Cannot load a saved flight

[iainsmith 9]

I have had absolutely no luck in re-loading a saved flight in this otherwise excellent bird.

 

Now I may be doing something wrong but I really can't think what. Here's how I proceed:-

 

Before exiting the part completed flight I click on the FMC menu button to go to PMDG setup and select "Save panel state". I enter a name for the flight and click "save" and then the execute button.

 

I then carry out an FSX save by hitting the ; key and entering a title for the flight. When done I exit the flight and then exit FSX.

 

Next day, or whenever, I start up FSX and when at the rotating microlight screen I click "load". Up comes the list of saved flights and I click on the one I saved the previous session. What happens then is that the 777 cockpit comes up completely dark, including the FMC. I let it go through the load process with the green stripe counting down but still no panel or the FMC light up. I've tried pressing and holding the menu button on the FMC but still the screen stays dark so I just cannot reload the saved panel state.

 

I've also tried starting the APU and the engines to get some life in the beast but nothing is any use. The only thing I've managed to revive in the correct state is Radar Contact. I did on a couple of occasions get a message saying that the rte file did not have a destination airport (which it did) and Radar Contact would not have reloaded if that had been the case.

 

Anyone tell me where I'm going wrong, please?

 

Iain Smith  :(

 

 

[Mike777 163]

Before exiting the part completed flight I click on the FMC menu button to go to PMDG setup and select "Save panel state". I enter a name for the flight and click "save" and then the execute button.

 

I then carry out an FSX save by hitting the ; key and entering a title for the flight. When done I exit the flight and then exit FSX.

 

Next day, or whenever, I start up FSX and when at the rotating microlight screen I click "load". Up comes the list of saved flights and I click on the one I saved the previous session. What happens then is that the 777 cockpit comes up completely dark, including the FMC.

 

 

Hi, Iain,

 

I am not sure why you are having this issue. 

 

To help figure out what is going on, look in ...Simulator X\PMDG\PMDG 777X\PanelState and see if there are three files that have the same name as the saved flight, but end in ... FLT.0.rte, ...FLT.fmc, and ...FLT.sav.  It is my understanding that whenever you save a flight, PMDG saves three files in the ...panelstate folder as just described. 

 

However my understanding is that these files, if they exist, should be reloaded automatically when you load your saved flight.  You should not need to manually save the panel state separately.

 

However, since you have saved the panel state, what happens when you reload it after the saved flight has loaded?   

 

 

I've tried pressing and holding the menu button on the FMC but still the screen stays dark so I just cannot reload the saved panel state.

 

 

Try holding it longer -- I have had this happen and it can take awhile.  Not sure if it has to be the third CDU screen, but try that if you haven't already. 

 

(The saved panel state also has three files, ending in 0.rte, .sav and .fmc  , but they don't have "FLT" in them so I don't think they will be automatically loaded when you reload a saved flight. )

 

When I save a flight the panel state does reload (and the files ending in FLT.0.rte , .fmc , and .sav do exist in the PMDG 777 panelstate folder).

 

One final question: is your FSX installed in a standard programs file like programs(x86)?  That might be blocking the save function of FSX, since the programs folders have special protections.  It is recommended not to install FSX in a standard programs folder.

 

Mike

[iainsmith 9]

Hi Mike,

 

Thank you for your helpful response which, unfortunately, has not thrown any light on this problem.

 

Let me answer the points you raised:-

 

1. I have the three files you mention in the panel state folder.

 

2. Tried pressing the menu button for much longer, in fact until the a/craft crashed into the ground from FL350!

 

3. My FSX is installed on a different drive from Windows, on my F drive.

 

Here is one oddity, and this has happened three times now. I reload and all instruments are black, no power at all, no engines running and try as I might I cannot get them or the APU, started. So the 777 crashes into the ground and the flight resets and reloads it self. This time, the cockpit has power and instruments but a klaxon is sounding, why I don't know and cannot silence. So using the FMC I reload the saved flight. It then says that the rte file does not have a destination airport (which it certainly does) so plan is aborted and I have no flight plan in the FMC.

 

Eventually I get it flying level, still looking for the cause of the continual klaxon. I then manage to get the AP to engage but with no flight plan and a klaxon going off the flight is ruined anyway.

 

Maybe I should open a support ticket?

 

Iain

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

Do you want to save a panel state or a flight (situation)?

 

For the flight saving - just do this from the FSX menu bar: The T7 "listens" and will save its panel data and FMC data accordingly.

 

Same goes for the reloading.

[Mike777 163]

 

 

Here is one oddity, and this has happened three times now. I reload and all instruments are black, no power at all, no engines running and try as I might I cannot get them or the APU, started. So the 777 crashes into the ground and the flight resets and reloads it self. This time, the cockpit has power and instruments but a klaxon is sounding, why I don't know and cannot silence. So using the FMC I reload the saved flight. It then says that the rte file does not have a destination airport (which it certainly does) so plan is aborted and I have no flight plan in the FMC.

Eventually I get it flying level, still looking for the cause of the continual klaxon. I then manage to get the AP to engage but with no flight plan and a klaxon going off the flight is ruined anyway.

Maybe I should open a support ticket?

 

Hi, Iain,

 

This is certainly very strange behavior, and I think you should file a support ticket.  The only thing I can help with at this point is silencing the warning sound.  There is a setting in the CDU Menu>PMDG Setup>Aircraft>Equipment for resettable siren. (You need to page down.)  According to PMDG, some airlines deliberately have this set to "no," so once the siren starts it cannot be turned off.  This setting is settable for each aircraft, so even if it is fixed in one it can remain not fixed in others.  (Some aircraft share settings, which you can see in the Operations Center, but they do not all share these settings.)  Also it's helpful to have a key set for A/P disengage switch (set in CDU key commands section). 

