I am posting this question on this particular forum because I’m noticing the behavior across multiple airplanes.

The two airplanes I notice it the most are in the Fenix airbus all variants and the pmdg 777/737.

The speed brakes when deployed in flight do absolutely nothing. Zilch, nada.

Im type rated on the 737 in real life so i understand how “slippery transport category airplanes can be. However, I expect an increase in descent v/s. Even if it’s by 100 fpm. I’m getting absolutely no help with the boards out.

 

Am I missing something or are these airplanes actually coded with the speed brakes just being a nice little thing that looks cool but actually does nothing? 
 

Im sure im in the minority but this is ridiculous and starting turn me off of flightsim.

I can't speak to PMDG as I don't have any of them.
 

However, the Fenix planes absolutely do have an effect from the speedbrake. I use them all the time when left too high too close by ATC.
 

Are you sure they're engaging fully?

Been a while since I've flown the Fenix, but I've used the speedbrakes on multiple occasions, and I'm sure I got an effect from them (because my descent management is just not that good).

Have you checked the F/CTL page on the lower ECAM to see if the spoilers are actually deploying? I.e. is this maybe a control assignment conflict?

Note also that on the A320, the spoilers only extend to half deflection when the autopilot is engaged; you need to disengage the autopilot to get full deflection.

22 minutes ago, ahsmatt7 said:

I am posting this question on this particular forum because I’m noticing the behavior across multiple airplanes.

The two airplanes I notice it the most are in the Fenix airbus all variants and the pmdg 777/737.

The speed brakes when deployed in flight do absolutely nothing. Zilch, nada.

Im type rated on the 737 in real life so i understand how “slippery transport category airplanes can be. However, I expect an increase in descent v/s. Even if it’s by 100 fpm. I’m getting absolutely no help with the boards out.

 

Am I missing something or are these airplanes actually coded with the speed brakes just being a nice little thing that looks cool but actually does nothing? 
 

Im sure im in the minority but this is ridiculous and starting turn me off of flightsim.

Not my experience with the three aircraft you mentioned, which I fly all the time.  Don't what  is causing the issue is that you are seeing.

Edited October 24, 20241 yr by Bobsk8

I agree that speed brakes are maybe a little less effective than they should be in the PMDG 73, but they are not ineffective here.  If you deploy the speed brake during an idle descent, you do see the descent rate increase (or, well, I do).  Maybe a conflicting bindings issue or something?

I'm getting type rated in the 737 next year I hope.  Although I have never flown one for real, the PMDG does pretty much what I expect it to when I extend the speedbrake.  

I’m flummoxed lol

i see the boards go up, I can hear the sounds change, but nothing happens.

these flights aren’t saved at any point nor are they being loaded from previous saves.

 

do any of you think reinstalling said aircraft would make a difference?

 

@Bobsk8

@Stearmandriver

@Langeveldt

35 minutes ago, Langeveldt said:

I'm getting type rated in the 737 next year I hope.  Although I have never flown one for real, the PMDG does pretty much what I expect it to when I extend the speedbrake.  

Good luck on the type training. Since using the NGX, when I went through FO and CA training on the 73, it was like a pair of well worn shoes. You’ll do great!

Check that you have 'Realistic' or whatever it's called as the flight model selected...

Dunno. I use speed brakes on probably every flight and it always ... brakes.

I have no idea how effective speed brakes IRL but when I use them with PMDG or Felix in descent vertical  speed increases just like it should 

On a slightly different note, I thought that I would test the 5.5 degree glideslope into EGLC London City with my PMDG 737-600. To my surprise, not only can I get it to hold the 128 knots final approach speed @ 50 tons landing weight, but I can do it without using the speedbrakes at all. Should the 737NG be capable of that? After all, it is not (to the best of my knowledge) rated for landings at this airport.

Speed brakes actually aren't that effective in real life. Their main use inflight is to bleed speed at a speed reduction phase so the aircraft doesn't spend too much time in the level off. If they're being used to increase the descent rate then something has gone wrong with the descent calculation.

An easy fix for a smoother descent is to change the planned descent speed, if you're having speed problems then maybe you're setting CI too high? At higher CI the aircraft will be aggressive and descend later at IDLE at the Mach limit before switching to IAS. The subsequent IAS will then remain high and therefore greater intervention is needed to meet any speed reductions later on.

A common use for these fast and short descents is if the approach isn't speed limited and the excess can be bled off very late with the speed brakes. This is really good for fuel consumption as almost the entire approach can be conducted at IDLE but it's a terrible idea for restrictive and controlled approaches.

An approach to London for example would absolutely be speed controlled, often at 220kts above 10,000ft so hitting this area at 300kts and then relying on the speed brakes to remove a huge amount of speed quickly isn't a good plan.

We have huge airbrakes in the military world and they're seldom used because they literally do nothing but make a lot of noise and vibration.

Edited October 25, 20241 yr by G MIDY

Does this video match your experience in the sim?

 

 

23 minutes ago, G MIDY said:

Speed brakes actually aren't that effective in real life

Did you see that the OP said they had a 737 type rating?

Edited October 25, 20241 yr by martinboehme
Original wording may have sounded snarky, which wasn't my intent

24 minutes ago, martinboehme said:

Did you see that the OP said they had a 737 type rating?

No I didn't, apologies to the OP if that's the case but the advice and sentiment is still valid.

I'd say that arguably these aircraft should be slippery as opposed to not. I haven't flown the 737 but I know that the perception is that it can be hard to slow down so that is realistic. The 77W is even worse, it has a huge wing and powerful engines even at IDLE so it should be difficult to slow down, the impact of the speedbrakes really don't change things that much.

The Fenix speedbrakes do certainly generate a considerable and appreciable realistic amount of drag but this comes down to perception and conditions. I can't say I've struggled with it or noticed it as a problem.

Don't forget it is the simulator that generates the flight dynamics response and not just the aircraft.

Edited October 25, 20241 yr by G MIDY