I'm enjoying the Fenix A320 & PMDG B737 so much I just couldn't resist - I purchased the Leonardo Maddog!  My poor GA planes are currently rusting away in the hanger 😀

I'm about to start the YouTube video search for tutorials, but those of you who have cracked this plane can you point me to the best pdfs/videos etc that helped you understand this aircraft?

This one is rather comprehensive (in PDF-format)

https://www.mudspike.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/P3D-Leonardo-MD-82-Guide.pdf

31 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

I'm enjoying the Fenix A320 & PMDG B737 so much I just couldn't resist - I purchased the Leonardo Maddog!  My poor GA planes are currently rusting away in the hanger 😀

I'm about to start the YouTube video search for tutorials, but those of you who have cracked this plane can you point me to the best pdfs/videos etc that helped you understand this aircraft?

Yep start with Chucks guide as above. But unless you have some real life experience, be warned, that it can be frustrating in the beginning. The first time I flew the Maddog on P3D it took me 6 hours (!) to finally be able to start the engines (it was a simple thing I forgot in the end, but somehow didn't find out until an extensive youtube tutorial watching). It's incredibly rewarding to be able to fly it, but it will take some time; it's closer to the 737 than to the Fenix obviously, but the 737 really seems like a ultramodern airliner compared to all the manual stuff you got to do on the Maddog 😄
What you will really take advantage of is the FMC, which is basically like in the 737 NG (except for the font is green). But anti-ice, hydraulics, ILS, electrics will be different, and above all the autopilot. What took me a long time to get used to was that when I am in IAS mode (which is basically LVL CHG), the climb/descent rate is NOT being controlled by the speed knob (like you would on the 737), but by the wheel which on the 737 is used in the VS-mode only. So in fact you are using the VS-wheel to set the speed you want to use for IAS mode... instead of the speed knob. That was incredibly hard to get ouf of my head, didn't make sense to me.

Edited June 5, 20223 yr by Fiorentoni

1 hour ago, SAS443 said:

This one is rather comprehensive (in PDF-format)

https://www.mudspike.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/P3D-Leonardo-MD-82-Guide.pdf

Downloaded and had a quick look - love the layout!  This is what I was looking for - a step by step guide for the first flight.

1 hour ago, Fiorentoni said:

Yep start with Chucks guide as above. But unless you have some real life experience, be warned, that it can be frustrating in the beginning.

Exactly what I thought of the PMDG B737 after the Fenix A320 😊  Thanks for the tips!

23 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Exactly what I thought of the PMDG B737 after the Fenix A320 😊  Thanks for the tips!

You might find the A320 boring after working out the Maddog, or rather: relaxing 😉

Oh no - since I installed the Maddog MSFS will not load 😢 

10 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Oh no - since I installed the Maddog MSFS will not load 😢 

I guess telling you that the Maddog, the Fenix A320 and the PMDG 737 all happily coexist on my machine isn't very helpful.... I will say though that more than a few of us have had MSFS hang on loading (won't sync with the cloud server). When this happens to me, a restart of the PC usually clears it.

Or, remove all the Maddog folders from community and see if that works.

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by odourboy

48 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Oh no - since I installed the Maddog MSFS will not load 😢 

Can take up to 20mins first load

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by ZKOKQ

49 minutes ago, odourboy said:

I guess telling you that the Maddog, the Fenix A320 and the PMDG 737 all happily coexist on my machine isn't very helpful.... I will say though that more than a few of us have had MSFS hang on loading (won't sync with the cloud server). When this happens to me, a restart of the PC usually clears it.

Or, remove all the Maddog folders from community and see if that works.

Phew, removed the maddog and re-booted and msfs loaded.  Re-installed Maddog and all is well!

7 hours ago, Fiorentoni said:

What took me a long time to get used to was that when I am in IAS mode (which is basically LVL CHG), the climb/descent rate is NOT being controlled by the speed knob (like you would on the 737), but by the wheel which on the 737 is used in the VS-mode only. So in fact you are using the VS-wheel to set the speed you want to use for IAS mode... instead of the speed knob.

Wait..what? Do you have a guide on this?  This sounds like I am doing something totally wrong haha.

3 hours ago, TravelRunner404 said:

Wait..what? Do you have a guide on this?  This sounds like I am doing something totally wrong haha.

Just quirks on how MDD designed the autoflight interface. (They brought some of it to the MD11/717 as well)

If you look closely on the vertical speed window in the MD80 it has a prefix-letter denoting what is actually displayed (also known as "pitch profile")

V = vertical speed. This is the normal indicator. You will see it with many AP-modes such as VNAV, vertical speed (obviously) and as you descend on the ILS etc.

M = Mach (speed on pitch, Mach reference)

S = IAS. (Speed on pitch, IAS reference)

P = turbulence (Pitch hold)

A "gotcha" is when you descend into the TMA on "IAS 230" for example but has the actual speed window set at 250. Remember, these are two different display windows on the AP panel. Of course the MD80 will now start to accelerate just as you leave IAS descent for "ALT HOLD" (when speed control is transfered from "speed on pitch" to "speed on thrust"). Has happened to me many times 😂

 

 

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by SAS443

2 hours ago, TravelRunner404 said:

Wait..what? Do you have a guide on this?  This sounds like I am doing something totally wrong haha.

Not a guide. But when you are in IAS mode and turn the VS wheel you will see in the little window to the left of the VS wheel that the target speed appears and is changed as you turn the wheel. All the while the speed knob and the speed window on the left side stay at whatever you set them.

Now there's a question I've been longing to ask for a good chunk of time to all airliner seasoned pilots here, since I'm more of a VFR GA at core.

Since those planes like the Maddog and the 737 have VNAV and auto-throttle and that all LVL changes and speeds are stored within your flight plan in the FMC and done accordingly with the autopilot, in which case scenarios do you have to use IAS mode like that? Because I often see people talking about it so it seems like a very common usage but I never seem to have to use it so I'm guessing something's wrong in my piloting airliners skills as of yet...

IAS mode is equivalent to Boeing FLCH and Airbus OPEN CLB or DES.

You need to use it in combination with EPR lim mode of auto throttle  in climb.

Climb : EPR limit uses max climb thrust and pitch is used to adjust to the speed set in IAS mode.

Descend : Thrust is idle, pitch is used to maintain speed set in IAS mode. 

The main speed window is the speed the auto throttle will maintain in SPEED mode, so thrust for speed. IAS mode is pitch for speed.

A real MD80 pilot is streaming on Youtube. Seems he i was not using VNAV a lot and rathe climbing/ descending in IAS mode

 

 

Pierr