wilco/feelthere A321 Volume 1 series

[Guest donair]

This aircraft is one of the better a/c that I have purchased BUT on most occasions during flight the autopilot suddenly disengages for no apparent reason.Just wondered if any other pilot has had the same problem and managed to sort it or is it one of those 'bugs' that won't go away. Perhaps someone found a patch?Thank youDon

[Rocky 128]

Hello Don,I worked with the FeelThere team on this aircraft and developed some systems. What happens to you is quite surprising, but I may have an explanation:In the real aircraft, when you engage the autopilot, the stick is held firmly in its center position. It can not be moved anymore, unless you disengage the autopilot OR if you move it with a strong movement (you need to apply some force because it is firmly centered). I tested this in a professional simulator.So I tried to reproduce this feature in the FeelThere A321 aircraft. As I can not hold your joystick centered through the code, I "simulated" this feature by letting you disengage the autopilot with a WIDE joystick or rudder pedal movement. If you move the stick over the half of its course, it disengages the autopilot with an alarm.Your problem might be caused by the joystick or the pedals (if you have them) that may generate spikes, seen by the system as joystick movements that disengage the autopilot.I hope this helps...Eric

[Guest donair]

EricThanks for your help re my problem.I use a Flightsim yoke (haven't got a stick!) and it seems to operate ok.Would this create any problems to your knowledge please?I cannot recall making any major movements with the yoke to cause this.Don

[Rocky 128]

Hello Don,A yoke is definitely less realistic to fly an Airbus, but it is not supposed to cause any problem. If you have an alarm when the autopilot is disconnected, it might be because the yoke or the pedals generate spikes. If so, check the hardware, re-calibrate and check the driver. If you have no alarm, it means the autopilot button or key is depressed and disconnects the autopilot. In this case, I can't explain it.Another possible cause of automatic autopilot disconnection is the flight enveloppe protection system. It disconnects the autopilot if incidence is too high and alpha floor system engages, or if the pitch/bank angle is too high. But all this should not happen if your aircraft flies smoothly in cruise.Eric