747-400 FSX: Can't get autothrottle to work

[ccaughie 0]

I've spent several hours trying to figure this out to no avail. Having finally got myself to the runway, pretty sure that I've followed the normal procedures and checklists correctly, I arm the autothrottle, advance throttles to 70% N1, then hit THR.Nothing happens (no increase in thrust and the throttle annunciator in the PFD is still blank), so I manually control the throttles during takeoff. At 1000ft or so I select LNAV and VNAV modes, engage the autopilot, and try hitting THR again. Still nothing. I try SPD and that also doesn't work. Nothing I do seems to make the darned thing engage.Can anyone think of anything I might have forgotten to do that would cause this?Also, the normal procedures manual refers to a "TO/GA button", but I haven't found this anywhere. Can someone point me in its general direction?Thanks,Colin

[spesimen 135]

The TO/GA button is the little screw on the panel just above and to the left of the autothrottle arm switch. this is a shortcut since in real life the switch is on the pilot's controls (a button on the throttle.)I never hit the THR button, i think when you hit it you are actually switching it between settings of thrust limit depending which mode you are in.Here is the order I use which seems to work fine.this assumes you have fmc all setup correctly including vspeeds performance etc. flight director and autothrottle switches armed.1. advance throttles to 50-70%2. hit to/ga button .. (make sure your speed is set to v2)3. the engines will spool up and maintain v2 while you rotate and climb out. you should hear the officer say 'thrust set' once they are at the proper level (usually after the 80knots call but before v1/rotate call)4. once above around 1000 agl, i hit autopilot button, then activate vnav and lnav. pretty much she flies herself from there!i'm not sure if my method is quite procedurally correct, but the vnav controls engine throttle fine using this method for me so maybe it's worth trying out to see if it works for you.cheers,-andy crosby

[ccaughie 0]

Thanks Andy, I'll try this later. I don't feel so bad about not being able to find the TO/GA button now. :)However, assuming the TO/GA button is only ever used on takeoff (or go-around), I'm still not clear on why I wouldn't have been able to engage autothrottles later in the flight even if I had used manual throttle control on takeoff. Anyone?Colin

[fghdgdfdfgfgf 111]

Be advised: there is no to/ga "screw" on the mcp in the virtual cockpit of the fsx pmdg 747 (747x). You must use the to/ga lever at the base of the throttle control arms -like in the real cockpit, i assume. You can also you use the pmdg key assignment utility to assign a short cut to the to/ga switch.Ken

[vscimone 16]

Actually, Ken, we did add a TO/GA screw in the VC just for consistancy in the latest PMDG 747-400X update....Best,Vin ScimonePMDGwww.precisionmanuals.comhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/priv/img/forum/sig_pmdg.jpg

[ccaughie 0]

Update: TO/GA did the trick, thanks for that tip. The little screw didn't seem to work in the VC, so I assigned it to a keyboard shortcut instead. I couldn't find any hotspots on the yoke either.My question still stands though: Why is it necessary to use TO/GA mode during takeoff in order for the autothrottle to work in later stages of flight?Colin

[Headley 26]

>My question still stands though: Why is it necessary to use>TO/GA mode during takeoff in order for the autothrottle to>work in later stages of flight?Don't think it is necesarry, but to get the AT working in flight i can not find a fixed solution.When for one or other reason the AT disconnects in flight, i push so many buttons (Thr, Spd, VNav, ...) and at a given moment AT will engage, but never do i know why exactly:( (and yes, AT switch is armed)

[Guest Liftwaffel]

1:Same problem here. The TOGA "screw" does not exist, but I can use the TOGA switches at the base of the throttles (VC mode).2: If I take off with manual throttles, the autothrottles will not engage no matter what I press on the MCP (AT is ARMED).3: When I try to use the PMDG "options" in FSX, I can change the settings, but they go to default the moment I close the meny. Are there supposed to be a "use" window (not only "close") when I try to change the settings?4: When I assign commands to the keyboard they will still "be there", but the values (heading, alt, speed) don't change when I try to use them in the sim.5: The light for the pedestal seems very weak, even with the light switches in max.6: Appart from these issues, it's a GREAT product.Vista 32, FSX SP1 and 2 (not acceleration).Ulf H.

[ccaughie 0]

I guess I'm not the only one then. Is it a bug in the product, or is there just a specific procedure that needs to be followed in order to get the autothrottle to work from any stage of flight?Anyone from PMDG care to comment?I'm thoroughly enjoying the plane apart from these issues. The sound in particular is superb, better I think than the Level D 767. (Although never having been in the cockpit of either plane in real life I can't say for sure).Colin

[Guest Liftwaffel]

Hi Colin,No TOGA screw in VC, only in 2D.In VC you have to click the TOGA button at the base of the throttles when you take off (two dark spots), then the autothrottles work OK for the rest of the flight. Works for me, anyway.What kind of FPS do you get in the 747 (VC)? I can't get more than about 20 (I do have my sliders high up).Regards,Ulf

[ccaughie 0]

I probably get about 20fps at cruising altitude, I'm lucky to get 10 on the ground. And that's with no traffic. I'm waiting patiently for my new Q9450 rig to arrive so I can fly this plane properly.Colin

[RaptyrOne 1,409]

>Actually, Ken, we did add a TO/GA screw in the VC just for>consistancy in the latest PMDG 747-400X update....>>Best,>>Vin Scimone>PMDG>www.precisionmanuals.comAn update for the 400X? Where can I find this?