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Starting Hughes Racer


dswo

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I've been flying the Racer almost exclusively since I got it. The one problem I continue to have is starting. Here's my procedure:

1. Parking brake on.

2. Magnetos on (both).

3. Avionics/battery on.

4. Wobble pump > 4 PSI (I usually pump to between 4 and 5).

5. Lean mixture according to altitude (I have tried it at sea level up to about 4,000 feet).

6. Open throttle an inch for higher altitude starts.

7. Hold starter (either with mouse click or m-+ key combination).

Nothing ever happens. Control-E always works, although I can have sputters depending on conditions. But the starter motor activates. Sometimes, after I've done control-E and shut down, I can restart with the starter button, but never from cold.

What essential start-up condition is control-E creating that my manual procedure is missing? I'm sure this is user error, but it's been more than a week now, and the error is still eluding me. (I waited until the update, just in case the engine monitor might give me a hint, but it doesn't.)

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I've been flying the Racer almost exclusively since I got it. The one problem I continue to have is starting. Here's my procedure:

1. Parking brake on.

2. Magnetos on (both).

3. Avionics/battery on.

4. Wobble pump > 4 PSI (I usually pump to between 4 and 5).

5. Lean mixture according to altitude (I have tried it at sea level up to about 4,000 feet).

6. Open throttle an inch for higher altitude starts.

7. Hold starter (either with mouse click or m-+ key combination).

Nothing ever happens. Control-E always works, although I can have sputters depending on conditions. But the starter motor activates. Sometimes, after I've done control-E and shut down, I can restart with the starter button, but never from cold.

What essential start-up condition is control-E creating that my manual procedure is missing? I'm sure this is user error, but it's been more than a week now, and the error is still eluding me. (I waited until the update, just in case the engine monitor might give me a hint, but it doesn't.)

Are You able to start it with Ctrl+E ?

Otherwise check:

1: Parking brake on

2: Set fuselage fuel selector to both

3: Avionics switch on

4: Both Magnetos on

5: Mixture full forward

6: Propeller RPM full forward

7: Open Throtthle one inch

8: Woblle pump until above 4 PSI (9 strokes makes 4.5 PSI)

9: Click on starter (no need to hold)

Be aware that Mixture is at cut off and Fuel selector is off as well as all switches when the H-1 has loaded.

Do You use a customised startup situation or the default (Airtrike at Friday Habour)?

Finn

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I had the same problems until I noticed that the "Avionics" switch does NOT switch on the battery. I created a shortcut for switching on the battery and when I hit this key before starting, in addition to the other preparations, the motor just starts fine.

You can see the effect of turning on the battery switch in the carb heat gauge - the temperature indicator rises immediately after switching on the battery. Just turning on the Avionics switch has no effect on it.

However, I'm not sure if the (hidden) alternator/generator is turned on as well. Which could be the reason for the malfunction of some gauges after flying for a while. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out a way to detect whether the alternator is on, so when using a hot ke,y it is not possible to see if the alternator is really switched on. Therefore I always use CTRL+E to start the engines, which reliably turns on the alternator as well.

Seems that there is a discrepancy between the actions required in reality for starting the engines (no battery / alternator switch necessary), and the requirements of FSX - battery and alternator always present, even if not modeled explicitely, they always have to be activated.

Note that the actions required depend upon the default flight settings - if battery is off, but alternator on, then just the battery needs to be turned on. If both are off in the default flight, they both have to be activated..

Regards,

Juergen

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I had the same problems until I noticed that the "Avionics" switch does NOT switch on the battery. I created a shortcut for switching on the battery and when I hit this key before starting, in addition to the other preparations, the motor just starts fine.

You can see the effect of turning on the battery switch in the carb heat gauge - the temperature indicator rises immediately after switching on the battery. Just turning on the Avionics switch has no effect on it.

However, I'm not sure if the (hidden) alternator/generator is turned on as well. Which could be the reason for the malfunction of some gauges after flying for a while. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out a way to detect whether the alternator is on, so when using a hot ke,y it is not possible to see if the alternator is really switched on. Therefore I always use CTRL+E to start the engines, which reliably turns on the alternator as well.

