Hi fellow simmers - i have noticed recently that when i take off i seem to be moving all over the runway. It seems to roll to the left or right quite a lot. Any ideas on why this is?

I suspect your problem is related to the horrible bug that causes one to have to crab while taxiing in a crosswind. This bug is easily my biggest complaint in flightsim. What it means is that, even when your plane is on the ground, it will get pushed around by the wind just as if it were in the air. Executing a crosswind landing? Well.... expect to either have to maintain the crab angle all the way down your rollout, or, do it as it properly should be done and land with your wheels straight... but then get pushed off the edge of the runway. Kinda stinks. ;-)Can anyone confirm that this problem has been fixed in FS10?

Its kinda funny watching a 172 land dead center and yet my massive 777 gets blown off the runway.Some planes handle it better than others but the PSS 777 sometimes requires full rudder deflection and even then, if it starts that slide, you often end up in the grass.I have not tried it because tricky winds are 1/2 the fun of landing but with ActiveSky you can limit or disable the surface winds.

>Hi fellow simmers - i have noticed recently that when i take>off i seem to be moving all over the runway. It seems to roll>to the left or right quite a lot. Any ideas on why this is?are you flying a prop or jet engine?it could be due to your realism setting. FS9 tries to simulate the left-turn tendencies found in prop planes. It doesn't do a very good job of it..but it sort of works. You can counter this by using the rudder. On take-off, a couple of forces are making your plane turn to the left; mainly engine torque and spiraling slipstream (which i dont think fs9 simulates). Once you are airborne and climbing at a high RPM, the plane will continue to bank into its left. Keep the ball in the middle with the rudder until you reduce the RMP during cruise.of course ignor this if you are flying a jet. And it could be your joystick? Since you shouldn;t be going to the right during take-off...-feng

>>it could be due to your realism setting. FS9 tries to simulate>the left-turn tendencies found in prop planes. It doesn't do a>very good job of it..but it sort of works. You can counter>this by using the rudder. FS9, some prior versions, and especially Microsoft's CFS2 (Combat Simulator) can do a very good job of simulating a left drift tendency with single engine airplanes that have props spinning clockwise from the cockpit view. And the RealAir Simulations Spitfire has a realistic pull to the right, countered by left pedal on the rudder, due to it's counter-clockwise spinning prop.To get the real effect of this, I figure that rudder pedals are a must, and the programming needs to be there. Even the default Cessna 172 does rather well. Twist grips and rocker switches lack "feel" to me, and might seem too sensitive without adjustments.The drift is a combination of propeller slipstream, torque, and P-factor can be thrown in. I don't care which of these factors is actually being simulated to a high degree, since it's all fake anyway, as long as the effects are there. I want the ride down the runway, to feel as though I'm pushing right pedal against a gutter, or riding the edge of a wake on a slalom water ski.I want the push to remain rather constant without a tendency to suddenly disappear, or drift the opposite direction. Rudder force used, may depend on airplane & airspeed.Once airborne, in an airplane such as a Piper Archer or Cessna 172, right rudder should still be required to maintain the runway heading, until fixed rudder trim takes effect at cruise speeds.FWIW, this left drift tendency is about the first thing I check with new releases of MSFS. The same aircraft, might be better or worse in different editions. Yet, some great possibilities are there.L.Adamson

>>FS9, some prior versions, and especially Microsoft's CFS2>(Combat Simulator) can do a very good job of simulating a left>drift tendency with single engine airplanes that have props>spinning clockwise from the cockpit view. >You are probably correct. The problem i feel might be due to my own rudder settings and the type of plane i fly. I don't have any of the RealAir stuff (which i heard is great), and i haven't flown the default 172 much. I mainly fly the flight1 172.When i'm flying in a real 172 (type S), i have to hold the rudder down pretty hard until i reach TOC or the plane will bank to the left. On take-off, i have to really fight the rudder to keep it centered. However, in fs9, the left-turn tendencies tend to vary too much (at least in the flight1 172). I often find that i can keep the plane centered with just a slight push on the rudder...and once airborn and climbing at full rpm, the left turn tendency almost goes away (the ball stays just slightly off-center). I often don't even use the runnder during climb...since the plane stays centered on its own (i have my realism setting all to max).Again, this might be a programming thing local to the planes, and not fs9....and my rudder settings (i have the sensitively set way low...but it's still too sensitive imo) ;)-feng

Guys isn't there a setting in FSUIPC for this?Tim

>Guys isn't there a setting in FSUIPC for this?>>TimThere's a setting for it in the registered version of FSUIPC, yes, but not the free version. The things I use FS2004 for would not justify me buying FSUIPC (in fact, the only addon I've ever bought is FSNavigator), and to be honest, I don't feel like I should have to buy some other program to fix what is a very obvious and very annoying BUG in FS2004, one which I'm sure the FS team has been aware of for quite some time....

