Turboprops...

[Benjamin J 751]

FS2004 turboprops, both the default King Air (it's a turbo prop, right?) and those addons based on the default one, really make me go mad. You advance the throttle just a little bit, and the plane just starts racing over the ground! Can anybody tell me how to proparly control these planes on the ground?

[scoob 18]

the turboprop model in FS isn't right.there are some addons that do a much better job ... but still nothing perfect. this is a limitation of the game.for most i get better success by moving the prop-pitch v. the throttle. again, depending on the aircraft this may, or may not, be real-world practice.--

[dickbloom 0]

No problem- another MS "error." The problem is MS has the condition levers set to High Idle by default. In actuality, they should always be set at Low Idle, unless of course you have put them in the Cutoff position to shut down one or both engines. In RW, the only time you'd have High Idle is temporarily under certain conditions for starting- otherwise they are always in the Low Idle position.dickbloom.

[Guest napamule]

Thraini,If you plan to do miles of taxi why not get a ground handling (taxi) package and install the gauge in panel (takes 5 minutes) and get it over with. I can give it 1% throttle and taxi 12 to 15 knots (with a 3% for turning). Some people don't ever KNOW the %'age of throttle, or have a way to 'gauge' it, so they can't do taxi. That's my 2 cents worth.Chuck BNapamule

[ronzie 21]

I was under the impression that on turbo-props the condition lever is always in high idle (flight idle) when in all phases of operation except when taxiing. With a turbine engine driven prop high idle is used to reduce the engine spool-up delay when accelerating. This reduced delay is necessary when sudden power is needed for immediate climb such as in a go-around or traffic avoidance. The engine flight idle meets the minimum power needs for all flight in-air phases so you are not losing anything by using it.Ground idle is referred to frequently as ground-beta range.

No problem- another MS "error." The problem is MS has the condition levers set to High Idle by default. In actuality, they should always be set at Low Idle, unless of course you have put them in the Cutoff position to shut down one or both engines. In RW, the only time you'd have High Idle is temporarily under certain conditions for starting- otherwise they are always in the Low Idle position.dickbloom.

[dickbloom 0]

We are talking about PT6A engines- any other turbo-prop I have no idea. Possibly engines with "flight idle" are different from "high idle"? I have no idea. In flying the PT6A engine I never saw a pilot, nor myself taxi with high idle. Neither when flying, nor training or PC checks, was spool up time an issue. In line with that, in normal ops, I never had the engines at idle while in the air (training or PC's excepted)- reduced power on approach yes, but not at idle. When the power levers are pulled back to idle the props go flat and you fall like a brick. It's a little difficult to run explanations here at this point because I don't know your RW experience in general, or with turbo-props or the PT6A. Did or do you actually fly these engines?db.

[Nandan Patel 10]

Just download the EMB 120 Eric Cantu etc, or Flight1 ATR. awesome birds! Good panel available, feathering props can be done, its good.

[dickbloom 0]

I'd suggest the Frolov Dash 8. Not familiar with the other.db.

[scott967 62]

My understanding is that MS did model the PT6a. I have seen documentation that the condition is left in low idle, except for starting the second engine.I think maybe the bigger issue is the power levers and how they are set up and interact with the prop. From what I've seen and read FS does not properly model performance with power levers in ground fine or beta. You can correct me please, but I thought the power levers was where "flight idle" comes in, not the condition levers.scott s..

[dickbloom 0]

Let me offer this: Condition levers have 3 positions and are set at: cutoff, low idle or high idle. The power levers control engine rpm at both the low and high idle settings with high idle raising the minimum (idle) engine rpm to a higher setting (don't remember the 2 idle rpms). At lower engine rpm's the props are controled by the power levers- beta range. So I believe you are saying that, in which you are correct. I don't see that modeling in MS. However, this engine has no "flight idle" or "ground idle". BTW, I don't remember how this is modeled in MS, but for RW starting, the engine is spooled to 20% (if memory serves) and then the condition lever is moved out of the cutoff position. As I remember in FS you had to move the lever out of cutoff then hit the start switch. Otherwise, if you moved from the starter switch to the condition lever the starter would cut out. I could definitely be wrong on this FS point tho.db.

[N60JBravo 27]

A picture speaks a thousand words.Pictured below is the throttle quadrant of a Turbo Beaver taken at cruise. The TurBeaver is equipped with a PT6.You can see on the far left the throttle at about half.On the far right is the standby throttle which hasn't been seen, to the best of my knowledge since FS2k2 and then it didn't work.In the middle is the condition lever clearly set at idle. As I understand it this lever is an on/off switch for the fuel.The round knob in the middle is the prop lever set to what most would recognize as fine. In my experience flying FS9 and talking to RW TurBeaver pilots, very little of what we have in FS,pertaining to turbo props, is modeled correctly.Hope this helps clear things up a bit.Oh, and to the OP, try pulling back the "condition" lever to a point just above fuel cutoff and leave it there. In FS it simply does not matter if you ever advance above that point, I don't.regards,JoePS. photo credit - Neil Aird, DHC-2.com

[dickbloom 0]

Nice photo! The King Airs and B99 had the 3-position condition lever. The twin otter had a fuel lever that was either off or on. Both were PT6A's.db.

[N60JBravo 27]

You can see on the far left the throttle at about half.

Can't believe I actually wrote that.What I should have said is - You can see on the far left the power lever at about half.Throttles control a butterfly valve that regulates airflow into an internal combustion engine.No such critter on a turbine engine.Sorry Chris, I know, I know.regards,Joe

[protzler 0]

Do any of you know if FS models the increase in thrust when increasing the prop pitch a bit? I'm really wondering about that, considering it doesn't slow you down at all realistically when you put the props into full low pitch.

[Benjamin J 751]

Ah, okay okay, so let me summarize: to proparly use the default turboprop aircraft, the condition levers, which regulate minimum prop RPM, should not be set to 100%, but, say 50% (at least not for taxi)? Then you can use the prop power lever to change currect prop RPM (like the throttle levers on a jetliner)? After I had posted this topic, I noticed these levers and was thinking that was probably it. I decided to first wait and see what would be said here though, so I didn't go and mess with these settings.Currently, it's very important I get the functioning of turboprop engines right... Is it okay what I summarized here?