WestWind Airlines

G550 Test Flight Report 22MAR08 (Flight 2)

Figured it out !!!

GPS/Autopilot/Radios. I figured out the problem with the radios/GPS. This was weird. I loaded my last good G550 folder back into MSFS and the radios and GPS did not work on it either. So I figured it must be on my end. I had a saved flight that I was using to start up with. Apparently there was some kind of conflict with that saved flight, even though I had saved it several times with the new aircraft. I deleted the flight and reloaded the aircraft from the aircraft folder and everything seems to work.

Checklist. I have rewritten the checklist. I want to make one flight with it and make a few revisions and I will email it to you.

VPCargo:

I have no idea on nutcrackers.......as far as I'm concerned it's a ballet that my daughter dances in every December........

It is probably something exotic that only applies to Gulfstreams. Ha. Maybe something to do with crew awareness. Or possibly something to do with its location.

[EDIT] I did find this.

saved flights will cause conflicts with testing.. sometimes

Mike,

 I did some work on the electrical system last night. Everything should now be wired correctly, however I have not found one instance in which it matters what bus you put things on. I did discover that for some reason the APU sends all of its load directly to the battery. I do not know why this is (maybe because the APU is modeled as a gauge and not an electrical source in FSX). When you turn on the APU the battery shows close to 500 amps load! This is not a fix that I can make.

 I tried making an xml gauge to display the N1 setting for the autopilot. While I followed the instructions it seems that the SDK is not a revealing as it should be, the gauge was unusable when I finished. I am sure it is a matter of some obscure code that the developers at ACES 'forgot' to include in the SDK.

 I know about the graphic in FSX, I keep meaning to do that one and I keep forgetting. I just need to take a picture and scale it down.

 I took the airplane around the pattern at APA last night and everything seems on track. I would like the airplane to come off the runway a little smoother with less elevator. Seems to me that I am pulling almost all of the elevator on takeoff. I need to look into the lift scalar for the wings and the elevator effectiveness.  

Ken,

Well, I am sorry to have put you to the trouble on the radios as all the problems appear to have been on my end. I managed to fix them I think. (See the previous posts.) You might want to double check to make sure you changed the autobrake setting to 4. I changed it manually and it did not look like it had been changed in the download.

I agree with you on coming off the runway a little smoother especiallyy with full fuel. I usually set the trim for takeoff a little higher for near MTOW departures.

Regarding the checklists, I am about finished with them and am pretty happy with them. I redid them pretty substantially. I added some things that we need in FS like making sure the controls on the yoke are set properly. You might want to look them over carefully as I am neither jet nor multiengine rated.

One thing I would like a little help on. I start the engines using the fuel cutoff valves on the throttle panel. I don't think the Start switches on the overhead operate properly. I am a little unclear as to how all this is supposed to work. I think FS9 did a better job of modeling this and that they basically goofed it up in FSX. Can you explain how it is supposed to operate and I will try to make the checklist workable. Kim explained it once but I have forgotten. Specifically, how are the switches labeled GRD/FLT and Iginition (L/Both/R) supposed to function in RW.

I hope to have all this done tonight.

G550 Test Flight Report. 22MAR08 (Flight 2)

Babelthaup/Koror - Jakarta.

All systems. Look good. I have not yet downloaded the most recent version with the radio fixes. Will do that before the next flight.

Checklists. Minor mods needed. I will do that in the next few minutes and email you the revisions. The hyperlinks do not work in the cockpit, so I am going to take them out.

Reference. I am going to reformat some of this for readabiltiy and send it to you with the checklists.

Next. I anticipate I need one more flight to verify everything is AOK.

I REALLY LIKE THIS AIRPLANE.

Ken G:

I would like the airplane to come off the runway a little smoother with less elevator. Seems to me that I am pulling almost all of the elevator on takeoff. I need to look into the lift scalar for the wings and the elevator effectiveness.  

That could be a trim issue also, I''ve taken off in the Challenger mistrimmed just a little and it takes a big yank to get the plane up off the ground......now when I pull the normal amount and she doesn't fly I start to trim nose up too and that helps............I would bet with as nice as you guys seem to have gotten this thing that it is going to be trim sensitive for takeoff........or I could be totally wrong......
 

Mike Gibbs:

Ken,

Well, I am sorry to have put you to the trouble on the radios as all the problems appear to have been on my end. I managed to fix them I think. (See the previous posts.) You might want to double check to make sure you changed the autobrake setting to 4. I changed it manually and it did not look like it had been changed in the download.

I agree with you on coming off the runway a little smoother especiallyy with full fuel. I usually set the trim for takeoff a little higher for near MTOW departures.

Regarding the checklists, I am about finished with them and am pretty happy with them. I redid them pretty substantially. I added some things that we need in FS like making sure the controls on the yoke are set properly. You might want to look them over carefully as I am neither jet nor multiengine rated.

