First impressions

[AndiKunzi 62]

I started adjusting the aircraft.cfg and .air files for the C421 yesterday.
It may take a couple of days until I'm fully satisfied.

[shivers9 1,174]

5 minutes ago, AndiKunzi said:

I started adjusting the aircraft.cfg and .air files for the C421 yesterday.
It may take a couple of days until I'm fully satisfied.

Well, with this kind of help from Bert and AndiKunzi, I am in! Thanks to you guys as well as others who have jumped in with their expertise and support to the community. 

[RobertBernardK 7]

Just now, AndiKunzi said:

I started adjusting the aircraft.cfg and .air files for the C421 yesterday.
It may take a couple of days until I'm fully satisfied.

ohhhhhh yeah !!  very thanks for your time, i will wait the time that will be necessssary for this improvement, a little question, the aircraft and the air its the same in the 1.0 and 1.1? seems to have only visual, and instruments improvements but the air file and aircraft file remains the same, 

 

Basically we can take the alabeo 421 that not simule the geared engines as a 414A with the TC engines, same fuselage, only shorter wings that the 414A and more weight that the chancellor...... 

 

Redgars

Robert Bernard

[onduty 5]

Dear Andi,

Really great news! Alabeo has another 421 purchase in their books... owing to your devoted time, knowledge, work and kindness.

Looking forward to it... patiently.

Many thanks indeed,

Tamas

[mikebxb 20]

I finished first flight with V1.1 C421. I love the cockpit layout. (added the Flight1 GTN750)

Taxis great..very stable and well behaved not squirrelly.

Cant find the Strobe

the 800B AP caused me much grief but it was non familiarity / operator error. 

AP climbs and descends to preset Altitudes (unlike the 400 Nav-O-Matic in the 310R)

handflyings good

RNAV Approach works great , intercepts glideslope and GS lights up 

I had some trouble getting her slowed down full flaps and MP 15. ( the 310 likes to be flown all the way down to touchdown so, maybe this ones similar?

Very impressed. Good job Alabeo! Now I just need to go read thru the manuals that AndiKunzi provided and improve my piloting.

 

 

[fppilot 4,352]

I completed a full 3.3 hour flight today with a cruise at FL220.  I had previously only flown about 0.7 hours local to learn the AP and controls.  I had a great flight today with the exception of one factor.  Leaning. I was constantly hounded by FSX with the losing power because of mixture warning. For this aircraft it just seems to be too tight a range.  I constantly adjusted my mixture/flow.  On three or four instances I used Ctrl-X and watched the mixture lever. It barely moved.  Not sure my Saitek quadrant is precise enough to overcome the issue.  Would you please share with me the technique you are using to be successful with this one.  Is it just a matter of attaining the highest reading for NM per Gallon on the Digiflow-L?  Please, no tutorial advice in general.  I do not have this issue in other simulator models.  I have flown IRL.  I know how to lean. 

BTW. Here is a link to the Op Manual for the Shadin Avionics Digiflow-L gauge.
https://www.shadin.com/documents/manuals/OP91053D.pdf

 

[fppilot 4,352]

On 6/1/2018 at 6:20 PM, Bert Pieke said:

If you approach in NAV mode, the readout on the mode controller will change to GS when the glideslope indicators become active. No need to push APR.. the autopilot switches it for you.. and what is really interesting, the factory manual for the Cessna 800B autopilot confirms this behavior..

Do not have the 800B factory manual. Worked for me today.  Changed from NAV to APR automatically, and started me down at the FAF.  But it seemed to establish a rate of descent about twice what was needed. Is there a need to arm a decision height and set the rate with the AP trim?

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

8 minutes ago, fppilot said:

Do not have the 800B factory manual. Worked for me today.  Changed from NAV to APR automatically, and started me down at the FAF.  But it seemed to establish a rate of descent about twice what was needed. Is there a need to arm a decision height and set the rate with the AP trim?

Maybe slow down a bit... it tries to follow the LPV glidepath... check the glideslope indicators on the HSI.

