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Post by autojohn on Nov 12, 2018 21:11:11 GMT
I'm enjoying the aircraft and this feedback is intended to be constructive from the standpoint of a fairly new helicopter pilot using the Sim to supplement real-world training.
- Basic power settings - First of all, it seems a bit over-powered relative to the MLI indication. 1) It hovers too easily. At sea level with zero wind and 1375 lbs, I can hover your model with 72%. My actual experience in these conditions is the hover power is about 84%. 2) It cruises too fast. In level flight, 65% power in the sim yields >85kts, in my (limited) experience with the Cabri, 65% power will yield close to 65kts. (CFI says 74% should yield 80kts in downwind of pattern)
- Power available - During normal flight, when I exceed about 85% in your sim, the rotor RPM decays and I get the horn. This seems wrong. In the Cabri, from a hover, I can pull directly to 98% power for a max perf takeoff. Similarly, I can't set the normal cruise power of 90% without getting low rotor RPM.
- MLI display - there is a blue arrow on the MLI which in the real Cabri is only active in start mode. Is there a special meaning to this or is it simply the Start mode throttle position indicator.
- BARC/EPM cold start- during a normal startup after warming the engine and before engaging the governor, you do a Spragg clutch check by rolling off throttle to idle. You should get BARC lights and horn. I notice in the sim, this does not work until the governor has been engaged once.
- Throttle and governor - I would like to be able to override the governor by using the throttle. Otherwise you cannot practice autorotation. At a minimum the governor should have no effect below 2000 RPM ( NR 400)
- Sound loops - about once per hour a sound will get stuck in a loop. For example the toggle switch click sound or the skid ground scraping sound will just repeat infinitely and I have to reset the flight.
- Units display - would really appreciate being able to change to Imperial units for T&P
- Carb heat - would be great to add an auto setting, one of the great features of the Cabri. Currently, I feel temperatur excusions for hot and cold are a bit excessive.
I hope this feedback helps and that you can incorporate some fixes. Honestly, it feels like some significant rough edges for something that I've paid for.
Thanks,
John
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Post by VSL-Admin on Nov 12, 2018 23:47:27 GMT
I'm enjoying the aircraft and this feedback is intended to be constructive from the standpoint of a fairly new helicopter pilot using the Sim to supplement real-world training. - Basic power settings - First of all, it seems a bit over-powered relative to the MLI indication. 1) It hovers too easily. At sea level with zero wind and 1375 lbs, I can hover your model with 72%. My actual experience in these conditions is the hover power is about 84%. 2) It cruises too fast. In level flight, 65% power in the sim yields >85kts, in my (limited) experience with the Cabri, 65% power will yield close to 65kts. (CFI says 74% should yield 80kts in downwind of pattern) - Power available - During normal flight, when I exceed about 85% in your sim, the rotor RPM decays and I get the horn. This seems wrong. In the Cabri, from a hover, I can pull directly to 98% power for a max perf takeoff. Similarly, I can't set the normal cruise power of 90% without getting low rotor RPM. - MLI display - there is a blue arrow on the MLI which in the real Cabri is only active in start mode. Is there a special meaning to this or is it simply the Start mode throttle position indicator. - BARC/EPM cold start- during a normal startup after warming the engine and before engaging the governor, you do a Spragg clutch check by rolling off throttle to idle. You should get BARC lights and horn. I notice in the sim, this does not work until the governor has been engaged once. - Throttle and governor - I would like to be able to override the governor by using the throttle. Otherwise you cannot practice autorotation. At a minimum the governor should have no effect below 2000 RPM ( NR 400) - Sound loops - about once per hour a sound will get stuck in a loop. For example the toggle switch click sound or the skid ground scraping sound will just repeat infinitely and I have to reset the flight. - Units display - would really appreciate being able to change to Imperial units for T&P - Carb heat - would be great to add an auto setting, one of the great features of the Cabri. Currently, I feel temperatur excusions for hot and cold are a bit excessive. I hope this feedback helps and that you can incorporate some fixes. Honestly, it feels like some significant rough edges for something that I've paid for. Thanks, John Hi John, Thanks for the feedback and input. All of these items were discussed deeply throughout the support forums...here are some highlights:
Please check your control configuration and other X-Plane setup aspects (control hardware setup, controls plugins etc...); the numbers that you are reporting (rpm decaying above 85% and other) are not confirmed and not correct. The G2 can be flown easily with 90%+ without RPM being reduced. Other quoted values may vary. The VSKYLABS G2 was designed to deliver a plausible, self-sustained Cabri G2 simulation, and some values may demonstrate the authentic performance with reasonable margins. EPM is *simplified* by definition, as the model is using the default avionics to be found in X-Plane (by concept). This is including the MLI. It will get a bit deeper in the future. Same goes to BARC algorithm, and the way the throttle and the governor works; The VSKYLABS models are developed as X-Plane's default aircraft, without the use of external coding. It has many advantages, but the down side is that there is a limit in custom avionics and systems setup. As said this will get a bit deeper in the future. Sound loops - reported by few users. A fix will be released soon. Carb heat - same as explained above; X-Plane default Carb heat system is not featuring an automatic state (only on and off). So this system will be simplified as well. The practical result is that you can consider the current "on" mode as "auto", however the block display is not active. As said above, this will get a bit deeper in the future, within the default systems algorithms of X-Plane 11 with its out-of-the-box features. "it feels like some significant rough edges for something that I've paid for" - all of the above is deeply explained in the project's and product's page. The project is under constant development though, and issues are being addressed on the go. Development plan is covering most of the aspects, and user-based feedback is completing it. Thanks again, JMH - VSKYLABS.
