To E-Jet or not to E-Jet....

[Egbert Drenth 250]

... that's the question.I'm following all postings regarding Wilco/FT E-Jet with interest because I'm considering to buy it.Based on the many postings and the review here at AVSIM I'm still not convinced it is a good investment.Specifically the reports about the AP are worrying me:- 45deg turns- Loose of altitude during turns- FADEC struggles to stabilize on cruise speed.How are things after the latest 1.6 patch (or is it the 6th patch)?It is much better and are above mentioned issues resolved?Or can I better wait until Saint Juttemis as we say in Dutch?(wait a lot longer, indefinately)

[Guest Reed203]

I would purchase it but the autopilot isnt very good. Overall, its a fine aircraft but the AP wasnt coded well. Im not sure if you are familiar with the Feelthere ERJ 145 but that product has a much better autopilot. In the E- JET, +- 100 ft altitude deviations and +- 10 kt airspeed deviations with the AP and AT engaged are common. 45 degree banked turns in cruise are common, but have been improved from the original release. Approach mode can get a bit screwy sometimes as well. The v speeds provided by wilco for the 190 seem to be incorrect, a few kts too slow. This has been discussed by others on the Feelthere forums as well. I really love this aircraft because I handfly almost everything with the FD except cruise and the flight dynamics seem very realistic. I dont engage the AP much but when I do, it's far from perfect. In my opinion, Feelthere/ Wilco need to step up their game in order to compete with the likes of Level D and PMDG.

[Guest Guest_ahinterl_*]

I would purchase it but the autopilot isnt very good. Overall, its a fine aircraft but the AP wasnt coded well. Im not sure if you are familiar with the Feelthere ERJ 145 but that product has a much better autopilot. In the E- JET, +- 100 ft altitude deviations and +- 10 kt airspeed deviations with the AP and AT engaged are common. 45 degree banked turns in cruise are common, but have been improved from the original release. Approach mode can get a bit screwy sometimes as well. The v speeds provided by wilco for the 190 seem to be incorrect, a few kts too slow. This has been discussed by others on the Feelthere forums as well. I really love this aircraft because I handfly almost everything with the FD except cruise and the flight dynamics seem very realistic. I dont engage the AP much but when I do, it's far from perfect. In my opinion, Feelthere/ Wilco need to step up their game in order to compete with the likes of Level D and PMDG.

[B777ER 2,486]

I love the aircraft. I just flew some routes last night with it. The FMC requires the correct info for it to work well. I HIGHLY suggest reading the manual before first flight...there is a lot to this aircraft but she is a joy to fly.

[mackintosh 0]

I love the aircraft. I just flew some routes last night with it. The FMC requires the correct info for it to work well. I HIGHLY suggest reading the manual before first flight...there is a lot to this aircraft but she is a joy to fly.

True, but the problems highlighted above still stand. The autopilot is prone to overbanking and overshooting, even with the latest patches. The autothrottle is also, for a lack of a better description, trigger-happy. I also keep on getting nt.dll crashes with it (and with the ERJ-145), alas I have no time to troubleshoot, so I doubt it's something inherent to the E-Jets, but rather my own config.

[Bigmack 29]

True, but the problems highlighted above still stand. The autopilot is prone to overbanking and overshooting, even with the latest patches. The autothrottle is also, for a lack of a better description, trigger-happy. I also keep on getting nt.dll crashes with it (and with the ERJ-145), alas I have no time to troubleshoot, so I doubt it's something inherent to the E-Jets, but rather my own config.

