Just downloaded your magnificent 732, some questions.

[Guest Avianca757]

Hi!As the topic says I just downloaded your magnificent 732.I plan to learn how to cope with the INS systems and stuff, but right now I've just made a pair of flights using good ol' VOR and NDB navigation, and I have a couple of questions from what I've done with this baby so far:1. I don't really know how to get the Autopilot to control the pitch angles (or vertical speeds) when climbing or descending. I usually engage both autopilots (Aileron and Elevator) and I'm usually on HDG SEL mode and MAN (sometimes VOR/LOC but not as much as MAN) in the AP ROLL, I set the pitch commander to my desired angle in the FD but nothing seems to happen, I have to manual get to the desired angle. Not that I have a problem with this really, but I think (apologies in advance if this is not true) that there would be a way to make the Airplane climb or descend automatically and stick to something set in the MCP like say the 737NG would in VS mode. For what I understood from the 732 Autoflight manual available here at Avsim I'd just have to be on MAN and set the pitch commander and the Airplane would auto-trim to that. What am I doing wrong?2. I don't seem to be able to achieve a good climb speed, when taking off and climbing at say 2000fpm or a little more I usually can't get more than 190 - 200 IAS. For what I read in the PDCS tutorial a "normal" climb profile would be something around 320 IAS. What with this?3. When in cruise the Airplane always seems to have a marked nose-up attitude, is this normal?4. When doing ILS approaches the Airplane always seems to try to go like half a dot or one dot above the GS, is this a normal behaviour?5. When just opening the Flight Simulator loading the Airplane I'm not able to open any door until I turn the engines on. is this normal? (I can't let the passengers in until engines on jeje) This is it for now, I think I might have more questions as I fly this bird and get learning the INS system. I want to congratulate you for this magnificent product, so magnificent that made me fell in love with it even though I'm more of a modern Airplanes' simmer (the oldest I had tried until this one was a MD-80!, it's been sort of a hit).Thank you very much,Andr

[Guest daniel.alm]

1. This is no 737NG so the AP is really very primitive when compared to modern planes. The AP in the 737 works in control wheel steering (CWS) mode when in manual mode. CWS will allow you to steer the plane and to change the pitch with your yoke (or joystick) and will then mantain it until you give a new input. CWS will also level the wings if your roll is smaller than 5

[Bob Scott 7,720]

Hola Andr

[Guest Avianca757]

Hi-Hola.Thanks to both of you for the replies.I managed to get a good climb profile and had no problems with the nose-up attitude while in cruise.I also got a better grasp of the way this AP controls pitch angles. Also fixed the door problem, it was my fault for not setting the parking brakes.More questions:-While on approach for landing while setting the flaps and the landing gear I got a real loud (i mean, REAL LOUD) sort of alarm that never went until I landed, I didn't really know what was going on. I had flaps 40, speed in the bug as calculated, GA selected in PDCS, landing gear down, spoilers armed, auto brakes armed, on a good ILS path, fasten seat belts signs on, landing lights on and stuff... I don't really know what triggered it and I couldn't make it go until I landed when it went off alone. What causes that alarm to trigger and what can be done to make it go?-Isn't there "thunderstorm" type lighting for the panel? is always the only-gauge lighting that activates alone when at night? how can one turn on the tail logo lighting?-How to lower the stairs? (I've read the readme but maybe not thoroughly enough, didn't see how to do this).-As I said I had a good ILS path, but slightly to the left of the centerline, is this a known problem with the 737 or should I troubleshoot the problem elsewhere?-This question isn't exactly 737 related but you might know (it also happens with the 737, but not only with it). After landing and shutting down the engines and letting the Airplane at gate with parking brake if I try to move it slew mode (Y key) it will move normally, but when "releasing" slew mode (pressing Y key again) the Airplane will go crazy like at 200 kts and above... anyone got a clue? (again I know this is not specific to the 737-200 but maybe you know).Thank you very much!

[Guest daniel.alm]

Hi again,1. The noise is most likely the gear-horn. The right procedure is to lower the gear when youselect flaps 15. The horn is also activated when you select flaps, you're near the ground and your thrust is at idle. Another possibility is that your spoilers were deployed (even if it's only a little bit), in this case the horn won't stop until you retract them.2. No, the lighting was pretty much hardcoded by Richard Probst and I think bob said once that it would need a major rewrite of the codes to implement a new lighting system. Bob can correct me if I got something wrong :)3. In the overhead panel, there where the door-light is, you can left click to open the doors and right-click to lower the stairs.4. I guess that's a problem with the AFCAD of the airport you used.5. Slew mode is sensitive when you have a controller with "noise". You could configurate the slew axis with a bigger deadzone, also always press "a" on your keyboard before exiting slew mode. Regards,Daniel

[Bob Scott 7,720]

>-While on approach for landing while setting the flaps and the>landing gear I got a real loud (i mean, REAL LOUD) sort of>alarm that never went until I landed, I didn't really know>what was going on. I had flaps 40, speed in the bug as>calculated, GA selected in PDCS, landing gear down, spoilers>armed, auto brakes armed, on a good ILS path, fasten seat>belts signs on, landing lights on and stuff... I don't really>know what triggered it and I couldn't make it go until I>landed when it went off alone. What causes that alarm to>trigger and what can be done to make it go?More than likely the spoilers were deployed with the flaps down. make sure you have the green "Spoilers Armed" light on the panel. Might be a good idea to check the cabin press panel as well.>-Isn't there "thunderstorm" type lighting for the panel? is>always the only-gauge lighting that activates alone when at>night? how can one turn on the tail logo lighting?No...as Daniel said, it's something coded into the original panel code that would take me many, many hours to change.>-How to lower the stairs? (I've read the readme but maybe not>thoroughly enough, didn't see how to do this).Either Shift-E then 2, or (easier) right click the door open light on the OHP.>-As I said I had a good ILS path, but slightly to the left of>the centerline, is this a known problem with the 737 or should>I troubleshoot the problem elsewhere?This can be a result of using an up-to-date instrument approach with an approach course that's off by a degree or two from the approach course coded into the scenery bgl. The up-to-date approaches are based on 2007 mag declination data...the FS9 BGLs are based on 2003 data.>-This question isn't exactly 737 related but you might know>(it also happens with the 737, but not only with it). After>landing and shutting down the engines and letting the Airplane>at gate with parking brake if I try to move it slew mode (Y>key) it will move normally, but when "releasing" slew mode>(pressing Y key again) the Airplane will go crazy like at 200>kts and above... anyone got a clue? (again I know this is not>specific to the 737-200 but maybe you know).The trick is to slew the plane all the way down before leaving slew mode. Hold the "a" key down for a second or two before leaving slew mode to get the plane all the way back on the deck. The vertical position of the plane is based on static CG height in slew mode, and depending on the strut compression dynamics, it may move to a slightly elevated position, which can cause the jet to do what you describe. RegardsBob ScottATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VSantiago de Chile