Flying Guide Turbine Duke Version 2.0

Transcription

Turbine Duke Version 2.0
Flying Guide
Welcome to the flying and setup guide for the RealAir Beechcraft Turbine Duke Version 2 for FSX.
This guide contains all of the information required to get the most out of the Turbine Duke V2’s
unique features. Even if you are an experienced FSX user, please take the time to go through this
guide, at least briefly to start with. Our Turbine Duke V2 requires specific settings in FSX to get the
most out of the graphics, sounds and flight modelling, and some of its advertised features won’t
work properly if the Turbine Duke V2 or FSX are not setup correctly.
This update of our Beechcraft Turbine Duke is a comprehensive update offering a number of major
improvements and the addition of many new features that were not available or technically possible
when version 1 was released. This guide attempts to explain these new features and how to use
them in the clearest way possible.
In addition to this guide, you will find:
è Pilot’s checklists for the Turbine Duke.
è A guide to the Duke’s Bendix/King autopilot.
è Frequently Asked Questions, for those subjects which might need further clarification.
Please refer to the documents listed above for more detailed information on check lists, the
autopilot, or for answers to many frequently asked questions.
1
Contents
Differences Between B60 V2 and Turbine V2
5
New Features — Turbine Duke V2 Verses V1
9
Major Updates
9
Additional Updates and Improvements
10
Version 2 Flight Model Updates
12
RealView - Advanced Sound and Animation Effects
13
A Brief History of RealAir’s RealView Effects
13
List of RealView Advanced Effects
14
Aerodynamic Sound Effects
15
Yet More Sound Effects
15
Sound Effect Volumes
15
Setup Guide
16
Advanced Animations
Flight Model Realism
16
17
Joystick Settings
18
Video Card Settings
18
Exterior Model Options
19
Frame-Rates19
Loading the Duke V2 For the First Time
19
Balancing the Sound Effect Volumes
20
Config Panel
21
Changing Settings ‘On the Fly’
22
Config Panel Options Explained
22
Graphics Page
22
Realism Page
24
Panel Page
26
GPS & Radios Page
26
RealView Page
28
Trouble-Shooting the Config Panel
29
2
Virtual Cockpit
30
Views32
Mouse Interaction
36
VC Details
39
Unusual Switches and Gauges
41
Pressurisation46
Pressurisation Controls
47
Using the Pressurisation Controls
48
Standard GPS
49
Mouse Interaction
49
2D GPS
50
Additional GPS notes
50
Reality XP GNS 530/430 Integration
51
Reality XP GNS Installation
52
Using the Reality XP GNS Gauges In the Duke
53
Trouble-Shooting 54
Reality XP GNS 530/430 Support
54
Flight1 GTN 750/650 Integration
55
Flight1 GTN Installation
56
Using the Flight1 GTN Gauges In the Turbine Duke V2
57
Trouble-Shooting 58
Flight1 GTN 750/650 Support
58
Landing Lights
Custom Or Default Landing Lights
Flying the Duke
59
60
61
Power Handling
61
Turbine Engine Startup
63
Flying and Operating the Turbine Duke
65
V-Speeds73
Pilot’s Operating Manual
74
3
Engine Failures
75
Preventable Engine Failures
75
Unprovoked (Random) Engine Failures
80
Trouble-Shooting82
Reload Aircraft
82
Disappearing Click-Spots
82
Animations83
Sound Effects
83
Graphics Issues
84
Config Panel
85
Reality XP GNS Integration
88
Flight1 GTN Integration
89
Support90
Credits91
Acknowledgements91
4
Differences Between B60 V2 and Turbine V2
Turbine Engines
The piston engines of the Duke B60 have been replaced with powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6A
turbine engines. These new engines lift the performance of the Duke to a whole new level and give
the Turbine Duke a very different character. It is now possible to exceed Vne in level flight! Sustained
climb rates of over 4000 fpm are now possible, max cruise speed is now up around 300kt TAS at
altitude. A climb from sea level to 25,000ft can be done in as little as 9 to 12 minutes. The pilot really
needs to stay on top of the Turbine Duke to keep airspeed and engine limits within check.