One thing I would like a little help on. I start the engines using the fuel cutoff valves on the throttle panel. I don't think the Start switches on the overhead operate properly. I am a little unclear as to how all this is supposed to work. I think FS9 did a better job of modeling this and that they basically goofed it up in FSX. Can you explain how it is supposed to operate and I will try to make the checklist workable. Kim explained it once but I have forgotten. Specifically, how are the switches labeled GRD/FLT and Iginition (L/Both/R) supposed to function in RW.

I have version 2.1.3 of the FDE here on my system making a few minior updates as John and yourself call them. I normally use 8 degrees of trim on take-off for MTOW, however it seems with the latter FDEs that I am requiring more stick than I did with earlier versions. I may have had some scalers set that became unset with Airwrench. I am going to play with those some and see if I can get a little better response.

Great news on the checklist, I apperciate the help, with me head in the FDE and the panel I have had little time to work on the checklists.

Ahh yes, starting the airplane. It seems that the airplane will start once you select the fuel control levers from cutoff to run. There is no button that you will need to flip. Basically the FADEC will monitor the start process for you and all you have to do is flip one lever. You can also set the system to excite the exciters on just one side of the airplane i.e. either the left or the right engine or have the exciters on both sides sparking allowing you to perform a dual engine start. The Ground setting of course sets the FADEC to operate in the ground mode for starting the aircraft. The Flight mode allows the FADEC to operate as an auto ignition system in the air. Should the airplane detect an engine failure the FADEC will automatically attempt to relight that engine as long as the switches are set to flight. This should be a lineup check for the pilot. That's technology working for you, flip one switch and the airplane comes to life, if the airplane detects a hot start (or any malfunction) it will automatically abort the start and motor the engine for the correct amount of time. Unlike the King Air where we had to go through procedures training just to light the fires.

VPCargo:

That could be a trim issue also, I''ve taken off in the Challenger mistrimmed just a little and it takes a big yank to get the plane up off the ground......now when I pull the normal amount and she doesn't fly I start to trim nose up too and that helps............I would bet with as nice as you guys seem to have gotten this thing that it is going to be trim sensitive for takeoff........or I could be totally wrong......

Yea I have done that in touch and gos in a King Air. It is embarrassing to have to heft an arm load of yoke to pull the plane off the runway as oppose to normally I have to immediately start trimming down after take-off. I have tried to make the G550 takeoff with a half stick pull and 8 degrees up trim. 8 degrees was the bottom of the trim arc on the throttle quad that I used so it made a good reference point for a MTOW airplane. Now it seems that I have to set 10 - 12 degrees and pull almost full stick to get the airplane off the runway. I am betting that in a real G550 if you pull full stick you are going to tail bump on takeoff as well as find the stick shaker and maybe that mystical nutcracker and a few other bells and whistles going off. I was at KAPA so I may just need to bump the Vr up 10% due to the DA.

G550 Test Flight Report 22MAR08 (Flight 3)

Jakarta - Singapore.

I pronounce this bird - GO FOR LAUNCH.

Everything looks good. The checklist and reference revisions will be in an email in a few minutes. [edit] Done.

Mike, Thanks I have included your checklists and reference files. I removed the FMC and polished up the last bits of this airplane. I have made the files version 3.0 and packaged them with InstallCreator.

I will send them out today for OPEN BETA!!!

G550 Test Flight Report 23MAR08

I downloaded version 3.0, installed everything and flew from Singapore to Bangkok.

Everything worked great. No issues. The plane flies like a dream. Had one of those real close in approaches at Bangkok. With the instruction in the checklist, it flew it perfectly.

I think I made one error in the checklists though. I probably should have put the checklist item that turned the flight mode switches from FLT to GRD immediately after exiting the runway instead of at shutdown. Also, I left checllist items about setting transponders in the list even though we don't have a standby mode in the cockpit. This is because it is such an integral part of RW flying. I just glance at it and move on.

Hey guys don't forget that especially with panels you have to get permission for each 3rd party gauge and bitmap that is not listed as public domain.

Then you have to list them. 

i.e.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Please remember: this work is FREEWARE and all restrictions of distributing
it in full or in part, apply. Parts of it may be used for creating FREEWARE products only.
In this case, unless listed as Public Domain, permission must be obtained from the respective authors:

Special Thanks to the following authors

Tony D'AMBROSIO for the original template used in the B747 Deluxe panel version 1.0.
Rob Barendregt for Ground Handling
Georg Aubele for Fuel Indicator
Jorge Sales for CPT gauges
HBGH for fire handle graphics
Ken Mitchell for Hydraulic Pressure and Crossfeed

etc

 BTW yes you can use my old FDE update

The Gauges are MSFS defaults, except for the fuel gauge. E-mail has been sent to Matthias Schulze. I have also contacted Marco Spada for permission to use his orginal panel.

Thank you for permission for the base FDE.

The only piece that I have no idea about is the sounds. I know they are not anything default, but I can not find any copyright information or even a contact in the files. As such I assume that fair use is implied in this situation.