Alabeo DA42 Twin Star & PlanG

[Gaz 15]

Hi

I would appreciate it if someone could let me know generally how to program the DA42 for a flight plan - not doing it manually. In one of the videos on YouTube it mentions that PlanG software can be used to create the plan, but there is another video suggesting that it would follow a plan entered into Prepar3d! 

Any advice would be good. 

Thanks, Gaz

[Howellerman 104]

Hi Gary, 

It has been a while since I flew the DA42, but when I did, IIRC, I just generated a flight plan in Plan G and exported it as an "FSX/P3D flight plan" of format *.pln. Load that up in the sim and away you go. The *.pln flight plans work for pretty much every aircraft except those containing the newer Proline navigation systems.

JKH

[Gaz 15]

Brilliant, thanks JKH! I've bought it now, but I'm flying it VFR, just to say I can actually fly it (early learning)!  When it comes to doing flight plans, I'll follow your note, but you never know - I might come back to you for help if I can't get it to work! 😏

The one problem I've noticed is that it seems to be very difficult to control - I have fair weather conditions, but it's like it wants to go off to the right, while to keep it straight, I have to seriously bank to the left!  It starts to go all over the place - like turbulence, even where there has been no other traffic or weather. Taxiing is difficult too, I have to taxi very slowly, otherwise its going off to the left mostly. So far, I've found it to be a difficult aircraft to control! 😖

Anyway - thanks for getting back to me! Gaz

[vgbaron 3,485]

Gaz - have you found the tutorials in P3D? What you are doing is like trying to translate the works of Shakespeare from English to German while you are learning German.

Follow the tutorials and work your way up to the twins. It is extremely difficult to answer questions like - how do I program this and that when one doesn't know your level of knowledge.

Keep asking questions, that's what we're here for but run through the various tutorials and get a better feels for flight procedure s, etc. It will also help you ask more direct questions.

As far as PlanG and LittleNav Map - look at their Plan Save and Plan Export functions. As with many things there is more than one way of doing things so try various things and pick.

Enjoy!

Vic

[Gaz 15]

Hi Vic

14 hours ago, vgbaron said:

Follow the tutorials and work your way up to the twins

I've flown a few single-engined aircraft on FS (for most of my young life) and now x-plane and, just recently, Prepar3d. I agree that I should be looking at this from the beginning, which is why I asked the question, in a different topic - "what should I be working with?". The problem that I have discovered is that the built-in aircraft are not too good for training, which is fine, i'm happy to pay for a good aircraft for this, and someone said that this aircraft is good for training, and in real-life, it is used in New Zealand for easyJet trainees.  If you have a recommendation for something else I should be looking at, I would actually really appreciate it.

I've tried a number of tutorials and they seem to be fine, and everything I am used to seems to be coming back to me - I just know I need to keep on training.

I have those LittleNav Map and now I also have Plan-G.

Gaz

[Howellerman 104]

19 hours ago, Gary McCluskey said:

Brilliant, thanks JKH! I've bought it now, but I'm flying it VFR, just to say I can actually fly it (early learning)!  When it comes to doing flight plans, I'll follow your note, but you never know - I might come back to you for help if I can't get it to work! 😏

The one problem I've noticed is that it seems to be very difficult to control - I have fair weather conditions, but it's like it wants to go off to the right, while to keep it straight, I have to seriously bank to the left!  It starts to go all over the place - like turbulence, even where there has been no other traffic or weather. Taxiing is difficult too, I have to taxi very slowly, otherwise its going off to the left mostly. So far, I've found it to be a difficult aircraft to control! 😖

Anyway - thanks for getting back to me! Gaz

Yes, I do remember the DA42 as being a bit of a handful on takeoff - lots of dancing on the rudder pedals to keep 'er straight, and once you start oscillating it seems there is no point of recovery. 

I use FSUIPC to "curve" my control responses - if you are not using FSUIPC, I cannot recommend it highly enough - it is an ESSENTIAL FSX/P3D addon.

Have fun, and good luck!

[Gaz 15]

19 minutes ago, Howellerman said:

FSUIPC

I actually thought I had it - but looking at Prepar3d screen, I don't think I do. I've downloaded it and see what I can get from it. I really appreciate it.

Gaz

[Gaz 15]

3 hours ago, Howellerman said:

FSUIPC

Hi

I've downloaded and paid for the FSUIPC app, but it stops my joystick working at all! Can you help? 

 

Gaz

Edited June 19, 2018 by Gary McCluskey

[Howellerman 104]

Hi Gaz, 

I recommend getting on YouTube and searching for "Frooglesim fsuipc". He has a getting started tutorial that should get you up and running. 

In a nutshell, FSUIPC negates all stock control inputs and they remain that way until you define them. You can define them, one at a time, and for the control surfaces assignments, assign curves to them.

Like most EXTREMELY powerful tools there is bit of a learning curve. Pete also maintains a pretty good instruction manual for FSUIPC, but I would start with the video.

Have fun!

John