Seems that there is a discrepancy between the actions required in reality for starting the engines (no battery / alternator switch necessary), and the requirements of FSX - battery and alternator always present, even if not modeled explicitely, they always have to be activated.

Note that the actions required depend upon the default flight settings - if battery is off, but alternator on, then just the battery needs to be turned on. If both are off in the default flight, they both have to be activated..

Regards,

Juergen

Thats why I urge people NOT to use any "alternative" startup situation files.

If You use the default "Airtrike over Friday Habour" there should not be a problem starting the H-1.

This way You are sure that both the battery, as well as the alternator is on.

If You own other 3'rd party aircraft addons, I´m sure that You will find that the develpers of those, states in the manual, that for proper function of their aircraft, it is best the start out in a default MS aircraft, with all systems running and then switch to the addon aircraft.

Please try the following:

-Start FSX

-Go to the "Freeflight" menu

-Choose the default Cessna 172 (livery don´t matter)

-Choose the airport from wich You like to fly (For this purpose choose one near sealevel)

-Choose "Fair weather"

-Choose time of day (For this purpose choose daytime)

FLY NOW

You are now sitting in the default Cessn 172

Make sure that:

-Battery on

-Alternator on

-Mixture Full forward

Now select the H-1 from the menubar ->"Aircraft" -> "Select Aircraft" -> "Hughes H-1A/B"

The H-1 will now shutdown (wait until it is fully stopped)

You can now choose to save this situation from the menubar ->"Files" -> "Save"

-Go through the startup procedure:

1: Parking brake on

2: Set fuselage fuel selector to both

3: Avionics switch on

4: Both Magnetos on

5: Mixture full forward

6: Propeller RPM full forward

7: Open Throtthle one inch

8: Woblle pump until above 4 PSI (9 strokes makes 4.5 PSI)

9: Click on starter (no need to hold)

If this works You probably have a non standard default startup situation.

Finn

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If this works You probably have a non standard default startup situation.

Hmmm... As far as I can remember, the "default" startup situation just after a fresh install is: standing on a runway with all engines running, and ready for flight - except for flaps, trimming, IRS alignment, flight plan loaded etc... this may be tricky as well.

I think it's not a problem to use a dark&cold situation if you know about the limitations / caveats, and how to deal with them. There are a lot of add-ons that..

- lack switches for alternator/avionics/battery

- have disfunctional switches for alternator/avionics/battery

- do not initialize at all (Eaglesoft Hawker)

And there are other funny effects. For example, I sometimes start a flight cold and dark and then change the aircraft's position with the "slew" functionality BEFORE I turn on the battery and the avionics. But some aircraft's gauges do not take notice of the position change before being switched on, and therefore initialize incorrecty.

Regards,

Juergen

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Hmmm... As far as I can remember, the "default" startup situation just after a fresh install is: standing on a runway with all engines running, and ready for flight - except for flaps, trimming, IRS alignment, flight plan loaded etc... this may be tricky as well.

I think it's not a problem to use a dark&cold situation if you know about the limitations / caveats, and how to deal with them. There are a lot of add-ons that..

- lack switches for alternator/avionics/battery

- have disfunctional switches for alternator/avionics/battery

- do not initialize at all (Eaglesoft Hawker)

And there are other funny effects. For example, I sometimes start a flight cold and dark and then change the aircraft's position with the "slew" functionality BEFORE I turn on the battery and the avionics. But some aircraft's gauges do not take notice of the position change before being switched on, and therefore initialize incorrecty.

Regards,

Juergen

Correct, but please try my suggestion.

You can then use the save H-1 situation each time You want to fly the H-1 and be able to make a proper startup.

I guess it will help others to get this verified !!

Finn

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I had the same problems until I noticed that the "Avionics" switch does NOT switch on the battery. I created a shortcut for switching on the battery and when I hit this key before starting, in addition to the other preparations, the motor just starts fine.

