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aceridgey

PMDG 747 - My thoughts and constructive criticism?

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Hi PMDG/All,

 

I have had the 747 since release day and I wanted to provide some constrictive feedback which I hope will generate healthy discussion. It is appropriate to note here that I am overall impressed and the quality is consistent with previous releases (to which I have thousands of hours logged). I wanted to focus this post on the parts I would like to be improved/future features.

 

I think it was good for the community as a whole to have the release co-incide with the FSL A320. I do not want to go into the comparative release issues with that product but I feel like I wanted to start by highlighting parts of that product I am extremely impressed with and wonder if we can have it included in the PMDG product line.

 

1) Comparatives to the FSL A320.

- FSL comes with a functioning remote MCDU/FMS that is accessible through chrome on a remote device (iPad for example). This adds to the immersion massively and saves having to purchase 3rd part apps. Could we include this?

- GSX integration, I feel that FSL has gone beyond the norm here with GSX integration. For example, one puts the fuel required into the init B (INIT REF) part of the MCDU and GSX, through the refuel function, will refuel the aircraft in real time, same with the boarding. This is incredible immersive and lacks in the 747.

- Clouds, in darkness with landing lights on, the lights bounce and reflect off the clouds in overcast conditions, again, incredibly immersive that would be nice on the PMDG.

- Flight dynamics, general question, I massively notice that the FSL flight dynamics are taken out of the sim, is this the same with the PMDG? As I feel it still behaves similar to the p3d/fsx flight dynamics engine.

 

 

2) General feedback

 

- The visual external model is fantastic and the most notable 'step up' from previous PMDG lines,

- The sounds are great

- Performance and VAS usage for release candidate is very impressive and not easily achieved in our environment, bravo.

- Systems are great, in my opinion, further can be done to general wear and tare (service based failures across all fleets, (i have noticed the engine oil quantity feature) 

 

3) Room for improvement

 

a) - See comparatives section

b) - Overall, I was expecting more innovation from this product comparing to how long it's been since the 777 release. Maybe these will come in future service packs. I know this is a vague sentence but hopefully some of my first section highlights some of my thoughts.

c) - FIX page FPS drop - I've historically talked to the TECH team about this known issue where FIX page range rings bring FPS down significantly, I hoped this would be fixed for the 747 release but have noticed it here.

d) - Ground friction, speaking to current flight crew, they all consistently mention that brakes need to be regularly auctioned when taxiing in (and sometimes taxiing out) (riding the brakes)) on idle thrust. I removed the dynamic-friction FSUIPC mod as Ryan suggested but find that there is too much ground friction compared to real life.

e) *EDIT - The animations are notriously jerky (refresh rate), really noticeable and takes a lot of immersion away (ref# 'warbirds' comment)

4) Comments  that may be out of my knowledge (possible bugs?)

a) why is there no 250/10,000ft speed restriction in the fmc by default?

 

Thanks guys, I may notice further comments later and will but a *EDIT by the comment. 

 

Really interested in your thoughts.

 

Cheers,

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Alex Ridge

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37 minutes ago, aceridgey said:

a) why is there no 250/10,000ft speed restriction in the fmc by default?

Hi,

I can answer only that question. It is modeled as per the real FMS according to the FCOM (I'm not a real pilot):

Speed transition line displays the transition speed/altitude from one of these
sources:
• the navigation database value for the origin airport
• the greater of the transition speed associated with the origin airport or
VREF+100 knots (example 272/10000)

I guess the 250/10000 is not coded in the database for the origin airport.


Romain Roux

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Interesting and those additions we be more than welcome.

I have a few things that bother me;

No 5 channel sound, only stereo. The A2A Connie has 5 channel and engine sounds are in back as they should be. 

Jerky animation in almost all moving parts.


Paul Grubich 2017 - Professional texture artist painting virtual aircraft I love.
Be sure to check out my aged cockpits for the A2A B-377, B-17 and Connie at Flightsim.com and Avsim library

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As far as I know 5.1 sound are something that are going to be done

 

For the GSX intergration. PMDG uses their own Ground operations program which also loads fuel in real time. For me the Ground OPS of PMDG is more realistic, as various vehicles come and go during the correct time.


