Sheesh! I can't edit the heading. Bad grammar.

 

How do I prevent FSX aircrafts from ballooning when I drop the gear?

 

 

 

One of my pet peeves using FSX aircrafts...even the amazing Real Air twins, I am not able to follow the procedures for IFR. One of the things I do in real life IFR flyingTwins like the Piper Seneca is, I am all configured for the approach between the IAF and the FAF. When the GS is just over the center (circle) of the VOR1, I just drop the gear. I do nothing else for the most part, the Aircraft would start descending and stays on the glideslope for the most part. (Unless severe wind conditions).

 

I am just not able to do that in pretty much any of the GA Twins that I have. When I drop the gear, the aircraft seems to behave like I just dropped the flaps few notches and starts climbing initially That does not happen when I drop the gear in real life.

 

Is there any way I can modify any parameter to fix this issue?

 

Manny

No one? Am I the only one with this issue?

 

MAnny

No, others have it too a greater or lesser extent and like you have found out, it depends largely upon the sim model. I can offer no real solution other than saying that what happens in the real world may not exactly happen in flight sim. The two are not totally comparable. Some developers have gone to great lengths to try and closely model the real deal. Others?? Not so much.

 

You might be able to tune a some of the balloning out by tinkering with the control and trim senistivity in your aircraft cfg files, but someone who knows (or thinks he knows) more than I will have to guide you with that.

What are your thermal settings in AS?

There's a parameter in the .AIR file that may do what you want.

 

If you don't already have AirEd, google aired FSX to find the download.

 

In record 1101 Primary Aerodynamics there is a field called Cmg Pitch Moment - Gear. Most of the default FSX aircraft I checked had this set at zero. Others had a very small positive or negative value, 0.01 or -0.02. Make a backup copy of the .AIR file then try setting this to zero to see if it helps the problem. My first thought would be to change the sign on the existing value, but that may not be what you want. I haven't tried this myself, so let us know what happens.

 

Hook

There's a parameter in the .AIR file that may do what you want.

 

If you don't already have AirEd, google aired FSX to find the download.

 

In record 1101 Primary Aerodynamics there is a field called Cmg Pitch Moment - Gear. Most of the default FSX aircraft I checked had this set at zero. Others had a very small positive or negative value, 0.01 or -0.02. Make a backup copy of the .AIR file then try setting this to zero to see if it helps the problem. My first thought would be to change the sign on the existing value, but that may not be what you want. I haven't tried this myself, so let us know what happens.

 

Hook

 

Hi Hook.

 

Thank you.

 

I down loaded the AirEd. Nice tool. I checked out the Real Air Beech Duke B60. The value for the Pitch-Gear =0.

 

Then I flew the aicraft on approach..At 100 Kts..2200 feet Level (Gear up.). I was below the GS. All trimmed. Hands off the yoke..it stayed level..and when the GS hit the dough nut (The VOR Circle, I dropped the gear.

 

It did not pitch up. So it behaved like the value in the Ptich-Gear parameter. So far so good,

 

It then started the descent ...But only at 300 feet per min. I have never flown the Duke in real life...so maybe that's how it behaves in real life. I was expecting like 500 feet at least (Drag due to gear down). But lets say I want to change this value from 300 feet/min to 500 feet per min ..What value would I have to change? What parameter in the air file? Is it still the pitch-Gear PArameter? If I change the pitch to negative I don't want to increase the speed. So I am hoping there is some other parameter than just the pitch.

 

Manny

 

I See a Drag coefficient - Landing Gear = 55. Maybe I should try increasing this?

 

I changed the Drag coefficient - Landing Gear to 80. And it now works the way I wanted it.

 

I fly the Duke D60 at 28MP, 2500 RPM. I am trimmed at 100 kts. Full flaps. at 2200 feet betwwn IAF anf FAF. The GS is above..As I come close to the FAF, the GS reaces the VOR circle..I drop the gear (nothing else) and it now settles around 500feet/min and maintains the GS for the most part. I This is how its like on the Piper Seneca.

 

I don't have the metrics for the Duke B60. Once I have these numbers.. I can fine tune it even further. Thanks guys

There's probably nothing in the air file that will do exactly what you want. See below.

 

I'm not a real world pilot but...

 

Normally I'll drop the gear long before I'm on the glide slope, usually right after entering downwind. This gives me time to make sure the gear is down and locked. Checking all this is more than I want to be doing immediately upon entering the glide slope, as I've got other things to concentrate on. What happens if your gear malfunctions? You're going to be pretty busy if you're already on final.

 

There may be aircraft what will politely transition from level flight to 500 ft/min descent just by lowering the gear, but I doubt that's true of all aircraft. In the case you mention, a small reduction in power might be in order.

 

I See a Drag coefficient - Landing Gear = 55. Maybe I should try increasing this?

 

Oops, missed this. And you're right. A simple change there shouldn't affect other flight performance, so give it a try.

 

Hook

Oops, missed this. And you're right. A simple change there shouldn't affect other flight performance, so give it a try.

 

 

Sorry Hook.. I kept editing my post while you were posting. I have this nasty habit of doing that.

 

Sorry.

 

Well... I'd like some input from real world twin flyers as well... here from folks who do IFR flying... how they do it.

 

Flying the Piper Seminole and the Seneca, this is how I was taught.. To drop the gear at FAF for precision approach.

 

Basically you get everything configured properly between IAF and FAP and stay level,,,all trimmed up. And when the GS reaches the Doughnut, drop the gear... Simplicity Unless there's is a very strong head wind or no wind or tail wind, you should not have to make any major changes... Use the rudder a bit to go left and right to stay on the localizer This way you are not chasing the GS when on FAF. And you are not experimenting at each approach.

 

All aircrafts have gaits. Pitch + Power = Performance. Use that to determine all the settings for each of the Approach segments. Know these number by heart and configure your aircraft accordingly..so you are not reinventing the wheel each and every time you fly.

 

Manny