Cold Start Speed Indication (Issue?)

[DTWD]

First off Happy new year to you all, not that it actually means squat.

 

I have had a quick search of the forums but it's a little mad round here of late and I don't really know what the problem is so it's difficult to find another post. If however it has already been answered please just point me to the post.

 

I always do a cold start and at the moment always via the start up "cheat". This is mainly down to not being able to devote enough time to learning it as yet.

 

Anyway I am slowly learning the little "quirks" of the helecopter and how to work around issues (not bugs but actual things the helecopter does that doesn't seem too clever) , but one thing that I cant work out is that after take off I get no speed read out on the hud or on the analogue airspeed dial.

 

After a few minutes it comes online and I can go about my business, however, if I try and do anything with the autohover, because I assume it is missing important speed data, it disables all autopilots and I go into a bit of a spiraling dance. Luckily I figured out the cause of the dance was the autohover being activated before the speed came online, but it's still anoying not to be able to use autohover straight after take off. This is mainly down to the fact I like to take off, hold it in a hover manually then activate the auto hover while I put my head in the cockpit and check the readouts without having to worry about drifting into someone else.

 

So I was wondering is it me not having something ready, a "quirk" or is it for some reason specifically? I could could kind of accept the hud speed not comming up straight away, but the analogue dial reads 0 as well, which seems a bit odd. Unless of course the dial is fed by the same system as the hud is and it isn't a backup dial as I assumed it was.

 

Many thanks.

[AlphaOneSix]

Wait longer for the INU to align.

 

The analog gauge has a direct connection to the front of the helicopter, so it should be working...were you not going fast enough? It doesn't really start working until almost 50kmh or something like that.

[DTWD]

No I wouldn't have acceded 50 kmh, I am just hovering around the take off point.

 

So if I leave the chopper down on the ground long enough the INU will align and I can take off with a speed reading?

[AlphaOneSix]

I think it still takes a few seconds to start reading on the HUD, but yes. The autopilot freaking out with blinking lights is definitely an INU problem.

 

I think it takes three minutes to align the INU from the time you turn it on. Not positive though. I'm still looking for some kind of cockpit indication that it's done and ready to go.

[Stingray]

I think it still takes a few seconds to start reading on the HUD, but yes. The autopilot freaking out with blinking lights is definitely an INU problem.

 

I think it takes three minutes to align the INU from the time you turn it on. Not positive though. I'm still looking for some kind of cockpit indication that it's done and ready to go.

 

Yo, if it takes 3 minutes to warm up the INU, what is the earliest stage that you can start it up in the startup procedure? I am working on getting my full start procedure down as fast as possible, so would it be possible to start it right away, as soon as the batteries are on?

 

Stingray

[AlphaOneSix]

so would it be possible to start it right away, as soon as the batteries are on?

 

Sure, that works just fine...just realize that starting as fast as possible and starting as realistically as possible are two different things. But yeah, when you just want to get up and running as quickly as possible, turn on the INU immediately after turning on the batteries. While you're at it, get the ABRIS, too, since it takes a few minutes to start up as well.

[Grayhawk]

I have run into the same problem myself, whenever I do a manual cold start I never see the ground speed in the HUD and Auto Hover goes crazy with auto pilot lights flashing as the bird bucks and spins out of control.

 

However, when ever I auto start everything works as it should. I have tried everything I can think of to fix this, including sitting on the ground for up to 10 minutes, all to no avail.

 

Any suggestions?

[Stingray]

Sure, that works just fine...just realize that starting as fast as possible and starting as realistically as possible are two different things.

 

Thats good, because there is nothing, and I do mean absolutely nothing, realistic in the haphazard, suicidal and mostly incompetent way in which I try to fly this bird. It doesn't help that the "8 hours bottle-to-throttle" rule isn't enforced (or recommended) when I get behind the controls :)

 

Stingray

[AlphaOneSix]

I have run into the same problem myself, whenever I do a manual cold start I never see the ground speed in the HUD and Auto Hover goes crazy with auto pilot lights flashing as the bird bucks and spins out of control.

 

However, when ever I auto start everything works as it should. I have tried everything I can think of to fix this, including sitting on the ground for up to 10 minutes, all to no avail.

 

Any suggestions?

 

If it has been 10 minutes, then you probably never even turned on the INU.

[Wheelyy69]

Is there a way to know if the INU is aligned ?

