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Carenado ATR-42!

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Both impressed and deeply disappointed.

The visual model is excellent as projected, but the systems are disappointingly under-modelled. The FMS cannot import a flightplan, I can't even find in the material whether a bread and butter in-game flightplan can be loaded.  I cannot see, yet, if a flightplan can be stored!  The FMS is as good as it goes, but a whole lot of functions including VNAV are not available.  In fact the plane is set-up really for a SID to STAR flight, going straight between unless you have an urge to input more waypoints (which you can do).  It flies a good ILS which is pleasing.

There is very little explanation of the notches on the CL arc.  I guessed it as full forward for TO, back a notch for Climb and maybe back another for Cruise.  But it is trial and error.

Hotel mode seems to work OK which is good as the running engine replaces the APU on most other aircraft.

The procedures section is impressive and has been written by a pilot and misses nothing, but of course all is not modelled in the plane so it is a bit fulsome.  Meanwhile the FMS manual is short and sweet, properly covering the few items involved.

The incomplete FMS and inability to use an external flightplanner proves the old saying that 'for a ha'penny worth of tar, the ship could have been saved'.  Surely another E10 or so of cost and a complete model would have you miles ahead in the market.  

Now like others I am still waiting for MilViz, I will continue to fly the fully modelled but frustrating MJC Dash 8, and use the Carenado ATR for an easy flight from time to time.

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1 hour ago, Ian McPhail said:

Both impressed and deeply disappointed.

The visual model is excellent as projected, but the systems are disappointingly under-modelled. The FMS cannot import a flightplan, I can't even find in the material whether a bread and butter in-game flightplan can be loaded.  I cannot see, yet, if a flightplan can be stored!  The FMS is as good as it goes, but a whole lot of functions including VNAV are not available.  In fact the plane is set-up really for a SID to STAR flight, going straight between unless you have an urge to input more waypoints (which you can do).  It flies a good ILS which is pleasing.

There is very little explanation of the notches on the CL arc.  I guessed it as full forward for TO, back a notch for Climb and maybe back another for Cruise.  But it is trial and error.

Hotel mode seems to work OK which is good as the running engine replaces the APU on most other aircraft.

The procedures section is impressive and has been written by a pilot and misses nothing, but of course all is not modelled in the plane so it is a bit fulsome.  Meanwhile the FMS manual is short and sweet, properly covering the few items involved.

The incomplete FMS and inability to use an external flightplanner proves the old saying that 'for a ha'penny worth of tar, the ship could have been saved'.  Surely another E10 or so of cost and a complete model would have you miles ahead in the market.  

Now like others I am still waiting for MilViz, I will continue to fly the fully modelled but frustrating MJC Dash 8, and use the Carenado ATR for an easy flight from time to time.

Having bought the 42 I'm still going to buy the Milviz rendition, I suspect Carenado wanted to get this out of the gate before Milviz release theirs.

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Hi to everyone,

Being a real world pilot on the ATR 42&72 aircraft, I tried the Carenado's one, to see how it performs. Good and bad. Let's see:

- Superb visual model, as always.

- They've done a real good job modelling the prop brake.

- External power not modelled correct, or not fully available. It appears as AVAIL both on DC and ACW a short time after switching battery on, but after a short while, DC EXT PWR goes off - it is the main EXT PWR in real life, not the AC one. When the DC EXT PWR AVAIL light goes off, the ACW remains on, but has no effect on electrical system.

- ENG OIL alarm at startup, for both engine. It shouldn't come on as modelled in the sim.

- "ON"/"FAULT"/"OFF" lights for the pushbuttons do not lit according to the status. They don't work at all if loading the sim with the ATR from the start, you have to load the sim with another aircraft and after that load the ATR.

- Big issues with the hydraulics. With the Condition Levers on FTR position, "OVHT", "LO LVL" and "LO PR" are all lit, which is incorrect.

- NP values are too high for the FTR and AUTO positions of the Condition Levers.

- Electrical "OVRD" (override) and "UNDV" (undervoltage) lights are always on.

- Nav waypoints are always ON on the EHSI display and all of the nav waypoints near the aircraft are displayed. This is incorrect, because in real life, only the waypoints from the GNSS flightplan are displayed and maximum 5 waypoints at a time.

- ATPCS test is not modelled.

- "INST" (instruments) rotary buttons controls all the lights inside the aircraft, including the cabin lightning - it should control only instruments lightning.

- "LT FLOOD" is not modelled. In fact, INST button is controlling the flood light also.

- Storm light is not modelled - it is a powerfull light beneath the AFCS panel.

- NAV BRG selectors: on NAV 2 selector (ADF/VOR/NAV), if you click on the side of the selector, it changes NAV 2 selection. If you click on the upper side of the selector (white line), it changes NAV 1 selection. This bug is only valid for the NAV 2. NAV1 BRG selector works correct.

