Simviation Forums

OK as I use FSP I have bought this plane and need some advice as I have never flown this aircraft before.

The are 2 fuel tanks (left and right) and it seems that you can only pump fuel from one tank at a time, so I need to keep switching the active tank when the plane is banking off to the left or right so as to balance the plane out. Is this what you all do? Is there no way of pumping from both tanks?

Also there is a guage on the dash called "Cowl Flaps". Now there is also a flaps guage too (obvious what they are), could someone explain these "Cowl flaps"?

Finally, is it important to adjust the mixture and prop speed? I never have done this even on the 182 and was wondering if it can boost performance. If so, when should you adjust

"why cant this guy read the manual?"
Because my FS has a serious problem, if I access the learning centre or any screen like that (inc NAVLOG) the sim crashes back to desktop, I have posted bout this but noone knows the answer, if anyone knows how to fix this or knows any program that can calcuate any planes ETE and fuel burn to a destination, Id be greatful

The fuel system in the FS9 Bravo is realistic. It's similar to just about every low-wing plane I've ever come across. I've never been given an explanation that satisfies me; as to why low-wing planes don't have fuel plumbing that allows for running off of both tanks at once (like a Cessna).. other than it has something to do with gravity feed and a low-wing's dihedral.

The way I was taught to fly a PA28 (similar to the Bravo fuel system), was to take-off and climb on the tank favoring the load (i.e. if you're flying alone, start off on the left tank), then switch tanks every 20 minutes. Some GPSs even have a timer that will alert you when it's time to switch tanks). And then of course.. make sure you're on the fullest tank when you land.

The cowel flaps are like vents that allow air to pass more freely through the engine compartment. On the ground, or under full power, they need to be open to keep the engine properly cooled. During level flight, they can actually keep an engine TOO cool, so they need to be closed (plus they add drag).

The mixture and propellor controls are pretty realistic too (make sure you don't have "auto-mixture" set in the realism settings, else the mixture knob has no use, other than to cut the fuel off for shut-down).

Mixture is adjusted for air density.  As you climb, the air gets less dense (why an altimeter works.. it's really just a barometer) and with less dense air, the engine requires less fuel per cubic foot af air consumed (leaner mixture).

Propellor-rpm adjustment is pretty well represented in FS9 too. Think of it like a transmission. Max rpm (knob all the way forward) is like a low gear; best for starting out, accelerating or climbing. The lower the rpm setting, the higher the gear. This means less engine wear, less fuel consumption and slightly higher speeds (though the speed part isn't accurately modeled in FS9). The only penalty for just running max-rpm all the time in FS9 is the fuel consumption. In the real-world, it shortens engine life.

I'll post a step-by-step tutorial flight narrative later..

Well, if the plane you use has no cross-feed, the correct procedure is to switch tank regularly every 10 or 15 minutes (at least it's what I do when flying my Saab Safir). I'm not sure though that in a default plane this is necessary, that I know of all the default have a fuel cross-feed function (I could be wrong though, as I never use defaults). Try to see if the fuel gauge has a position labeled "cross-feed" or something similar. The cross-feed does exactly what you want.

Cowl flaps are the variable openings that allow for more or less air to flow inside the engine nacelle cooling more or less the engine as required. In a real plane, these are important to set. In a FS simulated plane, (beside some rare add-on only planes that really requires their use), the cowl flaps are only ornamental.

Of course it's important to set the mixture. Unless you set the simulator to set it for you automatically, if you fly forgetting to set the correct mixture, as you gain altitude the engine will run roughly and will give less power than it is capable of, consequently making impossible for you to reach the higher altitudes your plane is capable of.

The prop speed is important in a real plane, because setting it correctly prolongs the life of the engine, but it's important in FS too, because allows you to save some fuel, making the engine work slower, and to make the prop work better at high altitudes, because it can reach a optimal pitch for the current air density.

BTW, the C182 (all versions) has both the mixture and prop control pitch too.

There would be a lot to say about all you asked, what I wrote is only the most condensed, succinct explanation I could give and still be clear.

Thanks guys thats really helped me loads! Its good to know where to go if I need advice from a pro!

Could someone also let me know what "feathering" is??

A feathered prop is when the pitch is adjusted ALL the way to the point where the blades are near parallel to the direction of flight. That's done when an engine fails in flight, so that the non-spinning blades produce the least amount of drag. Picture your flattened hand stuck out a car window at 60mph. Palm forward and you can feel the drag. Palm down and your hand slips through the air more easily.

Thanks guys thats really helped me loads! Its good to know where to go if I need advice from a pro!

Could someone also let me know what "feathering" is??

As far as the prop control goes, feathered is all the way back.

Also there is a guage on the dash called "Cowl Flaps". Now there is also a flaps guage too (obvious what they are), could someone explain these "Cowl flaps"?

