Auto Pilot keeps disengaging -747 V3

[forshaw 47]

Hello;

I just purchased the 747 V3 today and just wanted to do a quick free light (no flight plan) just to get a quick feel of the aircraft's handling and set up. As I got above 5000 feet I set my altitude to 10,000 set the Rate Of Climb and engaged the Auto Pilot.

It stayed engaged for approximately 15 seconds then the Primary displayed showed Auto Pilot (in orange) and then it disengaged with the alarm. I tried several times using different attitudes, different Rate Of Climbs, different throttle settings, different speeds but always the same issue.

Now, I have been flying the 747 for a long time, 1) The initial PMDG 747 when it came out. then the other make 747, (begins with an i) not sure if I am allowed to mention the other product on this forum, and now I am back to the new PMDG. I was always able to fly manually setting the AP without a flight plan. I combed the multiple manuals to see if there was something I missed but couldn't see anything.

I actually bought the product to get the 747-8i which I will purchase sometime next week .

Also, how can I hide the Pilot Seat completely or adjust all the way back. It is actually obstructing my instruments forward view. I looked at the settings options in the FMC but I only saw the option to hide the "Seat Headrest." Please tell me that there is a way to hide it.

Great aircraft by the way.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Kindest Regards.

Forshaw.

[forshaw 47]

Just now, forshaw said:

Hello;

I just purchased the 747 V3 today and just wanted to do a quick free light (no flight plan) just to get a quick feel of the aircraft's handling and set up. As I got above 5000 feet I set my altitude to 10,000 set the Rate Of Climb and engaged the Auto Pilot.

It stayed engaged for approximately 15 seconds then the Primary displayed showed Auto Pilot (in orange) and then it disengaged with the alarm. I tried several times using different attitudes, different Rate Of Climbs, different throttle settings, different speeds but always the same issue.

Now, I have been flying the 747 for a long time, 1) The initial PMDG 747 when it came out. then the other make 747, (begins with an i) not sure if I am allowed to mention the other product on this forum, and now I am back to the new PMDG. I was always able to fly manually setting the AP without a flight plan. I combed the multiple manuals to see if there was something I missed but couldn't see anything.

I actually bought the product to get the 747-8i which I will purchase sometime next week .

Also, how can I hide the Pilot Seat completely or adjust all the way back. It is actually obstructing my instruments forward view. I looked at the settings options in the FMC but I only saw the option to hide the "Seat Headrest." Please tell me that there is a way to hide it.

Great aircraft by the way.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Kindest Regards.

Forshaw.

BTW I am using FSX.

Forshaw.

[DavidP 1,408]

The official forum has moved here now if you need support

http://forum.pmdg.com

No one from PMDG are here anymore.

[Captain Kevin 586]

As far as the autopilot issue, can you confirm all your controls are in neutral? In other words, no aileron or elevator input.

[vc10man 732]

@forshaw

I get that quite often after I have hand-flown to say 5000ft, which I always do, and then ask the Co-Pilot(in Fs2Crew) to engage AP, and if my MSFF2 Sidewinder joystick, which is now getting on in age over 15 years old, spikes due to not being centred correctly, it will trigger the AP disconnect followed by the wailer. Check that first.

 

[MarkW 1,490]

It is very likely your yoke or joystick.  In the menu there is a selection that will turn off joystick spikes or something like that and it should fix the problem.  There is more on that in other threads on this forum so you can search.  As said above official support has moved but I am sure you will find the answer here.

[forshaw 47]

13 hours ago, DavidP said:

The official forum has moved here now if you need support

http://forum.pmdg.com

No one from PMDG are here anymore.

Thanks DavidP. Funny I just bought the bird and the support sent me here (which I have know for a long time) and then they moved🤔. I will visit the site shortly. This forum is excellent for sharing and obtaining useful information, so will still jump in to find useful things and advice.

Best Regards.

Forshaw. 

[forshaw 47]

@Rick / Mark thanks for your input I really appreciate it. Makes sense, My controls are over 15 yrs old and I do plan to replace it in a few weeks but in the interim I will do what you folks suggested.

Thanks again.

Kindest Regards.

Forshaw.

[vc10man 732]

7 minutes ago, forshaw said:

@Rick / Mark thanks for your input I really appreciate it. Makes sense, My controls are over 15 yrs old and I do plan to replace it in a few weeks but in the interim I will do what you folks suggested.

Thanks again.

Kindest Regards.

Forshaw.

Glad we could help. I have just replaced my Microsoft Force Feedback 2 Sidewinder---excellent in its heyday----with a Logitech 3D PRO. Worth the money. One of the best I have bought.

