I am having trouble engaging the altitude hold and vertical speed functions in the PMDG 737 600/700. When I engage the autopilot the, I am not able to engage the altitude/vertical speed functions. In fact the aircraft begins to osscilate in the vertical plane. What am I missing?

Please check forum rules pinned at the top of the forum. You need to sign your posts.You haven't provided enough information, at what point where you trying to engage the autopilot? What was programmed into the FMC? ETC... A screenshot would help as well.

Sorry, my name is Rich. I do have way point altitudes programed into the FMC. Here's what happens. when I receive my clearance, I put the initial altitude to which I have been cleared in the altitude hold selector. I select 2000 ft./minute in the vertical speed selector. I take off. At some point in my initial climb, I engage the auto pilot, select heading, and try to select altitude and vertical speed. It may or may not engage briefly, then disengages completely. I then discover the plane is pitching up and down. Am I missing something? P.S. I don't know how to post a screen shot.Rich

Yaw Dampers turned on?

Hello, I am also new to PMDG 747 and i hope to learn from these advices to Rich, if i may please.My initial reply to his question elsewhere was to say, as follows" I have just got the PMDG 747, and i had a similar experience to you.It does not use the auto pilot like in the stock 747, which i can use, no probs.You and i need to start to learn a whole new set of instructions,I reckon -lol.There is so much in these aircraft, that i have a new project ahead learning how to fly this 747.On my flight i had switches going all sorts of ways, warnings, cautions, noises like the houses all round me had their burglar alarms going off.Frightened the #### out of me. It was a relief to crashI am looking forward to learning this plane. I am now taking PC Pilot, a magazine in UK in which there is a tutorial series started based on the PMDG. Hopefully, this will teach me enough.I am going to look more at the PMDG forum as well.What I am hoping to find,for guys like you and I, is a tutorial which recognises that the learner is already familiar with the sim stock 747 and 737 and how the differences are in the PMDG. E.g. Using the knobs to change IAS- could turn it one way all right, but took me a while to figure out that to turn it the other way i needed to right click the mouse.! A little thing now i know, but it was frustrating at the time.I know I should RTFM, and I am in small stages; but I wondered if there was a sample IFR flight from A to B where step by step tutorial was given?I shall also ask this in the PMDG forum, if i may."Is there anywhere you can point us to fellas?, there are so many questions that I don't think the forum can deal with them all?TIADave

>>Is there anywhere you can point us to fellas?, there are so>many questions that I don't think the forum can deal with them>all?>My humble advice: read the manuals and tutorials, then fly.Next: read the manuals and tutorials, then fly.Next thing to do: read the manuals and tutorials, then fly.You can also do another thing: read the manuals and tutorials, then fly.Once you have done it: read the manuals and tutorials, then fly.Another thing you can do: read the......It has worked for me. Every time you read the manuals you discover a "new" thing. The more you read them, the more things you will discover.The best tutorials:737 - Timothy Metzinger

>>>>Is there anywhere you can point us to fellas?, >My humble advice: read the manuals and tutorials, then fly.>>Next: read the manuals and tutorials, then fly.>>Next thing to do: read the manuals and tutorials, then fly.>>You can also do another thing: read the manuals and tutorials,>then fly.>>Once you have done it: read the manuals and tutorials, then>fly.>>Another thing you can do: read the...>Fair enough - It was the tutorials I was really seeking. >The best tutorials:>>>747 - Holger Seilz

>But where is Holger's tutorial?can you post a link please?>>It is very easy to find at AVSIM library. Search for Holger Seilz.It's perhaps the best tutorial I've seen, and is preciously edited too.Jose Luis.

Check also the type rating courses witch are probably even more detailed. There are four of them and maybe a next issue is coming out in the coming months ...

FYI: The Type Rating Courses can be found on PMDG's web site. And oh by the way... another thing you could do is read the manuals and tutorials... :-outta:-lol

:-lol :-lol :-lolNow, everybody repeat please: I am going to read the manuals, tutorials and TYPE RATING COURSES !!!:-lol :-lol :-lolJose Luis

>:-lol :-lol :-lol>>Now, everybody repeat please: >I am going to read the manuals, tutorials and TYPE RATING>COURSES !!!>>:-lol :-lol :-lol>>Jose LuisThe only problem is I am the wrong side of 50 - and I doubt i'll live long enough to read them all :) :)I mean, Gawd, have you seen how many pages there are in Holger's tutorial? ( Found it thnx, Jose ). And these Type Rating Courses are more detailed!!?Yipes!- And I thought Falcon 4 manual was profound. Thanks a lot, anyway, fellas.

>- and I doubt i'll live long enough to read them all :) :)>>Oh !! nights are very long !!...just, don`t sleep !! as it used to say one teacher I had many years ago.Jose Luis.

"Yipes!- And I thought Falcon 4 manual was profound."This brings up a very interesting point. The more we drive the market to "as real as it gets" the more work we "customers" will have to do in order to use and get the most out these great products. The Type Rating Course is really just as it is named. A course to assist the average simmer to earn their "Type Rating" on the Queen.For me, reading the manuals and learning about the aircraft and its systems is a large portion of the enjoyment I get out of these types of sophisticated products. :-)

>>For me, reading the manuals and learning about the aircraft>and its systems is a large portion of the enjoyment I get out>of these types of sophisticated products. :-)100% agree with you.Jose Luis.