In addition to the extra performance, take off and landing distances have both been cut dramatically
— takeoff runway required has gone from 2660 ft in the piston Duke down to 1000 ft in the Turbine
Duke. Landing distance has been cut from 3000 ft in the piston Duke down to 900 ft in the Turbine
Duke. This makes the Turbine Duke not just a faster aircraft, but a much more versatile aircraft that
can operate from short runways the piston powered Duke couldn’t touch.
The Turbine Duke V2 features new panels specific to the turbine version.
Updated Panels
The VC panels feature many updated instruments and switches necessary for the operation of the
turbine engines, as well as a revised panel layout. New Moritz digital engine gauges have been
faithfully recreated in three dimensions. There are now more radio stack layouts to choose from in
the new Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel.
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Engine Failures
The Turbine Duke V2 features a complex engine failure simulation. It is possible for one or both
engines to fail in-flight. There are two types of failure modelled — ‘preventable’ failures, caused by
the pilot over-stressing an engine, and ‘unprovoked’ (random) failures.
We had a couple of reasons for adding this feature to the Turbine Duke Firstly, we wanted to make
this simulated aircraft more interesting and stimulating to fly. Secondly, we wanted to provide the
pilot with some motivation to fly the aircraft realistically, keeping the engines within their limits. In
the real Turbine Duke, the enormous cost of overhauling a mistreated engine, or the threat of an inflight engine failure mean the pilot is highly motivated to look after the engines and keep them well
within limits. In the simulated version, without the threat of an engine failure it is too easy to just
pin the power levers to their stops and tear around the sky (something the Turbine Duke does very
well by the way). The pilot needs to carefully manage power settings and oil temperature to keep the
engines within their limits.
The Turbine Duke V2 features a detailed engine failure simulation
Flight Dynamics
The Turbine Duke’s flight dynamics have been completely reworked to simulate the new turbine
power plants as closely as possible. Aside from performance changes, subtleties such as handling
changes and slightly lower stall speeds have been modelled. Engine handling, correct engine
instrument behaviour, as well as startup and shutdown sequences all came under close scrutiny.
Turbine engines are very tricky to model accurately within FSX but we feel we came as close as we
could on this release.
New Engine Sounds
The engine sounds have been completely reworked to match the new engines. The turbine engines
sound smooth and powerful and dynamic, and are a pleasure to listen to while flying.
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Improved Aerodynamic Sounds
Our custom wind sounds which react to aircraft control input, attitude, speed and many other
factors have all been greatly improved so that they now react more smoothly and fluidly. For
example, the wind sound that accompanies side-slipping now reacts smoothly to yaw angle, so that
small angles of yaw produce a subtle wind noise, while large angles of yaw produce a louder sound,
and the intensity of the sound varies in response to airspeed changes. Other aerodynamics sounds
that react smoothly to speed and control input changes include:
• High yaw angle sounds
• High angle of attack sounds
• High roll-rate sounds
• Landing gear wind sounds when gear extended
• Flap flutter sounds when flying above flap operating speeds.
• Aileron flutter sounds when flying above Vne.
• G overload sounds
• Rushing wind sound when cabin door is opened on the move.
Flight1 GTN 750 and GTN 650 integration
Flight1 GTN 750/650 VC Integration
The Turbine Duke V2 now includes full VC integration for the Flight1 GTN 750 and GTN 650.
You also have the option to integrate the Reality XP GNS 530/430, or the standard FSX GPS 500.
Installing any of these gauges is as simple as clicking a couple of buttons on the Turbine Duke V2
Config Panel.
New Liveries and Cabin Colours
The Turbine Duke V2 features seven new HD liveries, with each livery including a unique panel and
cabin colour combination that give each livery a unique character both inside and out.
7
New and Improved Config Panel
The Turbine Duke V2 features a new, easier to use config panel with a number of new features and
more easily accessible help information.
The brand new Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel
User Configurable Radio Panel Layouts
Using the newly updated Config Panel, you can position the radios exactly how you like. The Config
Panel includes a new easy to use drag and drop interface for rearranging the radios and GPS gauges.
