F406 Bug/Issue List

[Bert Pieke 7,424]

I noticed the co pilots ADF needle points the opposite direction

 

Sure enough... same here  :mad:

[Bert Pieke 7,424]

Sure enough... same here  :mad:

 

Correction:  Actually, the co-pilot's ADF needle only indicates 0-180 degrees,

whereas the pilot's needle shows the full 0-360 degrees arc.

[Bert Pieke 7,424]

Carenado has acknowledged that it is indeed a bug..  good catch!

[lthendrix 25]

Thanks Bert.

[AnkH 2,056]

I got this plane recently and I am actually very happy with it, directly downloaded v1.1. However, flying around with this bird I realized that those red mixture levers had not impact at all. Either they are moved completely backwards leading to a cutoff (as it should) or else you can leave them on whatever position you want, no difference. Am I wrong or is this simply not modeled in this aircraft?

[stans 658]

I got this plane recently and I am actually very happy with it, directly downloaded v1.1. However, flying around with this bird I realized that those red mixture levers had not impact at all. Either they are moved completely backwards leading to a cutoff (as it should) or else you can leave them on whatever position you want, no difference. Am I wrong or is this simply not modeled in this aircraft?

Although I do not have the F406, I can tell you that in a turboprop aircraft the mixture levers (actually called Condition levers in turboprops) do not have the same effect as they have in piston engined aircraft.  Turboprop condition levers typically have only three positions, cut-off, low idle, and flight idle.  Cut-off shuts off the fuel flow, low idle is generally used on the ground (at least in FSX, not necessarily in the real world), and high idle is used for flight.

[AnkH 2,056]

Thanks for this clarification, that's what I also read. Still, I did not find any gauge indicating any difference no matter on which position the mixture lever was set. And there is not even an indication next to the lever, so it seems to me that in this Carenado turbo prop rendition, the mixture lever is basically an "on" and "off" switch, nothing more. Well, I can live with that...

[Jim Robinson 122]

With the aircraft parked on the taxiway, no brakes on, adjust the condition levers between 40% and 100% to understand better what they do. At 40% the aircraft will (IIRC) sit still, when you advance them forward the aircraft will roll and it'll require a lot of braking to keep taxi speed under control. My procedure is condition levers at 40% anytime the acft is on the ground, as I roll into position for takeoff I advance them full forward (Ctrl+Shift+F4) and that's where they stay till I exit the runway at the destination airport where I pull them back to 40% again with Ctrl+Shift+F2 (be careful, it's easy to pull them back too far and kill the engines). I'm sure my procedure is wrong, everything else I do is, but that works for me.

[SmokeDiddy 262]

Does anyone know if Carenado has plans to fix some of these bugs for the F406?  I'd love to add this one to my hangar, but a little leary because of the bugs.

[Merlin59 0]

 Bert I private messaged you about the pitot heat bug. Thanks for any help,  Merlin

[Yoda967 23]

On 4/11/2016 at 2:56 AM, stans said:

Although I do not have the F406, I can tell you that in a turboprop aircraft the mixture levers (actually called Condition levers in turboprops) do not have the same effect as they have in piston engined aircraft.  Turboprop condition levers typically have only three positions, cut-off, low idle, and flight idle.  Cut-off shuts off the fuel flow, low idle is generally used on the ground (at least in FSX, not necessarily in the real world), and high idle is used for flight.

You're partly correct. In a turboprop, the "mixture" levers are called "condition" levers, and they do not perform the same function that mixture levers do on a piston-engine aircraft.

"Flight idle" is a power lever setting, not a condition lever setting. You may be thinking of "high idle."

Condition levers on a PT6-powered turboprop (like the Cessna F406, the Cessna 208s, Beech King Airs, and a host of other aircraft) set the minimum percentage of maximum turbine RPMs (N1), and thus vary the idle speed. Minimum idle N1 in the F406 is 52%. Cessna's manual says that if you're performing a cross-generator start, you set the first engine to 68% N1 after an instrument check, which provides more power to start the second engine. Tom Clements' King Air Book recommends not waiting at low idle for a cross generator start and going straight to the higher idle condition lever setting, in order to save wear and tear on the engines. (By moving the condition lever after settling engine speed at 52%, you're effectively adding a spool-up/spool down cycle to the engine.) Granted, he's writing about King Airs, but these are the same engines.

If you're moving the condition levers to high idle at start and leaving them there, that's why the plane's speed is hard to control while taxiing. You've set the minimum engine speed fairly high, so when you put the power levers at the idle position, you're carrying a substantial amount of torque, which equates to thrust in a turboprop. Try reducing the condition levers to where N1 is 52% (or more, but as low as they'll go and keep the engines running). Taxiing should get much easier.

The Cessna manual doesn't call for the condition levers to be moved at all prior to takeoff. You can safely leave them at low idle...all the condition levers do is set the minimum turbine RPM, so other than cut off fuel entirely, they do nothing for you in flight. You can leave them in low idle through all phases of flight unless you're planning a short field landing.

In the case of a short field landing, you need the props to go from idle to full reverse as quickly as possible...setting a high turbine idle speed makes sense here.

Hope this helps!