I'd personally like the opinion of the PMDG team before I go reinstall it.

Is FLCH active when you load the aircraft? I remember this used to be a problem and could cause other undesireable results.

No, I engaged it and as previously mentioned it HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROBLEM! I have tried with it off.

Do you get the red bars on the speedtape during a normal VNAV-controlled departure?

Francis,This is a really weird suggestion, but either go to your EICAS STAT page or go to an outside view and see if any control surface is sticking up in the wind. After I installed the sound update for my 747 Queen of the Skies, I actually had one of the left aileron slats sticking up when I loaded the aircraft. I couldn't get it to go down either. It was only a single, small slat, so I don't know if I would have noticed it in flight. I didn't try to take off in that condition.I had to reinstall the aircraft to get rid of the problem, sans the sound update this time.Kim

Yeah, I do my flight control checks both inside and outside, et je n'ai pas le sound update... Thanks for the suggestion...

Francis,Go to your FS9/PMDG folder - open up the 747400gauges.ini file and make sure the PFD section has the following in it:VLE=270.0FlapPositions=7 // 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30// Default ValuesVMaxFlaps=365.0, 280.0, 260.0, 240.0, 230.0, 205.0, 180.0Mmo=921This can cause those red bricks if the settings get changed.

Did your aicraft actual weight equal the weight you put in the FMC? How did you set your actual aircraft weight?Cheers.Q> P.S. (sidenote) No, FLCH is not a valid takeoff mode. It's selectable on the ground (on our real aircraft), but the pitch bar will drop BELOW the horizon, until you build up enough speed to get the aircraft to the selected MCP speed. As you have selected a very abnormal V2 speed of 250kts, it might take some time for the FD bars to move :(

>Francis,>>Go to your FS9/PMDG folder - open up the 747400gauges.ini file>and make sure the PFD section has the following in it:>>VLE=270.0>FlapPositions=7 // 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30>// Default Values>VMaxFlaps=365.0, 280.0, 260.0, 240.0, 230.0, 205.0, 180.0>Mmo=921>>This can cause those red bricks if the settings get changed.Here is what my 747400gauges.ini looks like[FMC]LastPos=N51

>Francis,>>Go to your FS9/PMDG folder - open up the 747400gauges.ini file>and make sure the PFD section has the following in it:>>VLE=270.0>FlapPositions=7 // 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30>// Default Values>VMaxFlaps=365.0, 280.0, 260.0, 240.0, 230.0, 205.0, 180.0>Mmo=921>>This can cause those red bricks if the settings get changed.Now added that to the PFD section, will load up and try again...

Wahey!! Thankyou so much PMDG, it works!! I will definitely be doing business again with you, especially when I finally get a new computer to make the move to FSX, and spend my hard-earned cash on the NGX, A32X, MD11 and 744 for FSX! Can't wait!