Tonight I started a flight in the MSFS B-314 from Pearl Harbor to Midway.  Planned the flight in LNM using dead reckoning, to supplement with sun shots from the CelNav addon.  My findings:

1. It's extremely hard to get off the water at max gross. The -314 actually seemed to handle this a bit better than the -314A.  Mixture full rich, one notch of flaps (there do not seem to be all the flap positions modeled.).  It simply cannot rotate.  There is a contact points modification on the MSFS forum that claims to help with this.

2. The artifical horizon only pitches but does not bank in the -314A.  This means needle/ball only when IMC.  It's been a minute since I did any partial panel ;).  The horizon in the straight -314 works correctly.

3.  Engine management seems to be entirely unnecessary or unmodeled.  The manual is very detailed about managing CHTs with cowl flaps, using EGTs for mixture settings, not overboosting the engines via a low RPM setting etc...  none of this seems functional.  While the mixture does seem to have an effect on power output, without any responding instruments it's pretty difficult to use.  Fuel gauges don't seem accurate either, and fuel flows simply don't move at all.

4. The big one - the autopilot simply doesn't work correctly.  I had trouble before, but I was missing the need to turn on the lever to the right of the CA seat, before turning on the lever to the left of the CA seat.  After that was pointed out, I figured I'd be sorted - my understanding is that with both the levers on, the autopilot will hold heading and altitude.  I understand that the other functions of the gyropilot are still works in progress, but heading and altitude hold are what's needed so I figured we'd be good.  But it does not hold heading OR altitude; not really.  When I first turned the second lever on, the plane pitched up violently, eventually leveling 600ft above the altitude I was at (trimmed out and stable btw) when turning the second lever on.  It did hold that altitude for a while, but then later in the flight it randomly started climbing; eventually to an altitude several thousand feet above where it was engaged.  Heading hold didn't seem to work either; it seemed to behave as something of a wing leveler, but heading would drift until I finally made a correction myself.

Given that the point of this aircraft is to manage the systems and play navigator, we really kind of need a solution for it to hold heading and altitude.  Dead reckoning is impossible without keeping these parameters corralled.

I understand it was released in something of an "early access" concept; I'm not meaning to complain but provide some constructive critique on what I think the priorities ought to be going forward.  I'd say accurate heading and alt hold are priority one; followed by some systems depth/engine mgmt.

Looks and sounds good though!  I look forward to making some of these long flights with it when it's up to the trip!

Edited March 15, 20233 yr by dragonflightdesign

I am a frequent flyer of both models in P3D. What I know concerning the behavior :

1 - the Gyropilot has NO altitude hold but an ATTITUDE hold. As fuel is consummed the balance changes. The documentation recommands to desengage it every two hours and re-trim before re-engaging.

2 - for take-off, the Boeing documents (quoted in the user's guide) recommands to set one or two notches of flaps AFTER the speed as reached at least 70 knots... The drag created by the flaps is too large before...

My two cents

Gérard

 

Edited March 15, 20233 yr by gaab

Just a silly question 🙂

Of course, you have verified that the Directional and Bank and Climb Gyro are Uncaged, and that the three "Reaction" speed are set around 3 ...

Learning curve 🙂

Gérard

Edited March 15, 20233 yr by gaab

8 hours ago, gaab said:

I am a frequent flyer of both models in P3D. What I know concerning the behavior :

1 - the Gyropilot has NO altitude hold but an ATTITUDE hold. As fuel is consummed the balance changes. The documentation recommands to desengage it every two hours and re-trim before re-engaging.

2 - for take-off, the Boeing documents (quoted in the user's guide) recommands to set one or two notches of flaps AFTER the speed as reached at least 70 knots... The drag created by the flaps is too large before...

My two cents

Gérard

 

My understanding, based on posts here and elsewhere by Pilot's is that most functions of the Sperry are not yet functional in MSFS, but that it's supposed to enter simple heading and alt hold when turned on right now.  Thus, none of the reaction speed valves or pitch setting on the Sperry gyro are even functional right now.

When engaged, it took a trimmed out, stable airplane and pitched it up violently - not holding altitude OR attitude - and only capturing an altitude 600ft above engagement.  It held this altitude for quite a while, before randomly pitching up and climbing again - not in a slow drifting way as it lightens.

It did not hold heading.

I'm not sure this is a learning curve issue ;).  I appreciate the attempts to help, but if you haven't used the plane in MSFS, I'm afraid you are not understanding the differences.  Much of the systems remain non-functional right now.  I had pretty high hopes for some systems depth... Hopefully it's coming.

 

Edited March 15, 20233 yr by Stearmandriver

16 hours ago, Stearmandriver said:

Tonight I started a flight in the MSFS B-314 from Pearl Harbor to Midway.  Planned the flight in LNM using dead reckoning, to supplement with sun shots from the CelNav addon.  My findings:

1. It's extremely hard to get off the water at max gross. The -314 actually seemed to handle this a bit better than the -314A.  Mixture full rich, one notch of flaps (there do not seem to be all the flap positions modeled.).  It simply cannot rotate.  There is a contact points modification on the MSFS forum that claims to help with this.

2. The artifical horizon only pitches but does not bank in the -314A.  This means needle/ball only when IMC.  It's been a minute since I did any partial panel ;).  The horizon in the straight -314 works correctly.

3.  Engine management seems to be entirely unnecessary or unmodeled.  The manual is very detailed about managing CHTs with cowl flaps, using EGTs for mixture settings, not overboosting the engines via a low RPM setting etc...  none of this seems functional.  While the mixture does seem to have an effect on power output, without any responding instruments it's pretty difficult to use.  Fuel gauges don't seem accurate either, and fuel flows simply don't move at all.

4. The big one - the autopilot simply doesn't work correctly.  I had trouble before, but I was missing the need to turn on the lever to the right of the CA seat, before turning on the lever to the left of the CA seat.  After that was pointed out, I figured I'd be sorted - my understanding is that with both the levers on, the autopilot will hold heading and altitude.  I understand that the other functions of the gyropilot are still works in progress, but heading and altitude hold are what's needed so I figured we'd be good.  But it does not hold heading OR altitude; not really.  When I first turned the second lever on, the plane pitched up violently, eventually leveling 600ft above the altitude I was at (trimmed out and stable btw) when turning the second lever on.  It did hold that altitude for a while, but then later in the flight it randomly started climbing; eventually to an altitude several thousand feet above where it was engaged.  Heading hold didn't seem to work either; it seemed to behave as something of a wing leveler, but heading would drift until I finally made a correction myself.

Given that the point of this aircraft is to manage the systems and play navigator, we really kind of need a solution for it to hold heading and altitude.  Dead reckoning is impossible without keeping these parameters corralled.

I understand it was released in something of an "early access" concept; I'm not meaning to complain but provide some constructive critique on what I think the priorities ought to be going forward.  I'd say accurate heading and alt hold are priority one; followed by some systems depth/engine mgmt.

Looks and sounds good though!  I look forward to making some of these long flights with it when it's up to the trip!

Many thanks for your constructive feedback Andrew, it's much appreciated!

Jerome