No idle/full thrust

[nicolas83 1]

Hello together, I have a little problem with my NGX, wihich works perfectly for me, expect for this small problem. When I'm on an approach to an airport and pull back my throttle they go complete to idle, but then after a second or smaller the trottle in the NGX goes a little but upwards. Problem then when I touchdown with my hardware throttle pulled complete backwards, but the NGX throttle is not idle and I can't activate reverse thrust with my assigned reverse thrust lever on my hardware. I can solve it when I "shake" a little on my thrustlever back and forwards after touchdown and then it goes to idle also in the ngx and I can activate reverse thrust. So ist it a bug or is it like in the reality that I cannot use complete idle while I'm still in the air? when I'm on ground my throttle works perfect. When I pull them back to idle its idle. As said, just on the ground. The same thing happens whenn i push my throttle to full thrust. It goes to full thrust, just for a little second and the levers in the NGX go a little bit backwards. Thanks for any help, and sorry if this was asked already. nicolas reich

[NGXfanatic 85]

I can't recall the exact thread (there are a billion pages now in this forum alone), but PMDG has accurately modeled the different variations of idle thrust depending on the flight scenario. I believe there are three types of idle, ground, approach, and flight. Apparently, on touchdown even with thrust idle, it will take about 3 to 5 seconds for the engines to truly reduce to full idle, and because FSX only allows reverse thrust with full idle on your joystick control, you have to wait for that delay until you can activate reverse. I'm not sure that's true in the real world, I think they can still open the reverser sleeves even during that delay, and I've seen some you tube vids where NGX users are able to activate reverse the second they touchdown, so I'm still in confusion about how to get reverse to activate realistically.

[badderjet 181]

Of course you can get full thrust... Press and hold F4, have fun with it. Seriously though, yes as explained above there are conditions that trigger filght idle which is above ground idle.

[nicolas83 1]

Of course you can get full thrust... Press and hold F4, have fun with it.

I don't have an assigned full thrust button, but thanks for the advise. Anyway the full thrust is not my problem. Just noticed that when I'm inflight and I put my throttles to maximum or minimum the throttles in the NGX go that position, but just for a second and then go a little bit forwards or backwards. And when I towchdown its always a little complicated and as far as I can imagine a little bit unrealistic to use reverse thrust with my assigned reverse thrust lever on my hardware throttle. Whatever, I won't complain about these little things. I can live with it. Its a great plane. I just thought I did something wrong or its just a little setting to fix it or something like this.

[ARM505 0]

The real aircraft will only move the thrust levers when in an active autothrottle mode (ie the A/T is on, and in for example N1 mode) - I assume that you mean the actual thrust levers are moving, uncommanded by you? ie, If you look at the thrust levers (the actual physical levers in the cockpit) when you have this problem, are they moving? If yes, and the A/T is off, then it can only be a simulator/hardware problem, ie your joystick is spiking or something like that. In the real aircraft, despite 'ground' and 'flight' idle differences, this doesn't affect the physical idle stop of the thrust levers - it is transparent to the pilot. Bottom line - if the A/T is not engaged, nothing should be able to move the thrust levers except you. Or if the engine falls off the wing and pulls the cable..(happened)...but we'll ignore that one shall we :)

[nicolas83 1]

The real aircraft will only move the thrust levers when in an active autothrottle mode (ie the A/T is on, and in for example N1 mode) - I assume that you mean the actual thrust levers are moving, uncommanded by you? ie, If you look at the thrust levers (the actual physical levers in the cockpit) when you have this problem, are they moving? If yes, and the A/T is off, then it can only be a simulator/hardware problem, ie your joystick is spiking or something like that. In the real aircraft, despite 'ground' and 'flight' idle differences, this doesn't affect the physical idle stop of the thrust levers - it is transparent to the pilot. Bottom line - if the A/T is not engaged, nothing should be able to move the thrust levers except you. Or if the engine falls off the wing and pulls the cable..(happened)...but we'll ignore that one shall we :)