[alexzar14 5]

I have the same problem and above solutions don't apply, it has to do with the latest 747 update that has murdered both the -400 and -8 versions. The 737 and 777 are ok. Also note that the FSLabs A320 has a delicate autopilot requiring some adjustments to null zone and sensitivity settings, and that one I have no problems with either. It's definitely something with the latest 747 update and I'm surprised most people don't experience it. I went to pmdg new forum but it looks unfinished and I don't know where to post there.

 

[alexzar14 5]

ps I was able to engage it at cruise level with null zones set to very high (unacceptable for hand flying), then it disengaged on descend, same twice (2 flights), had to fly it manually on climb and descend. Don't mind it below 1000 ft but hand flying up or down from cruise level is a bit too much for me.

No good, nicht gut, no esta bien, pas bon, ne horosho, nie dobrze, this needs pmdg's attention.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

To be honest, it sounds a lot like you have a hardware trim axis that isn't being cleared.

The last update didn't change anything in this regard that would affect anything like this, to be honest.

[alexzar14 5]

Just now, scandinavian13 said:

To be honest, it sounds a lot like you have a hardware trim axis that isn't being cleared.

The last update didn't change anything in this regard that would affect anything like this, to be honest.

hm, may be. My trim however is not assigned to an axis but to am up/down switch on you yoke. I do have a problem with yoke: the vertical axes is not centered and the physical neutral condition is actually giving a slight downward input on the elevators. The CH yoke is 4 years old (bought brand new)  and the problem has developed within a year of purchase. Nevertheless it doesn't spoil the experience with other planes.

also Kyle, remember you taught me how to fly sids and stars couple years back? Can you now teach me how to fly sids and stars with analogue instrument cockpits like a DC-9 or 727?... ; ))) There are still DC9s flying for cargo carriers in US and Europe and it totally bugs the heck out of as to how in the world they are doing it. I don't think they are exempt from it and I don't think they are using GPSes. Delta Airlines was using 737-200s in mid 2000s and they had no GPSes in them. I've seen a frooglesim video where he showed a small SID execution with a DC9, that small one was a nightmare to do tracking a VOR signal with 2 VOR instruments simultaneously, but how do they fly a big one?  Some stars (like KATL or KDWF etc) are very long and consist of many waypoints, and no VORs around... Mystery.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

1 hour ago, alexzar14 said:

hm, may be. My trim however is not assigned to an axis but to am up/down switch on you yoke. I do have a problem with yoke: the vertical axes is not centered and the physical neutral condition is actually giving a slight downward input on the elevators. The CH yoke is 4 years old (bought brand new)  and the problem has developed within a year of purchase. Nevertheless it doesn't spoil the experience with other planes.

This is probably the main issue. Either make sure it's calibrated (and then re-do your null zone calibration), or get new hardware (not ideal, I know).

1 hour ago, alexzar14 said:

also Kyle, remember you taught me how to fly sids and stars couple years back? Can you now teach me how to fly sids and stars with analogue instrument cockpits like a DC-9 or 727?... ; ))) There are still DC9s flying for cargo carriers in US and Europe and it totally bugs the heck out of as to how in the world they are doing it. I don't think they are exempt from it and I don't think they are using GPSes. Delta Airlines was using 737-200s in mid 2000s and they had no GPSes in them. I've seen a frooglesim video where he showed a small SID execution with a DC9, that small one was a nightmare to do tracking a VOR signal with 2 VOR instruments simultaneously, but how do they fly a big one?  Some stars (like KATL or KDWF etc) are very long and consist of many waypoints, and no VORs around... Mystery.

I'm betting you're looking at RNAV STARS. Those can't be flown "ANAV" (old school analog methods of navigation). Find a STAR that doesn't say RNAV on it, and then just take your existing knowledge of tracking VORs to waypoints, and then combine it with what you know about SIDS and STARS.

[skelsey 765]

2 hours ago, alexzar14 said:

There are still DC9s flying for cargo carriers in US and Europe and it totally bugs the heck out of as to how in the world they are doing it. I don't think they are exempt from it and I don't think they are using GPSes.

Certainly in Europe it's highly unlikely that the aircraft you refer to are still doing radio nav: in the vast majority of European airspace these days RNAV equipment is mandatory and at the rate VORs and NDBs are being decommissioned it's simply not possible to navigate along airways that way any more, even if it were legal. It's likely that such aircraft will have been retrofitted with at least some form of basic RNAV kit. I think the US airspace system is still relatively VOR-heavy though.

As Kyle says though, assuming you are looking at conventional navigation procedures, the answer is -- it's old-school hard work requiring a bit of pre-planning (i.e. think about what you want tuned on which box and when) and a lot of concentration; and this is how essentially all instrument procedures were flown in the (not all-that-distant) past, raw data and quite possibly by hand (as autopilots in the past weren't often as capable as modern types and may not have been capable of automatically capturing and tracking a VOR radial).

Having a friendly co-pilot to tune the radios and talk to ATC, and perhaps a Flight Engineer to take care of the checklists and systems, was obviously an advantage....