Hover and Route Mode Initialization

[Woots]

Occasionally I notice after a cold start some strange signatures from these two modes.

 

For the hover mode - shortly after a cold start up, attempts to engage hover mode during the pre-flight hover check result in DA lights "K", "P" and "T" flashing and I have to be quick to re-engage them before losing control. After a couple of minutes this stops and hover mode engages just fine.

 

For route mode, sometimes it just won't engage (overhead ROUTE light won't illuminate). Unlike the hover mode funny above, this never corrects. I'll restart the mission, restart the helo from a cold start and route mode will work just fine.

 

I'm thinking the hover mode behavior might be that I haven't given the INU enough time to initialize the NAV state, just a guess but that would explain it. For the route mode funny, it might matter which order the individual onboards systems are powered up?

 

Have any of these two happened to anyone else?

Edited December 14, 2009 by Woots

[Sarge55]

I beleive if you engage auto hover too low (below 4 metres) your autopilot channels will disengage or if it's set above 4 meters and you desend below 4 meters they will disengage.

 

Not sure about the route mode.

[Frederf]

The AP channels will emergency disengage if you autohover below 4m radar alt or the INU has not aligned.

Edited December 12, 2009 by Frederf

[bogusheadbox]

Not played in a while, but i have also noticed those autopilot modes will dis-engage when in flight and you pull a hard manouver resulting in low RPM.

 

The way i notice it is when at high speed you lower collective to zero, pull up hard for a very quick stop into the hover (you should get the low RPM beeping sounds) then engage the autohover.

 

Is it possbile to topple the gyros for the stabilisation through very abrupt manouvers or are they affected by low rotor RPM?

[Woots]

Route doesn't engage unless you have a task light illuminated.

 

 

HE BEPHO. Route mode can be used with no task selected as stated in the manual. It will give you steering cues to the heading set every time you re-trim.

 

Anyway, just flew another mission and hover mode worked fine (I was probably below 4m when it was acting up so one question down, thanks). However, route mode would not engage (at least light would not illuminate), regardless if I had a task lit or not, I tried every conceiveable combination - nothing would make the ROUTE light illuminate. Hover mode again would work just fine. Anyone had this problem. BTW, I was flying "target range" mission where you take off in the late afternoon with a cold start up.

Edited December 14, 2009 by Woots

[Speed_2]

Here's a thing that may help:

Never attempt to engage autohover before you can see your airspeed displayed on your HUD. If you can't see your airspeed on your HUD, some kind of nav system is still warming up, and engaging your autohover will cause you to lose your AP channels. Why, I have no idea.

 

Secondly, because after the AP channels disengage you fly kind of crazily, you have to disengage the now-flashing AP channels before you can re-engage them again, and you have to do it while looking down and not at where the chopper is going, it's a good idea to bind your AP channels to your HOTAS somehow. I have them on my toggle switches on mode 3 of my X52.

[Woots]

Here's a thing that may help:

Never attempt to engage autohover before you can see your airspeed displayed on your HUD. If you can't see your airspeed on your HUD, some kind of nav system is still warming up, and engaging your autohover will cause you to lose your AP channels. Why, I have no idea.

 

BEPHO!

The route mode prob is still a stumper. At least it doesn't do it every time.

[Frederf]

That's not correct. Route mode can be used with no task selected as stated in the manual.

 

I meant the overhead panel light.

[Martillo1]

Here's a thing that may help:

Never attempt to engage autohover before you can see your airspeed displayed on your HUD. If you can't see your airspeed on your HUD, some kind of nav system is still warming up, and engaging your autohover will cause you to lose your AP channels. Why, I have no idea.

 

Secondly, because after the AP channels disengage you fly kind of crazily, you have to disengage the now-flashing AP channels before you can re-engage them again, and you have to do it while looking down and not at where the chopper is going, it's a good idea to bind your AP channels to your HOTAS somehow. I have them on my toggle switches on mode 3 of my X52.

I have a macro bound to button B+pinkie that disengages all channels and engages the attitude ones. There is nothing better for a panic moment than a panic button.

[Woots]

As far as route mode, I'm finding that it seems to work fine (including the light illuminating) if I wait to turn on the PVI-800 to OPER after the throttle lever is in AUTO and the L, R engine generators are ON (inverter light goes off on overhead panel).

 

Turning on the PVI-800 during start up prior to the above leads to the erratic behavior.

Edited December 14, 2009 by Woots

[Tango]

i have also noticed those autopilot modes will dis-engage when in flight and you pull a hard manouver resulting in low RPM.

What happens is low RPM results in the loss of both elec gens, and so you lose the AP. You will notice the Shkval display do a reset at the same time.

 

Be easier with the manouvering so it doesn't happen. Pulling g? Drop the collective and keep the RPM up. Watch the ground, and beware if slowing - don't want to end up in VRS so if the vertical rate starts to drop below 30 m/s, increase the collective if the speed is < 70 kph and don't sink any faster.

 

Best regards,

Tango.

Edited December 17, 2009 by Tango

[slug88]

don't want to end up in VRS so if the vertical rate starts to drop below 30 m/s, increase the collective if the speed is < 70 kph and don't sink any faster.

 

I think you must have meant 3m/s there :D.