The Paradigm of Payware Addons

...A.K.A. How To Fly Those Realistic Planes!

I know I stated this blog would not feature "how to" tutorials on specific aircraft addons... And the following entry doesn't violate this rule per se... But I think one of the things that can make some of the realistic addons (Wilcopub; PMDG) a lot easier to understand is if we examine how they all seem to be designed around a specific work flow model that appears to be universal across a majority of payware addons developed by different parties.

The basic universal work flow model most payware addons seem to be built around is the following:

1) Start the aircraft from a "Cold & Dark" state.

2) Program the FMC (Flight Management Computer).

3) Start the engines.

4) Takeoff, Fly, Land

5) Shutdown to a Cold & Dark state again.

Let's go through each stage in-depth, so virtual pilots have a good place to start.

Start from a "Cold & Dark" state - The term "Cold & Dark" means all the systems are turned off and the cockpit is physically dark because of no electronic activity. This is most evident in aircraft that use what are called "glass cockpits". Glass cockpits consist of CRT or LCD screens that display flight data and that have taken the place of traditional radial gauges (sometimes called "steam gauges" because of the days of locomotive steam engine gauges) . Cold & Dark can apply to any aircraft or system that is completely powered down and needs starting up in order to operate.

Normally the first thing that needs to be turned on is the main battery and any standby power (airport ground power) that might be present.

The next step is to charge up the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit). This unit provides more power than ground power, so more demanding systems can be turned on like air conditioning packs, fuel pumps and other systems that require more power than the airport ground power can provide.

Once APU power is flowing, the further initialization of the other systems can commence. This is where it will be different from aircraft to aircraft, but overall, there is a universal work flow present in each aircraft that makes the process that much easier (for flight simmers and real world pilots).

Most overhead panels in modern aircraft are designed with a specific work flow in mind. For example, the Boeing family has a work flow that goes left to right, top to bottom. This makes it standard for pilots who might have to be cross trained and rated on various aircraft types within the same family and helps them familiarize themselves with the newer plane that much faster than if there was no work flow standard at all.

Jets in the Airbus and Embraer families group specific systems together in one area of the overhead panel to make accessing them more centralized.

For example, all of the fuel controls are grouped together in a separate section of the overhead panel as are other systems like electrical, exterior lighting, passenger cabin climate controls, etc.

Realizing the above is the "secret" to mastering a panel full of daunting switches, dials and buttons. Once virtual pilots realize how most panels are set up, learning them should be much more manageable because it turns out there apparently is a method to the madness after all.

Programming the FMC - This is the major difference between General Aviation and commercial aviation. The FMC (Flight Management Computer) is an advanced autopilot that manages the more complicated functions of flight and helps take the physical work load of flying a large jet off of the pilot and crew. It calculates vital elements like climb and descent angles to maximize fuel usage, and can even land the plane in certian circumstances.

The actual details of programming the FMC vary from aircraft to aircraft, but in general, they all require certain universal variables be input like ZFW (Zero Fuel Weight) and cruise altitude.

I won't go into detail about FMC programming because it differs from plane to plane, but the overall method is the pilot programs the FMC with the route they want to fly and the FMC helps them with the work load by managing the VNAV and LNAV discussed in earlier blog entries.

This is precisely why I emphasized the default FSX jets are a good training tool virtual pilots should master before they move onto more realistic addons. The core concepts used to fly commercial jets are the same across all commercial aircraft, regardless of what other systems are, or are not modeled.

(CONTINUED IN PART II)