[AlphaOneSix]

Is there a way to know if the INU is aligned ?

 

Haven't figured that out yet, so I'm tending to think the answer is now, you just have to know to wait about three minutes after turning it on. Of course, you can take off and fly before it finishes aligning (it will eventually finish in-flight), just don't try to auto-hover. ;)

[miguez]

I believe the HUD only comes up after the INU has aligned. And while the HUD is not up, the "HUD NOT READY" yellow caution light is on on the right overhead panel.

[AlphaOneSix]

The HUD will come online before the INU is done aligning.

[miguez]

The HUD will come online before the INU is done aligning.

 

Aha, thanks for the info. So, is there any other visual indication that the INU has aligned?

[AlphaOneSix]

Aha, thanks for the info. So, is there any other visual indication that the INU has aligned?

 

Sadly, not that I'm aware of. Hopefully I (or someone) will figure it out. ;)

[DTWD]

Many thanks for answering the questions AlphaOneSix.

[Slayer]

Haven't figured that out yet, so I'm tending to think the answer is now, you just have to know to wait about three minutes after turning it on. Of course, you can take off and fly before it finishes aligning (it will eventually finish in-flight), just don't try to auto-hover. ;)

 

In my experience if I take off too soon, the EKRAN will have a warning about INU alignment for the rest of the mission. Unless I land again to rearm and do another full startup. It never seems to finish the alignment after I takeoff :/

[TX-EcoDragon]

While the aircraft that I fly that feature such systems are fixed wing, in those cases we must remain stationary on the ramp, we do not even taxi. . .moving the aircraft before alignment completes means we have to start all over again. . . of course we have cockpit annunciators that let us know when alignment and initialization is complete, which does indeed help!

[Grayhawk]

I have used three separate cold start check lists, followed the procedures meticulously, used the cockpit stop watch to insure I have been stationary for at least 3 minutes, and still auto hover goes crazy when I apply it.

 

I have spent hours working on this and it's driving me crazy. :wacko:

 

Has anyone actually gotten this to work? If yes, what am I missing?

[Bobcat]

Grayhawk

 

Start her up, take off and fly around for a few minutes. You will then be able to use hover without the blue lights / auto hover throwing a fit. I have no clue as to why this happens though.

 

BC

[Weta43]

Slightly OT, but you know you can re-align it inflight don't you ?

[TX-EcoDragon]

I have used three separate cold start check lists, followed the procedures meticulously, used the cockpit stop watch to insure I have been stationary for at least 3 minutes, and still auto hover goes crazy when I apply it.

 

I have spent hours working on this and it's driving me crazy. :wacko:

 

Has anyone actually gotten this to work? If yes, what am I missing?

 

Well, for me it works 99% of the time. . .I posted elsewhere on this same subject, myself and a few squaddies have had the same thing happen - even when there was no obvious explaination. . .and even when INU alignment shouldn't be a concern. Still haven't gotten it figured out, but usually it's just a matter of reactivating the AP modes, and re-entering a hover (that is unless the gyrations it does kills you first).

[Grayhawk]

Well, for me it works 99% of the time. . .I posted elsewhere on this same subject, myself and a few squaddies have had the same thing happen - even when there was no obvious explaination. . .and even when INU alignment shouldn't be a concern. Still haven't gotten it figured out, but usually it's just a matter of reactivating the AP modes, and re-entering a hover (that is unless the gyrations it does kills you first).

 

I think I have solved the riddle, it's the throttle setting. I was forgetting to set the throttle to automatic, which left it in the low setting. The result is ground speed will most often not be displayed in the HUD and auto hover goes crazy every time.

 

I kind of doubt this is a feature of the Ka-50, and may be a bug in the program.

[ZaltysZ]

If rotors are slowed enough during a flight and there is power outage, AP (and maybe INU) will experience kinda of reset and will have to be aligned again before usage. So if you got blank TV screen recently, you should not engage auto hover for some minutes or at least should be prepared for blinking AP lights.

[RvETito]

I kind of doubt this is a feature of the Ka-50, and may be a bug in the program.

 

Classic! :D Not a bug, 100% realistic feature. What happens is you lose the AC generators (AC main bus). They are turned off/on automatically at rotor RPM ~78-80% (gearbox driven). The doppler navigation system is supplied by AC main bus so when your rotor RPM drops and generators go off the system goes off and there goes the GS indication, autohover, Shkval screen and some other more.