Fuel Tank Selector Panel

[roadrabbit149 10]

Apart from the fact that the Fuel Tank Selector panel is upside down (just like the real aircraft - makes it simpler to read from the real pilots' seats), just how do you make it visible at night? I have searched everywhere for a switch for the very obvious light, but cannot find it. Does one exist?

Also, what is the procedure for changing tank selectors from inboard tanks to outboard tanks and back again? Do I switch ON the cross-feed selector first, then make the tank selection? Just moving the tank selectors from one position to another produces a significant yawing as the engine(s) get an interrupted fuel feed.

Thanks in advance for any help.

rr

Edited April 26, 2020 by roadrabbit149

[stans 702]

You open the cross feed valve, then change tanks, but Carenado did not bother to model the cross feed valve, so it does not work.  You can just leave the selectors on the inboard tanks, Carenado uses default fuel system modeling which empties outboard tanks first.  Carenado also did not model the fuel gauges to indicate the level of fuel in each tank, instead the gauges indicate the total amount of fuel in each wing.

[roadrabbit149 10]

Thank you Stans for your very informative reply!

BTW do you know anything about switching on the fuel tank selector panel light?   😎

[stans 702]

I don't think Carenado modeled that either.  There is a bulb there, but no illumination in the virtual cockpit.

[roadrabbit149 10]

Now flying the X-Plane Pa31 Navajo.

I guess you can use the aviation flashlight to illuminate the fuel control panel???

Am having great fun just trying to view the fuel control panel, anyway. So, at this stage illumination at night is just a dream  🙃

However, my big worry right now are the fuelgauges! I am hoping that they indicate the fuel quantity in the tanks being used, rather than total fuel on board. My gauges show just a fraction less than 1/4 at present. If I look at Flight>Weight and Balance from the left drop-down menu it shows I still have a total Internal Fuel Weight of 251.6 kgs, with just less than 1/4 fuel (20.1 kgs) in tanks 1 and 2, but with full tanks for tanks 3 and 4 (102.2 kgs in each tank). If the tank selectors don't switch automatically, then it's going to ba a very short flight  😲

Edited January 12, 2023 by roadrabbit149

[roadrabbit149 10]

On 4/26/2020 at 1:41 PM, stans said:

You open the cross feed valve, then change tanks, but Carenado did not bother to model the cross feed valve, so it does not work.  You can just leave the selectors on the inboard tanks, Carenado uses default fuel system modeling which empties outboard tanks first.  Carenado also did not model the fuel gauges to indicate the level of fuel in each tank, instead the gauges indicate the total amount of fuel in each wing.

I have just re-read the above post.

On my Carenado XPlane 11 PA31-310 Navajo the fuel selectors appeared to be set (fixed) to the outboard tanks, #1 and #2. They are not. However, the operation of the fuel tank selectors is a little idiosyncratic. They work by click and hold, then dragging them left/right as required. The cursor sometimes has to move quite a way before the selector knobs move - hence the possible intial feeling that they are not working.

So the selectors on the displayed fuel control panel now work -  cheers and elation all round! Also, the overhead fuel gauges actually display whichever fuel tanks are selected - which is what you would expect

One good thing has come out of this: if you want to emulate delivery flights with legs greater than the normal max range (e.g trans-Atlantic), you can load fuel as payload to simulate a delivery flight fuel tank. The way to artificially "move" this fuel from the delivery flight fuel tanks, to the required tanks, is using the Edit Weight and Balance facility. [If you do this, ALWAYS add fuel to the fuel tanks BEFORE removing it from the delivery  tanks, i.e. the payload.

roadrabbit

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by roadrabbit149
A steep learning curve!