Hi all,Just thought I would join the community here as I am starting to generate some questions about flight, and I have no one to ask :Thinking:So far I am really enjoying Flight. I am using an Xbox360 controller so far, and it is actually working out really well. I have at least silver on all challenges, and half are golds. (realisim settings are set to hard, all toggled off) woot. While my basic knowledge of flying has obtained me these medals, I know I should learn more to get all golds. And this is why I am here now :Just Kidding:My first quesiton is about the Stearman. I need more power. I am doing the job of taking the man on a tour, and my first stop was to the top of the island. And I cannot seem to get the Stearman up there. Last time I got to 10,000'+ and needed to turn around to gain more time to climb. But during the turn I stalled and crashed.I am curious about getting the prop setting and mixture correct in this craft to obtain maximum power at 8,000' and above. Last attempt I had mixture set to half and RPM maxed. Is there prop pitch in this craft?Well that is my main question for now.... I suppose I could use a few tips on the Stearman landing challenge 6. I managed silver, but oh my is that a hard strip to land on.Last one for now: Run clear weather at night... where are the stars??? :Thinking:Thanks,Bumblewoot

Good to have you join us!There are several high-altitude objectives in Flight. The best thing to do is fly a gentle circle around whatever peak it is you're trying to climb. Also, if you're on the windward side of a ridge or mountain, you can sometimes find an updraft to take you up if you fly parallel to the ridge. (On the leeward side, it's a downdraft so don't go there if you have any intentions of going up.)Even the Steerman should be able to make it to 10,000ft but above that, I'm not so sure. In real life, anything above 10,000 to 12,000 and you need oxygen in an unpressurized aircraft. So I'd not really ever take a Steerman or any open-cockpit craft that high anyway.**Just realized, I've done all of the missions, so there must be a way. Just take your time. Focus on the basics and you should get there.WildBill

Also keep an eye on weight. You may want to dump some gas in order to get a few more feet higher. 10K is about the limit for most private aircraft, so it takes coaxing in real life to get higher then that. Even my car has less power at 6K.

ok, thanks for the advice.Any advice on what to set the mixture and prop rpm to up at 8,000'+ ?I'm a little hazy on changing the prop rpm... in my simple mind, high rpm is always needed. If I want less, why not just reduce throttle? Nice newbie question there probably =)

Well that is my main question for now.... I suppose I could use a few tips on the Stearman landing challenge 6. I managed silver, but oh my is that a hard strip to land on.Bumblewoot

Welcome to the community Bumblewoot!I just recently , after many attempts, successfully landed the Stearman on that same challenge - but not good enough to even get a silver, so if you go that, you did really really good! That is a really tough one, when I am feeling brave I will go back and make a few more attempts.Best I can tell you almost have to just have a really good approach, knowing where the runway is, just above treetops hanging it on the prop just above stall, then settle down right after clearing the trees. That crosswind don't help much either.

I'm a little hazy on changing the prop rpm... in my simple mind, high rpm is always needed. If I want less, why not just reduce throttle? Nice newbie question there probably =)

Well, in theory I checked out in a Cessna 182 that has prop RPM, but never flew it enough to be comfortable. But in regards to prop RPM, generally you set it to high RPM when taking off and landing, and lower RPM when cruising. My CFI likened it to a 10 speed bike - fast gear when starting / stopping, slow gears when cruising.Having said that,not sure what you should do at high altitude. I suspect, since there isn't very much air up there, you'd want to take it full "slow" so that your prop can take the biggest bite of air it can get.Scottp.s. forgot to mention "if I want it slower, why not just lower the throttle". Lowering the throttle is like pedaling with less energy - you're reducing the power. Think of it like:Throttle = powerProp RPM = gearHope this helps,Scott

Thanks again everyone for the advice. Just an update. Stearman landing master achievement has been unlocked! Gold on all challenges for me! woohooo!!! Well the Stearman landing ones anyway ;)I had all realism settings off... that means unchecked so that the game is difficult except for smooth braking. I'll admit, I have the smooth brakes on due to my xbox 360 controller which I cannot smooth break with just a 100% or 0% button.Funny thing is, I got angry at not getting gold on the landing 6 last one, that I hit replay and just brought the plane in on a hard bank... came in a bit hot but hit the middle with a 486/500 soft landing and +500 for both other stats with a mean brake lol.... I hit it doing 72 knots... way to fast for that strip.The trick is to get impatient and angry! not calm, patient, and concentrating ;)Thanks all and good luck!

Observation: this thread is a classic indication of why some folks are so bullish on Flight -- it's bringing new folks that might never've touched the traditional MS-FS products to the fold. That can only be a good thing for flight simulation and perhaps real world aviation. The latter can use all the help it can get for various reasons, and who knows how many Flight jockeys will get a hankering to try out the real thing.I have been a bit mystified thus far by how much effort Avsim has been putting into their Flight coverage -- perhaps this kind of new interest is why. I might be a bit slow on the uptake...Now, I'm off to fly "my" Aerosoft OV-10 Bronco in FSX, thank you very much :Nerd: . Here's hoping that someday such wonderful third-party add-ons will be a possibility in the new sim.Dave B.

Hi all,Just thought I would join the community here as I am starting to generate some questions about flight, and I have no one to ask :Thinking:So far I am really enjoying Flight. I am using an Xbox360 controller so far, and it is actually working out really well. I have at least silver on all challenges, and half are golds. (realisim settings are set to hard, all toggled off) woot. While my basic knowledge of flying has obtained me these medals, I know I should learn more to get all golds. And this is why I am here now :Just Kidding:My first quesiton is about the Stearman. I need more power. I am doing the job of taking the man on a tour, and my first stop was to the top of the island. And I cannot seem to get the Stearman up there. Last time I got to 10,000'+ and needed to turn around to gain more time to climb. But during the turn I stalled and crashed.I am curious about getting the prop setting and mixture correct in this craft to obtain maximum power at 8,000' and above. Last attempt I had mixture set to half and RPM maxed. Is there prop pitch in this craft?Well that is my main question for now.... I suppose I could use a few tips on the Stearman landing challenge 6. I managed silver, but oh my is that a hard strip to land on.Last one for now: Run clear weather at night... where are the stars??? :Thinking:Thanks,Bumblewoot

Hello Bumblewoot,What a cool name! Welcome to AVSIM. I hope you will take part and help us build a special kind of community here. We already have some of the best people in flight simming in the world as members, and want to add a whole lot more!Kind regards,

To gain altitude follow the checklist items for enroute climb. Especially, make sure you maintain the recommended speed, pull back if too fast, push in if too slow. Besides that, the only thing that needs fiddling with is the mixture. As you get higher you need less mixture. Starting at 3000' start pulling back on the mixture a little. At 10'000 you probably need about 40% or so mixture. Always pull on the mixture a little at a time, if you pull back too far you'll know because the engine will suddenly drop in power. Then, just push the mixture back in a little until you have full power.Also, less weight is helpful. For a 30 minute flight 25% fuel will be more than enough.

Thanks again everyone for the advice. Just an update. Stearman landing master achievement has been unlocked! Gold on all challenges for me! woohooo!!! Well the Stearman landing ones anyway ;)I had all realism settings off... that means unchecked so that the game is difficult except for smooth braking. I'll admit, I have the smooth brakes on due to my xbox 360 controller which I cannot smooth break with just a 100% or 0% button.Funny thing is, I got angry at not getting gold on the landing 6 last one, that I hit replay and just brought the plane in on a hard bank... came in a bit hot but hit the middle with a 486/500 soft landing and +500 for both other stats with a mean brake lol.... I hit it doing 72 knots... way to fast for that strip.The trick is to get impatient and angry! not calm, patient, and concentrating ;)Thanks all and good luck!

Wow, that gives me hope - I may have to the give #6 another try , sure increases the pucker factor though...

Welcome on Avsim, enjoy you stay.May I try a note of humour / irony: ref. to your thread title, for flight gaming, it's here, for flight simming some fora under.Anyway, have fun in all cases.

ok, thanks for the advice.Any advice on what to set the mixture and prop rpm to up at 8,000'+ ?I'm a little hazy on changing the prop rpm... in my simple mind, high rpm is always needed. If I want less, why not just reduce throttle? Nice newbie question there probably =)

As others have stated, the constant speed propeller, no matter what throttle seeting you have will "pitch" itself to maintain whatever RPM you set it at. This is why they call it "constant speed".Standard ProcedureTakeoff/Landing - Propeller Full ForwardCruise - Pick an rpm with prop and match the manifold pressure to the RPM. Say cruise at 2300 RPM, set 23" MP with throttle.You can also use the prop as a brake when approaching the airport. This works well with the RV since it is such a clean aircraft.A little known fact: A windmilling propeller has more drag than a fully stopped propeller. If you lose power, pitch up to get that thing stopped, you will glide further ;)

As has been said... reduce your fuel load... I generally prefer 1/3rd. Don't carry what you don't need to carry.I also prefer ticking "automixture"... in RW flying I know I will get best power following (e.g. Lycoming) leaning procedures (for Lycoming engines)... not so sure about that with flight sims.Keep power controls shoved full forward for the climb... this is true even for RW normally-aspirated engines unless the Manf. specifies otherwise (i.e. no need to rob yourself of climb power)... so if you tick automixture... mixture / prop / throttle are full forward.You said you are stalling... you won't stall if you have the right pitch attitude (hence appropriate airspeed) until you get to such an altitude where the airspeed starts to bleed off. Trim for and hold 80-85mph (maybe even a smidge lower) you're looking to hold Best-Rate-of-Climb Speed (Vy) to get as high as you can in the shortest possible time. What Vy is precisely I do not know as I have not yet taken the time to determine... 80mph should be ballpark.I've had the Stearman as high as 20.000' and some in the beta reported as high as 25.000'. Hope this helps.Rob

Hi guys, thanks again for the advice. I'm getting it figured out.New development though:I have been using the Maule now, and I took her up to see how high she could go. I have all settings to realistic btw. Long story short, I hit the ceiling at 16,500'. I could not get her any higher, no matter what I'd do.How high has everyone else gotten the Maule? I had 10-15% fuel, empty plane. Mixture has to be able to 20-30% at this height, and prop was set around 75% so that it was well within the green.I was doing straight steady climbs, and when I hit my ceiling I tried both into the wind and away from the wind. I could never hit 17,000. I just could not get any more out of her. No more energy to be found. I tried levelling off to gain speed before attempting to climb again, but I would fall father than I could climb back with the speed gained.Still lots of fun,Thanks for the input!Bumblewoot(FadingBeano) gametag