Hi everyone,
Could there be a bug in the PM-MCP software or in the handshake with FSX? I tried to be as specific and as detailed as possible.
Use Case:
While in final ILS-approach with the glide-slope bug almost in the middle, I push the APP button. Nine times out of ten the plane stays on the same altitude, while the glide-slope bug starts moving downwards. It looks as if FSX doesn't (always) get the message that it should follow the glide-slope. Several re-select attempts do not change the behavior of the plane in any way.
Since only the APP button has this problem, and f.i. the VOR LOC never, I am thinking of a software- or handshake bug. The button lits and when we run the CPFlight test software, the button works 100% of the time, so I don't think it is a hardware issue.
It happens (not always) on crowded airports with heavy scenery like EGLL and EHAM and on desolated ones like EHGG ILS RWY23.
I tried to overrule by pushing Ctrl+A on the FSX-keyboard to see what happens, but since I have deleted all gauches in the config file, I am not surprised that FSX cannot handle the Ctrl+A. Perhaps it should, what might prove something.
As I understood from a friend, who is a professional captain and instructor for KLM on the 737, when it comes to ILS following, the VOR LOC and APP buttons should always overrule any other signal or system when selected.
I fly FSX with automatic generated weather. When in level flight, weather changes sometimes make the altimeter swing like mad. The autopilot and autothrottle do everything to correct the situation. My guess is, that when weather change happens during final approach, the APP button signal gets lost somewhere, because I hear and see the same kind of actions. Since I am on local QNH that should not happen, but it does. First I thought it had something to do with the scenery, so I started to test at EHGG ILS RWY23. Same problem. When I keep up the automatic real world weather generation the problem exists on every approach. When I switch to No weather-Clear sky's the bird follows the glide path like it should. So if I am right, and the problem does not come from another dark corner of all software, it seems that the APP button signal does not always triggers FSX to follow the glideslope. Since this never happens with the VOR LOC, which I used just before I click in APP, I think both signals follow different paths to FSX.
Anyone familiar with this behaviour?
My hard- and software configuration can be found on http://www.b737sim.nl/components.html
Greetings,
Benno