steering the DC-8 in flight

[tompie47]

Hello everyone,
thank you for all your nice planes!
I love flying your different DC-8 variants and I have a question of which I hope it fits into this section.(it seemed as close as possible to me).

When flying, I steer the aircraft with the turning knob that is available in the autopilot.
However, this disables more or less steering with my Yoke(CH Yoke) when the autopilot is switched on. It does change heading when I try steering with the Yoke, but the ailerons don't work very realistically this way and the aircraft feels like she doesn't want to be steered that way, as she tries to undo the Yoke's efforts to steer her.
Of course I have the following lines active in the autopilot section of the aircraft.cfg:
use_no_default_pitch=1
use_no_default_bank=1

My question is:
is there a way to change or adjust the panel.cfg and/or the autopilot section in the aircraft.cfg that re-activetes the Yoke working next to the turning knob on the panel?

Thanks for the help in advance!
Tompie

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

Flying any of the HJG supplied DC-8´s (using the panels we provide) .... whenever the AP is selcted "ON" .... these simulations can still be hand-steered using the basic Control Wheel Steering feature built into the AP .... i.e steering the simulation, during AP controlled flight, per manual input through ones joystick or other flight controller device (including any yoke type flight controller system too) .... except when either AP HDG SEL or AP VOR/LOC modes are engaged.

That´s how the AP built into our/the HJG supplied DC-8 panels is intended to work.

Using non-HJG supplied DC-8 panels (and like applies to any number of non-HJG simulations too) .... once the AP HDG SEL or VOR/LOC modes are engaged .... this action cancels any such CWS mode simulated steering feature .... forcing one to need to manually adjust the orange HDG cursor, using the HDG selector knob (normally associated with any main panel HSI guauge) in conjunction with the AP HDG SEL mode during AP controlled flight.

If none of this is the case in your particular case .... then .... (1) that´s unusual to the extent that I´ve (personally) never heard of any such situation prior to now .... that I can imediately recall .... and (2) resolving this/any such situation might require further adjustment/s in regard to whatever settings are available for ones chosen flight controller device configuration options rather than CFG editing .... I suspect.

Since I do not use a yoke type flight controller device/system I regret I´m unable to provide further advice in relation to your query

FYI .... the HJG supplied DC-8 simulations are intended to be used with the DC-8 panels we supply (only).

Other available non-HJG supplied DC-8 panels may not be as compatible or function as we design/intend for our simulations to work.

Mark C
BOG/CO

[gotto]

Jul 11, 2016 8:51:45 GMT tompie47 said:

Hello everyone,
thank you for all your nice planes!
I love flying your different DC-8 variants and I have a question of which I hope it fits into this section.(it seemed as close as possible to me).

When flying, I steer the aircraft with the turning knob that is available in the autopilot.
However, this disables more or less steering with my Yoke(CH Yoke) when the autopilot is switched on. It does change heading when I try steering with the Yoke, but the ailerons don't work very realistically this way and the aircraft feels like she doesn't want to be steered that way, as she tries to undo the Yoke's efforts to steer her.
Of course I have the following lines active in the autopilot section of the aircraft.cfg:
use_no_default_pitch=1
use_no_default_bank=1

My question is:
is there a way to change or adjust the panel.cfg and/or the autopilot section in the aircraft.cfg that re-activetes the Yoke working next to the turning knob on the panel?

Thanks for the help in advance!
Tompie

I haven't spoken with Steve in years, but if my memory serves me correct, he is using the very same logic I implemented in the DC-9 autopilot: If the pilot takes the turn knob out of detent, HDG SEL button trips to OFF if it was active at time of engagement ,A/C will bank to the value the pilot sets with the turn knob. A maximum of 32 degrees either direction is allowed. What actually happens is that the autopilot will issue "Trigger event,key_aileron_set" either left or right depending of bank direction chosen by the pilot. Furthermore the autopilot will constantly read the A/C bank value  and when desired bank has been achieved, the following command will be issued : "Trigger event, aileron_center" to stop A/C from starting a ROLL. In other words ,lateral yoke/stick commands will simply be ignored when the turn knob is out of detent.



With kind regards,
Geir

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

Whilst the AP "logic" (between our DC-8 and DC-9 AP's) remains similar .... among a number of changes that were recently implemented into our V5.4 re-releases "of the DC-8's" .... during AP controlled flight the AP, in our DC-8 simulations only, is now restricted to bank angles not exceeding 25* (degrees) since the original value was "way too excessive".

MAX BANK values of 15* (degrees) would have been more disirable .... and can still be edited into the AP section of any DC-8 CFG (or that for any other simulation also) if desired, but, in FS, anything less than 25* (degree) does result in a much greater turning axis in proportion to airspeed .... regardless be this per the AP Turn knob, or, usig the HDG curser in conjunction with AP HDG mode .... and can result in slower intercepts of eithr VOR or even ILS/GS radials.

All I'm really saying here is ....

Whilst the DC-8 and DC-9 panel AP's remain similar .... in regard to their performances .... they are no longer the same as they once were previously, so, it can (now) be "erroneous" to make distinct comparisons with them in respect of their performances.

I just feel the need to clarify this particular (very minor) detail given some of the changes that have been applied

Mark C
AKL/NZ

[gotto]

Well, unless Steve or anyone else has changed the code within that DC-8 autopilot itself accordingly, the values you describe above will have no effect
on the operation of the turn knob. The MAX BANK only relates to FS standard A/P commands like APPR, HDG SEL/HOLD and NAV etc.

With kind regards,
Geir

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

As I said (tried to albeit however unclearly in my haste) .... "minor changes" have been applied (to the DC-8 AP logic .... whilst that of the DC-9's remain untouched so far as I'm aware) during more recent times and "HAVE" resulted in slight differences during AP fligt control modes .... otherwise we wouldn't have commented along the lines that we have, both here, and elsewhere, previously.

All I'm saying is .... it's probably not a good idea to make too distinct a comparison both both AP's now

No further updates will be applied to any of our current range DC-8 panels though .... and I doubt we'll be doing anything more with the DC-9 panels either.

Mark C
AKL/NZ

[Mike Monce - HJG]

This caught my attention as I use a CH yoke. I just did a test flight using a DC8-62 with no changes from the default AP as setup in the cfg file. I was able to turn the aircraft both with the turn knob and the yoke; it seemed to respond the same to input from each equally well. When using the HDG mode however, as Mark indicated, that disables the yoke as expected.

Mike