FSX airplane failures and weather rates

So, I have a few question about FSX. I would like to know if airplane failures, like engine fire, instrument failure, landing gear failure, etc happens randomly on freeflight. Is the probability of these failures occurring based on random chance set by the game, player impact (for example, I overheat the engine to create engine fire) or if failures will only happen if I set it up in the freeflight menu? I haven't noticed many failures in game but I would like to know how this feature works in the game. If my actions in game have any impacts on the aircraft itself.

My last question is the change of weather rate in the fsx settings. I always set my freeflight to real-world weather which updates itself every 15 minutes. So I can't understand what the point of me setting a weather rate is. Should I set the option to low, high, medium?

When using the "failure" tab to set up an engine, gear, or other such thingy, it will be necessary to set a time frame also otherwise it won't occur. Now there are certain freeware aircraft like the MJ C-47 V2 or V3 that if not flown correctly, will definitly give you some unexpected engine type failure. I have personally caused the engines on that bird to burst into flames and lose all power just because I failed to properly adjust the prop RPM.

If you are using the real world weather updated every 15 minutes, then no other adjustments should be required.

When using the "failure" tab to set up an engine, gear, or other such thingy, it will be necessary to set a time frame also otherwise it won't occur. Now there are certain freeware aircraft like the MJ C-47 V2 or V3 that if not flown correctly, will definitly give you some unexpected engine type failure. I have personally caused the engines on that bird to burst into flames and lose all power just because I failed to properly adjust the prop RPM.

 

If you are using the real world weather updated every 15 minutes, then no other adjustments should be required.

So, the default fsx planes do not have failures unless I set it up to happen in advance? That's lame. Should I leave the weather change rate at no change, or it doesn't matter?

I can't swear to it, but the rate of change in the weather is 7 1/2 min low, 15 min. medium, and 30 minutes high. I know that each setting is a different update time, I'm just not certain of the specifics.

As to failures, well, Zippy covered it like a blanket :D

Pat☺

So, the default fsx planes do not have failures unless I set it up to happen in advance? That's lame. Should I leave the weather change rate at no change, or it doesn't matter?

Correct. Other addons can introduce much more sophisticated damage and failure modelling. The FSX system is only about `planned` failures, with a couple of exceptions.

Hold on guys. In re FSX wx, my understanding is that MS abandoned support a couple of years ago. If you want real wx, you need an outside program such as REX or Active Sky among others. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I do not think FSX on its own supports any wx except what a user creates manually.

I find that the weather, inside of FSX, that is updated every 15 minutes works well and will give a correct interpretation fairly consistently. There are ocassions where it hasn't updated for a few days.

Correct. Other addons can introduce much more sophisticated damage and failure modelling. The FSX system is only about `planned` failures, with a couple of exceptions.

What exceptions? It's really lame that the pilot has not effect on failures. What's the point of setting up anti-ice, mixture, propeller and other buttons in the cockpit if they have not effect on the simulator. It's really ridiculous now that I find this out.

BTW MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Hold on guys. In re FSX wx, my understanding is that MS abandoned support a couple of years ago. If you want real wx, you need an outside program such as REX or Active Sky among others. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I do not think FSX on its own supports any wx except what a user creates manually.

FSX real world weather DOES work. I live in NYC, and I do get a fair enough representation of the weather outside. The wind speed and direction usually seems a bit off but since I don't live near these nyc weather stations, I can't tell if the wind and speed is different at this stations when compared to where I live.

What exceptions? It's really lame that the pilot has not effect on failures. What's the point of setting up anti-ice, mixture, propeller and other buttons in the cockpit if they have not effect on the simulator. It's really ridiculous now that I find this out.

 

BTW MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Then trick being not to use FSX default planes for the "un-planned", but pilot caused failures. I flew a freeware DC-10 out of Boston last winter during a major blizzard. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn on the pitot tube heat and managed to fall out of the sky before I reached 5,000 feet.

Originally Posted by TreborHG_93 View Post

What exceptions? It's really lame that the pilot has not effect on failures. What's the point of setting up anti-ice, mixture, propeller and other buttons in the cockpit if they have not effect on the simulator.

They do work but you never know when FSX will decide to act on it and by that time you realize what's happening you are deep in:

Cheers,

What exceptions? It's really lame that the pilot has not effect on failures. What's the point of setting up anti-ice, mixture, propeller and other buttons in the cockpit if they have not effect on the simulator. It's really ridiculous now that I find this out.

 

BTW MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

There seems to be some misunderstanding here. Of course all these things work, some to a lesser, some to a greater degree. But they are limited to your current simulator session. If you mistreat your engines, they might fail during your flight (hint: try the default P51 Mustang, but make sure that all realism settings are cranked up to max). If you forget pitot heat, your airspeed indicator stops working. Your engines can fail if you forget anti ice. Etc. But the simulator will forget all that, once you shut it down.

This is where the advanced addon planes come in. Some of the top-of-the-line products remember what you did to them, and mismanagement and subsequent system failures may accumulate over time. And there are other addons (FS Captain, FS Passengers) that simulate additional failures, like bird strikes, sick passengers,...

