CaptTim

I went on the WB Sim #support Discord channel and posted the problem. The developer quickly pointed me to a fix that needed just one parameter change from 0.1 to 3. I used Notepad to do the edit, but I've now downloaded the free utility Notepad++ that someone recommended to me on the WB Sim Discord, which actually would have made that editing much easier! BTW, it's essential to follow every detail in the solution which is at the following web address: https://discord.com/channels/955520899094818886/955524866407297075/1256132000775929946 After I made that edit to that line of code in the XML file, the starter switch works fine and the engine now starts reliably.

Today I ran into a different but related problem in attempting to start the WBsim C172. I'm using the Honeycomb Alpha yoke, and I've been using the magneto switch on that to start the engine. The problem now is that in the WBsim C172, when I turn the switch to Start, in the sim it keeps flicking between Start and Both, over and over repeatedly. As a result, most times the starter isn't on long enough between flicks to get the engine turning up to enough speed to get it to start. Even if I have the Battery Off, i.e. it isn't cranking the engine; the same flicking misbehavior is happening in the magneto switch in the sim. Yet when I load in the Asobo Classic C172, the magneto switch behaves as it should i.e. if I keep the physical switch on the controller to Start, in the sim it stays at Start. I checked for any other controller programmed for MAGNETOS START function and there is no conflict. And I'm using exactly the same controllers setup for the Asobo Classic C172 in which the flicking issue doesn't show up. This might have been occurring occasionally before on the WBsim and I had put it down to a weak battery or some such issue, but now that I have looked closer at it I have spotted this flicking switch in the sim display that has gotten so bad today that the engine will not start. And it happens even after I have connected the battery cart and let the battery voltage come up to 27.4 V or higher.

IIRC if the engine is still hot or warm recently running before the start attempt {i.e. check your oil temp before priming!} , you should not begin with the priming sequence because that risks flooding the engine. After the engine is flooded, the procedure to overcome the flooding involves open the throttle fully and crank the engine - see more details in the POH. So when starting a hot/warm engine, basically proceed through the startup as if you had just already completed the priming. However, see my post above about a modification to manually start in the sim, vs in the RW.

If you attempt to use the exact starting sequence as in a RW fuel-injected C172, I have found that in the sim the engine will not start. The modification to the procedure that works reliably for me to start the engine in MSFS 2020 is that you have to immediately push in your MIXTURE control knob once the starter is cranking the engine. If you leave it all the way out waiting till the engine fires up, as you would actually do in the RW after priming a cold engine, then the engine will not fire at all and so it will not start using the manual sequence. This same issue occurs for me on both the Asobo ("Textron") C172 and the WBsim C172 Enhancement model. BUT... In the Asobo C172, that model doesn't seem to degrade the battery CCA capacity in cold weather. In any case, in the Asobo typically I wait till the starter initially spins the engine up to approx 650 RPM then I quickly push in the MIXTURE control; and then the engine fires to start and run. The slight difference with the WBsim C172 is that you have to push in MIXTURE control very quickly after the starter begins turning the engine; and then the engine fires to start and run. That works reliably for me, successfully starting the engine even with relatively sluggish cranking when in cold weather conditions - i.e. conditions in which the WBsim battery is so cold that it won't deliver high CCA's (cold-cranking amperes), just enough to barely get the engine spinning. I hope this will be helpful!

1). I programmed the hatswitch forward/backward on my Honeycomb Alpha throttle to be DOWN trim for hatswitch forward, UP trim for hatswitch backward. that seems to be what's used in the virtual cockpit too. 2). .Maybe the problem with the elevator trim going whacky has to do with the Autopilot being switched on when you don't intend it to be! Here's why I say that, because of what happened to me... A few days ago, I bought and downloaded the MilViz / Blackbird Pilatus Porter PC-6 from the MSFS Marketplace {which is where I prefer to purchase my add-ons, simply because automatically MSFS will alert you in-game when an update is available i.e. a bit more convenient than an add-on purchased through a different channel}. I had figured out the key bindings and how to set up the axes to control the power lever, the propeller lever, and the condition lever. I was able to find a few more things, like where the tailwheel lock is located in the virtual cockpit, and I programmed a key on my yoke to toggle the tailwheel lock off and on. Then I went through the pre-flight sequence. So I was getting all set to go for my first flight in my MilViz Porter. I started the engine and went on to do the other various steps of the checklist with the avionics on, plus a few additional avionics pre-sets that I typically do IRL to "stay ahead of the airplane." At some point, I spotted that the stabilizer (elevator) trim position appeared to be moving on its own, so much so that eventually the TRIM (red) alarm showed up, and the trim kept going to its limit. in that direction. I tried using the buttons I had programmed to command the manual electric trim to return the trim to a safe zone, but it wasn't effective in overcoming the problem... Long story short: The Autopilot (AP) got switched on unintentionally. But why, is another question! I turned the AP off, and then I was able to set the stablizer (elevator) trim to a proper setting for takeoff, and it held steady. Subsequently, I have noticed that if I do certain pre-settings in the AP i.e. on the ground, during pre-flight, while the AP is off, that somehow triggers the AP to switch on even though I don't touch either the hardware "AUTO PILOT" button (on my Honeycomb Bravo Throttle quadrant), nor did I click on the virtual cockpit "AP" button. I know to watch out for that glitch now, so at least I overcame the problem of the stabilizer trim going awry. It seems that pressing the BARO button in the virtual cockpit turns on the AP, and the Autopilot unit doesn't show the Altimeter setting. Has anyone else spotted that problem with the Autopilot coming on spuriously?