get it, and get the config file(s) for the B206. Adds a very nice realism to helicopters in FSX.

Also, a great helicopter dev, Jordan Moore, wrote a couple of articles on how to adjust some settings in the .air file of a particular helo to try and overcome some of FSX's "problems" with correctly simulating helicopters. They can be found HERE and HERE. You might want to give them a read when you have the time :)

Couple the info in those with HTR, which you can edit the config files of for your particular system (everyone's is unique), and you can really improve the "realism" of FSX when it comes to helicopters. You can make them as hard or as easy as you desire too. Make a config file for easy, one for medium, and so on. For any and every helicopter you choose to fly.

Just can't get that "seat-of-the-pants" feel of helicopters, which is the biggest gripe real-life helicopter pilots have. You can't for fixed wing, either though, so...

 

Anyway, there ya go. Have fun!

Pat☺

[simtech95209]

Pat, I downloaded the ERS B206. I'll pull it out of the hangar and give it a go. Thank you for the other tips. I had read about HTR, so I should jump in and see what it's all about. Again, many thanks for getting be squared away.