That's funny, Ive been flying the heck out of the Ejets. I don't have the problems you describe. You must read the manual and program the FMC correctly. And they will pretty much fly on their own.Bill M

[mackintosh 0]

That's funny, Ive been flying the heck out of the Ejets. I don't have the problems you describe. You must read the manual and program the FMC correctly. And they will pretty much fly on their own.Bill M

Yes, but of course, it must be me. Just because something works perfectly for you, doesn't mean it'll work perfectly for everyone else :( Sorry mate, but if I had a dollar for every time I heard that in all the bloody years I've been simming, I'd build myself a Level-D sim. Believe me, I've been programming FS FMCs for a very long time. I can spot user error when I make one. I'm not the only person reporting these issues either. Maybe the E-Jets just don't like my config. Maybe it's completely normal for a plane to enter a turn with a 45 degree bank. Maybe 1 second engine spool up to 92% N1 is par for course on these birds. Maybe the autothrottle really does sit on idle and waits until the very last millisecond to come roaring into life. Maybe that's a lot of maybe.All these problems are manageable. It flies ok by hand. It flies ok in autoflight. Hell, it even autolands. I'm not saying the thing crashes into the ground. I'm saying there are noticeable shortcomings, that's all. We all have a different yardstick for measuring what we deem to be acceptable.

[philbrown 9]

The E-Jet has survived a recent add-on slash on my PC, with PSS and the Leonardo Sim MD80 going (the MD80 more for performance than quality), so it now survives with PMDG and Level D, so it's not all bad.I've made a few alterations myself to the aircraft.cfg file to help with some of the problems, but the autopilot isn't the best I'm affraid. Especially during turns when climbing or descending. You will find the vertical speed drifting by as much as +/- 800 fpm until the trim can catch up. In this sense, the autopilot seems very reactive rather than proactive. It seems to respond to whats happening rather than anticipating turns and taking corrective action. As for the other comment, the included manual isn't particually useful, and reading it or setting the FMC correctly isn't going to alter the core autopilot behavior.It is a worthy buy though in my opinion, if you can live these rather minor annoyances.

[Clipper Ocean Spray 189]

The E-Jet has survived a recent add-on slash on my PC, with PSS and the Leonardo Sim MD80 going (the MD80 more for performance than quality), so it now survives with PMDG and Level D, so it's not all bad.

That's a good way to put it, same here too. I once had about 25 payware aircraft installed. After reinstalling FS9 on a new computer however, I've actually only gotten around to reinstalling a few of the aircraft. The E-jet was among them.

[Egbert Drenth 250]

Hi All,Thanks a lot for your replies!I've decided to wait at least one more patch (if any). I'm sure I will be annoyed everytime when the E-Jet goes into a 45 deg turn or keeps adjusting throttles when trying to keep up with the speed.It's a pitty though because it really looks like a nice aircraft.Egbert

[Bigmack 29]

Well maybe there's a gremlin in the software. Because I just finished a flt with the 190 model. My bank angle was at 25 degress and the only time I needed to adjust my throttle, was during descent where you must adjust/decrease the EPR thrust rating.Bill M :(

[B777ER 2,486]

I find the A/T to work correctly for me as well...not trigger happy at all. The bank angles are within specs with AP engaged...no problem seen there as well. I do have a problem with Autoland but that may be me. If you waiting for another patch....expect a long long long wait...doubt there will be anymore (they have issued 6 already).

[Bigmack 29]

I find the A/T to work correctly for me as well...not trigger happy at all. The bank angles are within specs with AP engaged...no problem seen there as well. I do have a problem with Autoland but that may be me. If you waiting for another patch....expect a long long long wait...doubt there will be anymore (they have issued 6 already).

It took me about half dozen times to figure out the Autoland. But once I finally got it to work, it's been flawless. It's a matter of setting up the flaps and descent speed before engaging the ILS approach mode.Bill M :(

[ehasanov1 1]

Hi.I don't own E-Jets. It looks pretty good and I'm interested also to buy it, but if FMS and autoflight is programed so poorly as with Wilco A320, then I will skip it. This Wilco A320 was so promising but after You go deeper and deeper with flying, you realize that main things like managed descent, pseudo waypoints recalculation are so messed up that a/c is unplayable, especially when you are online. What a shame because FBW is so great with this Airbus. So if some proud owners could give us report :( ThanksEdin

[scoob 18]

... but if FMS and autoflight is programed so poorly as with Wilco A320 ...

the 'kernal' of code for the Ejets (actually the ERJ, legacy, CX and ejets) is not related to the code used by the Abus V1 & V2. different design team, and lead programmer, involved.--