Virtavia C-17 Globemaster III is OUT!!!

Hey guys, is anyone else having an issue with the C-17 Autopilot in FSX? I am using the VC and for some reason, the AP master switch is inoperative(it will not move when moused/clicked). The readouts for setting the Alt and Heading, etc work fine but no engagement of the AP function. The other items that seem affected by the issue are the GPS and the Backup Artificial Horizon which are also INOP. Oddly, the Autothrottle works fine and all other instruments and displays work perfectly. It makes me wonder if there is a Electrics mapping issue or something interfering with the affected gauges/systems. I have reinstalled and no joy, same issue. Support ticket in to Virtavia but just wanted to know if anyone else besides me has an issue like this?

Otherwise, the model is incredible and the frame rates on my dated system are excellent at this level of detail.
 
Yep, it looks just like the ones that fly over my house here in DE. And just as pretty too..... but noisy as all get out. LOL
 
Storm,
I reported it and am waiting for the crew to check it out.

Update: I re-loaded the aircraft and the switch, which is located on the right hand side of the panel, actually worked ok. So, i don't know at this point I'll keep an eye on it.

Update 2: switch seems to work ok. reloaded aircraft, went to panel switched on autopilot and it worked fine.
 
Oh I sooooooo want this, it looks great.

Sadly, it would need the FMC in place though.
 
mal998 said:
Storm,
I reported it and am waiting for the crew to check it out.

Update: I re-loaded the aircraft and the switch, which is located on the right hand side of the panel, actually worked ok. So, i don't know at this point I'll keep an eye on it.

Update 2: switch seems to work ok. reloaded aircraft, went to panel switched on autopilot and it worked fine.
Click to expand...

Mal, I am going to uninstall and start over just to make sure if something may have been corrupted. I went and checked out the B-1B and some other models to make sure there was no FSX anomaly going on that were interfering with gauges but only the C-17 was experiencing the issue as described. When I get the model reinstalled, I will advise if there is any change.

FYI folks, there is a good freeware Honeywell FMC over at Avsim that should be a drop-in for the C-17 panel. Also, I tested EasyFBW freeware program with the C-17 and it worked perfectly adding Autotrim and other Fly-By-Wire aspects without pitch & bank limiters.
 
Here is my little review.

Rug2K.jpg


It flies nicely. I am sure Mr. Ogluin can get better flight data than anyone here. At low speeds it handles very much like a fighter, but when you add cargo you can definitely feel the extra weight.

The VC looks spot on. It does miss a few functions, most noted was the FMC. I would prefer a map page much similar to the actual C-17s, where you can at least see the flight plan, but the GPS map is not bad either. Everything else is pretty straight forward minus the EPR ratings, which just take some time to play around with to fully understand.

The one thing I have to complain about though, is the HUD. The HUD is displayed at a 45 degree angle or so, and it is comparable to trying to look at a laptop screen also angled at 45 degrees. In my second picture, you can see what I am talking about. I personally find the HUD useless in this case, as I just cannot see anything from my default view angle. The two times I have sat in the cockpit of a C-17, the HUD has been off so I cannot really say from actual experience, but videos and pictures I have seen show the HUD to be flat rather than at this angle.

wW15T.jpg


The last little complaint I have about the HUD, is the Flight Path Marker. It is several times larger than an actual FPM, but more so it does not work. Upon approach my FPM was at the other end of the runway, not where I was about to touch down. Overall it just doesn't seem to work like the FPMs in other aircraft, such as the Aerosoft F-16.

Please do not take anything I said above negatively towards Virtavia. I am very pleased to see the VC after this very long wait, and personally think it came out quite nicely, minus the 3 things I mentioned. I do hope something is done about the HUD and FMC though, as those two alone would greatly increase my fun in the aircraft.

To those of you asking about the Reverse Thrusters, yes they work very well. As for the repaints done a long time ago, I think they will work, but I have yet to test them.

Thank you Virtavia for your hard work and great product.
 
StormILM said:
Mal, I am going to uninstall and start over just to make sure if something may have been corrupted. I went and checked out the B-1B and some other models to make sure there was no FSX anomaly going on that were interfering with gauges but only the C-17 was experiencing the issue as described. When I get the model reinstalled, I will advise if there is any change.

FYI folks, there is a good freeware Honeywell FMC over at Avsim that should be a drop-in for the C-17 panel. Also, I tested EasyFBW freeware program with the C-17 and it worked perfectly adding Autotrim and other Fly-By-Wire aspects without pitch & bank limiters.
Click to expand...
It could be that the small patches over the full install are causing the problems. The AP was working fine last week. I flew a flight plan course using it to control heading and altitude changes as well as approach. I just looked again running a full set of tests and am seeing issues now -- it does turn on/off for me however. In the mean time until it is sorted, the AP on the 2D panel works fine and does update the AP in the VC.

The backup artifical horizon is working fine for me so not sure what's up there.

The standalong FMC that Storm mentioned is "fmc-1.zip" by Garrett Smith at flightsim.com. I've had it installed on the default 737-800 and am working on getting it to work here as well.

Thanks for screen shots and comments Merlin216. I agree about the flight plan on the map view. I asked for that feature during testing. Also during testing I flew her with some of the repaints by Nathan Havercroft from the original release and they do work with this version. Just do a search for "alphasim c-17" and you'll find several.

