Help adding simple autopilot to vintage aircraft

[Leo2789 3]

Hello,

I've recently downloaded this package for an updated Default FS Ford Trimotor from flightsim.com (filename in library: new_4at-e.zip), and it contains a really nice but simple autopilot gauge that I've been trying to add to David Molyneaux's Airspeed AS.5 Courier (filename in flightsim library: airspeed_courier.zip).
This autopilot gauge simply holds the Altitude and/or Heading that the plane has the moment you flip the switches (or click the respective assigned keys in your keyboard). This is in my opinion a much simpler, cleaner looking and ''legit'' way of having an AP in vintage aircraft (as opposed to simply add the Bendix AP to the panel :P ).

I decided to add the gauge to several other vintage aircraft I have, which I have done so successfully simply by adding the relevant gauge.xx..... line to the panel.cfg (making the switches show up in the main panel), and changing the "autopilot_available=" from 0 to 1 in the [autopilot] section of the aircraft.cfg. 

All the aircraft I have updated with this AP gauge so far have it working flawlessly; but now enter my problem with David's Courier:

The AP holds the altitude correctly, but if I select the heading hold, the airplane just starts banking more and more to the right, until it enters a downward spin and slams into the ground!!
I compared the Courier's aircraft.cfg [autopilot] section with the same section in my other successfully AP updated aircraft and nothing unusual sticks out... though I'm not very knowledgeable of this particular section of the cfg file.

*EDIT* I'm not sure if this is also relevant, but I just noticed that while all the aircraft where the AP works perfectly make a warning sound when I disengage the Master Switch (even though the sound is not the same in all aircraft), in the Courier there is no sound! *EDIT*

If someone could help me figure out this problem I'd be very grateful!

I can post the relevant cfg entries, and the xml text of the gauge if it's also relevant!

Thank you

Leonardo Santos

[dmarques69 316]

Please don't add a AP on a vintage plane, is like adding a car radio on a horse wagon, just fly it in your finger nails

Sorry i cant help you!

[Leo2789 3]

9 hours ago, dmarques69 said:

Please don't add a AP on a vintage plane, is like adding a car radio on a horse wagon, just fly it in your finger nails

Sorry i cant help you!

Hey, yea I was expecting this type of comment on this thread xD

I just want to have something that can help me when I do long stretches with these aircraft, with an autopilot like the one the DC-3 already had/has!
I also agree that a full on AP on vintage aircraft is just bad, hence why I didn't want to just copy and paste the Bendix one in these airplanes! 

Anyways thanks for your reply!

 

Leonardo

[Leo2789 3]

Anyone?

 

I've tried everything I can remember, even copied all relevant entries from the cfg file of aircraft where I installed this AP and it worked perfectly, to the Airspeed Courier's cfg file but still the same 'bug'. 
It just won't hold the heading! Just banks endlessly to the right!

I'm at a loss here, left scratching my head over what could be happening? 

 

Leonardo

[Leo2789 3]

Ok so after some more troubleshooting I figured out that the issue lies with the Airspeed Courier's .air file...

What I did was copy an air file from another aircraft where I've installed this Autopilot and got it working to the courier's folder, assigned a fltsim entry to it and started a flight with it.

Surprise, surprise! The autopilot now works! But obviously I can't make this a solution,since the flight controls and the aircraft's CG felt very wrong (from it being assigned an air file not designed for this model).

So now I ask if anyone can help me figure out what to do or how to edit the air file to fix this, probably help em identify the problem as well, since I have 0 experience dealing with air files :/

 

Leonardo

[A32xx 129]

Hi Leonardo,

Download the AirEd utility and the updated .ini file from here: http://www.aero.sors.fr/fsairfile.html

Open your Airspeed Courier .air file and check for any entries with the word Autopilot in the title. I suspect there won't be any, but if there are, delete them. Leave the .air file open and then:

Open your default C172 .air file and do the same check. Hover your mouse over an 'autopilot' entry, right click and select Copy to Clipboard, then:

Go back to your open Airspeed Courier .air file, right click on any entry and select Add from Clipboard. Repeat for each 'autopilot' entry and then Save the Airspeed Courier .air file.

Along with your amended Aircraft.cfg file, this .air file should now give you a working Autopilot.

[Leo2789 3]

Hey A32xx thanks for your reply,

Well I did everything you suggested, the heading hold still behaves the same way :/
Even copied section 516 "Aileron/Rudder Trim constants" (because the ini file referred to the aileron trim constant value as having implications in the autopilot heading hold) from both the C172 and another aircraft I have this AP working on, and both times still the same result :(

Any more suggestions?

 

Leonardo

[Leo2789 3]

FIXED!

The solution was suggested by a member on this forum: http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/help-adding-simple-autopilot-to-vintage-aircraft.441887/page-2

Thanks to all who've answered and tried to help in this thread!

Leonardo