A330 Pro minor issues

[CookieChiara 3]

Hi all

 

So in general I've been enjoying the A330 a lot, it perfectly scratches the itch I've had for ages for a long haul Airbus. However I can't but help and notice a few issues, most of those are very minor but it still would be nice to see them fixed. These are in no particular order.

 

• ND2 draws VOR1: In VOR ROSE mode, the F/O ND shows VOR1 and the associated course, so when flying raw data (I know, Airbus, raw data VOR?!?) you can't really properly identify waypoints defined by radial crossing.
• ILS course marker on ND ARC mode is off: It seems that when the ND is in ARC mode the magenta cross indicating the ILS course is sometimes exactly 100° off, other times a random interval.
• PROG Page EPE value computed incorrectly: The EPE (Estimated Position Error) value on the PROG page currently works like the cross-track deviation figure on the ND, however its purpose is to tell the crew how "certain" the plane is about where it is, and not how far off the route it is. If you have an FCOM handy, section DSC-22-FMS-10-30 should have the info you need
• Vector legs make the managed descent profile kind of useless. I feel like the estimation of how long the vector leg is going to be for the purposes of descent planning is way too long so that you consistently end up way too high if you follow the descent profile without a manually inserted restriction before the vector leg.
• ETP Position and Crossing Time incorrect: On the Data -> Equitime Point Page there's a calculation of distance to ETP and time at ETP, on my two attempts so far distance was roughly double what it should have been and time over ETP was even after ETA at destination on every instance.
• (INIT) FUEL PRED Extra logic: On the INIT FUEL PRED and the regular FUEL PRED page the calculation of the Extra fuel is weird, for some reason EFOB at destination minus fuel required at destination does not equal Extra fuel, and by consequence the extra time isn't accurate either. This is a real shame since the extra time is an important part of an approach briefing.
• Nav Autotune makes interesting choices: This one I understand if it's basically unfixable since the bug description is so weak, however on both my flights as soon as the approach phase activates the plane tried to tune a VOR near my departure airport instead of one near my destination, i.e. on my ZRH-ORD flight it tried to tune KLO on approach to Chicago
• FUEL PRED preflight: While boarding the values for trip fuel calculated by the FUEL PRED pages are way too low, I assume this is because it calculates with actual plane mass instead of the entered ZFM, however I have no way to prove that
• RTE RSV fuel mass input highlights percentage: If you manually input a fixed route reserve fuel mass into the INIT FUEL PRED page the percentage gets turned bold instead of the mass, no functional issue there, just aesthetic
• RMP MIC selectors INOP: You can switch between MIC on COM1 and MIC on COM2, however only by first deactivating COM2 monitor, then activating COM1 monitor and activating COM2 monitor again. For us online pilots it would be nice to be able to switch the MIC over without having to go through that dance every time
• No PBD waypoints off of a runway waypoint: I can't seem to create a PBD waypoint (or a PB/PB waypoint for that matter) off of a runway waypoint, I assume this is because it expects max. 5 chars for the place identifier, whereas to my experience it should be possible to use identifiers of up to 7 chars for that (i.e. KORD28C/273/25). We'd use that format quite commonly for an EFCOP that's not in the database.
• HDG mode stuck in HDG hold after a RTE DISCO: When flying over a RTE DISCO the flight directors correctly revert to present heading, however it locks the guidance to present heading, changing the HDG SEL on the MCP doesn't turn the plane until you go to managed and back to selected heading.
• WPT sequencing after a RTE DISCO: After a RTE DISCO flight guidance sequences to the waypoint after the first one, so if you have A - DISCO - B - C ... after passing the DISCO it sequences to C. I'm not 100% sure if that's a bug or expected behaviour, I seem to remember though that our sims would sequence to B in that situation.
• (This one is nit-picky) Traffic selector on non ADS-B in plane: You have modelled the traffic selector dial, however it seems that you simulate a plane without ADS-B in, I don't think that combination exists IRL.
• APPR PERF shows TA instead of TL: On the APPR PERF page we should be able to input a transition level, not a transition altitude
• Transition level not honored for profile predictions on the F-PLN: The profile predictions in the F-PLN only consider the departure TA for the entire flight, even for the descent where usually the destination TL should be applicable
• SEC F-PLN sticks onto the ND until you select F-PLN: SEC F-PLN route drawing on the ND should only happen while any SEC page is displayed on the MCDU, and AFAIK only on the onside ND though I'd have to check that. Here it sticks around until you select (primary) F-PLN again and it draws on both the onside and offside ND.

 

This is about it, I hope you can take this into consideration for the next update.

 

Tracking info:

Win 10 Professional 64bit build 19041

Prepar3D V5 Academic (5.0.31.35253)

Aerosoft A330 Professional V1.0.2.0

Navigraph cycle 2010

 

If you need anything else let me know

[Emi 5161]

I can't comment on all, but here's what I can comment on:

 

19 minutes ago, lupa2 said:

ND2 draws VOR1: In VOR ROSE mode, the F/O ND shows VOR1 and the associated course, so when flying raw data (I know, Airbus, raw data VOR?!?) you can't really properly identify waypoints defined by radial crossing.

