New X-Plane User -- Calibration Help

[MarkHargrove 0]

I'm an experienced FSX simmer trying to make the conversion to X-Plane. For the life of me, I cannot seem to get my yoke and rudder pedals to calibrate. I follow the procedure on the calibration page, moving all axes of my various controllers (yoke, rudder pedals, toe brakes, Saitek TPM, Saitek trimwheel). I see the nice green lines that seem to correctly follow my control movements after calibration. When I return to the simulation itself, any aircraft I select (but especially the C-172) constantly turns to the left on the ground when power is applied unless I apply nearly full opposite rudder. If I trundle down the runway and take off, the plane banks sharply to the left unless I apply nearly roughly 50-60% right aileron. Pitch control is hypersensitive. All in all, the sim is not flyable. It's behaving very much like the controls aren't calibrated.Since there are thousands of people who are very happy with XP, I'm obviously doing something wrong but I cannot for life of me understand what.I'm running XP 10, latest update (as of about a week ago) on Windows 7 x64.Does anybody have any suggestions/insights?Thanks!-M.

[VegaSS 2]

(but especially the C-172) constantly turns to the left on the ground when power is applied unless I apply nearly full opposite rudder. If I trundle down the runway and take off, the plane banks sharply to the left unless I apply nearly roughly 50-60% right aileron. Pitch control is hypersensitive. All in all, the sim is not flyable. It's behaving very much like the controls aren't calibrated..

Don't fear, help is on the way. In the mean time, you should really purchase some 3rd party add-on aircraft. On a serious note, find the realism setting and send all the green bars to the right, that should make it more tolerable. Goran also has a fix for this I think, but not sure.

[VegaSS 2]

Under the drop-down menu, go to "joystick and equipment", then select the "nulzone" tab. Adjust the 6 bars on the top of the screen until flyable. The farther to the right you go, the better.Hope this helps. Tim

[GoranM 3,762]

On the main calibration page and while everything is centered, click on "Use this position as center", then recalibrate your controllers normally.

[MarkHargrove 0]

I tried, separately, both suggestions by VegaSS and GoranM. Neither had any appreciable effect. I still see very normal kinds of behavior from the axes on the 'Joystick and Equipment' page, but bizarre behavior (including the incessant left turns and left banks after take off) on any aircraft I select (including using a 3rd-party Cessna 172 from FTS). I want to re-emphasize that all of these controllers work perfectly well in FSX, whether using the stock FSX calibration or when calibrated via FSUIPC4 for FSX.This is making a bit crazy; I cannot figure out why it's happening.

[wb5okj 26]

You might want to double check the calibration of your various controllers in there native calibration software. I use the CH Filght Sim yoke and CH Pro Pedals, and thought they were fine too, had problems in XPlane.IAlthough I thought the equipment was in fine shape, I calibrated in CH control panel. Too my surprise, they were off quite a bit, after calibrating I haven't had any problems. I think in these relatively cheap hardware, things do drift out of control.I also use the Saitek X52 set occasionaly and do have to recalibrate from time to time.

[VegaSS 2]

I tried, separately, both suggestions by VegaSS and GoranM. Neither had any appreciable effect. I still see very normal kinds of behavior from the axes on the 'Joystick and Equipment' page, but bizarre behavior (including the incessant left turns and left banks after take off) on any aircraft I select (including using a 3rd-party Cessna 172 from FTS). I want to re-emphasize that all of these controllers work perfectly well in FSX, whether using the stock FSX calibration or when calibrated via FSUIPC4 for FSX.This is making a bit crazy; I cannot figure out why it's happening.

As much as would like to help, I agree with you, X-plane's flying caracteristics are not to be desired. With that said, I will await the flames. Just keep in mind, this is someone else having similar problems now guys. I'll just sit back, have a drink, and watch the show now. :(

[GoranM 3,762]

As much as would like to help, I agree with you, X-plane's flying caracteristics are not to be desired. With that said, I will await the flames. Just keep in mind, this is someone else having similar problems now guys. I'll just sit back, have a drink, and watch the show now. :(

christ...here we go again.

