A320 TQ Operation Questions

Hi all,

I wondered if someone would explain to me what the detent and lock is for on the thrust levers? It looks like the function is to lift the thrust reverse lever with your finger and it releases a pin or latch of some kind to enable the thrust lever to be pulled all the way back. If this is the case, do you enable thrust reverse by reading the value of the throttle pot, or is there another pot or switch for thrust reverse enable? If it's a pot does that mean that you can have a variable amount of reverse thrust?

Sorry for what are probably silly questions, but having never flown a real A320 I have no idea how it works, so no way to know how to simulate it other than looking at photos and asking silly questions:)

Thanks,

Buddy

The Detents on the Thrust lever of the A-320 are to engage the several Modes of the A/THR itself... Each Gate arms or engages a Different Mode you have CLB/FLX MCT/TOGA.

CLB Detent is where the throttles will remain at most of the flight cause that is the normal operation of the Autothrust... FLX It is used for Takeoff and it is a derated thrust setting that is inserted into the MCDU by using a FLEX Temperature value. TOGA... Well that is basically all the thrust you will have available also it will command the Flight Directors to a TAKE OFF GO AROUND MODE for Flight... Now FLX also has MCT which is Max Continuous Thrust that is a mode used when you loose an engine,

Regards,

Roberto

Thanks Roberto for the good explanation. In regards to simulation, looking at the TQs from westozy, FDS, etc.... I can only see one detent position... is this correct or am I missing something? If there is only 1 detent in the sim tq, is that the detent you must "pass" to engage reverse thrust? Also, after skimming the web a bit more I found a very interesting site http://www.click4cbt.com/cpatfreedemos/cpatA320.htm maybe everyone here has already seen it.... one of the slides it goes thru seems to indicate that reverse thrust is only the redirection of airflow, and that there is a setting for Reverse Idle and a setting for Max Reverse. Does this mean that there are 2 settings, or is the amount of reverse thrust variable between the 2 indications on the housing? Ff the amount of reverse thrust is variable does the system vary the engine power or simply redirect more airflow in the reverse direction? If the amount is varied, do simmers normally simulate this functionality, and if so, is it accomplished with a seperate pot from the throttle pot?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I need to know!

The reverse Thrust has one Detent which is Rev Idle, Whne the Thrust levers are in Idle and on the ground of course you pull the black handles on the levers and when you pul up and bring the throttles back you put them in the REV Idle detent if you move them further backwards you apply the reverse thrust... basically on Reverse Idle you only arm the reversers and you see on the ENGINE it opens up throwing the flow forward instead of backwards... If you pull the Lever further Back that applies power and reverse Thrust...

Regards,

Roberto

Thanks again! So, when simulating the reverse thrust how do you tell FS that you have armed the reversers, and then further how to you tell FS that you have applied power, and much?


Thanks,

Buddy

No Idea on that one Buddy!!

Regards,

Roberto

Well like I said earlier, thanks very much for all of the help. If/when I get this figured out I will post what I think I understand here for review and comment. I just don't want to go running down the trail with the throttle assembly and find out in 6 months I didn't include a provision for something important.

EDIT:

I think Peter Dowson has all the answers sometimes! A quick look at the FSUIPC User Guide had this to say"

"In additional to these “official” FS axes, FSUIPC allows assignments to be made for a JET THRUST REVERSER, an AILERON TRIM axis, a RUDDER TRIM and up to four COWL FLAP axes. These are all on Pages 7 and 8 of the Joystick Options. Normally you would have to edit the FSUIPC.INI file to assign otherwise unused FS axis controls for these to be used. However, in the case of the Jet Reverser, it is so useful that FSUIPC by default assigns the AXIS_MIXTURE_SET control to this—the standard mixture lever you would use on Prop and Turbojet aircraft. There is a checkbox on Page 7 so that you can have that lever operating as a reversing lever only when a Jet aircraft is in use. Note that the reversing action is interlocked to the throttle(s). They must all be idling before reverse will engage.
Using the two trim controls on Page 7, or any of the cowl flap axes on Page 8, will need editing in the FSUIPC.INI file, and this is described in the Advanced Users Guide."

ALSO:

THROTTLE1_SET
THROTTLE2_SET
THROTTLE3_SET
THROTTLE4_SET
AXIS_THROTTLE1_SET (FS2002/4)
AXIS_THROTTLE2_SET
AXIS_THROTTLE3_SET
AXIS_THROTTLE4_SET
Separate throttle controls for each of up to 4 engines, with reverse thrust capability
–4096 (full reverse*) via 0 (idle) to +16384 (full forward). All four are operated together if you map a single axis assigned to AXIS_THROTTLE_SET to these.

Since FS2002 these are replaced by those with the AXIS_ prefix. FSUIPC handles both identically.

* The actual negative value for “full reverse” is defined in the aircraft parameters (the .AIR file). Since version 2.975 FSUIPC has calibrated reverse to match the aircraft, so you will see different values here, not just the nominal ‘–4096’.




Thanks,

Buddy