Finally, is it important to adjust the mixture and prop speed? I never have done this even on the 182 and was wondering if it can boost performance. If so, when should you adjust

Supernova, yes, correct settings for cowl flaps, mixture, and pitch are essential to get good performance. If they're not roughly right you will have very high fuel consumption and the aeroplane will fly very slowly due to the engine being cold, the props racing, and the engine being flooded with fuel.

The cowl flaps 'work' on most of the default types, and require adjustment. Control is 'Ctrl-Shift-C' to close, 'Ctrl-Shift-V' to open. Keep them open for taxiing, takeoff, and climb, close them once you reach height (you should see the temperatures rise after they're closed). Open them again after landing.

Control for propeller pitch is 'Ctrl-F4' for fully-fine. Use fine pitch for takeoff and the final stages of landing. If you look at the rev-counter you'll see that when set at fully-fine the revs are almost on the red line. Once airborne, hold down 'Ctrl' and tap 'F2' to bring the revs down into the 'green zone.'  Tap F3 to fine it a bit if you go too far. Once at cruising height, 'Ctrl-F2' again to bring the revs down to a sensible level - varies from one aeroplane to another but 2,200 rpm is about right for most types. On a landing approach, incrrease the revs to say 2,400 as you start your descent, then 'Ctrl-F4' for fully-fine once you're on final.

Controls for mixture are 'Ctrl-Shift-F4' for full rich, 'Ctrl-Shift-tap F2' to lean, Ctrl-Shift-tap F3' to enrich. Above 3,000 feet, hold down 'Ctrl-Shift' and tap 'F2' until the engine coughs, then tap 'F3' until it picks up again. To get the mixture exactly right, watch the CHT (Cylinder Head Temperature) and make fine adjustments until it is as high as possible for a given throttle setting. Put the mixture back to full rich - 'Ctrl-Shift-F4' - whenever you're below 3,000 feet.

On the Mooney or Cessna you'll see the blue pitch lever and the red mixture lever (bottom of the panel, next to the throttle) moving as you adjust them.

Sounds complicated but you soon get the hang of it. The reward will be MUCH improved performance and range

No need to remember all those key-strokes! If you go to 'Aircraft/Kneeboard/Keys' you'll find all the key controls set out in a table.  

Hope all that helps.  :)

I thought the prop pitch controlls the angle of the propeller and it is only really important when climbing.

You need to set the pitch of the prop during a climb descent and while cruseing. You need more pitch or a bigger bite of the air to climb but not that much to maintaim straight and level flight and when descending you really do not need much pitch at all.
I think of it like climbing a mountain it is harder and takes more effort to climb it hardly any to walk accross the flat top and little effort at all to climb down.
You use pitch the same way set it close to full for climbing turn it down during straight and level and then turn it nearly off for the descent. Or you can leave it where it was for straight and level if you want but you really do not need it, and the force of the air during the descent can have a negative effect on the prop if the pitch is set to high during the descent. It will try to turn the prop faster than waht the engine is turning and create buffeting .
That is why you feather a prop on a dead engine so the prop will not windmill so bad.

Constant speed propellor use is a tricky thing to describe.

You don't really set the pitch, as much as you select a speed (RPM). At a given propellor RPM setting, the pitch will change when you change the power setting, to keep the same RPM (constant speed).

The higher RPM settings (like for take off and climb) have LESS pitch, taking a SMALLER

Mixture Adjustment (light piston)...

Mixture adjustment is another tricky thing. Put simply; you want to have the optimum air/fuel mixture for every situation.

That mixture setting has two important variables:

Thanks, Brett, for taking time from your busy schedule to explain these features of the Mooney, fuel management and constant speed props.

I've owned and flown both PA28 and Mooney M20E so have firsthand, realworld experience with all-of-the-above. More than once my hands got very busy after a flame-out from poor fuel management; e.g., not switching tanks in the Mooney.

The hairiest was at 200' over the highway on short-final, Rwy27 CYYJ. I switched to the other tank with one hand (on floor), flipped the booster-pump on with the other and my buddy (a licensed pilot) increased the throttle once we had joy. Never missed a beat.Cool.

Thanks for explaining all this in such detail guys, It means alot to me!

Hi Wji.. you're welcome, but it's my pleasure. I really enjoy sharing flying knowledge..

The closest I ever came to a flame-out, was in a lovely, little Tomahawk. We had flown up to an out of the way airport to work on cross-wind landings and both myself and my instructor let fuel management slip our minds.

This particular Tomahawk had a "droopy" left flap that always gave it a little, "right aileron" trim. On our way back home; the plane was REALLY pulling to the right, and we just wrote it off to the flap getting even more droopy. Well.. as you can imagine; the left tank was nearly empty