[wb5okj 26]

Lord I cried for waterShe brought me gasoline!Have you updated to the latest beta 7? It may be my imagination, or perhaps I am just flying this thing enouh to finally learn how to use it, but after updatein to the last beta Beta 7, I find that a lot of the banking tendancies are greatly diminished. Even the Stinson seemed to have greatly improved ground handling, although part of that is learning to handle the plane properly, (very very easy on the throttle, the engine is greatly overpowered.).If you haven't updated, I would recommend that you do so.By the way Mark, how does that Cessna trim wheel do? That is probably going to be my next hardware purchase, if enough users are keen with it. I have heard there again that proper calibration is critical.

[VegaSS 2]

christ...here we go again.

I'm leaving this alone, I'm all worn out. Besides, I think I finally got mine going ok. :( I really do want him to be able to get right, I was trying to help. I know that you guys would be better at it than I am. Goran, don't you have a download for the 172 that was a fix? Maybe this would help him.Tim

[GoranM 3,762]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1192596/Cessna_172SP.acf

[airlinejets 709]

X-plane's flying caracteristics are not to be desired

Ain't the only undesired thing goin' around...

[MarkHargrove 0]

I'll continue to follow any and all advice I get here -- I'd really love to get XP working. Thanks to everybody for the suggestions.Don -- the trim wheel is wonderful (well, in FSX; can't say about XP yet :-) ). Be aware that calibration is a little funky because the wheel doesn't have any stops at the full trim up or full trim down position so it's not at all obvious when it's in the middle. When you calibrate you have to turn the wheel "up" a bunch of times (like 20 half-revolutions), and then "down" about the same number to be sure you've reach both ends of the raw values it will report. I think it returns raw values from 0 - 1023 so it has allows VERY fine adjustments in trim, something I could never accomplish before with the "trim switch" on my yoke.-M.Goran,Thanks for the C-172 .acf file -- I'll give it a try right away.-M.

[wb5okj 26]

Good luck Mark, and thanks for the info on the trim wheel. That will probably be my next hardware purchase after I recover from Christmas, not to mention New Years. LOLI'm surprised you are having that much trouble with the controls. XPlane does require some aileron trim, which I know most of us aren't or wasn't used to. Even though a C172 in reality doesn't have aileron trim, in the sim it works. The aileron trim is more effective and necessary than rudder trim, which works in all of the aircraft too. So much for reality right. Best of Luck and Happy New Year!

[CFIKen 0]

I'll continue to follow any and all advice I get here -- I'd really love to get XP working. Thanks to everybody for the suggestions.Don -- the trim wheel is wonderful (well, in FSX; can't say about XP yet :-) ). Be aware that calibration is a little funky because the wheel doesn't have any stops at the full trim up or full trim down position so it's not at all obvious when it's in the middle. When you calibrate you have to turn the wheel "up" a bunch of times (like 20 half-revolutions), and then "down" about the same number to be sure you've reach both ends of the raw values it will report. I think it returns raw values from 0 - 1023 so it has allows VERY fine adjustments in trim, something I could never accomplish before with the "trim switch" on my yoke.-M.Goran,Thanks for the C-172 .acf file -- I'll give it a try right away.-M.

Did the .acf file work? If so, could you post it again?The left banking problem did not begin with XP 10. I have it in 9.70 also however it is not there in the stock 9.21rc that came on the DVD. I've calibrated and recalibrated, hooked up a MS Sidewinder and even disconnected all of the joysticks and used the keyboard. The left banking is still there in the single prop planes. As a band-aid, I defined one of the toggle buttons on the Saitek yoke for aileron trip. In addition, I went into plane-maker and put an aileron trim indicator on the panel. It's small and even after expanding the size with MSPaint, still isn't that readable but it does help setting the trim for takeoff.BTW, on the elevator trim wheel, I adjusted the trim wheel parameters in plane-maker so that it doesn't require so many revolutions of the wheel to go from full-down to full-up trim. This might help the Saitek trim wheel also (I use electric trim with a yoke toggle button). I also set the center of gravity on the plane more forward since at cruise I was almost maxed out on nose down trim (even before the rotations adjustment). Definitely not prototypical as model railroaders would say.If you have never used plane-maker, you should give it a try. It is really easy to make simple modifications such as moving instruments and controls around on a panel.Any help you can give on the Cessna .acf would be appreciated. Thanks.Ken