So, how is the B200 these days?

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

<p>Okay, so long story long, last night I thought I'd spend a few hours reading and then take it up without any flight planning and just see how it handled. But going through their checklist left me fairly lost and frustrated. I know that someone knows at least some of the answers.</p>

<ul class="bbc">

<li>Oxygen system - Crew Ready (what does that mean? Probably not important)</li>

<li>Compass control – SLV.(What does that mean? Check against the magnetic?)</li>

<li><br />

Engine ice vanes – As required. (Is that Engine Anti-ice? It's a little warm...wx is fair...don't need it now)</li>

</ul>

<ul class="bbc">

<li>Landing gear alternate extension handle – Stowed (Not sure where it is and never heard of an aircraft needing it...I'll skip)</li>

<li>EFIS POWER switches – OFF (Does that mean the one in front of me and the one on the center console? Um...off)</li>

</ul>

<ul class="bbc">

<li>AP/TRIM POWER switch – OFF. (What is that? Skip.)</li>

<li>clock – Check and set. (On the yoke...clickspot is a little off. How do you start the timer on the EHSI?)</li>

<li>BATT – ON (23 volts minimum for battery start, 20 volts for GPU start). (Where to read this? I see the DC gauges on the overhead but those are for load. Is that what the button is for?)</li>

<li>External power advisory light (don't see it...probably not important)</li>

<li><br />

DC volt/loadmeters (maybe I was wrong about my assumption about the gauges overhead...this must be for those)</li>

</ul>

<ul class="bbc">

<li>GEN switch – RESET, then ON (No reset...just ON)</li>

<li>BATTERY CHG annunciator – Monitor (Don't see it on the overhead enunciators...is it on the lower? No test switch.)</li>

<li>Inverters check and on (stubbed out.)</li>

<li>STANDBY HORIZON – ON and uncaged. (There isn't one.)</li>

<li><br />

Autopilot self-test – Monitor (Where is that?)</li>

</ul>

<ul class="bbc">

<li>AP FAIL and AP TRIM FAIL (supposed to illuminate)</li>

</ul>

<ul class="bbc">

<li>AP XFER switch – Select pilot’s side.(where is that? Probably not important)</li>

<li>Press red INTRP & TRIM AP DISC button (Is that the red button in front of me that's disabled? Skipped)</li>

<li><br />

Auto trim – Check (can't really test this in any aircraft. Skipped)</li>

</ul>

<br />

<ul class="bbc">

<li>Pilot and copilot control wheel trim switches – Check. (Is that on the yoke? Those switches aren't implemented)</li>

<li><br />

Voice and flight data recorders(not important)</li>

</ul>

<ul class="bbc">

<li>TCAS - I think I found that on the VSI</li>

<li>EGPWS - Sounds cool (but maybe that's in all the other documents I have ignored.)</li>

<li><br />

Both bypass doors extended. (Don't see it...probably not visually implemented?)</li>

</ul>

<ul class="bbc">

<li>PROP deice – Check. When MANUAL mode is selected, note rise on DC loadmeter (No effect. Immediate effect in Automode on the Prop Amps only.)</li>

<li>Altitude alerter(s) – Set and check. (Where?)</li>

<li>Wings and nacelles – Check (At least I know where the wings are. What's a nacelle?)</li>

</ul>

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<p>Now, I know that some of this is unimportant, some of it is me not paying attention in B200 class, some of it is (tongue and cheek here) the "Carenado pain". "Here's a checklist son...have at it." Some of it may be bugs. Why the elevator trim won't engage on this aircraft (that was the last straw) is a mystery to me.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>EDIT: Nacelles...doh!  I can be so blasted dense.</p>

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

Something happened to my original post so I thought I'd clean it up and make it easier to read...(I also took out my Homer Simpson moment.)

 

Okay, so long story long, last night I thought I'd spend a few hours reading and then take it up without any flight planning and just see how it handled. But going through their checklist left me fairly lost and frustrated. The thing is, when you don't have any documentation, you can't tell whether a) they didn't think it was important or b ) you're missing something...possibly important.  If you're going to have a checklist and skip over a great deal of it I'm not sure what the point of the checklist is.  I hope that someone knows at least some of the answers.

 

Oxygen system - Crew Ready (what does that mean? Probably not important)

Compass control – SLV.(What does that mean? Check against the magnetic?)

Engine ice vanes – As required. (Is that Engine Anti-ice? It's a little warm...wx is fair...don't need it now)

Landing gear alternate extension handle – Stowed (Not sure where it is and never heard of an aircraft needing it...I'll skip)

EFIS POWER switches – OFF (Does that mean the one in front of me and the one on the center console? Um...off)

AP/TRIM POWER switch – OFF. (What is that? Skip.)

clock – Check and set. (On the yoke...clickspot is a little off. How do you start the timer on the EHSI?)

BATT – ON (23 volts minimum for battery start, 20 volts for GPU start). (Where to read this? I see the DC gauges on the overhead but those are for load. Is that what the button is for?)

External power advisory light (don't see it...probably not important)

DC volt/loadmeters (maybe I was wrong about my assumption about the gauges overhead...this must be for those)

GEN switch – RESET, then ON (No reset...just ON)

BATTERY CHG annunciator – Monitor (Don't see it on the overhead enunciators...is it on the lower? No test switch.)

Inverters check and on (stubbed out.)

STANDBY HORIZON – ON and uncaged. (There isn't one.)

