FSX-MS Skysimulations Douglas DC9

[PilotPete99 915]

Well I just picked up this bird. dowloaded it, and then stalled on final 5 straight landings. Finally figured out that it doesn't like full flaps on landing, but seems this bird is a bit more difficult than most others. I have maybe 20 or so payware birds, including coolsky classic and pro, and all seem to fly easy right out of the box (I crash rarely with all of these). If anyone has any tips on the minimum things needed to be done before flying it would be most appreciated. Couldnt get the flaps to work, but then realized that i needed to turn hydraulics on. Is there any easy basic settings to fly? Thanks for any help as time limitations make it difficult to read the tutorial presently.

[Chock 17,769]

Found another issue with this aircraft, and a bit of a bizarre one too. It would not let me tune 109.90 on the nav radios; it would tune 108.90, and 110.90, or anything else for that matter, but not a number 9 on the third digit. That was a bit of a pain in the &@($* when I wanted to make an ILS approach into Girona, and it's going to be a pain for a lot of other airports too.Al

[ptlmejo 0]

I think I saw someone else tell me that one too about the "109" issue.More I found...1. Ducts pressurize without turning on APU Air.2. APU Air pressurizing only the right duct.3. Powerback impossible (reversers engage, but don't "power up").4. EPR incorrect (2.05 is the best I could get).5. In-air turns, rudder appears to "flutter".

[Chock 17,769]

I've noticed it tends to climb slightly on autopilot turns (not by very much), which may not be an error, since for all I know the real thing might do that, but I would think it unlikely.I must say I like hand flying it though, so apart from in really naff weather when the ILS might be useful, I'm not hugely bothered by that nav radio issue, but I would like them to fix it of course, and I hope they do.Another one I've noticed, although it may just be my ears and his accent, but it sounds to me like the co-pilot says two greens when the gear comes down. Mind you, with the amount of failures Air Hauler has been giving me just recently on this plane, that could almost be right LOLYeah, go on, why the hell not?Al

[Chock 17,769]

We don't need no steenkin flaps...Just to prove I actually made it, here's the landing in Spain...Al

[Glynn 405]

Found another issue with this aircraft, and a bit of a bizarre one too. It would not let me tune 109.90 on the nav radios; it would tune 108.90, and 110.90, or anything else for that matter, but not a number 9 on the third digit. That was a bit of a pain in the &@($* when I wanted to make an ILS approach into Girona, and it's going to be a pain for a lot of other airports too.Al

Hello AlJust checked that nav tuning issueThe problem looks like the graphic for the number nine is drawn as 19.If you check the tooltip it reads 109.90, also my goflight radios are reading 109.90 correctly.Are you sending these issues to the support folks at Skysimulations ?

[Chock 17,769]

I'm gathering stuff as I go, and then I'll send any issues I find in one (ohpefully not big) group, which I think is preferable to sending them in dribs and drabs.Although it might seem there is a lot wrong, I think most stuff is fairly minor and to be honest I should really be hand flying approaches anyway to learn the thing before falling back to ILS stuff, so it's all working out quite correctly in that respect. On the whole I think the SS DC-9 is pretty good, although I'm glad I have TSR Autobrake since I haven't got a clue about where to adjust the brake settings in the VC of that DC-9-41, so it's a good job TSR overrides it!Al

[ptlmejo 0]

I think most stuff is fairly minor

Exactly. I think the biggest issue is the autopilot functions that don't work correctly, but it's still very flyable.

[Chock 17,769]

Well, I can get it to climb and descend at whatever rate I select on the A/P, it can hold an altitude well, it can track VORs and follow a flight plan, the autothrottle works and it will do an ILS approach and autoland, so I don't really have a problem with the autopilot myself.Notwithstanding my Air Hauler damage traumas it is actually a great aircraft for Air Hauler, it can easily carry 35,000lbs of cargo a very long way (more if you are prepared to make a fuel stop), so it's a good medium cargo aircraft for that.Al

[flyerkg 62]

Yeah, go on, why the hell not?Al

Hey Chock,This landing looks scary. It looks way too familiar. I once took a flight from Athens-Ben Epps Airport KAHN Athens, Georgia in a Navy C-9. For a trip that my school director made us go on to observe training at Navy Boot Camp in Great Lakes, IL. Please note that the longest runway at Ben Epps is 5,522 feet x 100 feet. On the return trip 4 days later we touched down within the first few inches possible on that 5,522 ft runway and it was the hardest landing I have ever experienced. My feet came off the floor. Pieces of the overhead compartments busted off. Reverse thrust came on immediately as we smacked the ground and buckets stayed open all the way up to the last possible taxiway. I remember seeing the last 1000 ft marker and it didn't feel like we were going to stop on the runway. The turn was swift and ferocious. So I feel your pain with your fast landing. Keith

[FlavioSSA 44]

Whoa! Scary one! Perhaps the pilot came to fast! I

[Chock 17,769]

Those fast landings are nothing wrong with the plane itself, it is all purely down to Air Hauler busting systems on the plane when in flight, which might be a pain sometimes and it isn't normally as mean as it has been recently with me, but it does make for some good challenges.Al

[ptlmejo 0]

the autothrottle works

What do you mean by this?The DC-9 autothrottle was a system used for approach only and there wasn't even a way to set the speeds on it. Most pilots never used it because it was considered unreliable and rarely did what it was supposed to.

[FlavioSSA 44]

The DC-9 autothrottle was a system used for approach only and there wasn't even a way to set the speeds on it. Most pilots never used it because it was considered unreliable and rarely did what it was supposed to.

Well, i used it too, set the speed in the air speed gauge, set the autopilot, push the autothrottle lever and it worked in a level flight. Not tested in climb or descent rate.

[Chock 17,769]

What I did to get autothrottle to work throughout all flight phases was this:Take off, engage the autothrottle lock thing on the throttle quadrant, then select speed hold on the autopilot switch, then flip it to the vertical speed selection, when vertical speed kicks in, flip it back to speed hold and both VS and speed hold will work throughout the entire flight. That may not be how the real thing worked, but it worked for me doing it that way.Al