 

As far as the other issues, maybe FSX needs to be set to run as administrator?  You did install the highmem fix in fsx.cfg?  Also, I never fly with crash detection on as it just creates annoying side issues like crashes into invisible buildings on the ground -- but I doubt that is causing your major issues.  As another side point, you can use slew mode while the saved flight is reloading for the settings countdown and to reload a flight plan, so at least it won't go flying off and crashing.

 

One last point:  Do you have a saved flight or saved panel state that you always start from?  Sometimes a glitch gets saved in one of these and the easiest solution is to just delete it.  In particular, the PMDG-supplied 777 C &D state is known to be buggy, so if you are using that, or a state you created starting with that one, you should just delete it and start from a different panel state, like one of the turnaround states.

 

Mike

[Mike777 163]

 

 

Here is one oddity, and this has happened three times now. I reload and all instruments are black, no power at all, no engines running and try as I might I cannot get them or the APU, started.

 

Just wanted to reiterate my last point.  I stuck it in as an afterthought, but quite a few people have had various issues that turned out to be from one particular saved flight or one particular panel state.  So using a new flight to start out and/or a new panel state might eliminate your problems.

 

 

 

One last point: Do you have a saved flight or saved panel state that you always start from? Sometimes a glitch gets saved in one of these and the easiest solution is to just delete it. In particular, the PMDG-supplied 777 C &D state is known to be buggy, so if you are using that, or a state you created starting with that one, you should just delete it and start from a different panel state, like one of the turnaround states.

[iainsmith 9]

 

 

Do you want to save a panel state or a flight (situation)?

 

A flight situation Ollie. Maybe I have been corrupting a file by saving in both FSX and the FMC. I'll try your way and see what happens. Thanks for your response.

 

Iain

@ Mike777

 

Mike, Thanks for your further response -  just to answer your points:-

 

1. I'll check the "resettable siren" setting in the FMC. Thanks for that.

 

2. Yes I have the HighMemFix entry in the cfg.

 

3. FSX is set to run as admin.

 

4. I have the PMDG short turn panel state as the startup on the 777.

 

I loaded one of the 737NGX tutorials, which is effectively a saved flight situation and it was successful, but I don't have the equivalent for the 777 to try.

 

Iain

[Mike777 163]

Sorry, Iain, really out of ideas. Only thing I can think of is, did Windows create a programs or programs(x86) folder on your F drive and then install FSX in there?  My FSX is installed on C:/ but not in the programs folders.  Also, seems like you already addressed this, but do you ever try to reload a T7 on top of itself?  Your startup sounds right - the ultralite -- but if you load the T7 and then load a saved flight, it could still cause trouble (I've found that loading a default Cessna in between T7 loads seems to eliminate this issue).  Really just grasping at straws here.

 

Mike

[iainsmith 9]

Hi Mike, no I created the folder that FSX resides in on my F drive, no problem there. No I don't load the T7 and then load the saved flight, I load it straight from the microlight.

 

I did a short haul flight a couple of days ago, from Zurich to Vienna and everything went perfectly. At the end, as a test, I set up a situation with the T7 at the gate at Zurich and loaded the flight plan into the FMC. I then ended the flight and exited FSX.

 

Yesterday I fired up FSX and at the microlight I pressed "load" and selected that situation. When it first loaded I had a completely dark cockpit and nothing happened, not even the T7 self initiation. So I reset the flight and this time the T7 self initiation did run and the cockpit was powered as I had left it. However, the FMC did not have the plan loaded. So I selected "save a panel state" on the FMC and it said it was loading it and then came the message about the rte plan not having a destination airport.

 

This is just for your info Mike so don't think anymore about it. I'll raise a support ticket and see what the PMDG guys make of it. Knowing my luck I'll be the only one they'll have heard of with this problem!

 

Regards

 

Iain

[Mike777 163]

Yesterday I fired up FSX and at the microlight I pressed "load" and selected that situation. When it first loaded I had a completely dark cockpit and nothing happened, not even the T7 self initiation. So I reset the flight and this time the T7 self initiation did run and the cockpit was powered as I had left it. However, the FMC did not have the plan loaded. So I selected "save a panel state" on the FMC and it said it was loading it and then came the message about the rte plan not having a destination airport.

 

Hi, Iain,

 

Just occurred to me maybe there is an issue because the special PMDG files (including the one with the route) are saved on your F: drive under FSX.>PMDG>T7>panelstates but maybe your regular saved FSX flights are being saved in C:?  I have FSX installed on C, but not in any program folder, so PMDG...panelstates is on the same drive; so maybe you are having the issue because the FSX saved flight files are on C: and the PMDG saved files are on F:?

 

So:  Where are your regular FSX saved flight files being kept?  My saved FSX flights (Win 7) are in:

C:\Users\Mike\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files

 

Edit:  Do you ever try to reload a flight saved by FSUIPC's AUTOSAVE function?

 

Mike

[iainsmith 9]

Mike, I raised a support ticket and had a very quick response from Ryan. It was a point which you raised which Ryan queried - is my FSX set to run as admin. I was sure it was hence my answer to you but thought I'd better double check and found that no it wasn't! I was certain I remembered setting that up in the icon properties but for whatever reason it didn't stick.

 

After setting that (properly!) I set up new saved situations and flights and reloaded all perfectly!

 

So, having thanked Ryan I'll now thank you for your time and interest - and sorry to mislead you.  :blush:

 

Iain

[Mike777 163]

Hi, Iain,

 

Glad it's fixed!

 

Mike