fsx/fsx-se? Incorrect panel state of saved flights

[BelizeFly 0]

I have saved various stages of a PMDG 737NGX flight from PDX to SFO - ready to pushback, ready to taxi, ready to T.O., TOC and TOD.  The saved flights on the ground restart fine; the ones in the air all start Cold and Dark, not good at altitude.  The CDU does not show any panel state available - it's blank.  However, the Tutorial #2 saved segments all work fine, including panel state options.  I don't understand the difference.  It's frustrating because the only way to practice the approach to SFO is to fly the entire flight.  But it works fine on the Tutorial segments.  Any ideas?

[Mike777 163]

The saved flights on the ground restart fine; the ones in the air all start Cold and Dark, not good at altitude. The CDU does not show any panel state available - it's blank.

 

Hi, BelizeFly,

 

Two questions:

1) Are the saved panel states when you are in the air showing up in FSX/PMDG/PMDG 737 NGX/panelstate ?  There should be three starting with the name of the saved flight and ending with

       ...FLT.0.rte

       ...FLT.fmc

       ...FLT.sav

 

2) Are you by any chance reloading the NGX flight on top of a previous NGX flight or other complex aircraft?

 

Also, you can get the CDU to come on in a C&D state by clicking and holding the menu button.  It will come alive; then you should be able to load the panel state corresponding to the name of the saved flight.

 

Mike

[BelizeFly 0]

HI  Mike, thanks for the response.  The files are not there in panelstate, probably because I had only saved the flights in FSX.  Should I save the panel state in PMDG for each flight saved?

 

I am careful to close and restart FSX for each flight, as the PMDG installation guidelines mention.

 

Thanks for the menu button tip.

[Mike777 163]

The files are not there in panelstate, probably because I had only saved the flights in FSX. Should I save the panel state in PMDG for each flight saved?

 

Hi, BelizeFly,

 

You should not have to save the panel state separately.  If you do a normal save in FSX it should save the panel state at the same time and with the same name as the saved flight, except for the endings (as described earlier).  Also, Autosave, a part of FSUIPC, saves them properly as well.  I am wondering if there is some write permission issue.  Is FSX installed in a Program Files folder?  If it is, are you running FSX as Administrator?

 

You can also try saving the panel state separately and then reloading it after you load the saved flight, but this shouldn't be necessary.

 

Mike

[BelizeFly 0]

FSX is in its own folder under C:\.  I have saved flights on the Tutorial #2 route just as you say, with FSX save, and they work fine.  This PDX to SFO route seems to behave differently.  I'm going to give the Panel State save a try, but I don't know what the problem could be.

[TheNerd 12]

Hmm... I have the same problem with the CS757.

[BelizeFly 0]

Mike, I reported incorrectly to you earlier.  The three panelstate files are there in the FSX/PMDG/PMDG 737 NGX/panelstate folder.  Now I have to wonder why they don't load normally.

[Mike777 163]

Take a look at this thread, especially TABS' answer -- he is a PMDG support person.  However I am puzzled that you can save some flights but not others.  I have had at least one experience where no flights were saved properly on one extended flight for no known reason.  Maybe try starting up the same flight from scratch and see if it works.

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/384217-panel-state-not-saving/?hl=%2Bsaving

 

Mike

Mike, I reported incorrectly to you earlier.  The three panelstate files are there in the FSX/PMDG/PMDG 737 NGX/panelstate folder.  Now I have to wonder why they don't load normally.

 

 

Are you able to load the panel state manually, and does it work then?  Also, do they all end with FLT as I described earlier?  If they don't end with FLT they won't load when the saved flight is reloaded.

 

Mike

[BelizeFly 0]

When the flight is loading, a few seconds into the load there is a click and the Cold and Dark panel state loads.  You can see that the panel was going to load properly, but then the Cold and Dark state takes over.

The saved panel state files that work (all on the ground - pushback, taxi, etc.) end with FLT and work.  The ones I saved in the air do not end in FLT and, as you say, don't work.  So that may be the issue, but why would they save without the suffix?

 

I am going to try to load the panel state from the CDU.  I have to refly the flight to do that test since I didn't save the panel states earlier.

 

Yes, it's the "some yes, some no" that's baffling.  But now we see that the FLT ending is missing.

[Mike777 163]

I once had a flight with multiple autosaved situations and none of them would load properly. It happened with the 777, but it works very much like the NGX.  The simplest thing would be to retry the same flight and see if you continue to have problems.  But be sure to start up with a new situation, not by reloading a saved flight on the ground.  Glitches sometimes get into saved flights/panel states and then persist in all subsequent saves, so you want to be sure not to use anything from a previously saved flight or panel state. 

 

If the problem persists, you should post in the PMDG 737 NGX forum or file a ticket with PMDG.  You can also search the PMDG forums.  If you post there you need to sign your full name. 

 

Please let me know if a new flight on the same route  works OK.

 

Mike

[BelizeFly 0]

Thanks, Mike.  Starting with a fresh flight, not a saved start as I've been doing, sounds like a very good idea.  I'll let you know after I've run the tests.  Much appreciated.

[BelizeFly 0]

Hi Mike.  I finished the tests.  Putting ".FLT." in the saved panel state files that were missing that part of the suffix fixed the files and the saved flight then worked fine.  Then I ran the flight from scratch, not starting from the saved "Ready to taxi" file I had started all the others from and the result was a clean save with ".FLT." in the suffix and the files working fine when loaded.  Your idea of a corrupted starting file was correct.  Why it left off the .FLT. for all saved panel states when in the air but not on the ground I'll leave to programming experts; your ideas were right on and have saved the day.  Thanks so much.

[Mike777 163]

Hi, BelizeFly,

 

Glad I could help!  I've seen a couple of different types of problems where the user kept starting with the same saved flight situation -- when the users started from new situations, the problem went away.  It's hard to know why some panel state gets corrupted. 

 

Also want to compliment you for using a precise name for your thread.  Sometimes people have really vague names like "NGX Doesn't Work."  Not very helpful.

 

Mike