Whilst the default Baron is improved by the Enhanced Flight Model, it still does not meet my requirements. IMHO the controls, particularly near the ground (i.e. on take-off and on landing) are far too sensitive and there is a lot of 'porpoising' both in pitch and yaw. There is a known problem with both toe brakes (again, too sensitive) and the park brake (does not hold above 1900 rpm). Yes, I have tried adjusting both the control sensitivity and stability augmentation, as well as 'shaping' the response curves - without success.

There is no fuel control panel to select fuel tanks, or even to switch off the fuel to engine supply. This is, for me, a critical fault.

I am trying to teach others to fly twins, so need well-reproduced single engine handling and these models do not give it. Another critical problem is when using SmartCopilot to share cockpit, the turn and slip indicator displays completely randomly - so useless.

I am now looking at the Carenado  Baron BE58. Has anyone got experience of this model in XPlane? If so, I would like to hear it. From what I can see it has a version with basic 'clockwork' instruments - is this correct? Most important - how does it handle compared with the real-life aircraft?

I have been a flight instructor on light aircraft real-world, as well as on airliners and have 17,000 hours plus. My real-world experience on light twins has been PA23 Apache and Aztec aircraft, as well as PA31 Navajo (unpressurized).

Any constructive assistance much appreciated.

rr

 

Edited May 9, 20224 yr by roadrabbit149

I did have the Carenado B58, and I liked it, but IMO it is no better than the latest encarnations of the default B58, or the EFM version.

You can always try to fine tune your controller by creating an exponential profile for the trickiest channels.

 

The Carenado is pretty as they are, there is a REP package for it does improve it, but as to whether it flies like the real thing or not I dont know. You have to set your controls per plane and save a profile for each plane if you want specific feel for planes. You simply wont get realistic control inputs as you have no feed back.

Regarding control sensitivity, XPlane themselves say:

"In reality, aircraft controls have near infinite resolution, high displacement force, and the plane imparts G on you when you pull back (in fact G is imparted as a result of any acceleration in all 6 axes - ed). To help make up for the lack of these things in the sim, you can slide these sliders up a bit to add "auto-control" displacements to stabilize the plane. It isn't realistic, but may make the plane feel more realistic".

That last sentence is the key. We can therefore adjust these to our own preferences.

The truly critical problems for me are (a) the lack of a fuel control panel, and (b) the non-working turn & slip indicator when using SmartCopilot.

rr

6 hours ago, roadrabbit149 said:

IMHO the controls, particularly near the ground (i.e. on take-off and on landing) are far too sensitive and there is a lot of 'porpoising' both in pitch and yaw.

I tried the default Baron, and it seems to me actually quite sluggish on take off and landing, in pitch, yaw and roll. No twitchiness on either axis. This with 0% stability augmentation and 100% non-linearity settings. Maybe you can try to set the latter to 100%.

6 hours ago, roadrabbit149 said:

There is a known problem with both toe brakes (again, too sensitive) and the park brake (does not hold above 1900 rpm).

That's strange, the default Baron holds on the runway with the engines at max rpm, even at ZFW (almost zero fuel and no payload). Maybe you could try increasing the "flight model per frame" entry in the general settings screen.

6 hours ago, roadrabbit149 said:

I am trying to teach others to fly twins, so need well-reproduced single engine handling and these models do not give it.

As far as I tried, the default Baron, at MTOW, c.g. at 6'' aft, critical engine windmilling, gear down and flaps at T.O., requires full opposite rudder and a few degrees of bank into the working engine to keep course, and it loses directional control (uncontrolled roll toward the dead engine) at an airspeed close to VMCA (red line on the airspeed indicator). That seems consistent with the real behaviour. In any case, I never found anything closer to single engine dynamics in any other competing general flight sim.

6 hours ago, roadrabbit149 said:

Another critical problem is when using SmartCopilot to share cockpit, the turn and slip indicator displays completely randomly - so useless.

What issues are you finding? My turn and slip indicator seems to correctly react to pedal inputs and slip angle, and with OEI the ball remains on the working engine side (even when keeping course) as it should.

 

Edited May 9, 20224 yr by Murmur

Thank you for a very interesting reply.

Regarding your first point - what do you mean by "non-linearity setting"? Is this what I read on my  settings as "Control Response"? I suspect it is, and will try your recommendations of zero .stability augmentation and 100% on control response.

Question: am I right in thinking you do not modify the Response Curves at all?

My brakes problem seems to have disapeared and, like you, can now apply full power with park brake set and with no forward movement.

What I noticed on my last flight is what appears to be an exaggerated adverse yaw (up to 5 degrees) when applying aileron. Also, when flying 'hands off' (literally), my aircraft yaws continuously left/right up to 5 degrees according to the compass, and pitches up/down up to 3 degrees. It'slike fying in turbulent weather.

Regarding the turn & slip indicator - it works fine when flying as single pilot. However, when using SmartCopilot, and my student is flying, my turn & slip indicator moves completely randomly. I cannot then assess the results of my student's rudder inputs.

rr

50 minutes ago, roadrabbit149 said:

 

What I noticed on my last flight is what appears to be an exaggerated adverse yaw (up to 5 degrees) when applying aileron. Also, when flying 'hands off' (literally), my aircraft yaws continuously left/right up to 5 degrees according to the compass, and pitches up/down up to 3 degrees. It'slike fying in turbulent weather.

 

Just as Murmur suggested, that could well be caused by the use of some artificial stability.

- Try testing with art stab in the 3 axis all way to the LEFT ( NILL ).

- As far as control response ( linear vs exponential ) goes, I usually set pitch 80%, roll 70 % and yaw 50% or less. For specific aircraft based on RL flight reports I adjust accordingly.

- I don't recall exactly now but I believe the TC in the default Baron is stick instead of ball based, and that turns it a bit mopre difficult to check that you're really performing a standard rate turn by aligning it with the 2' cues...

Edited May 9, 20224 yr by jcomm