I use LVL CHG mode for the descent. I also fly in very calm weather, so turbulence is almost non existent.

Edited January 26, 20251 yr by Christopher Low

17 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

I use LVL CHG mode for the descent.

I always use VS-mode in descent for these kind of aircraft (737 Classic, MD80, etc)
It gives you much better control over the rate of descent, at TOD starting at about 2500/2200 ft/min, and ending below FL100 at about 1800/1500 ft/min.
IRL I think a lot of pilots of these aircraft also preferred VS, over FLCH/VNAV, specifically for pax comfort

Just my 2 cents
(or make that 3 cents, due to high inflation in the last few years)

I will test V/S mode, and see if it makes any difference.

Could be level change issue. I also rarely use it with the RJ.

Go to outside view and see if the elevator trim is fluxuating by wide margins. Just a guess.

I normally use LVL CHG while climbing, VS on descent.

I'm having big problems with LVL CHG at the moment.

Flying today out of Dublin to FL270, Speed set to 280, Auto throttle engaged and LVL CHG selected.  at FL180 the Overspeed Warning went off with the aircraft levelled off and speed continuing to increase.  I reselected LVL CHG and the aircraft climbed to FL195 then levelled off again.

I've had a few similar issues with level change, I think this needs looking at by the dev team.

FWIW Christopher, I fly the RJ’s using FLCH for Assent, VSPD for Descent (2000-2100FPM).  This pretty much assures I descend according to the VNAV path the VNAV/TOD calc that the in the FMS uses to set TOD has programmed.  WFM 95% of the time and when it doesn’t I just adjust.  I think this is the best approach to approaches (pun intended) in any plane without a dedicated VNAV function.  Good Luck and remember always YMMV & TANSTAAFL.

-B

On 1/25/2025 at 8:34 AM, Christopher Low said:

Several seconds for a complete pitch up and pitch down

Yes - just trying the RJ Professional in MSFS2024 (I've generally flown it in MSFS2020 since it came out and likewise it's older sister the BAe146 that has been a favourite for sometime). 

Splendid - except yes, at the early stages approach I could replicate the porpoising.  It was in autopilot soon after capturing the glide slope in APR mode.  Speed was within the indicator limits on the glass-cockpit screen.  As I slowed down, it smoothed out, so it might be speed-related (I hadn't calculated the Vapp  so I might have been going too fast in spite of being within the instrument indicator lines).  I notice a couple of folks logged the same question on the Just Flight support forum in November - the moderator replied that he would pass that onto the devs.

I'm going to be repeating my flight in the next day or two - I'll come in 10-15 knots slower and see if it makes a difference.

It's a crackingly good job Just Flight have done with it nonetheless 🙂

I cannot remember if the bouncing up and down started after capturing the GS, or prior to the turn onto final approach. I will have to test it again to determine that. I have been enjoying flights in the PMDG 737-600 all weekend, so I did not feel like doing any work!

Yeah all of this seems odd. I've been flying 2020 with the AVRO quite a bit and haven't experienced any of this. I would simply reinstall and then practice a lot of circuits. Quite fun, actually. As for MSFS 2024? I have no clue. I uninstalled that. Currently reinstalling it and the AVRO. Will report later if I have time.  Ah but yes the person above mentioned the vspeeds after capturing ils. That could be it. I kind of fly a little crazy and sometimes forget to set for steep approach and dive down manually for places like EGLC. Whhhhhooooooppps!!!

Edited January 26, 20251 yr by Sonosusto

11 hours ago, Egbert Drenth said:

I always use VS-mode in descent for these kind of aircraft (737 Classic, MD80, etc)
It gives you much better control over the rate of descent, at TOD starting at about 2500/2200 ft/min, and ending below FL100 at about 1800/1500 ft/min.
IRL I think a lot of pilots of these aircraft also preferred VS, over FLCH/VNAV, specifically for pax comfort

Just my 2 cents
(or make that 3 cents, due to high inflation in the last few years)

Agree - this behavior could be because of minimal changes in airspeed and LVL CHG can also, depending on the plane, present some pretty spicy and undesired descent rates, so VERT SPD should always be in your back pocket. Doesn't just apply to old aircraft either, my friend who flew the 737NG mentioned this as well.

Have you seen that A330driver has recently posted a whole series of tutorial videos for the RJ? It might be worth checking the descent video that he does.

I'm sure that it is speed related.  I did three ILS approaches from the same height to the same ILS runway.  Clearly, the  actual Vapp  differs with loading, etc, but with the same loading I was using for the three flights and in each case approaching the glideslope start-of-descent point at a steady 2500' in LOC mode, then at three different speeds the following was the result once it captured the glide slope and began the ILS descent:

Landing 1   c150 knots at glideslope descent point - marked porpoising.  It acted like you sometimes see RL pilots do for, say, a B29 bomber (saw a Youtube vid recently) on final approach - there the real life pilot was pushing the yoke forward and pulling it back for the whole final descent - presumably balancing the airspeed, pitch and descent speed and, to me, it seemed that it was the AP doing the pitching up and down rather than reacting to an aerodynamic porpoising.  As I dropped the airspeed, the porpoising lessened and, at final pre-flare speed (around 130 knots) it was steady

Landing 2    c140 knots at glideslope descent point  - a small amount of porpoising at the start of descent and as I slowed further smoothed out for the bulk of the remaining descent

Landing 3   c130 knots - no noticeable porpoising at all.

 

Not overly scientific but I'm personally pretty sure it is programmed in.  Whether this replicates real life behaviour, I have no idea

   

Edited January 27, 20251 yr by AJZip

Conducted another flight test, and it was pitching up and down like a rocking horse at 200 knots when flying straight and level (with autopilot engaged). I am going to uninstall and reinstall to see if it makes a difference, but this is killing my enthusiasm for flying the plane.

On 1/26/2025 at 4:08 AM, Egbert Drenth said:

I always use VS-mode in descent for these kind of aircraft (737 Classic, MD80, etc)
It gives you much better control over the rate of descent, at TOD starting at about 2500/2200 ft/min, and ending below FL100 at about 1800/1500 ft/min.
IRL I think a lot of pilots of these aircraft also preferred VS, over FLCH/VNAV, specifically for pax comfort

Just my 2 cents
(or make that 3 cents, due to high inflation in the last few years)

Very rare that we use VS for descent in our 737-300s and -400s at work.  It's LNAV/VNAV the whole way, and the FMS, assuming it's setup properly, manages it all quite well.