Going to scrape the whole thing off now along with the 2-3 mini patches and reinstall the full package and see how it looks after that.
:ernae:
 
fsafranek said:
Thanks for screen shots and comments Merlin216. I agree about the flight plan on the map view. I asked for that feature during testing. Also during testing I flew her with some of the repaints by Nathan Havercroft from the original release and they do work with this version. Just do a search for "alphasim c-17" and you'll find several.

Going to scrape the whole thing off now along with the 2-3 mini patches and reinstall the full package and see how it looks after that.
:ernae:
Click to expand...

Thank you Frank. Your updates near the end were very nice to have.

I could not remember whos name it was that did the repaints. Nathan has done quite a few, and are definitely work checking out. I am glad to hear they work still.
 
Mal and I got the Autopilot Electrical issue sorted by adjusting the aircraft config [electrical] section entry: "electric_always_available =" from 0 to 1. Whatever anomaly was going on with my setup and the C-17 was cured by that simple adjustment. Everything is 100% now and it is a great model.

Regarding Garrett Smith's FMC- fmc-1.zip, the panel config entry edit as follows:

Window07=FMC//GPS

[Window07]
Background_color=16,16,16
size_mm=325,512
window_size_ratio=1.000
position=0
visible=0
ident=GPS_PANEL // change if you keep your GPS window
window_size= 0.255, 0.475
window_pos= 0.745, 0.520

gauge00=HoneywellFMC!fmc, 0,0,325,512

That's it! :salute::ernae:
 
Anyone looking to test out the STOL characteristics, there's a highway strip in Kuwait (ICAO: Z19M), I'm having some great fun slamming on the reverse thrust in the middle of a Khe Sanh Approach.

The only things that would make this better would be a working FMC and perhaps a more legible/higher contrast HUD, apart from that, it's a great plane. :)
 
StormILM said:
Mal and I got the Autopilot Electrical issue sorted by adjusting the aircraft config [electrical] section entry: "electric_always_available =" from 0 to 1. Whatever anomaly was going on with my setup and the C-17 was cured by that simple adjustment. Everything is 100% now and it is a great model.
Click to expand...

I did not fully pay attention to your problem, so excuse me for asking about this yet again. Were you not able to turn the Autopilot on after having the battery off for several minutes? I have noticed even long before the VC that if you turn the battery off, your AP becomes non functional and your GPS will never turn back on. After I had the battery off and those functions became INOP I had to completely select a whole new aircraft like a default cessna, and jump back in the 17 to get the GPS and AP to work.

If that is what you were having problems with I apologize for not paying attention, as it may have saved some grief. Thank you though for posting that fix. I thought I had done this at one point with the old aircraft, but I guess I did something else.
 
Merlin216 said:
I did not fully pay attention to your problem, so excuse me for asking about this yet again. Were you not able to turn the Autopilot on after having the battery off for several minutes? I have noticed even long before the VC that if you turn the battery off, your AP becomes non functional and your GPS will never turn back on. After I had the battery off and those functions became INOP I had to completely select a whole new aircraft like a default cessna, and jump back in the 17 to get the GPS and AP to work.

If that is what you were having problems with I apologize for not paying attention, as it may have saved some grief. Thank you though for posting that fix. I thought I had done this at one point with the old aircraft, but I guess I did something else.
Click to expand...

Hi Merlin, I have my default flight set as engines off and perhaps that has something to do with the anomaly or not. With the C-17, I immediately started the engines and all instruments worked except the backup Attitude Indicator, the GPS, and the Autopilot Master Switch would not move when clicked. Funny thing is that the Auto Throttle Switch and system and everything else worked fine. It just struck me as odd as apparently only a few people are having this issue and other testers did not during and after the beta phase. But the config entry change to the electrics cleared up the problem and everything is 100% functional now. As a matter of fact, I am flight testing it right now on a 2500mn flight and all is working flawlessly.
 
StormILM said:
Hi Merlin, I have my default flight set as engines off and perhaps that has something to do with the anomaly or not. With the C-17, I immediately started the engines and all instruments worked except the backup Attitude Indicator, the GPS, and the Autopilot Master Switch would not move when clicked. Funny thing is that the Auto Throttle Switch and system and everything else worked fine. It just struck me as odd as apparently only a few people are having this issue and other testers did not during and after the beta phase. But the config entry change to the electrics cleared up the problem and everything is 100% functional now. As a matter of fact, I am flight testing it right now on a 2500mn flight and all is working flawlessly.
Click to expand...

Yes this is exactly what problem I have always had. I find it has to do with the battery being off for only a few minutes. I have just flown a short 250nm hop and was able to test your change, which works, but I would like to actually have everything in the aircraft turn off when I shut off the battery switch. That fix is by far better than losing my AP, backup attitude, and GPS though.

I am assuming with your default flight, the batteries are also off right?
 
Figure Ill upload a couple old pictures

wVCfb.jpg


We had a few on this flight, so that was nice to see a bunch of these birds in the air at once. Would love to do it again sometime.

7NY7q.jpg
 
For anyone still having problems adjusting the AP values keep in mind that adjustments are made by putting the cursor over the knob (so it changes to a hand symbol) and then use the MOUSEWHEEL to adjust the value up or down.
:ernae:
 
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