[Tim-HH 570]

Hi Frank,

9 hours ago, fppilot said:

Leaning. I was constantly hounded by FSX with the losing power because of mixture warning. For this aircraft it just seems to be too tight a range.  I constantly adjusted my mixture/flow.  On three or four instances I used Ctrl-X and watched the mixture lever. It barely moved.  Not sure my Saitek quadrant is precise enough to overcome the issue.  Would you please share with me the technique you are using to be successful with this one.

in an aircraft with a turbocharged engine you only change the mixture twice: for climb and cruise. As we already know, FSX and P3D do not simulate this correctly and one has to adjust the mixture constantly. My solution for this is the use of this Automixture gauge. With this gauge I only need to change the mixture for climb and cruise, like in the real aircraft. And it works really well. 

[Les Parson 99]

Very interesting; thanks for sharing. 

A couple of questions: 

Which of these do you use for climb and cruise? I'm thinking maybe Auto rich for climb and manual for cruise. Have you tried this on the C421? 

Key combinations and corresponding mixture mode:
CTRL+SHIFT+F5: Idle cutoff
CTRL+SHIFT+F6: Auto lean
CTRL+SHIFT+F7: Auto rich
CTRL+SHIFT+F8: Emergency rich

[Les Parson 99]

22 hours ago, AndiKunzi said:

I started adjusting the aircraft.cfg and .air files for the C421 yesterday.
It may take a couple of days until I'm fully satisfied.

Andi, 

One question- What is a typical climb FF (GAL) per side? Thanks. 

[fppilot 4,352]

7 minutes ago, Les Parson said:

Very interesting; thanks for sharing. 

A couple of questions: 

Which of these do you use for climb and cruise? I'm thinking maybe Auto rich for climb and manual for cruise. Have you tried this on the C421? 

Key combinations and corresponding mixture mode:
CTRL+SHIFT+F5: Idle cutoff
CTRL+SHIFT+F6: Auto lean
CTRL+SHIFT+F7: Auto rich
CTRL+SHIFT+F8: Emergency rich

I had the same questions. 

[fppilot 4,352]

2 hours ago, Tim-HH said:

Hi Frank,

in an aircraft with a turbocharged engine you only change the mixture twice: for climb and cruise. As we already know, FSX and P3D do not simulate this correctly and one has to adjust the mixture constantly. My solution for this is the use of this Automixture gauge. With this gauge I only need to change the mixture for climb and cruise, like in the real aircraft. And it works really well. 

So what then do you do with this during descent from cruise?

Edited June 7, 2018 by fppilot

[Tim-HH 570]

38 minutes ago, Les Parson said:

Very interesting; thanks for sharing. 

A couple of questions: 

Which of these do you use for climb and cruise? I'm thinking maybe Auto rich for climb and manual for cruise. Have you tried this on the C421? 

Luckily, Björn made it very easy to adjust the desired fuel-air-ratios. My idea was to use best power for cruise and a richer mixture setting for climb. Based on these informations I made the following changes to the xml file:

<Gauge Name="Automixture" Version="1.1">
<!-- Automixture gauge by BK. For FS9 or FSX -->
<Update>
<!-- Fuel/Air Ratio for climb -->
(L:Automixture Mode, number) 3 == if{
0.09 (>G:Var1)
}
<!-- Fuel/Air Ratio for cruise -->
(L:Automixture Mode, number) 2 == if{ 
0.083 (>G:Var1)

26 minutes ago, fppilot said:

So what then do you do with this during descent from cruise?

I simply keep the cruise mixture setting until the final approach.At this point I set the mixture to full rich for landing.

 

[AndiKunzi 62]

On descend from high altitudes (typical cruise with a C421C is at FL250 for trips > 300 NM) you Need to enrichen (in the sim, only).

I Always adjust to about 50 dF ROP (rich of Peak EGT) on climb, cruise and descend (in the sim only, of course). At above FL 200, it Needs very fine Adjustments. Fuel flow gauge helps.