Chris Makris

PLEASE NOTE PMDG HAS DEPARTED AVSIM

You can find us at http://forum.pmdg.com

 

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I have one main item that I'd like to see for the -8i expansion:

Customisable checklists!

In the 777 we could only use the default Boeing checklists in the ECL. It would be great if you could include the possibility of including your own company checklists as many airlines modified theirs from the standart Boeing checklists.

In terms of the 744 I would apprechiate a more stable time acceleration behaviour. When using Autoaccel all is fine, but the auto acceleration interrupts the acceleration so often which leads to an unpredictable increase in flight time. When using 4x for all my cruise I would like my cruise time to be shortened by 4x, not by 3x or whatever it takes due to the interruptions.
The FSL A320 (and if you have sufficient fps also the Aerosoft one), are much more stable and have issues follwoing sharper turns with the correct bank angle while maintaining altitude and speed even up to 8x time accel.


Greetings from the 737 flightdeck!

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1 hour ago, Emi said:

The FSL A320 (and if you have sufficient fps also the Aerosoft one), are much more stable and have issues follwoing sharper turns with the correct bank angle while maintaining altitude and speed even up to 8x time accel.

If the A320 has issues following sharper turns, isn't that bad?


Captain Kevin

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12 hours ago, aceridgey said:

why is there no 250/10,000ft speed restriction in the fmc by default?

Because Alex the VREF 30 + 100 speed which BTW is the minimum CLEAN speed for a B744 may actually be ABOVE 250kts.

Do you expect Boeing to restrict their 'heavy; aircraft to 250kts below 10000ft by default & keep them dirty with a selection of flap deployed just to honour the 250kt restriction because rules are rules?

How would that affect fuel economics & noise pollution?

:wacko:

 

 

 


Steve Bell

 

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Speed transition line displays the transition speed/altitude from one of these
sources:
• the navigation database value for the origin airport
• the greater of the transition speed associated with the origin airport or
VREF+100 knots (example 272/10000)

Just wondering what the minimum information required for this is? Do you have program weights, cost index, route and such before a value will appear, or does it appear if just an ORIGIN airport is entered ... and the value will be subsequently modified if the weight and other stuff is entered? The VNAV climb page looks very blank when you first power up the aircraft...

 

AtlasClimbPage.JPG.e390c3f826ed1c8cf1fe992e70419648.JPG

 

 


John H Watson (retired 744/767 Avionics engineer)

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5 hours ago, G-CIVA said:

Because Alex the VREF 30 + 100 speed which BTW is the minimum CLEAN speed for a B744 may actually be ABOVE 250kts.

Do you expect Boeing to restrict their 'heavy; aircraft to 250kts below 10000ft by default & keep them dirty with a selection of flap deployed just to honour the 250kt restriction because rules are rules?

How would that affect fuel economics & noise pollution?

:wacko:

 

 

 

I am pretty sure it's like this above min clean (I wouldn't have raised it otherwise). 

 

I'll double check though but if the min clean is below 250knots, is there a problem if VNAV SPD is above 250knots below 10,000?


Alex Ridge

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I'll double check though but if the min clean is below 250knots, is there a problem if VNAV SPD is above 250knots below 10,000?

The Bulfer Big Boeing FMC User's Guide says that the speed is the greater of 250kts, Vref +100 or database limit.

My Engineering training manuals say:

"The default climb has two segments, 250 knot climb to 10,000 feet followed by an economy climb from 10,000 feet to cruise altitude.  However, the speed transition altitude and limit speed values change automatically., this occurs when a departure airport is entered that has a stored speed transition altitude that is different than (sic) the normal default values. The limit speed value is a minimum speed that uses gross weight"

 

Caveat: My books are a thousand years old :blush:


John H Watson (retired 744/767 Avionics engineer)

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5 hours ago, aceridgey said:

I am pretty sure it's like this above min clean (I wouldn't have raised it otherwise). 

