Gear droping at 35.000

[Carl Crutchfield]

I have been having problems with FS2002.......I will be cruising at 36,000 Feet with the auto pilot on and out of the blue, for no reason, the landing gear drops, the spoilers pop-up and sometimes the flaps extend fully.  If I am not right on top of it the aircraft stalls, I drop like a rock, and even if I put everything back up and point the aircraft strait at the ground I can not recover.  Then I crash and get very upset.  Can you Help with this issue?  What causes it?  How can I fix it.

Carl

[BFMF]

Is this with stock aircraft, or a specific jet?

[Carl Crutchfield]

I have had it happen with both the 737-400 and 747-400.  At first I thought it was the Burmuda Triangle because that is where it allways happened...but for the first time today it happen once over Florida and a second off the southwest coast California while inroute from KHST to PHNL.

Carl

[emh8]

Carl,

Here's a thought:  When you were at cruise altitude, did you by any chance have the APR button engaged on the autopilot?  The incidents you described are similar to what happens during an "autoland" with the APR button engaged on an ILS approach.............

Again, just an idea.......

Erik :-/

[Carl Crutchfield]

No.....the APR was not engaged.  The plane was cruising at 36,000 feet.  I was watching TV at the time and was not near the computer.  By the time I relized that the aircraft was having a problem I had lost about 6,000 feet.  I turned the autopilot off completely threw the throttle full forward and put the nose down to get my airspeed back.  My airspeed went to 0 and stayed there, even with the nose pointed strait at the ground.

Carl

[emh8]

Yeah.  That's scary all right!

How about the pitot heat?  Did you have that activated? Gets pretty chilly at FL360 - flight controls and gauges have been known to do strange things without it.

[Carl Crutchfield]

You know I was wondering what that switch was for.....Do you know if there is a temp. range you are suppost to use the heat?.....  What is the differance between that and the Anti-Ice switch?.... And is there a temp. range for that too?.....  Or are you suppost to turn both of them on before takeoff?..... Before I got your reply I ran the same route today and it happened twice again.  The first was about 470 miles from PHNL at 35,000 feet and the second was about 84 miles and moving through 27,000 feet.......  also, the time it happened over Florida I was climbing through 10,000 feet and just got handed off to the Center...... that is why I am asking for the range.  I am planning to fly the next leg to Hong Kong Friday, I will try that switch, see what happens, and let you know.  One other thing.... if the switch does not show on the panel, is there a way to make sure it is on.

Carl

[Carl Crutchfield]

You know I was wondering what that switch was for.....Do you know if there is a temp. range you are suppost to use the heat?.....  What is the differance between that and the Anti-Ice switch?.... And is there a temp. range for that too?.....  Or are you suppost to turn both of them on before takeoff?..... Before I got your reply I ran the same route today and it happened twice again.  The first was about 470 miles from PHNL at 35,000 feet and the second was about 84 miles and moving through 27,000 feet.......  also, the time it happened over Florida I was climbing through 10,000 feet and just got handed off to the Center...... that is why I am asking for the range.  I am planning to fly the next leg to Hong Kong Friday, I will try that switch, see what happens, and let you know.  One other thing.... if the switch does not show on the panel, is there a way to make sure it is on.

Carl

[MattNW]

Generally anything below freezing 0* C. or 32* F. The pitot heat is only for the pitot tube which measures airspeed. Anti-Ice is for the airframe. Usually anytime you are above 10,000 ft then it's a good practice to turn both Pitot De-ice and Anti-Ice. Or at least that's what works for me. Some planes have an OAT guage and some don't. Neither system hurts anything when on except for Carb Heat on props. That will rob you of some horsepower.

[emh8]

And to answer your second question, on the keyboard press "Shift+H" for pitot heat and "H" for anti-ice.