airernie 7 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Just got the Katanta over the weekend and still trying to get it to successfully start. I am using simple mode. All items in the walk around appear to be successfully completed (no blue text). There is nothing on the ground around the aircraft and all of the covers appear closed. I even ran the inspection (though it shouldn't be necessary in simple mode), to see if there is anything wrong. The only issue that I see and it may not even be an issue is that FUEL light does not illuminate during the before engine start. However, the manual seems to indicate that it could take as much as 10 minutes for this to happen. I've been going through the checklist step by step, and even printed and bound a copy of the manual so that I could refer to it during the process. The problem is that as soon as I start the engine I get a large amount of smoke coming from the passenger side of the cowl. This has happened all four or five times that I have attempted to start the engine. I'm pretty sure that this isn't supposed to happen although I've owned automobiles in my youth where that was expected behavior. If I'm missing something, then I sure don't know what it is. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated because I would love to get this puppy in the air at some point. Thanks, Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDNR-Cruiser 319 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Don't worry, Ernie - that's normal for the Katana 4X The exhaust of the Rotax engine is under the right side of the cowling and every time you start the engine, there's a little smoke coming out of the exhaust... - guess it's because the mixture is pretty rich when you start the engine, add a little oil and voilà... As long as the dark cloud disappears within seconds everything is normal, otherwise I'd go for the fire extinguisher... *just kiddin...* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airernie 7 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Thanks.. I shall then attempt the next step, which is taxi. :-) Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airernie 7 Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Wow! The smoke just doesn't want to go away. A puff or a couple of seconds of smoke I would expect, but I seem to get smoke for as long as I'm willing to let the aircraft run. . I did a reset of the aircraft this morning, put it back in simple mode, ran both the maintenance and service inspections, with no yellow or red icons and performed the preflight inspection. Also, the blue graphic of the oil and cooler caps don't stay visible on the screen, when I'm in simple mode and only appear when I move my mouse over where they should be. I can still move them on/off their reservoirs, they just don't remain visible. The caps do appear correctly if the mode is set to realistic. Thanks, Ernie Windows XP SP3, Q9550 OC 3.4 Ghz, 2 GB RAM, FSX w/Accelleration Pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDNR-Cruiser 319 Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 That's weird! Never had that problem so far.... - did you check if the engine of your Katana smokes as much in realistic mode, too? I never tried the simple model but as far as I understand the concept it should be bullet proof and provide you with a brand new fresh aircraft every time you launch the FSX and the Katana. In simple mode there is NO need whatsoever to perform any pre-flight checks as the aircraft should be brand new anyway. I'm not sure though whether switching modes requires an FSX restart or not... If I were you, I would simply reset the Katana once more, pick the simple model and then restart the FSX, load the Katana and simply start the engine without any further pre-flight checks or inspections - which are completely unneccessary in simple mode. All I would perhaps check is that the carburetor heat is turned off but that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airernie 7 Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 I haven't tried realistic mode yet, but give it a go tomorrow. I will also take your suggestion of just getting in and going in the simple mode. Will let you know what I find out. Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snave 466 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Turn OFF automixture in FSX realism settings. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airernie 7 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Thanks, automixture was already off per manual. I ran a couple of tests this morning in both Simple (skipping the walk around and making sure carb heat was off) and Realistic. I completely exited FSX and used the Aerosoft reset configuration option before the intial start of FSX and prior to each test. In realistic I ran both the maintenance and service inspections to insure there were no issues, performed the walk around and did the pre-flight. No differences, smoke in both cases. All guages looked good, or at least to me. I decided to try a short hop in simple mode. Successful take off and landing. Plane flew great, but smoke all the way to destination. Not visible from cockpit, but it was in external view. At least other pilots won't have trouble spotting my plane. Later today I will try the takeoff and landing in realistic to see if something breaks.. BTW, tests were done from "cold and dark". Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMFM 0 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Hi, Just curiosity, but noticed in the picture above, that your start key-switch is set to OFF. Shoudn't be if you started "Cold & Dark". Back to your problem, although I'm aware that you have performed a complete reset, have you confirm the oil level? I tend to keep my max. oil level at about 80%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDNR-Cruiser 319 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Ernie, How did you get your engine running at all with the ignition (and magnetos) in the OFF-position???? That's definitely NOT by the books... The Katana 4X is a very complex aircraft and requires you to follow procedures and watch limits carefully... - otherwise things break or don't work correctly... BTW... - there is very little difference in system wear and damage in simple mode vs. realistic mode, according to Marcel Felde, the designer of the model. You can damage your aircraft in simple mode as easily as in realistic mode. The main difference is that in simple mode some systems work slightly different and every time you load the aircraft it will be in mint condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airernie 7 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Thanks for pointing it out. It's likely a mis-communications between the Katana and my FSX control settings. I have one of the toggles on my CH Flight Yoke set to engine start/stop. Apparently, the Katana isn't picking up on the changes in the switch. I recall the manual, or setup screen, warning of a similar thing with flaps. I'll give it a go again and try clicking on the switch with my mouse rather than using the yoke switch. I didn't confirm the oil level in simple, but when I did the walk around in realistic mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airernie 7 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Wow! Good catch guys.. Using the mouse button instead of the yoke switch to start the plane was the secret. A wee bit of smoke, then there was none.. This plane definitely needs an FAQ, or something posted that says; "got this problem? try this".. Thanks so much for the help.. I absolutely, positively couldn't have done it without you.. Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDNR-Cruiser 319 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Well, it's all in the manuals! There are check-lists, procedures and also hints that certain FS shortcuts like "CTRL-E" to start the engine will lead to strange results... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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