Problem with Piglet's OV-10 for FSX

[expat]

Truly outstanding freeware native FSX model. Thanks Tim for making and sharing this great work.

However, I am having very great difficulty starting the engines manually. They start using Ctrl + E but it's nowhere nearly as fun IMHO or immersive to do it this way and if I can't start a plane manually it puts me in a bad mood!

You can hear the engine sound spooling up but they fail to light and then you hear them spool down again, and it then keeps repeating this cycle over and over again. I also am pressing Ctrl + Shfit + F4 to be sure the engines are getting fuel. I have tried toggling back and forth the start switches (on other boards similar problems with propjet starting recommend this) but they remain stuck in the on position. I added the BE350 fuel quadrant to see that the fuel/condition levers were in the right place, but not luck.

I have very carefully and repeatedly reset my default flight to a cold/dark C172 which I know is correct because it allows correct cold/dark starts with other aircraft. I then tried doing A - B tests with other aircraft. Switched to the King Air B350 default. I had the same issues but then it started fine when I advanced the condition levers off of cut off and the engines lighted correctly. Ditto with the default Baron doing a proper cold start.

This is not just a problem for me with the Bronco. I have few complaints about FSX but one of my biggest disappointments is how difficult I find it to start aircraft manually, particularly add on aircraft, including some true native models. People even have problems with starting some default a/c, e.g. the Maule, in this same respect. Other posters at other boards mention the need to toggle back and forth the starter switches. I found with the latest HU-16 (Pepper/Verlin) done for FSX - which will start manually for me - will only start by "flicking" at the starter swithces with your mouse - in fact, the start switches won't stay in the up position and immediately flick back down again. Also have read that starter switches in generaral do not often port over from FS9 as well as other gauges do. One person - to get the Convair 440 started - found that changing the "torque on startup" in the air.cflg to 2.0000 did the trick. Think that entry is only for piston powered planes.

Is this just FSX? Do others find manually engine starting more difficult than in FS9? Do most people just not care because Ctrl + E gets them going? Or is there maybe something with my config or settings or technique that I am missing something?

Any suggestions appreciated!

Expat

[GypsyBaron]

Just a note to your mention of "addon aircraft" starting
problems. Reading your post it seems to imply those are
FS9 versions. In which case, yes, there may very well
be starting problems with those as the way the engine
starting code works in FSX is different than that in FS9.

The Key Event "K:TOGGLE_STARTER1" ( or 2,3, 4 ) in
FSX is a 'true toggle'. That is you send the event once to
initiate the starter and once the conditions are met for
the engine to have started, you send the event once more
to 'disengage' the starter.

In FS9, this Key Event was NOT a 'true toggle'. FS9 starter code
continually sent the "K:TOGGLE_STARTER1" event until
the engine was started.

As for the problems with FSX aircraft you discribe I, too,
found problems starting a couple of the default FSX
aircraft. I don't recall which ones for certain but I think
the Goose gave me problems but if I started it with
Ctl+E and then shut it down I could restart it 'normally'
then. That would imply some setting wasn't correct in
the initial 'cold & dark' environment.

In some cases, I have modified the 'starter torque' to
get a bird fired up, usually after someone else brought
that to my attention in a forum post for a particular model.

I don't recall having problems with the OV-10 but I've
not flown it often enough to remember how I fired it up.
I do see that the gause 'cab' files for the OV-10 are still
'cab'd' in my panel folder which indicates that I did not
make any alterations to the original files. Had I done that
they would be folders now and not 'cab' files.

In your case, I would load your default flight, start it
with Ctl+E, then shut it down as you would to create
a 'cold & dark' setup and then resave that as your new default flight.

As for the FS9 aircraft, if you are proficient in XML coding
you can, as I did, go in and recode the starter code.

Paul

[expat]

Paul,

Very grateful for your (any!) response - and from someone who is so knowledgeable - and to have your thoughtful and helpful observations. Have followed for some time your know-how on AI ships and carrier ops which I have always found helpful. Will try these other suggestions and report back.

Expat

[expat]

SORTED !!

Swapped the starter switches for the default Beech 350 ones; togther with adding the Beech condition/throttles, the sequence works flawlessly from switching on electrical systems through shut down and then starts again.

Thanks very much for the encouragement and advice.

Expat

[GypsyBaron]

SORTED !!

Swapped the starter switches for the default Beech 350 ones; togther with adding the Beech condition/throttles, the sequence works flawlessly from switching on electrical systems through shut down and then starts again.

Thanks very much for the encouragement and advice.

Expat

Glad you got it sorted out. Sounds like a good solution.

Paul