For example, if you would like the autopilot to be at the top of the radio stack, you can quickly and
easily do that. You could also move the GPS from the left side of the radio panel to the right, or vice
versa, or any other combination you can think of. When using Flight1 GTN or Reality XP GNS gauges,
you choose whether or not to include extra nav/com and transponder radios. See the ‘Config Panel’,
‘Reality XP Integration’ and ‘Flight1 GTN Integration’ chapters of this guide for more information.
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New Features — Turbine Duke V2 Verses V1
The Turbine Duke V2 now features 3D landing and taxi lights
Major Updates
ü High definition 2048 pixel textures.
ü Exterior 3D model and texture enhancements.
ü A major update to the virtual cockpit modelling and textures, including a more detailed cabin and
higher resolution textures on the panels, providing improved detail and clearer panel labels.
ü More character and ambience in the cockpit textures, including dust and minor wear marks.
Subtle details are revealed as sunlight moves across the cockpit.
ü Custom sounds on all cockpit switches, table, doors, armrests, and more.
ü Extensive custom camera animations simulating engine and ground vibration, overspeed and stall
buffet, propeller torque reaction, landing forces, plus more.
ü Extensive custom sounds designed to enhance the custom camera effects.
ü Many more custom sounds and animations all designed to breathe life and character into the
Duke.
ü Seven all-new panel and cabin colour schemes.
ü 3D model and texture performance optimisation to ensure similar performance to the previous
version, despite the much higher texture resolution.
ü Multiplayer performance optimisation to allow for good performance, and trouble-free flying in
multiplayer.
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ü Extensive flight model improvements.
ü New more realistic engine sounds with improved separation between the turbine and prop sounds.
ü Improved, more realistically sized gauges with dust, dirt and finger marks on gauge glass (with the
option of hiding these dust and dirt marks if that is your preference).
ü Improved gauge lighting.
ü 3D lights in exterior and VC views.
ü 3D landing lights with custom runway light splash.
ü Completely reworked VC night lighting.
ü Improved click spots and the option to disable them for EZDOK camera and Track IR users.
ü Flight1 GTN 750 and GTN 650 virtual cockpit integration.
ü Improved Reality XP GNS 530 and GNS 430 integration - RXP Unlimited installations are now
supported, for example 2 x GNS 530 or 2 x GNS 430 with cross-fill.
ü User configurable radio and GPS panel layouts.
ü A new, easier to use config panel with a number of new features and more easily accessible help
information.
New cabin textures with seven distinct colour variations
Additional Updates and Improvements
ü An option to keep the VC textures in memory for a smoother and faster transition between cockpit
and exterior views.
ü Turn coordinator bug fixed (turn coordinator allows for perfect rate-one turns).
ü Improved VC glass texturing.
10
ü Screws added to the panel face.
ü Optional suspension and touchdown sounds for both hard and soft FSX runway surfaces.
ü More complex generator load modelling.
ü Engine icing improvements.
ü Custom pressurisation code with more realistic operation and extra controls when compared to
standard FSX pressurisation.
ü More realistic audio panel functionality.
ü Control surfaces and yokes move realistically in response to trim commands.
ü Control yokes and control surfaces move fluidly in response to autopilot commands.
ü ADF dip simulated (user selectable).
ü Three dimensional blurred propellers - the blurred propellers are not just a flat, two dimensional
plate - they have depth when viewed from the side, and the propeller twist is visible even when
blurred.
ü Pilot headset added and the pilot’s head features smoother animation.
ü Flap buffet animation (flaps gently vibrate when lowered).
ü Optional flap failure when safe flap operating speeds are exceeded.
ü Improved cockpit door animation. The door closes with speed, and gently buffets if not properly
latched. Wind roar can be heard when the door is open and the engines are turning, even while
parked.
ü Overspeed flutter animations on the ailerons and yoke, with accompanying sounds.
ü All switches and knobs can be operated by the mouse wheel in addition to our other interaction
methods.