Autopilot self-test – Monitor (Where is that?)

AP FAIL and AP TRIM FAIL (supposed to illuminate)

AP XFER switch – Select pilot’s side.(where is that? Probably not important)

Press red INTRP & TRIM AP DISC button (Is that the red button in front of me that's disabled? Skipped)

Auto trim – Check (can't really test this in any aircraft. Skipped)

Pilot and copilot control wheel trim switches – Check. (Is that on the yoke? Those switches aren't implemented)

Voice and flight data recorders(not important)

TCAS - I think I found that on the VSI

EGPWS - Sounds cool (but maybe that's in all the other documents I have ignored.)

Both bypass doors extended. (Don't see it...probably not visually implemented?)

PROP deice – Check. When MANUAL mode is selected, note rise on DC loadmeter (No effect. Immediate effect in Automode on the Prop Amps only.)

Altitude alerter(s) – Set and check. (Where?)




Now, I know that some of this is unimportant, some of it is me not paying attention in B200 class, some of it is (tongue and cheek here) the "Carenado pain". "Here's a checklist son...have at it." Some of it may be bugs. I did go ahead and run my yoke through FSUIPC calibration and it solved the elevator trim problem (first time that's ever happened.  Good to note.)

[tttocs 301]

Part of my frustration was also the documentation...it always is with Carenado...sigh. That's a tough hump for me to get over. But, also, at the end of the day I asked myself, if I had a King Air and it had that many things out of service, would I fly it?

 

Oh, I hear ya on the Docs, that's for sure. I wish they'd AT LEAST give us a simple panel, instrument, switch and clickspot diagram with these more complex planes.

 

Kurt Kalbfleisch did a nice tutorial for the C90 that really helped with the lack of docs, and a checklist as well. The nice part about the checklist is that it focuses on what makes sense (and works) in the sim, so perhaps I'm a bit blind to some of the inop features. As it is, I'm actually surprised and pleased that so many of the annunciators and test buttons and procedures work, especially in the fuel system, though not all the electrical load stuff is modeled correctly. The inverters, however, do "work".

 

Some things are clearer in the C90 checklist I use, for example, the EHSI main and auxiliary switch usage and use of the ice vanes (always on during ground ops, otherwise as conditions require which I believe is generally true of most turboprops), and Carenado did correctly model the power drop with them on the C90 - something that didn't make it into their JetProp. Don't have any elevator trim issues on the C90 either.

 

I dunno. Perhaps I applied my Carenado filter with the C90, but while I know it's not perfect, it's not bad either. With the other KA's coming and already having the C90, I decided to wait on the B200.

 

Scott

 

Edit: If you look for Kurt's tutorial, the checklist is spread through it. I consolidated it and incorporated it into FSKneeboard's checklist feature. Of course parts of it will be incorrect for the B200 as well.

 

I note from your corrected post which came while I was typing that you've solved the trim issue. Good news.

[Gregg_Seipp 565]

Kurt Kalbfleisch did a nice tutorial for the C90 that really helped with the lack of docs, and a checklist as well. The nice part about the checklist is that it focuses on what makes sense (and works) in the sim, so perhaps I'm a bit blind to some of the inop features. As it is, I'm actually surprised and pleased that so many of the annunciators and test buttons and procedures work, especially in the fuel system, though not all the electrical load stuff is modeled correctly. The inverters, however, do "work".

 

Maybe, before I try again, I should get my hands on his checklist.  I did load it up on the runway after I typed up my tome up above.  I got up to altitude and started messing around in FSUIPC on the calibration in the hope that that was the issue. ( It was hard for me to believe that no one else had reported it so it *had* to be something local.)  After that I really got a feel for it and it truly is a dream to fly...as nice as any airplane I have.  Bernt truly did an amazing job.  He's doing the Milviz one too and I'll get it once the issues are ironed out.  That'd be a win-win since I'd have both and the documentation from Milviz to, hopefully, understand this version.  Surprised it's slower than the Duke.

[tttocs 301]

A couple of other things more obvious now in your reformatted versions:

 

Compass - SLV  means slaved.  Basically automatically couples the heading info to a magnetic compass source.

 

EPGWS - should be ground proximity warning system.  Don't know how (or if) that's implemented on the B200, though.

 

Trim switches on the yoke - really wouldn't add much to the sim to implement them.  I have mapped onto my physical yoke anyway.

 

Can't help much with some of the other pieces.  Among other things, it sounds like Carenado just grabbed any ol' B200 checklist, and what you have doesn't match that model of plane, irrespective of the sim.

 

Scott

 

 

Surprised it's slower than the Duke.

 

We keep crossing in the mail here... :-)

 

The Duke really is a little rocket, but in one sense these small KAs can be faster - when lower.  On shorter flights with the C90, I'll often not climb much above 12-15,000', where the Duke's airframe/speed limitations really hurt it.  With the Duke, on all but the shortest flights you climb like a bat to FL210 or higher to get where the plane can shine.  If the winds are strong up there, you're in a bit of a quandary.  With the KA, you don't have to do that and still have reasonable speed.  They may both be twin turboprops, but they're very different kinds of planes.

 

Scott

[kelvinr 58]

Bring on the Milviz 350i. By the sounds of it, the Milviz team will shoot this one out of the water. I have the B1900D and too it seems a few of the major functions don't work (although I don't have the Kingair I have read about a number of unserviceable parts). Beautiful aesthetics though but I really am into the realism over looks.