 

I'll double check though but if the min clean is below 250knots, is there a problem if VNAV SPD is above 250knots below 10,000?

##### are you on about?

If the aircraft weight is such that the VREF 30 +100kts SPD is going to be BELOW 250kts then in ECON CLB Mode the aircraft WILL HONOUR the 250kts restriction below 10000ft, if the aircraft weight is such that the VREF 30 +100kts SPD is going to be ABOVE the 250kts restriction below 10000ft then the aircraft will honour this SPD in ECON CLB mode below 10000ft which WILL BE a number greater than 250kts.

To achieve clean or flaps UP configuration the aircraft MUST fly faster than 250kts due to all up weight & ambient temperature & pressure.

How hard can this be to understand?


Steve Bell

 

"Wise men talk because they have something to say.  Fools talk because they have to say something." - Plato (latterly attributed to Saul Bellow)

 

The most useful tool on the AVSIM Fora ... 'Mark forum as read'

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Someone can correct me.if i. wrong but I think PMDG has had the FD outside of the sim since the 737NGX release. I don't know why it would change with the 747. Also, just because it's not a hugely advertised thing doesn't mean it's not set up oitside of the sim.


FAA: ATP-ME

Matt kubanda

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1 hour ago, G-CIVA said:

##### are you on about?

If the aircraft weight is such that the VREF 30 +100kts SPD is going to be BELOW 250kts then in ECON CLB Mode the aircraft WILL HONOUR the 250kts restriction below 10000ft, if the aircraft weight is such that the VREF 30 +100kts SPD is going to be ABOVE the 250kts restriction below 10000ft then the aircraft will honour this SPD in ECON CLB mode below 10000ft which WILL BE a number greater than 250kts.

To achieve clean or flaps UP configuration the aircraft MUST fly faster than 250kts due to all up weight & ambient temperature & pressure.

How hard can this be to understand?

You must not have been on flightsim forums for a long time lol.

 

There are two reasons it seems that no one can understand simple concepts on these forums.

 

1. They really can't understand them and they andre trying to work their way through the logic by typing it out on forums. (Which is great IMO)

2. Or...which i think is the bigger reason, people want to show off how much they think they know so they type Andres much address they can to give a mini lecture to everyone so everyone knows how well "educated" they are. When in reality, no one really cares arent it just congrats posts without arendnswering any real questions.


FAA: ATP-ME

Matt kubanda

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On 2/27/2017 at 5:34 AM, aceridgey said:

Flight dynamics, general question, I massively notice that the FSL flight dynamics are taken out of the sim

I keep seeing this statement get bounced around, but after many hours of researching FSL statements/posts I have never seen where they stated their A320 uses an external flight model. If that statement exists I'd sure like to see it.  I even wrote to Leftarius about this (thank you my friend for speaking to me on this) and he would not say they used an external flight model (though he might be content to let the community believe they do).

Certainly a great and even impressive product... no question about it.  But external flight model?

 


Dave Hodges

 

System Specs:  I9-13900KF, NVIDIA 4070TI, Quest 3, Multiple Displays, Lots of TERRIFIC friends, 3 cats, and a wonderfully stubborn wife.

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53 minutes ago, DaveCT2003 said:

I keep seeing this statement get bounced around, but after many hours of researching FSL statements/posts I have never seen where they stated their A320 uses an external flight model. If that statement exists I'd sure like to see it.  I even wrote to Leftarius about this (thank you my friend for speaking to me on this) and he would not say they used an external flight model (though he might be content to let the community believe they do).

Certainly a great and even impressive product... no question about it.  But external flight model?

 

From my understanding, the flight model programming must be outsourced in some way (making heavy use of excessive custom coding). Otherwise, the very complex FBW with ALL protections couldn't have been implemented realistically, but it'd be rather using the some sort of auto trim function. I am pretty sure, I've read about that sometime ago, during the (long) development of the FSL A320X. Not 100% sure, though. 

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