A note on the landing touchdown camera effect
A few users of our V1.2 Turbine Duke have reported their dislike of the touchdown ‘thump’ camera
effect we included in that release. The Version 2 Turbine Duke includes a much more advanced
touchdown thump effect that will react to the smoothness of your landing, so if you do a ‘greaser’
you will see almost no camera movement, whereas if you thump the Duke down hard while side
slipping you’ll see an appropriately large movement from the view-point camera. If you still dislike
this effect you can disable it altogether in the Duke V2 Config Panel.
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Version 2 Flight Model Improvements
Turboprop Modelling
The most common criticism of FSX’s turboprop modelling concerns engine response and turboprop
handling. The default turboprop aircraft somewhat hide flaws in the engine modelling by mixing the
propeller sound response with the main turbine sound. This also tends to hide quite bad oscillations
in propeller behaviour. In Version 2 of the Turbine Duke we have progressed from Version 1 by
radically improving all aspects of engine and propeller modelling.
By default FSX does not increase torque with a lower propeller rpm. In V2 the prop torque will
substantially increase as you pull the prop levers back. This creates more realistic take off and climb
restrictions as you now have to keep an eye on the torque as you reduce prop rpm during the climb
and cruise.
FSX has a hard coded turboprop start sequence which typically results in a gross prop overspeed
and far too quick start up compared to real turboprop aircraft. In this version we have stretched the
start up time to the slowest possible within FSX limitations. Provided you follow the start procedure
in the Flying section of this guide, engine starts should now be trouble free and convincing.
Aerodynamic modelling
Version 2 now has a much refined flight model with further improvements in control response, turn
coordination and on-the-ground handling. Take off rotation, trimming and approach and landing are
all much more refined with a greater opportunity of precision in manual control.
The turn coordinator is custom built to give proper feedback and turns now require some rudder for
perfect coordination.
Engine Response
In order to avoid prop over-speed and wild oscillations developers of turboprop aircraft have been
forced to slow down FSX’s engine response, leading to exaggerated lag, the alternative being a faster
response but with the side effect of wild prop behaviour and over-speed. We have to some extent
improved on this slow response, though it needs to be mentioned that the real PT6 engine is actually
renowned for its slow response to power inputs. In fact some confusion arises because some sim
pilots assume the props should respond at the same speed as the turbine. In fact the propellers
correctly react after power inputs, and more so still when reducing power. This is because the props
are typically set at 2200 rpm and the prop governor will always try to keep that rpm constant. As
you reduce power the governor keeps the propellers turning at the selected rpm until your airspeed,
with idle power, is insufficient to maintain that rpm.
In version 2 the sounds have been improved to provide aural feedback with a very distinct difference
between the sound of the turbine engines and the propellers.
With the addition of optional engine failure modes in this version, it is now more challenging to
manage the engines and props to avoid either engine from in-flight failure.
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RealView - Advanced Sound and Animation Effects
Included with the Duke V2 is a comprehensive collection of advanced animation and sounds effects.
A Brief History of RealAir’s RealView Effects
As far back as 2004, RealAir Simulations was the first developer to include animation and
aerodynamic effects which enhanced the standard behaviour of FSX aircraft. We were the first to
implement pilot inertia view effects in FS2004, and Microsoft adopted a similar effect in their first
release version of FSX.
We went on to provide engine failures with oil, smoke and flames in our Spitfire, and were the first
developer to introduce convincing stall buffet sound and visual effects in all of our aircraft. Many of
these and similar effects were then adopted by other developers, who then took our innovations and
went a few steps beyond.
Starting with the RealAir Legacy, the Duke B60 V2, and now with the Turbine Duke V2, these custom
sound and animation effects are the most advanced offered in an FSX aircraft. The RealView effects
are present in all stages of flight, from startup to taxiing, take off, manoeuvring, and landing.
The RealView effects are not a separate addon for which we charge a separate price, but are an
integral part of this aircraft, having been designed in great detail to suit the specific characteristics of
the Duke. They have also been designed to work together in a seamless, harmonised way.
The custom aerodynamic sound effects in the Turbine Duke V2 have been completely reprogrammed
to be more even more responsive to aircraft speed and control input.
Airframe vibrations, yoke and aileron flutter, plus accompanying sounds when flying above Vne
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List of RealView Advanced Effects
Please note: Most of these advanced effects are user-adjustable or can be switched off individually.
