Boeing Stratoliner AP not working?

[M.I.B.]

Hello,
For those familiar with the 307 Stratoliner, is the autopilot in your case working (when using Glenn Duncan's panel)? In my case it simply doesn't do anything, neither the HDG select nor the pitch hold functions work. When I activate the AP, the pitch bug (the one displaying the degree of pitch up or down selected for the AP to maintain) disappears, and no matter how much I turn the knob, it doesn't come back into view until I disengage the AP, that's when I can see it emerging from the bottom side of the attitude indicator, if I turn the pitch knob enough. Has anyone experienced this before with Glenn's 307 panel? I wasn't aware this panel existed, I took it, liked it, but the AP does nothing Thank you for any help attempt!

Best Regards,
D

[chris_c]

I have a lot of trips completed in Glenn's Stratoliner and C-75 but do not recall issues with the autopilot and just did a quick test hop around KMKC to check. I tried course holding and pitch settings and both performed nominally, that is to say it functioned as expected and without any graphic anomalies. That said, this is using FS9 (assuming you are using FSX) but I can state that I have not experienced anything resembling what you're describing.

The only thing that comes to mind is to check that the ...\Aircraft\Panels\B307-C75wgd\B307FS folder contains the correct *.xml and *.bmp files but that's probably reaching for a solution.

Sorry. I hope that you can get this sorted out as Mr. Duncan's Boeing 307 is a real gem.

Chris

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

Does the aircraft.cfg file contain an Autopilot section? If so, post it here.

[M.I.B.]

Thank you so much gents, any help attempt is much appreciated! Forgot to mention: I only use FS2004.
Tom - Here it is:

[autopilot]
autopilot_available=1
flight_director_available=0
default_vertical_speed=700.000000
autothrottle_available=0
pitch_takeoff_ga=8.000000
use_no_default_pitch=1
use_no_default_bank=1
default_pitch_mode=0
default_bank_mode=0
max_pitch=10.000000
max_pitch_acceleration=1.000000
max_pitch_velocity_lo_alt=2.000000
max_pitch_velocity_hi_alt=1.500000
max_pitch_velocity_lo_alt_breakpoint=20000.000000
max_pitch_velocity_hi_alt_breakpoint=28000.000000
max_bank=25.000000
max_bank_acceleration=1.800000
max_bank_velocity=3.000000
max_throttle_rate=0.100000
nav_proportional_control=9.000000
nav_integrator_control=0.250000
nav_derivative_control=0.000000
nav_integrator_boundary=2.500000
nav_derivative_boundary=0.000000
gs_proportional_control=9.520000
gs_integrator_control=0.260000
gs_derivative_control=0.000000
gs_integrator_boundary=0.700000
gs_derivative_boundary=0.000000
yaw_damper_gain=0.000000

[Tom/CalClassic]

That looks OK, so that's probably not it...

But as an experiment, try to edit these lines:

use_no_default_pitch=1
use_no_default_bank=1
default_pitch_mode=0
default_bank_mode=0

to:

use_no_default_pitch=0
use_no_default_bank=1
default_pitch_mode=1
default_bank_mode=0

[M.I.B.]

Yippyyyy, finally some progress I've just applied those modifications and the pitch hold mode now works flawlessly. The heading hold works too, but only if I press CTRL+H after engaging the AP. Maybe if I could find a way to make the AP engage HDG hold upon its (AP) activation, I'd have it all working as it's supposed to, but even with having to press CTRL+H all the time, I'm still happy with it, so THANK YOU Tom so much for this!!!! Would've never figured it out myself. I owe you a beer sir

[Tom/CalClassic]

Change the bank lines in the same way and heading hold may work the way you want.

[M.I.B.]

use_no_default_bank=0
default_bank_mode=2

This was the key to make HDG HOLD work properly, problem fully solved, all works well now. I looked into the aircraft cfg (autopilot section) of the default DC-3 for inspiration, since the AP featured in this 307 panel is basically the default DC-3 AP, and sure enough, I found my inspiration. The last line in the autopilot section of the default DC-3 a/c cfg is: "default_bank_mode=2 //Default to Heading Hold" that was all I needed to know, I put 2 for "default_bank_mode=" in the 307 config as well, so the AP defaults to HDG hold. But it still didn't work, it kept reverting to "default_bank_mode=0" until I changed "use_no_default_bank=1" to "use_no_default_bank=0". I'm so relieved, thanks again Tom for your valued help, without it, I most likely would've ditched this wonderful panel. And thank you too Chris, I sure did get it sorted out quickly, with expert help. But I still find it odd that others (if not everybody except me) don't need this modification to get the AP to work, weird...

Best Regards,
D

[chris_c]

Curious, my Stratoliner and C-75 autopilot work fine but none of the lines listed by Tom are present in the [Autopilot] paragraph of either aircraft.cfg. However, both folders contain an aircraft.bak file that does have those lines as Dorel noted. I seem to recall that Glenn issued an update at some point but it does not appear at Flightsim or Avsim although one is referenced in the entry for his B-307/C-75 panel of Flightsim.

Glad you're sorted.

Chris

[M.I.B.]

Well, all's well that ends well, I'm loving this panel, gotta get certain things just right, or it will punish me. In the following pic - the excitement of a functioning basic AP

[Tom/CalClassic]

Glad you got it working. Yes, you need to edit both the use_no_default_bank AND the default_bank_mode lines to get things working again.