>There's a setting for it in the registered version of FSUIPC,>yes, but not the free version. The things I use FS2004 for>would not justify me buying FSUIPC (in fact, the only addon>I've ever bought is FSNavigator), and to be honest, I don't>feel like I should have to buy some other program to fix what>is a very obvious and very annoying BUG in FS2004, one which>I'm sure the FS team has been aware of for quite some time....>I don't use FSUPIC either, but what's this particular bug?What's annoying? My jets and counter-rotating props head straight or nearly straight down the runway, and my single engine or twin props turning the same direction have left or right drift. What's wrong with that?If you don't want a more realistic experience, then use auto-rudder or turn the realism settings to easy. It's NOT a BUG.L.Adamson

hi everyone - thanks for your comments. Must admit that being fairly c@@p i had not thought about the realism settings. I want the most realistic experience (not that i would be able to compare to anything as flying lessons are too expensive!) and so i will take the comments on setting the realism to high and then lower my rudder sensitivity. I think that my new weather packs might be the reason for my sudden noticing of this crosswind effect. whilst on the subject - can someone explain how i would read the instruments to find out the crosswind?

>whilst on the>subject - can someone explain how i would read the instruments>to find out the crosswind? A quick method while still on the runway, is to use shift Z. It's like a weather report from someone on the ground.

>>I don't use FSUPIC either, but what's this particular bug?>>What's annoying? My jets and counter-rotating props head>straight or nearly straight down the runway, and my single>engine or twin props turning the same direction have left or>right drift. What's wrong with that?>>If you don't want a more realistic experience, then use>auto-rudder or turn the realism settings to easy. It's NOT a>BUG.>>L.Adamson>LAdmamson: Your last statement strikes me as "elitist" somehow, which is obviously not justified given your unawareness of this issue. Might I suggest you investigate a little more deeply? It is most definitely a bug. The bug is that **with a crosswind**, even when your wheels are on the ground, you have to maintain your crab to keep the aircraft track down the centerline. It's as if your wheels have no friction. Do you agree that, with wheels on the ground, your aircraft will pretty much travel in the direction your wheels are pointing? I hope you will.... You may have to cross-control when on the ground in a crosswind, but your aircraft will still go where the wheels are going. This bug is well-documented, and more than just a little subtle annoyance (especially given that it's a *flight* simulator, that landing is the most critical part of flight, and that crosswinds are a part of landing a good deal of the time....) Oh, and there is no "realism setting" that can be adjusted to make it go away. And I do not remember this aspect of flying being so out of tune in previous versions. If the author of FSUIPC can fix it, I don't see why Microsoft could not do the same.

>>>>I don't use FSUPIC either, but what's this particular bug?>>>>What's annoying? My jets and counter-rotating props head>>straight or nearly straight down the runway, and my single>>engine or twin props turning the same direction have left or>>right drift. What's wrong with that?>>>>If you don't want a more realistic experience, then use>>auto-rudder or turn the realism settings to easy. It's NOT a>>BUG.>>>>L.Adamson>>>After re-reading my initial reply, perhaps it was a bit too harsh. Heheh. In any event, trying to imply that those who notice the complete lack of realism in the ground-handling model are somehow averse to realism strikes me as silly, and it annoyed me, I admit. ;-) It may be wrong to call the problem a "bug," I'll give you that. What it is in actuality is the fact that FS2004 lacks separate flight models and ground-handling models, a fact which has been discussed elsewhere in this forum many times. Either way (bug, or lack of modeling), the deficiency is clear. Let's hope the next version will correct this.

>After re-reading my initial reply, perhaps it was a bit too>harsh. Heheh. In any event, trying to imply that those who>notice the complete lack of realism in the ground-handling>model are somehow averse to realism strikes me as silly, and>it annoyed me, I admit. ;-) It may be wrong to call the>problem a "bug," I'll give you that. What it is in actuality>is the fact that FS2004 lacks separate flight models and>ground-handling models, a fact which has been discussed>elsewhere in this forum many times. Either way (bug, or lack>of modeling), the deficiency is clear. Let's hope the next>version will correct this.Okay..... I'll have a go at this,MS did remove some of the ground handling that was there in the prior version. Lack of airflow over the elevator when adding throttle to the engine is one of them. The default Cub, may totally fizzle out in the flight dynamics department during takeoff; which sometimes makes takeoffs impossible. Or......... it might just be fine. Depends on time of day & mood :D Now, as to handling crosswind landings; I can take the default Cessna 172 with a 16 kt. 90 degree crosswind, and land with a combination crab and kicking rudder to straighten the nose at the last second, or slip to a wing low, low wheel first landing. Either way, I can still stay on the runway during the rollout with rudder & ailerons into the wind. I just automatically do, what it takes. Whether kicking the nose to align with the runway at the last second, or slipping it in with the wing low method, I'm still cross-controlled at a point in time. If I'm to switch from the default Cessna 172 to the RealAir Marchetti SF260, then the whole crosswind effect is even better, since one of RealAir's specialties is "slips".And, as I've said before, rudder pedals are very important for these two landing scenarios.Are we talking about the same thing? Or did I run down the wrong road with this? :DL.Adamson

Updated message below. Sorry!