- No RDR/TERR mode available.

- RCL/CLR/TO INHI modes are not modelled, as well as GPWS test.

- For taxi, you have to add too much power, comparing to real life. Sometimes, in real life, you have to apply reverse or brakes to slow down during taxi, because it accelerates even with engines at idle. Also, during single engine taxi operation, you have to add too much power to taxi and it turns too much to the left, making it difficult to maintain the center line.

- Correct power ratio for the flight phases, really good modelled the engines power and PWR MGT behaviour.

- If you press a button, it remains on. For example, if you press once HYD AUX PUMP button, to engage the prop brake, the READY light will be always on, until if you press again the pump button. In real life, it is on for only 30 seconds.

- No ALT Alert during climb or descend, when 1000 ft apart from selected altitude.

- If you press HDG bug, it syncronizes the HDG. For CRS, it shows a direct to value. This is not correct for the real aircraft.

- You cannot intercept a VOR radial or the ILS if you are in the FMS mode and showing the map, you have to be in NAV mode and full rose mode or arc. In the sim, you can intercept the ILS while in FMS or FMS map displayed.

- With CL in FTR, ACW GEN FAULT, BLUE and GREEN hydraulic main pumps LO PR. This is correct. AUX PUMP LO PR, OVHT, LO LVL lights should be off.

- SVCE UNLK does not come on when the service door is open.

- Regarding the power levers, there is a small white arc (between 65-68 d). That is the takeoff notch. With PL in that position, the torque should be 90% and normal engine parameters for takeoff. There are two more position, after TO Notch, the RAMP and WALL position (red zone). These are used only in case of abnormal or emergency situations (go around or windshear situation).

- The FMS is not realistic. The real aircraft uses Honeywell HT1000 GNSS, which is completely different than the one used by Carenado.

- Sounds are not realistic, nor the engine sounds or the system / cockpit sound. You don't have vocal aural alerts, as for example "Altitude Select" or "No takeoff".

- The procedures provided with the installer are scans of the real FCOM manuals, but we use abbreviated checklists, not the checklist they have provided us with. What is presented in the Carenado folder is more a flow rather than a normal checklist.

All in all, it's not a bad aircraft at all and it's fun to fly. There could be released a patch or a 1.1 version, including some improvements. Being a two years development and the most ambitious project of them, there are too many bugs, unfortunately....

 

Have a good night,

Alex

Edited by 46Pilot
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Crikey Alex, I didn't notice half of that .... !

I was a big fan of the old FSX Flight1 ATR... loved it.

One thing I think..... you missed .... if the list is going to Carenado support (?), in the RW, you cannot even change the Course unless the EHSI is in VOR mode, I seem to remember.

 

BTW, is there any way of reducing all the clutter on the EHSI, like waypoints and airports ? I am wondering, if this may contributing to my getting worse FPS in the VC than with my PMDGs !?! Only getting 40 to 50, regardless of graphical settings.

Will you be sending this to Carenado support ?

Edited by GeeBee

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I want to send the list with the bugs I've found to Carenado team, but I don't know how. I will look tomorrow again, to see if I find another ones. Yes, the Flight1 ATR was the best, I can't remember 5 bugs... Maybe if Carenado could buy the F1 project and remake it to today's standard.... Oh, I can't even imagine!

"in the RW, you cannot even change the Course unless the EHSI is in VOR mode" - Correct, more or less. If in NAV mode you turn the CRS selector, the course will change, but it is not displayed, so you will see the change after V/L mode and page are selected.

Edited by 46Pilot

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14 minutes ago, 46Pilot said:

I want to send the list with the bugs I've found to Carenado team, but I don't know how. I will look tomorrow again, to see if I find another ones. Yes, the Flight1 ATR was the best, I can't remember 5 bugs... Maybe if Carenado could buy the F1 project and remake it to today's standard.... Oh, I can't even imagine!

"in the RW, you cannot even change the Course unless the EHSI is in VOR mode" - Correct, more or less. If in NAV mode you turn the CRS selector, the course will change, but it is not displayed, so you will see the change after V/L mode and page are selected.

Really appreciate the investigative work from a real world perspective, hope you do the same with the Milviz rendition once released😉

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Maybe they should employ him..... oh, they do - "Tested by real pilots" ....  hehe.

Clearly not an ATR pilot.

Problem with the Milviz, is it isn't the classic 500 series..... unfortunately. It's the new glassy cockpit with state of the art FMS stuff.... it may as well be a completely different aircraft.

I miss the Flight1 (blue or brown cockpit) rendition. Badly. In fact I often consider reinstalling FS2004 again, just to fly it at 500 frames per second ! 

Edited by GeeBee

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36 minutes ago, 46Pilot said:

I want to send the list with the bugs I've found to Carenado team, but I don't know how. I will look tomorrow again, to see if I find another ones. Yes, the Flight1 ATR was the best, I can't remember 5 bugs... Maybe if Carenado could buy the F1 project and remake it to today's standard.... Oh, I can't even imagine!

