MAAM B-25 Engines Not Starting

[Bomber_12th]

This might be a shot in the dark but, with next month marking the 20th anniversary since the original release of FS2004, I've reinstalled the sim as well as a number of my favorite aircraft. The MAAM B-25 is the whole reason I got into flight simming to begin with, so I was very excited to load the aircraft back up for the first time in a great many years. However, when I try manually starting it, or even using Ctrl+E, the engines won't start. Even if I start with the engines running and then shut the engines off, they won't restart. I was wondering if anyone else has run up against this, and if so is there a fix? I spent several years flying the aircraft in FS2004, and I never remember it not working. The only thing I can think of is that I am running Windows 11 (perhaps not compatible?), or perhaps there is a module I need?

[Priller]

Hi John,

The first thing that comes to mind is "where did you install FS2004"?

Remember that FS9 is 32 bit, and you're running it on a 64 bit operating system. I would install the sim and the B-25 outside of the program files folder.

I haven't flown FS9 in ages, but did you install FSUIPC? Is it at all needed for this model? I've searched for an installation guide for the B-25, but couldn't find one. So no idea what the prerequisites are. Maybe @Javis could help here?

Cheers,

Priller

[K5083]

Wow, 20 years already.

I haven't fired up FS2004, but I just launched it and did a few circuits of Reading in the B-25, then a couple of engine starts, to check this for you. No issues here. Both auto and manual start worked fine. I have a Windows 10 box. I do not have FSUIPC or anything like that, it is a pretty vanilla install.

Assuming that all controls and switches are visually working, what is the problem exactly? Is it cranking but not firing?

One thing that I find when I run FS2004 on a newer machine is to always start the PC and don't run any other simulators prior to FS2004. It seems to be unable to capture some of the control inputs and parameters when another sim has been using them, for some mystical reason.

Hope you get it working. Although I usually fly the FSX port of Briefing Time, she is still a beauty in FS2004, with handling that would do credit to a lot of MSFS planes.

August

[huub vink]

First things which I can think of is magnetos and fuel valves.

[AndyG43]

Just fired up my 1940s FS9 install and took Briefing Time for a spin with no problems. Tried as many different combos as possible - start running & shut down, then restart Ctrl-E, restart by the book, start from cold & dark - no issues with any. I do have FSUIPC installed, not sure if that matters or not, and I'm running Windows 10 Pro.

I can only echo the esteemed Priller, I keep my installs outside of the program files folder (actually on a separate drive) and I've had no real problems. Hope you get it sorted John, she is still a very sweet bird.

[huub vink]

Is there fuel in the tanks? Don't laugh, but I actually wasted a lot of time once, trying to start an aircraft without any fuel.........

[Bomber_12th]

Thank you, guys, I appreciate your help!

It's very odd. I originally had the sim installed in Program Files (the sim and every other aircraft working fine). I uninstalled the sim and installed it outside of Program Files, reinstalled the B-25 (no other addons), and unfortunately it has been the exact same result.

I can confirm that the whole start procedure is correct, all fuel tanks full, mags are on, fuel pressure gauges showing fuel pressure. The engines will crank (props turning) but not catch/start. I decided to install the MAAM R4D, and it has the same exact issue as well. In both cases, what's really weird, is that I start the flight (default flight) and the engines are running fine, and if I simply do idle cutoff with the mixtures (shutting the engines down), and not do anything else but putting the mixtures back to full rich, the engines won't do anything again but crank when I try to start them, either with the manual switches or Ctrl+E (both the MAAM B-25 and R4D). Interestingly, the MAAM TBM Avenger works just fine/starts just as it should.

It's not a big deal, but I just so fondly remember enjoying the manual start procedure, rather than just starting with the engines already running. Perhaps Windows 11 is just a bridge too far for these older addons? I do have an older Windows 7 system I've been meaning to bring back into use again for older games, and perhaps I'll just run FS2004 on that machine (though it has been neat running it with a modern system, seeing everything loading so fast/in an instant).

[Bomber_12th]

UPDATE: I figured I would try increasing the starter torque in the Aircraft.cfg file, and low and behold, the engines are starting fine now! (I had to reach to the back of my brain a bit to remember about that setting.)

If anyone in the future should run into this same issue, I simply bumped the starter torque from 1.1 to 2. Anything less than that doesn't seem to want to work.

[K5083]

Huh. You were doing the 2-stage start where you energize the flywheel before engaging the starter, weren't you? I have never had a problem starting if I give it long enough to energize.

August

[Bomber_12th]

It's really weird, and I don't know how to explain it (you'd think I was making this up) but, with having gotten it working, I was just experimenting with putting the starter torque setting back lower again, one increment at a time, and now it is starting just fine all the way down to the original setting!? I swear, nothing else has changed, but I am glad it is working as it should be.

Even though it has been several years since I had last used the B-25, the start procedure and engine settings/numbers throughout all flight procedures have been firmly ingrained in me from the hundreds of hours I spent flying it for several years in FS2004, and later in FSX (originally acquiring the aircraft in November 2003). I still know the videos included on the CD by heart, having watched them as much as I did.

[K5083]

Yeah John, I'm embarrassed even to have suggested that you might have forgotten the B-25 startup procedure; of course I knew better.

It now sounds like you might be up against something we all know about when it comes to the FS/P3D family of sims, which is that they suck at initializing variables when you load a plane. So you might have had a parameter inherited from the last plane you flew, the last time you ran the sim, something Genshin Impact did, or who knows what.

Glad it seems to be sorted!

August

[huub vink]

I'm glad you have it working now John. In my attempt to check what your problem might have been I realised there are several different versions from the MAAM B25. I remember that the original version. I purchased long ago, somewhere stopped working. I suppose it was incompatible with windows 10. So I re-purchased the Briefing Time again in 2018, which was version 7 and had some different features than my original one.

Cheers,
Huub

[Bomber_12th]

Its been fun to reminisce, and to relive all of the incredible repaints that were done for it by Stephan Demmelmeier and Tim Scharnhop. I love seeing the Reading Airport scenery again too.

I no longer have the original box that the CD came in, so I don't know which version I have, but it includes the bare metal textures and gunship variant (so one of the later versions).

Now that I'm good-to-go, the next order of business is trying to figure out how I can stop the FS9 trees from "shimmering". I remember it having something to do with the graphics card settings, I believe (its been too long). I'm going to be having a good study of the Tweaks and Tips forum at the top of the page.

[Priller]

Its been fun to reminisce, and to relive all of the incredible repaints that were done for it by Stephan Demmelmeier and Tim Scharnhop. I love seeing the Reading Airport scenery again too.

I no longer have the original box that the CD came in, so I don't know which version I have, but it includes the bare metal textures and gunship variant (so one of the later versions).

Now that I'm good-to-go, the next order of business is trying to figure out how I can stop the FS9 trees from "shimmering". I remember it having something to do with the graphics card settings, I believe (its been too long). I'm going to be having a good study of the Tweaks and Tips forum at the top of the page.

I think I learned that setting from you then (I was lurking here under another name/handle).

Isn't it changing the Texure_max_load in the config or something to that effect?

Good that you can enjoy her again. Happy flying!µ

Priller

[Bomber_12th]

Thank you, Priller. I got the shimmering trees fixed after using Nvidia Inspector to properly set the anti-aliasing.