A couple of questions...

[WebMaximus 372]

Edited to add some stuff like my post wasn't long already :wink:As I continue to enjoy this great product and improving my "flow" I have tripped on a few things1. During the BEFORE START CHECK one item is "Gear pins" STOWED. First, are gear pins the same thing as chocks and not having English as my native language does stowed in this situation mean the gear pins/chocks are actually supposed to be in or out? And if it means they are supposed to be out I thought according to real OPs they are normally removed after the engines are started and not before?2. This might actually more be a question for the PMDG forum where I already posted the same question but will give it a go here too...when standing at the gate preparing for a flight I've realized that if I try to perform the push & start procedure in the way I'm used to I'll have problems with the FMS shutting down by itself since it looses it's power. It appears there's no way to have the FMS powered without either having the GPU connected or at least have one engine and it's generator running/ON. Normally I will start by setting up the FMS before push & start, I will then ask for push & start clearence and during pushback or after the pushback is complete I will start my engines since you're normally not allowed to start the engines at the gate. At the same time I can't have the GPU connected during pushback (actaully tried it since I noticed it does have wheels :() but I noticed as soon as I initiate the pushback with SHIFT-P the GND power still goes away and then it will return once I stop the pushback by pressing SHIFT-P again. So the way I see it like things are now I must either start at least one engine while still at the gate before pushing back so I can disconnect the GPU and still have the FMS powered by the engine generator or wait to program the FMS until after pushback and starting the engines. Would be interesting to know how you guys are doing this and how it's done IRL - are the engines started still standing at the gate/terminal or are the FMS not setup until after the pushback and engine startup have been completed? The way I solved it so far is to start one engine before pushback so I can disconnect the GPU and then to start the next engine once pushback is completed. Here I also noticed the FO won't let me start engine #2 while pushing back since I have the parking brake OFF, would be nice to be able to start it while pushig back instead like it's done IRL...at least for other a/c but maybe things are different with the J41?3. During the TAXI CHECK one item is TRIMS and the FO response is GREEN & 13 (at least that was his response on my last flight). What I wonder here is what this 13 is, where does that number come from...can I check it myself somewhere to make sure my response equals my FO's response?TIA for your input and help guys!

Edited September 12, 2010 by WebMaximus

[wiltzei 15]

 

2. This might actually more be a question for the PMDG forum where I already posted the same question but will give it a go here too...when standing at the gate preparing for a flight I've realized that if I try to perform the push & start procedure in the way I'm used to I'll have problems with the FMS shutting down by itself since it looses it's power. It appears there's no way to have the FMS powered without either having the GPU connected or at least have one engine and it's generator running/ON. Normally I will start by setting up the FMS before push & start, I will then ask for push & start clearence and during pushback or after the pushback is complete I will start my engines since you're normally not allowed to start the engines at the gate. At the same time I can't have the GPU connected during pushback

The only way to fix this, as far as I know, is to use registered FSUIPC´s battery fix option. By default, the battery in every plane in FSX drains in, what was it - a couple of seconds.

[trisager 2]

1. During the BEFORE START CHECK one item is "Gear pins" STOWED. First, are gear pins the same thing as chocks and not having English as my native language does stowed in this situation mean the gear pins/chocks are actually supposed to be in or out? And if it means they are supposed to be out I thought according to real OPs they are normally removed after the engines are started and not before?

The gear pins are inserted when the aircraft is parked to avoid accidental retraction of the landing gear if the handle is moved. They are removed and stored in the aircraft before first flight of the day. You don't want to take off with the pins still inserted, which is why that item is on the checklist.

2. Would be interesting to know how you guys are doing this and how it's done IRL - are the engines started still standing at the gate/terminal or are the FMS not setup until after the pushback and engine startup have been completed?

At the airline where Cap. Randazzo flew the JS4100 they apparently always parked in positions where they could taxi straight out again, so they didn't have this problem.Dumping the programming may not be the way the real-world unit behaves when running on battery power, I don't think that question has ever been answered by PMDG. These are the different options I've tried:* Push back, start one or both engines, then program the FMS. With a bit of practice this only takes a minute or two, given that the routes you fly are usually fairly short.* Start either one or both engines at the gate, then push back. Strictly speaking you are not supposed to do this, there is a placard on the dash that prohibits pushback with engines running. On the real-world aircraft this restriction was a temporary measure to deal with a problem with a specific part of the nose landing gear. I usually pretend that my gear has been inspected and found serviceable and ignore the placard.

3. During the TAXI CHECK one item is TRIMS and the FO response is GREEN & 13 (at least that was his response on my last flight). What I wonder here is what this 13 is, where does that number come from...can I check it myself somewhere to make sure my response equals my FO's response?

There was a discussion about this on the PMDG forum recently. My understanding is that, in the real world, you take the "start index" value from the loadsheet and run it through some kind of calculating utility that gives you the takeoff trim setting, however that tool is not available to us.In the sim, the start index numbers seem to correspond to the numbers on the trim gauge, so I just use that number.

[WebMaximus 372]

 The only way to fix this, as far as I know, is to use registered FSUIPC´s battery fix option. By default, the battery in every plane in FSX drains in, what was it - a couple of seconds.

Thanks for your input and I know about the problem you describe but in this case it's something else and I belive it's in the PMDG J41...not sure how the real J41 works in this regard. Actually I have the registered version of FSUIPC and I have the "battery fix" checked :(

[WebMaximus 372]

The gear pins are inserted when the aircraft is parked to avoid accidental retraction of the landing gear if the handle is moved. They are removed and stored in the aircraft before first flight of the day. You don't want to take off with the pins still inserted, which is why that item is on the checklist.At the airline where Cap. Randazzo flew the JS4100 they apparently always parked in positions where they could taxi straight out again, so they didn't have this problem.Dumping the programming may not be the way the real-world unit behaves when running on battery power, I don't think that question has ever been answered by PMDG. These are the different options I've tried:* Push back, start one or both engines, then program the FMS. With a bit of practice this only takes a minute or two, given that the routes you fly are usually fairly short.* Start either one or both engines at the gate, then push back. Strictly speaking you are not supposed to do this, there is a placard on the dash that prohibits pushback with engines running. On the real-world aircraft this restriction was a temporary measure to deal with a problem with a specific part of the nose landing gear. I usually pretend that my gear has been inspected and found serviceable and ignore the placard.There was a discussion about this on the PMDG forum recently. My understanding is that, in the real world, you take the "start index" value from the loadsheet and run it through some kind of calculating utility that gives you the takeoff trim setting, however that tool is not available to us.In the sim, the start index numbers seem to correspond to the numbers on the trim gauge, so I just use that number.

Did som Googling after I posted this and learned what the gear pins actually are and no...t/o with them still in place doesn't sound like a very goood idea :( However they don't seem to be modelled in the PMDG J41?Amazing with that platter in the cockpit saying pushback with engines running is prohibited, can't belive I never noticed that one before I read your post and checkit it out! Guess I'm paying more attention to the intruments in the cockpit... Maybe the most realistic thing then is to make sure you always park the a/c where you don't need p/b to get out again.Would be interesting to know how the FMS behaves in the real a/c, maybe I'll try to find some info about it and should I find anything of interest I'll report back here.I remember the trim setting discusson in the PMDG forum now that you mention it. I actaully thought it must be that value the FO was reading back but what he read back didn't seem to match my TRIM setting which made me wonder. Will keep an eye on it my upcoming flights.