Simviation Forums

Can anyone tell me how to setup my MFS2004 to be able to manually start my plane's engine?

You mean to have the engines off when you start the flight?

You'll need to have a cold and dark cockpit for this way.

There's 2 ways.

One is to select the aircraft you'd like to use most of the time, the airport you'd like to be positioned at by default.

Click "Save Flight" and type in a name.  Be sure to check "Set as Default" box

Now go into the simulation mode,  shut down the engines
(If it's for a piston, shut the mixture off and wait for the prop to come to a full stop.  For jets, cut the fuel flow and wait for all the engine gauges to stop changing such as N1 and N2 is at zero already)

Click 'File', then select "save flight" and save it under the same name you did earlier.

Then click 'File' and select "End Flight"

Then click "save flight" and check the "set as default" box again.

Now everytime you start up the flight, the engines will be off.


The other way is to download the file bc_dark.zip at avsim.com

CTRL+SHFT+F4 sets Mixture to rich . . . then CTRL+E+1 starts engine number one and CTRL+E+2 starts engine number two.

Most FS9 panels have starter switches on the panel. The Learning Center has copious amounts of info: Controlling The Engine is a must-read.

Also:
"Getting Started
Magnetos generate electricity when they rotate. So, to start the engine, the pilot must engage a battery-powered starter that rotates the crankshaft. After the magnetos begin rotating, they supply the spark to each cylinder to ignite the air/fuel mixture and the starter system is disengaged. The battery no longer has any part in the operation of the engine. If the battery (or master) switch is turned off, the engine continues to run.

Dual Ignition

Most aircraft engines are equipped with a dual ignition system

The other way is to download the file bc_dark.zip at avsim.com

I downloaded this file, but found it annoying when it would shut all my systems down after landing, causing me to have to re-start everything while in the middle of the runway

Quick question.

Most of the time when I fly, the aircraft is already running as that is how I like it, (unless I really want to go through the start up procedure).

Once in a while with a new aircraft, after about 1/2 to 45 mins of flight, all power shuts off automatically. Lights, gauges, etc....

What is causing the entire electrical system to shut down?

Dave

Try this one

FS2002 Cold and Dark Cockpit Gauge  This Gauge starts every aircraft with a cold and dark cockpit (switched off Engines, Avionics and the complete Electricity) when on grond. The Gauge works with absolutely every Panel and aircraft (Free-, Share- and Payware) no matter if it is a Prop, Turboprop or Jet and it's easy to install. By Matthias Lieberecht. 3K

Quick question.

Most of the time when I fly, the aircraft is already running as that is how I like it, (unless I really want to go through the start up procedure).

Once in a while with a new aircraft, after about 1/2 to 45 mins of flight, all power shuts off automatically. Lights, gauges, etc....

What is causing the entire electrical system to shut down?

Dave

Are the generators online when the engines are running?

Because if not, it shuts down in 30 mins with no generators engaged as battery power is depleted.  There's an FAA rule that backup batteries must supply 30 mins of electrical power in an event should the generators fail.

Thanks Midnight!
That is what I thought and that is most definitely the answer!

Thanks!


Dave  ;)

Thank u
That was a big help!!!!

Thanks Midnight!
That is what I thought and that is most definitely the answer!

For someone who is always flying heavies, I find this odd that you didn't know this

LOL Andrew!

I actually moved over to GA Flying in the past year  ;)

Like I said, I rarely ever start cold & dark. Most of the aircraft  I either purchase are set up n& running due to my "default" setting.
In the above case, some new aircraft are there up & running, but some things are not set, one being the generators.  :P

Hey, there are no stupid questions, right?  ::)

Hey, even real life pilots make mistakes.....
Right  Andrew  ;)

Dave

Pilots do make mistakes, a Md80 landed at the wrong airport this year, LOL

cya

"Hey, even real life pilots make mistakes..... "

Roger that

"Better to learn from the mistakes of others because you won't live long enough to make them all yourself." -- Anonymous

I really like cold and dark situations with my RFP 742 and my PMDG 737.  Unfortunatly time is not always there for that.  Some add-on aircraft are default cold and dark like the Fanda Dash-8 package which is very nicely done.  I woulod like to somehow fuse the new Premier Designes Dash-8 with the VC to the systems accurate 2D Fanda panel but I knopw that will take a lot of sytax editing to make it work right.

Dave:
I had this shutting down of panels in the Simshed Hercules after about 30 minites of flight. I found out quite by chance that certain other panels could be superimposed by clicking shift plus 1 or 2 or 3 etc. and two generator switches  of the four  in a panel were  in the down position. I put them up and it has been fine since.

So play around with your panels and look for something that doesn't 'look correct'.