Cannot get the F-4E engines started; Buttons/switches/gauges work intermittently; Frequent CTD

Alvaro
Posts: 193
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 2:25 pm
Re: Cannot get the F-4E engines started; Buttons/switches/gauges work intermittently; Frequent CTD

Post by Alvaro » Thu May 23, 2019 6:32 am

sfetbrandt wrote:
Thu May 23, 2019 3:39 am
And BTW, a former F-4 Navy jet-jockey and long-time Facebook friend of mine told me to tell you he's very impressed with what you guys and gals at MilViz have created with this aircraft!
Thanks, that's very rewarding.

Enjoy!

JonathanBleeker
Posts: 3446
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:38 pm
Re: Cannot get the F-4E engines started; Buttons/switches/gauges work intermittently; Frequent CTD

Post by JonathanBleeker » Thu May 23, 2019 8:54 am

sfetbrandt wrote:
Thu May 23, 2019 3:39 am
I made it my P3D default aircraft....

Urm...Bad idea. Only the new T-38C is safe to do that with. I didn't perfect my programming to the point where you can safely make one of our birds the default aircraft until the T-38C. The engines should consistently start if your default is the F-22 with engines running and everything else on.

However, when I switched to the "Ready to Fly" start-up procedure, one or the other engine caught fire during some attempts. Maybe you know of a quick fix for that...?

Urm….you shouldn't need to start the engines if you select Ready to Fly. It should come up INS aligned and everything on except the radar and gunsight. Please delete your default flight and let the sim rebuild it with the F-22 engines running.

Also, moving away from the start-up problem, since I've now got a way to get this beast in the air from Cold & Dark, I'm dealing with Inertial Nav set-up problems. Following the procedure outlined in the MilViz guide, including turning off the Position/Function Selector and INS Alignment selector in the rear cockpit before attempting engine start, I can't get the INS yellow heat-up light to come on after I've inputted my position longitude/latitude and have toggled the INS Alignment switch to Gyro Comp and placed the INS Alignment Selector knob to Standby. I'd appreciate any suggestions you have regarding the INS set-up from Cold & Dark, since that's the start-up/pre-flight method I prefer.

INS warmup depends on OAT. It will take longer on a cold day. You can move the INS alignment slider in the MVAMS up to a higher level so it goes faster.

(I think the INS may be aligning OK during the "Ready to Fly" start-up process, but I'm not sure. I was too focused on the engine fires. I apologize for not reading anything in the manual about fire suppression. I mistakenly assumed the button on the instrument panel actuated some fire extinguishers then realized it's just a fire test button. I'll have to study up on the fire-control aspects of the aircraft -- assuming there are any.)

Yes the INS will be fully aligned if started in RTF, provided your engines are running. If you lose the right generator, you lose alignment. And there are no fire extinguishers in this jet. I think the F-15 was the first to get one of those.

Once again, thanks for all the help you've given so far. Now that I've finally got a few F-4E flights and landings under my belt, I suspect this aircraft is going to be my favorite once I've figured out all the sim nuances and work-arounds. And BTW, a former F-4 Navy jet-jockey and long-time Facebook friend of mine told me to tell you he's very impressed with what you guys and gals at MilViz have created with this aircraft!

Thanks. Glad to hear

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X24
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2015 2:08 am
Re: Cannot get the F-4E engines started; Buttons/switches/gauges work intermittently; Frequent CTD

Post by X24 » Sun Jun 23, 2019 12:50 pm

Greetings,

In response to the OP saying that he loaded the FSL A320-X as his "default" aircraft - I reckon that might be the problem right there.

I was under the impression that Prepar3d and FSX ought to be started with one of the more basic aircraft that come with the sim like the F-22 or Piper Cub etc as the default aircraft because otherwise some of the internal workings of the simulator itself may not initialise properly or at all.

Authors of other complex add-ons have referred to this issue specifically and recommend using a default aircraft as the default aircraft at least while the sim is booting up, prior to selecting your aircraft of choice.

N4GIX
Posts: 1023
Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:47 pm
Re: Cannot get the F-4E engines started; Buttons/switches/gauges work intermittently; Frequent CTD

Post by N4GIX » Sun Jun 23, 2019 8:02 pm

Correct. A google search will find every forum where I've trumpeted about this very issue since as far back as 2002... ;)

sfetbrandt
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:16 pm
Re: Cannot get the F-4E engines started; Buttons/switches/gauges work intermittently; Frequent CTD

Post by sfetbrandt » Sun Jun 23, 2019 10:28 pm

Hi, thanks for your comment. I'm sure you've addressed this issue in forums heretofore. However, my Google searches failed to find an answer that specifically addressed the situation. After countless hours of searching various forums, checking out YouTube videos and trying various trial-and-error solutions, I've concluded that the forums are only modestly helpful. Jon, MilViz' F-4E guru, ultimately provided the correct solution in this instance.

Unless you're savvy enough with simming lexicon to choose the right phrasing of your search string -- i.e., phrasing that corresponds to specifically applicable forum topics -- you just end up chasing your tail and finding suggestions that dance around the subject or are so chock full of acronyms as to make them incomprehensible to neophytes. People offer all kinds of solutions for dealing with problems, but all too often none fits your exact circumstances unless you accidentally stumble upon it. While better than nothing, technical forums are only a partially useful resource for newbies like me.

I recognize there's a cost to developers (and thus an additional cost to consumers) to maintain extra staffing for phone support. However, whatever software I purchase, I prefer developers who offer answers to questions and clarifications in a single phone call rather than the "20 questions" approach stretched out over 20 days, as with this kind of protracted, written exchange. It's just more efficient, more user-friendly customer service -- and certainly less frustrating!


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