Steering Float Twin Otter In The Water

[nigel grant 0]

The manual describes how to steer the Otter in water, in real life. In the simulator, the manual recommends a throttle quadrant. I don't want to buy a throttle quadrant (many times more expensive than the original Otter software), so what work-around is there in FSX? There is no ctrl-W and the CH rudder pedals won't steer it in water.

Nigel

Vancouver

[Tobus 161]

The manual describes how to steer the Otter in water, in real life. In the simulator, the manual recommends a throttle quadrant. I don't want to buy a throttle quadrant (many times more expensive than the original Otter software), so what work-around is there in FSX? There is no ctrl-W and the CH rudder pedals won't steer it in water.

Nigel

Vancouver

Use counter acting throttles for turning and reverse thrust for backward motion. i usually open a new window with an outside view to help keep my bearings in the process, and have the throttles window as my main window of operation until turned correctly.

[nigel grant 0]

Tobus

Thx for your response, I tried this but it is an incredibly cumbersome process; I have found that the aircraft will respond slowly to rudder action but if I need a sharp turn I change to slew mode - all very unsatisfactory for a payware product.

I hope someone from Aerosoft is reading this, why Aerosoft cannot provide a software work-around I don't know, Barry Blaisdell did so on his Twin Otter Float and it works well. I have been examining aircraft.cfg, panel.cfg and *.air files but cannot see a way to doing this.

I would like to hear some comments from Aerosoft Support - pls

Nigel

[Tobus 161]

Tobus

Thx for your response, I tried this but it is an incredibly cumbersome process; I have found that the aircraft will respond slowly to rudder action but if I need a sharp turn I change to slew mode - all very unsatisfactory for a payware product.

I hope someone from Aerosoft is reading this, why Aerosoft cannot provide a software work-around I don't know, Barry Blaisdell did so on his Twin Otter Float and it works well. I have been examining aircraft.cfg, panel.cfg and *.air files but cannot see a way to doing this.

I would like to hear some comments from Aerosoft Support - pls

Nigel

Well, you ARE on water with floats almost the length of your plane, so sharp turning is basically a no go. Waterrudders are sh*te anyway, since FSX is hopeless at simulating their steering capacities. I can't comment on experience in the real with this aircraft, but am curious if and how Aerosoft will respond in this thread.

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

Well, you ARE on water with floats almost the length of your plane, so sharp turning is basically a no go. Waterrudders are sh*te anyway, since FSX is hopeless at simulating their steering capacities. I can't comment on experience in the real with this aircraft, but am curious if and how Aerosoft will respond in this thread.

Well more or less like you did. FSX does a lousy job of handling this but in the real aircraft it is a major problem as well and that's why a paddle (oar?) is more or less a standard item on board one of those aircraft. I know of one Catalina that has a electric outboard engine that is passed from side to side to get it in tight places.

Thanks Chaders

[Snave 466]

Tobus

Thx for your response, I tried this but it is an incredibly cumbersome process; I have found that the aircraft will respond slowly to rudder action but if I need a sharp turn I change to slew mode - all very unsatisfactory for a payware product.

I hope someone from Aerosoft is reading this, why Aerosoft cannot provide a software work-around I don't know, Barry Blaisdell did so on his Twin Otter Float and it works well. I have been examining aircraft.cfg, panel.cfg and *.air files but cannot see a way to doing this.

I would like to hear some comments from Aerosoft Support - pls

Nigel

Simple solution: Assign keys to forward and reverse pitch action to each prop individually, problem solved. Especially if you know how the `repeat` function in FS works! Absolutely no need to change to slew mode, you can do all this from the VC and while you will never turn a floatplane on its own axis (I could explain the physics but fluid dynamics and solid object iinteraction is a complex subject) it is perfectly possible to move the Twotter to a dock, side-on, with skill. Rather than messing about with things that you don't understand - and believe me the ONLY thing you will achieve by messing with aircraft.cfg and.air files is a mess - try developing that skill!

The product you have is intended to be `cumbersome`, as that is the way it is. Mastering the art of manoeuvring a floatplane on water consumes MOST of the `flight` training regime for that license. It's a boat with little draft no keel, and a propensity for wind drift.

Now you know why.

[nigel grant 0]

Simple solution: Assign keys to forward and reverse pitch action to each prop individually, problem solved. Especially if you know how the `repeat` function in FS works! Absolutely no need to change to slew mode, you can do all this from the VC and while you will never turn a floatplane on its own axis

Thx Snave for your reply and suggestion. I went poking around in the FSX settings but did not see any which would apply to pitch actions for individual engines. I do have the payware of FSUIPC4 and I suspect I can do something in that program but am still working at it. Any tips or advice would be much appreciated

regards

Nigel

[nigel grant 0]

I did it!

Using FSUIPC4, I assigned four keys to Throttle1 and 2, incr and decr, and it works fine.

Thx everyone for their help

regards

Nigel

[Tobus 161]

I did it!

Using FSUIPC4, I assigned four keys to Throttle1 and 2, incr and decr, and it works fine.

Thx everyone for their help

regards

Nigel

and now I am curious how you did THAT!

[nigel grant 0]

and now I am curious how you did THAT!

Hi Tobus

You have to have FSUIPC4 installed, mine is the payware version and that is needed to get full access to all its functions.

Start up a flight with the Twin Otter floats, from the top menu go to addons and open up FSUIPC. Go to the “keys” tab.

I used the “F” and “V” keys respectively for the throttle incr and throttle decr for engine #1, and the “K” and “M” keys respectively for the throttle incr and throttle decr for engine #2.

Check the “Aircraft Specific” selection, and your current aircraft will be identified.

To assign an action to a keypress, press the Set button in the left hand panel. The edit box above displays ―PRESS KEY. Press your key selection, for example “F”, and you will see it displayed.

Next, you have to complete this selection by assigning an action to that key press ie “THROTTLE1_INCR”. Read the manual that comes with FSUIPC to make sure you follow the correct steps. Also do not select the repeat box.

Hope this helps

Nigel

ps My favourite float plane flight is between Vancouver and Victoria, Victoria is quite a bendy shoreline, hence my need for better steering

pps have you tried my CYVR scenery for FSX?

[nigel grant 0]

I used the "F" and "V" keys respectively for the throttle incr and throttle decr for engine #1, and the "K" and "M" keys respectively for the throttle incr and throttle decr for engine #2.

Correction: using the specific keys as above can have proiblems, even although their use did not conflict with my assignments, this does cause problems in the GPS, eg the "V" will not select in the GPS for CYVR, it will show CYR. I e-mailed Peter Dowson and the work-around is to put shift ahead of the key, ie "shift_V"

Nigel