"in the RW, you cannot even change the Course unless the EHSI is in VOR mode" - Correct, more or less. If in NAV mode you turn the CRS selector, the course will change, but it is not displayed, so you will see the change after V/L mode and page are selected.

Go to the forums ar Carenado and join. Then post it. Or, just append your text to an email and send it to their support.

Carenado always work the same way - release 1.0 .... then 1 month later, a 1.1 version comes out, where some of the more obvious stuff is fixed. But usually, that's yer lot ! Then they copy and paste to the next aircraft on their production line.

A lot in your list will be ignored as they do not try to be PMDG or A2A.... they admit as much. But, stuff like light switches not working and wonky Autopilot logic sometimes is.

(P.S I take your point about the Course adjustment. While I found it annoying to switch modes when on approach, I also liked the hands on stuff, and little quirks in the Flight1 model. Maybe the Milviz will be stellar .... BUT, the 600 aint the 500 !)

Edited by GeeBee

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Thank you Alex, you really improved on my simmers' observations.  Please send them your stuff, it is expert and useful to them, or should be. 

How sad that Carenado has made a visually better, but only slightly improved Vcol version, it could have been so much better and had have a durable life on the market.

PS GeeBee and others the MJC Dash 8 also only allows course adjustment when the appropriate VOR is the primary source, that's why on the last leg to the Initial Approach Fix or the transition you should use Heading Select, complete the descent on Heading and VS (it will hold the last set rate of descent), switch to Nav1 or VOR1 in the source selector, adjust the course and when the VOR needles come alive select APPR and it with careful oversight of speed it will take you from there.  Of course there is no autoland in either in the RW, so it's up to you!

Edited by Ian McPhail
  • Upvote 1

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You are correct Ian about the Course setting, and it was the same in the old Flight1 ATR. Unfortunately, this has been entirely overlooked in the Carenado ATR.

I think this along with stuff like - light switches, lack of altitude alert warning, too much clutter on the EHSI, should... and hopefully will... be fixed in the inevitable patch.

But it has to be communicated to them. If the OP doesn't I am sure someone will.

Also, a lot of the stuff above, comes under "Hi fidelity sim" features, so you can forget that !

Edited by GeeBee

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I have already submitted a request on Carenado Support website, I'm waiting for them to contact me. Is there any other forum for Carenado, beside of avsim?

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I know I am a a fussy old man, but I like to fly the correct aircraft on appropriate routes.  The MJC is stellar, hi fidelity, but the Dash 8 is only widely used by Flybe, Air NZ and Qantaslink.  I was looking forward to the ATR to fly on the myriad European, Caribbean and South American routes where they are found in numbers.  As to Milviz coming out with the latest version that's OK by me, I enjoy newer cockpit setups and am less attracted to legacy revivals.  Like many of us I cut my teeth on the Flight1 ATR, but haven't flown one again until now as I have gone with P3D and the works.  I am not really hung up on which aircraft I fly on high density routes, Airbus or Boeing, but some of these thinner, shorter routes are specialised and I want to keep to type.

PS will someone kindly run through a Hotel start, so I don't reduce ground crew to pieces.

But I will say to someone who enjoys a less complex model, this is OK except for the limited functionality of the FMS and external flightplanning.  Enjoy.

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I think the Carenado A42 is great bird! Yes, she does, and the systems mostley, needs some polish, and about the Milviz ATR? I mean, how long have I been waiting for the complete release of the King Air 350??? I bought it for at least 4-5 years ago, and that bird ist stil not finished... So in the mean time, hats of to Carenado for their A42! Great job guys!

P

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Hi Alex

Thanks for sharing this review with us ! 

I'm not really surprised about that... I bought my first carenado aircraft a few month ago, the Falcon 50 and I was very very disapointed about it. I think that Carenado are kidding us with their aircraft. That was the first, and for sure the last plane I bought from Carenado. 

Like you said for the ATR, they also gave us the real checklist while there are not even 30% of the real systems modelled. What's the purpose ?? I can't understand !  

By the way, I don't think they'll fix the problems, a lot of bugs have been reported on their previous add-ons, they generally release 1 patch to fix 5 or 10% of the problems, and then, add-ons are discontinued. 

  • Upvote 1

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Agree with all of you.

But to be honest, I have the PMDG stuff and the amazing Majestic Dash 8, but.......BUT, I buy Carenados so I can press Ctrl+ E, and just admire the scenery.

If you know that's what you get, you won't be disappointed.

I miss the Flight1 ATR, and the  -600 from Milviz, just won't be the same. The similarities between the 500 and 600 end at the way it looks from the outside, by all RW accounts. So for me, this one will have to do, and I'll just pretend that it does stuff, it doesn't.

It does look nice though !

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