When I'm on ground, taxing for example, I pull back my saitek throttle quadrant to idle, the thrust levers in my ngx VC also go to idle, the whole back position all to the end (in a range from 100% to 0% they got to 0%; just try to explain it with it) and stay there. Everything perfect. When I'm on final approch, flying, and I pull back my saitek throttle, the thrust levers in the VC also go back to idle (0%), but then after around 1 second they move automaticly a little bit forward (I think around 2% or 3%) and they stay there at that position. I pull back my hardware the same happens. they allways go a little bit forward. And its just in the NGX that Problem. In the Level D 767 it does not happen so I can say its not the saitek prblem. I also see it in my saitek configuration tool that the throttel works fine and its not spiking. After touchdown, after the nosewheel is on the ground, I have to shake a little on my saitek throttle for and backwards and then first the throttle in my NGX stays at the whole end of its range (0%) and then I can activate reverse thrust. Very complicated to explain it properly. English is not my first language and I imagine also to explain it in german would be complicated ;-) Hope its now understandable. Thanks for any help.

[ARM505 0]

Your English is 100% better than my German :) And I think you've explained it well - I'll have to check on the NGX in the sim - for the moment though, the real aircraft wouldn't do that, for what that's worth. I'm assuming that when it has this problem, on final approach in your example above, that the A/T is completely off? ie The A/T switch on the MCP is off? (down position, light off)

[nicolas83 1]

thanks ;-) yes autothrottle/autopilot is complete disangaged and off.

[nicolas83 1]

So I tested a little bit more, It has nothing to do with the joystick oder saitek throttle. I deactivated them all and tested it just with the keybord. Inflight I hit the F2 button, the NGX thrustlevers go all the way back to 0% position and after a second they automaticly move a little bit forwards. Its definatly just at the NGX. Tested it with all my other planes.

[ColinTozer 0]

I have same issue and very frustrating. It's not a joystick problem (it occurs with or without joystick attached). Rather than N1 reduce to c28% it sticks at 39/40% which makes landing at the v speed difficult. Feels like a throust mode issue - something in the NGX model is commanding more thrust. So any PMDG Developers looking at this thread?

[Cristi_Neagu 134]

I have same issue and very frustrating. It's not a joystick problem (it occurs with or without joystick attached). Rather than N1 reduce to c28% it sticks at 39/40% which makes landing at the v speed difficult. Feels like a throust mode issue - something in the NGX model is commanding more thrust. So any PMDG Developers looking at this thread?

That wasn't the problem others were experiencing. It is normal vor N1 to be at 40% idle during approach. That's how the 737NG (the real one) is programmed. What others were reporting was that the throttles in the VC don't go to 0%.

[clayton4115 56]

I have same issue and very frustrating. It's not a joystick problem (it occurs with or without joystick attached). Rather than N1 reduce to c28% it sticks at 39/40% which makes landing at the v speed difficult. Feels like a throust mode issue - something in the NGX model is commanding more thrust. So any PMDG Developers looking at this thread?

 

i have this same issue whilst on approach and manually flying down i disconnect the ap and a/t and set my joystick to idle but the pmdg 737 still does not go to idle and it is very hard to land when the engines are still around 40%n1, any ideas? 

[downscc 1,327]

That is a very old thread.  Full names on all posts in the PMDG forums.

 

Do you realize that 40% N1 or higher is idle depending on speed and altitude?  I set the throttle options such that the position is shown when moving, if the N1 needle is at the bottom of the moving throttle blue arc then you are at idle.  See also the fuel flow. It will always be about the same at idle regardless of N1... usually 0.82-0.94 lbs x 1000 / hr depending on engine variant.

 

The aircraft can be slippery and if you are descending above 900-1200 fpm it might not slow down unless there is drag out there, such as flaps, speedbrake or gear.  It takes time to learn how to manage your energy, don't blame the aircraft yet.

[clayton4115 56]

I have been flying the 737 for years and did not notice this issue before, I always disconnected the A/T and AP around 1000 above and manually fly in, also ensuring my joystick is set to idle thrust and what used to happen the 737 used to go to idle and i used to control my speed using pitch and thereby have a nice flight to flare, now because it does not go to idle I am landing too far, too high and and finding it extremely difficult to put the plane down and all this is very unrealistic, so this is news to me what you have mentioned. 

[zkerr8 12]

This may be a really stupid question....but did you check to see if any controls/keys are conflicting with each other? Sometimes this can happens if you have multiple devices connected to the sim. Also.... check your button assignments in FSUIPC....it's possible a key/button is conflicting with an existing assignment in FSX. Just a thought.....

 

Lastly.....don't forget to calibrate calibrate calibrate!