On top of that, FSX has the programmable failure system, just like a real simulator. In case you want to train a specific failure scenario, like pilots do in their sims.

There seems to be some misunderstanding here. Of course all these things work, some to a lesser, some to a greater degree. But they are limited to your current simulator session. If you mistreat your engines, they might fail during your flight (hint: try the default P51 Mustang, but make sure that all realism settings are cranked up to max). If you forget pitot heat, your airspeed indicator stops working. Your engines can fail if you forget anti ice. Etc. But the simulator will forget all that, once you shut it down.

 

This is where the advanced addon planes come in. Some of the top-of-the-line products remember what you did to them, and mismanagement and subsequent system failures may accumulate over time. And there are other addons (FS Captain, FS Passengers) that simulate additional failures, like bird strikes, sick passengers,...

 

On top of that, FSX has the programmable failure system, just like a real simulator. In case you want to train a specific failure scenario, like pilots do in their sims.

what do you mean by the simulator forgetting all that once it is shut down? It's nice to hear that the airplane can still fail without the predetermined failure system in freeflight. I think addons are way to expensive for fsx

what do you mean by the simulator forgetting all that once it is shut down? It's nice to hear that the airplane can still fail without the predetermined failure system in freeflight. I think addons are way to expensive for fsx

Forgetting:

In the real world, if you mistreat your engines or other systems, they do not have to fail right away. Damage accumulates over time, and failures usually trigger other failuers. Part of the challenge in RW is to find out what actually went wrong, when a red light comes on. But not in default FSX, it doesn't remember that you ran your engines too hot and that they should fail on your next flight. Only aircraft with custom logic can do that. But be aware that even of those there only are a precious few, it is not like every addon plane will come with persistent failure modelling. Quite the contrary really, off the top of my head I would say that less than 20 aircraft of all the hundreds of offerings are capable of doing this (most notably A2As Accusim planes).

Expensive:

Many hundreds, sometimes thousands of hours are required to make a high quality product. You really expect the developers to just give them away?

The market has diminished considerably in the last 10 years, but the effort necessary to make high quality addons has grown steadily - customers are demanding. So prices go up, naturally (or developers quit, also normal)

Forgetting:

In the real world, if you mistreat your engines or other systems, they do not have to fail right away. Damage accumulates over time, and failures usually trigger other failuers. Part of the challenge in RW is to find out what actually went wrong, when a red light comes on. But not in default FSX, it doesn't remember that you ran your engines too hot and that they should fail on your next flight. Only aircraft with custom logic can do that. But be aware that even of those there only are a precious few, it is not like every addon plane will come with persistent failure modelling. Quite the contrary really, off the top of my head I would say that less than 20 aircraft of all the hundreds of offerings are capable of doing this (most notably A2As Accusim planes).

 

Expensive:

Many hundreds, sometimes thousands of hours are required to make a high quality product. You really expect the developers to just give them away?

The market has diminished considerably in the last 10 years, but the effort necessary to make high quality addons has grown steadily - customers are demanding. So prices go up, naturally (or developers quit, also normal)

Ok thanks. I'm just glad to at least hear that fsx planes can fail while in flight without setting it up before the flight

Ok thanks. I'm just glad to at least hear that fsx planes can fail while in flight without setting it up before the flight

Once again, it will depend on the aircraft chosen. Don't count on a default 737 or Airbus A-321 giving you much more than an overspeed and crash condition depending on your realism settings. I have flown many flights with them at varying altitudes and bitter cold outside temps without using pitot tube heat and had no airspeed problems.

Once again, it will depend on the aircraft chosen. Don't count on a default 737 or Airbus A-321 giving you much more than an overspeed and crash condition depending on your realism settings. I have flown many flights with them at varying altitudes and bitter cold outside temps without using pitot tube heat and had no airspeed problems.

I have realism set to be as realistic as possible. I have never gotten an engine fire in my game, but I do remember once having trouble lowering the landing gear for landing. It wouldn't go down, so it was either a bug or a failure caused by me. I never use the failure tab in freeflight

Correct. Other addons can introduce much more sophisticated damage and failure modelling. The FSX system is only about `planned` failures, with a couple of exceptions.

You want a failure? Take off in the P-51 without regard to anything except flying and see how long it flies without an engine failure. :eek::eek:

You want a failure? Take off in the P-51 without regard to anything except flying and see how long it flies without an engine failure. :eek::eek:

I try to stick with the normal planes and not do races. I have read the learning center of fsx and they reference to running the engine and how it could fail, so I guess the pilot does have an effect on the plane

I try to stick with the normal planes and not do races. I have read the learning center of fsx and they reference to running the engine and how it could fail, so I guess the pilot does have an effect on the plane

Again, turn to the aftermarket for the job done properly. MS did what they were expected: Deliver a platform.

MS also gave an insight into what sort of realism could be added withe racing P-51. After that, it's down to the aftermarket.

These topics are basically pointless. MS long ago abandoned the project. Ask about things you can change, learn about the addons you need to buy or download to allow those changes.