Getting Frustrated Now

[NeoMorph]

I'm beginning to think choosing the ATR as my cockpit choice is wayyyyyy wrong.

OK, so I wanted to practice my approach and landing... problem is that when I load up my save game the settings are all wrong. Switches are off, engines die, and the restart procedures don't work as the aircraft appears dead half the time. The other half of the time I get a dialog appear that says it is loading settings and parameters and the dialogue just doesn't go away.

When the plane is flying from A to B it works OK but if I save in mid-air it is hopeless... plane just falls out of the sky on reloading.

Do any of you experienced cockpit builders have any suggestions? I'm at the point where I am that close to ditching my cockpit project. At least I haven't bought any ATR specific parts yet...

[Bob Reed]

I am assuming you have some real hardware switches interfaced to your computer? Think about it, how is FS supposed to know where all those switches are set? This is not an ATR problem. You would have this problem no matter whT AC you chose. The only way this works automatically is if your  interface can do a scan to tell itself where the switches are set and then pass that data to FS so it "syncs" the switches to the sim.

[NeoMorph]

Actually no on the hardware switches at the moment. Just running on multiple screens without even a hardware rudder.

I think it's actually something to do with the way the ATR sets up the plane when it starts... Sometimes the reset works and other times it hangs and other times it fails completely. The save doesn't record settings for things it doesn't know in base FSX mode. Flight 1 must have added a bunch of extra settings which is also why I am having problems finding out how to access a bunch of the Annunciators for hardware outputs (for when my IOCards arrive).

Basically Flight 1 should have included a custom save/load system that incorporated the rest of the settings.  The software works if you treat it like a real plane (as in if it crashes then that plane is down and out). Training flights seem to be a nono. Strangely though, lots of people think this is a good plane yet there are still several glaring bugs with the system without any hardware switch problems being thrown into the mix. Flight 1 seem to have abandoned the project. That's why it's so depressing...

I'll carry on trying to figure out what the hell is going on with it (I paid for the thing after all) but until I am satisfied that the problems are fixable I won't be buying any ATR panels or stuff... There should be more people out there making ATR sims... guess I know some of the reasons why now.

[CeeGee]

Bob is correct, but I have troubleshooted this one before so you can try this. I assume that:
1. Your default aircraft is the ATR42.
2. Your saved Default condition for this aircraft is cold and dark [probably static at the gate, with all sytems off including electrics] which is the logical place and setup for our cockpits [well ours anyway].
Now change it:
3. Change your default flight that you save, to "hot" [engines running, all electrics on and navaids set with correct freqs, either at the gate or not].
4. Now fly the same flight and save it in the same place as before [originating from the saved and now default hot start].
5. This "should" sove the problem - ensure that the default saved flight is the ATR - "set as Default" lower middle left of the select aircraft box - you can do the same from the tool bar once started.
If not, there is a slightly longer fix, but I am pretty sure from what you said, that is your setup that is at fault [FSX will load your default aircraft in its default condition - even if saved in flight, no good if it is black and dark]. I hope that this helps, Charlie.

[NeoMorph]

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU

It was because the plane was on Cold and Dark mode... There were some weird effects due to using autostart (as I wanted to practice takeoffs and landing). I was occasionally getting the engines dying on takeoff (probably due to the silly fuel pumps not running heh).

I told you I was dumb in winter... 

I still get the intermittent load failures for some of the settings but at least the plane is actually not falling out of the sky now... When I'm actually doing proper flights from start to finish I will have to switch back to Cold and Dark. I do have to load up a normal FSX plane before loading the ATR though (which is apparently well known).

I wonder if the loading dialogue (the big blue box) is due to Windows 7? I've turned off everything to do with that silly UAC but maybe something else is playing up too. But the good news is that switching to hot seems to have stopped the dialog popping up as much as well.

My big problem is the damned meds I take turn my brain to mush in winter. Several times I walk from one room to another and totally forget what I am in there for... I go back and then remember and then forget again. I was beginning to think it was dementia but it's only bad in winter when I have to increase my pain meds.

So Bob and CeeGee... THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU again... I'd even posponed getting Instructor Station because it was hopeless with the ATR... They should have included this in the FAQ.

Oh and apparently to improve the flight even more I was told to use this from the guys over at the ATR forums... I wonder if it would be useful to you guys as well...

http://www.simforums.com/Forums/important-startup-flight-for-complex-aircraft_topic28987.html