 

Known issue and leftover from the previous versions without the split displays.

Small comment on the identification of radial/radial waypoints: You can use the needles for them. That's how we do it in real life as well, generally you fly by only looking at your own display, not that of the other pilot.

 

Hi all

 

So in general I've been enjoying the A330 a lot, it perfectly scratches the itch I've had for ages for a long haul Airbus. However I can't but help and notice a few issues, most of those are very minor but it still would be nice to see them fixed. These are in no particular order.

 

 

• ILS course marker on ND ARC mode is off: It seems that when the ND is in ARC mode the magenta cross indicating the ILS course is sometimes exactly 100° off, other times a random interval.

Known issue, on the buglist.

 

Hi all

 

So in general I've been enjoying the A330 a lot, it perfectly scratches the itch I've had for ages for a long haul Airbus. However I can't but help and notice a few issues, most of those are very minor but it still would be nice to see them fixed. These are in no particular order.

 

• PROG Page EPE value computed incorrectly: The EPE (Estimated Position Error) value on the PROG page currently works like the cross-track deviation figure on the ND, however its purpose is to tell the crew how "certain" the plane is about where it is, and not how far off the route it is. If you have an FCOM handy, section DSC-22-FMS-10-30 should have the info you need

The problem with this one is, you always know your exact position in flight simulation. Thus the number should always be zero. I agree the present solution is not right either, however it's at least something that prevents simply seeing 0.0 all the time.

 

• Nav Autotune makes interesting choices: This one I understand if it's basically unfixable since the bug description is so weak, however on both my flights as soon as the approach phase activates the plane tried to tune a VOR near my departure airport instead of one near my destination, i.e. on my ZRH-ORD flight it tried to tune KLO on approach to Chicago

Sometimes airplanes are just plane (pun intended) stupid. I agree it shouldn't be THAT stupid though.

 

• RMP MIC selectors INOP: You can switch between MIC on COM1 and MIC on COM2, however only by first deactivating COM2 monitor, then activating COM1 monitor and activating COM2 monitor again. For us online pilots it would be nice to be able to switch the MIC over without having to go through that dance every time

Limitation of the default FS com system. The whole com system is still very much default, thus having this limitation. The MFS version will hopefully no longer have such issues.

 

• (This one is nit-picky) Traffic selector on non ADS-B in plane: You have modelled the traffic selector dial, however it seems that you simulate a plane without ADS-B in, I don't think that combination exists IRL.

Sounds like a typical case of "we have it installed, but are pending approval from the authority. Engineers, do something that prevents the pilots from using it anyway!

Half of my airlines CPDLC integration looks like this...

 

• APPR PERF shows TA instead of TL: On the APPR PERF page we should be able to input a transition level, not a transition altitude

 

This is actually a customer option on the real aircraft. The A320 series models the TL, the A330 currently the TA. I agree that TL would be the better option for the A330 as well.

 

• SEC F-PLN sticks onto the ND until you select F-PLN: SEC F-PLN route drawing on the ND should only happen while any SEC page is displayed on the MCDU, and AFAIK only on the onside ND though I'd have to check that. Here it sticks around until you select (primary) F-PLN again and it draws on both the onside and offside ND.

Could this be an older real life FMS version? I recall it worked like this on one of the testplanes I've been in. Sounds exactly like one of those things you could see "fixed" with an FMS software update.

[CookieChiara 3]

Thanks for taking take time to read through my complaints

 

vor 1 minute, Emi sagte:

The problem with this one is, you always know your exact position in flight simulation. Thus the number should always be zero. I agree the present solution is not right either, however it's at least something that prevents simply seeing 0.0 all the time.

Yeah, though you could either build some sort of a spoofing algorithm that actually distorts the position (defo the hard way), or just input a random believable value in there, with GPIRS it shouldn't ever go over like 0.1 anyways

vor 4 Minuten, Emi sagte:

Limitation of the default FS com system. The whole com system is still very much default, thus having this limitation. The MFS version will hopefully no longer have such issues.

Hmm, yeah, though somehow many other planes managed, probably by creating a bit of custom logic for that. Would defo be a quality of life upgrade.

vor 4 Minuten, Emi sagte:

Sounds like a typical case of "we have it installed, but are pending approval from the authority. Engineers, do something that prevents the pilots from using it anyway!

Half of my airlines CPDLC integration looks like this...

Didn't even think of that, I only know the two normal installations, Swiss doesn't have ADS-B in and thus no traffic selector and SAS (at least on the -343Es) has ADS-B in with operative traffic selectors.

vor 6 Minuten, Emi sagte:

This is actually a customer option on the real aircraft. The A320 series models the TL, the A330 currently the TA. I agree that TL would be the better option for the A330 as well.

That just makes me wonder what airline would select TA for the APPR PERF Didn't know that was an option either

vor 6 Minuten, Emi sagte:

Could this be an older real life FMS version? I recall it worked like this on one of the testplanes I've been in. Sounds exactly like one of those things you could see "fixed" with an FMS software update.

Could be, though I have a way old manual form 2004 that (admittedly in EIS1) describes the system as I think it should be. Might be a case of the manual describing what should be and not what actually is