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Post by autojohn on Nov 16, 2018 22:54:24 GMT
Thanks for the reply. "Please check your control configuration and other X-Plane setup aspects (control hardware setup, controls plugins etc...)" I double checked my controls which are full-sized, 12-bit inputs. All are correctly calibrated and driving x-plane correctly. See attached video I'm not sure what other plugins could be impacting. I have very few, but after disabling all, I get the same result. Please see the attached screenshot or youtube video youtu.be/VgkZ7eDuUtcI'm flying below 1000 MSL in level flight. I add power and around 82 on the MLI, I overpitch the aircaft. Notice how the manifold pressure is 26"Hg but the throttle is full open. Although 26 is somewhat high, ~150 hp, I don't think full throttle is correct and why is MLI showing 82%. If carb heat is cold, the same thing happens at a slightly higher indicated power setting on the MLI. Looking forward to more suggestions. John |
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Post by VSL-Admin on Nov 17, 2018 16:05:39 GMT
Hi  As said, performance wise, some minor differences may be visible when comparing the VSKYLABS Cabri and the real one. The VSKYLABS Cabri project is taking the default X-Plane 11 flight dynamics model and dystems simulation to its limits. The design goal of the project is to reach this limit, in order to achieve a highly engineered, plausible Cabri simulation with reasonable margins when comparing to the real one. So, in some flight phases you may find a reasonable difference in the numbers, and in systems as well. However, development continues for this project, and these margines are constantly under evaluation. |
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Post by autojohn on Nov 20, 2018 19:20:28 GMT
OK, well, I opened it up in plane maker and I see the underlying problem. The engine is setup with 155 hp @2700 RPM. For the higher range of power settings this will result in very high manifold pressures which can't be sustained at even modest altitudes. I modified it locally as a flat rated 180hp and behaves now as expected. The J2A is flat rated at 145 hp but can produce much more power. Teh FAA has recently allowed the Cabri to pull 160hp for 5 minutes below 30 kts. I also had to modify the panel configuration so that it displays the percentage of flat rated power on the dial. Attached a plot of power vs manifold before and after my mods as well as the Lycoming data from the owners manual. I hope this helps. John  |
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Post by VSL-Admin on Nov 20, 2018 20:22:03 GMT
Hi John It is quite easy to change a variable to get another one more close to a desired outcome. However, due to the simplicity of the FDM of X-Plane vs the real world...by doing so...other flight envelope regimes will degrade and behave less than expected (you cover up a certain spot, and on the other side of the flight envelope you uncover a different spot). Such "easy fixes" are fast and helpful only if you are interested to focus on a specific, narrow aspect of the FDM. Covering the entire flight envelope of a self sustained helicopter model in X-Plane is challenging, especially when stretching the default FDM. For an overall authentic experience I highly recommend to fly the VSKYLABS G2 with its default settings, as other parts of its performance and handeling qualities will be degraded with these quick-fixes/patches. As said, the project is under constant development, and tightening up the numbers is a long and delicate process which is undergoing as we speak. Anyways thanks for your feedback and inputs! |
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Post by marcosmilhomens on Nov 26, 2018 12:42:43 GMT
Hi...
...I'm having some problems updating Gabri ...
... he does the upgrade on xpl11 but when he asks to reread the aircraft, a "sound" error appears and xpl11 stops working. I already reinstalled the aircraft, but it did not work ...
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Post by VSL-Admin on Nov 26, 2018 17:32:16 GMT
Hi... ...I'm having some problems updating Gabri ... ... he does the upgrade on xpl11 but when he asks to reread the aircraft, a "sound" error appears and xpl11 stops working. I already reinstalled the aircraft, but it did not work ... Hi, Two way fix: Try to quit X-Plane, then delete the 3 files within the fmod folder inside the Cabri folder, then launch X-Plane and load the Cabri. It should do the update without issues. Or, try to download the newest project version from your account at the store. It should work out of the box. This issue is related to X-Plane/fmod sound bank loading...it should not occur in future updates. Thanks, and please let me know if you are still having issues with it! |
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