You can see the effect of turning on the battery switch in the carb heat gauge - the temperature indicator rises immediately after switching on the battery. Just turning on the Avionics switch has no effect on it.

Juergen, that fixed it for me. As you say, turning on battery with a dedicated keypress --> carb temp goes up. Turning on avionics did not have the same effect. Most important: after I had turned on the battery, I was able to start the plane. I think this also explains why I was able to restart the plane without control-E later in the same flight: control-E had turned the battery on, and even though I had cut off fuel to the engine, the battery was still on.

However, I'm not sure if the (hidden) alternator/generator is turned on as well. Which could be the reason for the malfunction of some gauges after flying for a while. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out a way to detect whether the alternator is on, so when using a hot ke,y it is not possible to see if the alternator is really switched on. Therefore I always use CTRL+E to start the engines, which reliably turns on the alternator as well.

It seems to me there are two solutions:

1. Create a small, 2D instrument panel (similar to the new engine monitor) that has just two switches on it: battery and alternator. If you wanted to get fancy, you could add a gauge or two to monitor the electrical system. These gauges could be taken from any single-engine default plane (preferably one from the same era, and preferably one that's in the Standard version of FSX, so that the panel would work for EVERYONE). This would be very easy to implement.

2. Incorporate two additional switches into VC. This would be considerably more work.

I realize that having the "correct" default flight will probably solve both of these problems as well. But, in my view, that's creating unnecessary work for the customer. With a couple extra switches (which are standard on most aircraft anyway), it seems that the product can be made to work with any default flight.

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Juergen, that fixed it for me. As you say, turning on battery with a dedicated keypress --> carb temp goes up. Turning on avionics did not have the same effect. Most important: after I had turned on the battery, I was able to start the plane. I think this also explains why I was able to restart the plane without control-E later in the same flight: control-E had turned the battery on, and even though I had cut off fuel to the engine, the battery was still on.

It seems to me there are two solutions:

1. Create a small, 2D instrument panel (similar to the new engine monitor) that has just two switches on it: battery and alternator. If you wanted to get fancy, you could add a gauge or two to monitor the electrical system. These gauges could be taken from any single-engine default plane (preferably one from the same era, and preferably one that's in the Standard version of FSX, so that the panel would work for EVERYONE). This would be very easy to implement.

2. Incorporate two additional switches into VC. This would be considerably more work.

I realize that having the "correct" default flight will probably solve both of these problems as well. But, in my view, that's creating unnecessary work for the customer. With a couple extra switches (which are standard on most aircraft anyway), it seems that the product can be made to work with any default flight.

Pleas contact me on Private message and I will send You my saved flight !!

Should give You the opportunity to start "The right way" :-)

Finn

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finn, I created a startup file as you suggested. It worked just fine the time that I set it up and saved it. However, after that, launching the saved startup file had a serious defect that made it useless. Clicking on the Wobble lever would not increase the pressure; it remained at 0.0. Thus it appears that I have to setup a new startup file each time. I even tried saving one of these new startup files but it too had the same defect when relaunched - an inoperative Wobble lever.

Any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong? I've followed your instructions exactly, and they work fine, but just one time.

Thanks, Robert

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Sorry for my late answer. I have been on vacation.

Are You sure that when You try to start that the fuel selector is on and that You have moved the mixture all way forward ?

Especially the mixture will normally be at it's fully back position when the H-1 has loaded.

Finn

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Finn, I hope you had a good vacation, and I'm glad you're back because you diagnosed my problem. My saved startup file now works. It was either the fuel selector or the mixture position. When I set these after loading the saved flight, I'm able to get the pressure that I need to start. Interestingly, sometimes I reset these parameters, use the Wobble pump 9 times, and still get a 0.0 reading. But then all I need to do is reset the fuel selector and the move the mixture lever back and forth, and then the pressure registers properly without having to touch the Wobble pump again.

Thanks for the help.

Now, the only problem I've got remaining is with the trim, and I'll post about that separately and hope that you'll also have a quick solution for me.

Thanks again.

Robert

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