Anyone have an entry for NAV red and NAV green lighting section for Default B747-400?

I don't have any nav red or nav green lights and when I look at the aircraft cfg, lights section, there are no entries there? If I click "L", I can faintly see a little light, but nothing to write home about!

Any suggestions, I would appreciate them! - Rick

Nope, no entries. They are in the model. You can add them as long as there is no wing flex.

Thanks Mr Z!

Yes, very unusual to not have Nav lights, I guess the strain with wing flexing would not allow them?

3rd party developers could figure it out, but not Microsoft? :rolleyes:

You know, actually the red and green Nav lights look pretty good. Now the bad news....The idiot developers for Microsoft tied the red/green Nav lights to the Landing Lights switch and not the Nav lights switch! So, before taking off, it all looks great until you reach 10,000 feet and turn your landing lights off, also turning off the red/green Nav lights. No wonder I stopped using the default 737 and 747!

You know, actually the red and green Nav lights look pretty good. Now the bad news....The idiot developers for Microsoft tied the red/green Nav lights to the Landing Lights switch and not the Nav lights switch! So, before taking off, it all looks great until you reach 10,000 feet and turn your landing lights off, also turning off the red/green Nav lights. No wonder I stopped using the default 737 and 747!

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]203292[/ATTACH]

Mr Z - The 737 is the same way? I hope not!

Rick :cool:

A new download with Nav lights! of course, it wasn't all without some work, it was 101,496 lbs over gross. Got that all worked out and now it flies pretty decent!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]203294[/ATTACH]

...it was 101,496 lbs over gross. Got that all worked out and now it flies pretty decent!

That's because FSX loads planes in with full fuel, and all passengers/cargo listed in the aircraft.cfg file. It's up to YOU, when you select the plane, to get into the Fuel & Payload menu, and adjust things properly. In other words, the plane isn't made to fly with max fuel AND max passenger/cargo weight.

You need to use a fuel calculator of some sort to figure out the fuel you need for the distance you're going, plus the usual reserve for orbiting the airport during a hold of some sort, and the fuel needed for the appropriate divert.

Once you have all that figured out and have adjusted the amount of fuel on-board the plane, then you need to figure out how much weight in the way of passengers, crew, and cargo, you can have aboard without going over-gross.

It's all up to you to make the adjustments required. If you're taking a LONG flight, like from New York to Adelade, as an example, you can't carry very much in the way of passengers, crew, cargo, food, you name it. If you're not going very far, like from New York to San Francisco, which really isn't all that far for a 747, you can load up a lot more weight, because you don't need near the fuel it would take to get to Adelade.

Welcome to the airliner world :D

Pat☺

Thanks Pat! Yes, I am aware that freeware downloads will need some tweeking once the aircraft has been downloaded. One of the first things I check for is to see if the aircraft is within Weight and Balance and make changes accordingly. I do not have a fuel calculator, just a trusty old Radio Shack calculator to help me do the math!

The point I was trying to make, was yes, changes will usually have to be made, but I have never seen the changes of 101,496 lbs needed! Usually, it is just fuel, but in that this is a cargo aircraft, it also required payload adjustments! I just wonder if some of these developers just throw the figures together, hoping it's close, and never taking the time to see if the plane will even fly! Oh, and Pat, I especially like the one where you find the nose wheel or tail wheel tire 2-3" into the asphalt! This one download also needed the front gear adjusted to get the nose wheel tire out of the asphalt! Yep, some work is needed on some of these downloads!

Beware, to the newbies, beginning to make freeware downloads, check the weight and balance of the aircraft to see if it is in balance for fuel and payload! It is nice these birds are given to us at no cost, but there might be some work on your part in making it a "keeper!"

Thanks Pat and have a nice day!

Well, I can't speak to the different dev's philosophies, but...

I think they normally put it the plane's different weight capacities, and fuel capacities, and leave it to you to make the correct adjustments once you go to actually fly the plane.

I don't think, most of the time anyway, err sorry, that you should change the aircraft.cfg settings. Either for W&B or fuel quantity. Those are what the plane can hold over-all, not what it needs to be to fly correctly. Those weight and fuel changes are up to the pilot. The dev's just give you all the possible options. It's up to the pilot to make changes to the various menu sections as it's loading in, not to the aircraft.cfg.

Or did I misunderstand? Is that what you do, leaving the aircraft.cfg file alone? I mean, if you have documentation that says the fuel quantity is wrong, or the various weights are in error, nothing wrong with changing the aircraft.cfg at all.

I never used a Radio Shack calculator. I saw them, as I used to hit Radio Shack for stuff all the time when I was a kid, but I couldn't afford them. I used a slip-stick, one of those big, yellow ones, until a girlfriend's mother, who worked at TI in San Jose back when, gave me their newest calculator. A TI-55. GREAT little change for a guy that was only used to slide rules! Stood me in good stead when I went to NAS Millington, TN. for schools. The second time I went, I got me a TI-55-II. Same thing, only thinner, and used LCD display vice the LED one.

Only hard part was learning RPN, but given how many computer programs use it, including XML, it's stood me in good stead :)

Anywho, no matter how you do it, enjoy!

Pat☺

Pat - The Radio Shack calculator I have is 2 1/2" X 4", I think I only paid $6 or $7 for it. I haven't been able to kill it yet, solar powered and works like a champ!

And, yes, no matter how I do it, I know the download is more right than when I got it! And, I am enjoying it!

Thanks - Rick

Rick and Pat....I have, in my dresser drawer, the very first hand-held pocket calculator. It was the Singer 1234. I worked for Singer Business Machines back in the day and we got a great discount for buying one....only $84. This was 1973, I think.

Rick and Pat....I have, in my dresser drawer, the very first hand-held pocket calculator. It was the Singer 1234. I worked for Singer Business Machines back in the day and we got a great discount for buying one....only $84. This was 1973, I think.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]203327[/ATTACH]

And, you probably still have it and it works great! LOL - Rick :cool: