June 17, 201213 yr Some of you may remember that I've had trouble trimming the Maule (especially in terms of keeping going in a straight line). However, I think I've figured out what the problem was! Last night, I was able to get it trimmed correctly but then the next flight, I wasn't able to do it (it was very fidgety and sensitive to input and wouldn't fly straight). The difference, I noticed, was that the second time, the plane was much heavier and overloaded. I usually just fill the gas tank up to full but I think I need to pay more attention to ajusting the amount of fuel based on aircraft load to get better stability! ;-)
June 17, 201213 yr Hi SGMA54....Welcome to the world of "WEIGHT AND BALANCE' "POWER MANAGEMENT" "TRIM"And of Course .."THE WIND".....This may explain some of it.....Have Fun ,,Vin! http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/media/FAA-H-8083-1A.pdf
June 17, 201213 yr Too much gas is a no no, listen to the co-pilot when he/she whines about being overweight. if we could just throw their butts of the plane that would reduce the load.
June 17, 201213 yr Trouble is the `co-piiots' are moaning about being overweight one minute, so you empty the tanks a bit. Next they are moaning because there is not enough fuel! So most of the time I just check the distance to be flown and load up around twice the amount needed to cover it. Unless it`s a Clandestine one . I don`t take so much out for those as a lot of the time you are flying off in different directions avoiding the police or taking the long way round to make sure you stay below 1000ft.
June 17, 201213 yr I also believe that on missions the airplane is filled with passengers / cargo somehow randonly in terms of load stations. FS previous versions had load stations, and I believe MS FLIGHT aircraft have it too. If two verye heavy passengers seat on one side, or your cargo is not properly centered, than you will probably face the effects of unbalance... Also, when flying missions, and since I never configured any keys for rudder trim in the controls config file, and also because I find the default rudder trim way too effective in the Maule, if the airplane tends to drop one of the wings then for a few instants I select the fuel tank on that side and when equilibrium is brought back to normal reselect "both". That way any load unbalances are solved :-) Flying gliders since 1980 Flightsimming since 1992 AMD Ryzen 5600x, 32GB RAM, GPU Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB, 1 TB and 500 GB nvme2 SSD drives, HP 27" 60Hz LED monitor @ 1920x1080, T16000, Hotas from old X52 Pro, Saitek Combat Rudder Pro (2010 model)
June 17, 201213 yr The fuel-range estimate shown for you aircraft seems to assume you will be going full-throttle, full-rich, at 1000' all the way. If you climb to higher altitude, lean-out the motor and set a reasonable cruise-speed, you can double your effective range. With that in mind, I normally carry "range+20%" just to be on the safe side, unless I'm staying low on a very short flight and carry "range+50%". I'll cut a little further into that if I'm overloaded, or just plan to stop off along the way for more gas on a longer haul. If I'm involved in risky business, staying low and taking an indirect route, I'll usually carry "rangex2" in fuel.
June 17, 201213 yr (it was very fidgety and sensitive to input and wouldn't fly straight) Could be your controller. I had a similar problem, easily identified as rudder flicks. This occurred in Flight, FSX, and X-Plane. Hmmm.... I opened the calibration dialog (for a Thrustmaster HOTAS) and found that the rudder was flicking in there too! It was a noisy pot. Replaced the Thrustmaster with a Saitek. Problem gone. Maule trims up beautifully and will drone literally for hours. Occasionally the Saitek will develop a weird center position. Just unplug the USB connector and reconnect. Instant centering. Suspect your controller. Unplug it and fly with the mouse. Does that fix the problem?
June 17, 201213 yr Trouble is the `co-piiots' are moaning about being overweight one minute, so you empty the tanks a bit. Next they are moaning because there is not enough fuel! So most of the time I just check the distance to be flown and load up around twice the amount needed to cover it. Unless it`s a Clandestine one . I don`t take so much out for those as a lot of the time you are flying off in different directions avoiding the police or taking the long way round to make sure you stay below 1000ft. I just ignore the copilot -- they're pretty much useless. For direct flights I use the stated distance + 10%. For Clandestine flights, since I fly an indirect route, I'll use double the amount required, flying under 1000' at full throttle the whole way. There's no place like this place, so this must be the place.
June 18, 201213 yr I just ignore the copilot -- they're pretty much useless. For direct flights I use the stated distance + 10%. For Clandestine flights, since I fly an indirect route, I'll use double the amount required, flying under 1000' at full throttle the whole way. I just fill the tanks, load up the freight, and mentally tell the co-pilot to shut up... and off I go... full throttle, too...
June 18, 201213 yr I just ignore the copilot -- they're pretty much useless Maybe the TrackIR camera will be able to see my hand gesture I always communicate to that one copilot and have him react accordingly. I'd still like the ability to push him out of the plane at 10K feet. That would, at least, justify the "Mild Violence" rating for the game.
June 18, 201213 yr said it before....you gotta do the chicken delivery mission, do a few rolls listen to the chickens freak out. It's awesome.
June 18, 201213 yr To get rid of the copilot nonsense, go to option and disselect subtitles and dialog. Then you'll no longer be bothered by that sillyness
June 19, 201213 yr Author Hi SGMA54....Welcome to the world of "WEIGHT AND BALANCE' "POWER MANAGEMENT" "TRIM"And of Course .."THE WIND".....This may explain some of it.....Have Fun ,,Vin! http://www.faa.gov/l...A-H-8083-1A.pdf Haha! Yes I definitely need to pay more attention to it! I was really confused for a while as to what was happening because I was only having issues with the Maule and not the other planes... but then that is because the Maule can carry cargo and, especially with full fuel, gets overloaded and makes it difficult to fly. Now that I'm adjusting the fuel to match the mission, it flies in a straight line! As a side benefit, it is also much easier to land! No wonder I was having so much trouble on those Maule landing challenges given my tanks were completely full (admittedly, I only really tried the first one and that was hard enough for me!)
June 19, 201213 yr Now that I'm adjusting the fuel to match the mission, it flies in a straight line! As a side benefit, it is also much easier to land! No wonder I was having so much trouble on those Maule landing challenges given my tanks were completely full (admittedly, I only really tried the first one and that was hard enough for me!) Heh, it does help when you get over the tendency to say "Fill it up!" at the pumps and only take the fuel you actually need. These aren't like cars or trucks. :Peace:
June 19, 201213 yr Heh, it does help when you get over the tendency to say "Fill it up!" at the pumps and only take the fuel you actually need. These aren't like cars or trucks. :Peace: I weigh about 200 pounds and I used to take a B-52 Instructor with me on occasion in a C-152. I would have to go first thing in the morning and instruct the FBO to not put more than 50% fuel in the tanks, or we couldn't fly that day.
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