ü Needle and cockpit vibrations, both of which you can customise in strength or turn off completely.
ü Engine start-up and shut-down propeller torque effects. When you start-up or shut-down either
engine, the propellers create a torque reaction that gently rocks the Duke’s airframe. This effect is
perfectly coordinated with accompanying sounds.
ü Stall buffet effects that feature a newly designed ‘shake’ of the airframe when you are on the cusp
of a stall.
ü High G sounds and subtle animations when you pull substantial amounts of positive G.
ü Hard landing effects which shake the aircraft and create a visible and audible ‘thump’ when you
land. The softer your landings (in flying parlance a ‘greaser’) the less noticeable this effect will be,
while the harder your landings the more violent the effect. You can fine-tune the strength of this
effect or turn it off altogether.
ü Runway surface vibration effects as you taxi and take off, also customisable.
ü Gentle flap vibrations at normal speeds.
ü Complete flap failure simulation. If you fly with the flaps down above their safe operating speeds,
you will hear the flaps ‘fluttering’ and see violent flap vibrations. If you ignore these warnings and
continue without retracting the flaps or slowing down you will hear a loud bang as the flap control
mechanisms fail. If this happens you will be unable to retract or extend the flaps, and the flaps
will vibrate violently in the air stream. Only a landing and slowing down on the runway will stop
the vibrations. Reloading the Duke will restore the flaps to their working state. This effect can be
enabled or disabled.
ü If you exceed VNE the whole airframe will shake, subtlely at first then becoming more violent,
accompanied by vibrations in the yokes and ailerons. This alerts you to the immediate need to slow
the Duke down to avoid further damage. This effect is adjustable in the config panel.
ü As you lower the landing gear you will hear and feel the wheels as they lock down and as they
retract into the wing wells. These effects are accompanied by a multitude of sound effects which
harmonise with the animations.
ü Lowering the landing gear exposes the struts and wheels to the airstream and you will hear the
wind creating drag on the struts in the form of a low pitched rumble.
ü The cabin door, when opened on the ground, will cause a rise in engine and airstream noise if
the engines are running. Above a certain speed, either on the runway or while flying, attempting to
open the door will result in similar sounds but the door will also only partially open as the airstream
fights to keep it shut. The faster you go the louder the airstream and engine sounds. The door will
only fully open at or below taxi speed. Above this speed the airstream holds the door partially
closed, with appropriate animations of the door ‘straining’ against the wind.
ü The folding table animation is perfectly coordinated with appropriate sounds as the table opens
and closes.
ü Inside the cockpit the yokes move smoothly in response to autopilot and trim commands.
ü When you add up trim, not only does the elevator trim-tab move down, the elevators deflect
upwards and the control yokes moves aft. This effect is speed sensitive just like in real life - for
example at standstill you’ll see no control surface or yoke movement, only the trimtab will move.
The ailerons and rudder respond in the same way.
ü A comprehensive set of aerodynamic sound effects (see below).
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Aerodynamic Sound Effects
As you manoeuvre around the sky, a comprehensive collection of sound effects will react to your
attitude, airspeed and control yoke input. These sounds do not just switch on and off and are not
fixed like a generic effect. There are literally hundreds of separate instances of these sounds which
smoothly transform in volume and intensity according to the type of pitch, roll and yaw manoeuvre
you execute, and in addition these effects can be influenced by changes in outside wind-speed,
direction changes, gusts and wind sheer.
For example, if you gently roll the aircraft with small aileron movements, you will not hear any
sound effect. But if you are above a certain speed and bank the Duke more positively, you will hear
a subtle airstream effect as the wings slice through the air. If you pull the yoke back beyond a gentle
amount then (depending on your airspeed) you will hear the change in airflow over the wings, and
when positive G exceeds a certain amount you will hear louder airflow effects and the straining of
the airframe structure. If you attempt to yaw the Duke beyond a small amount, for instance if you
are deliberately side-slipping or making an uncoordinated turn, you will hear the airstream change
in volume and intensity as it collides asymmetrically with the fuselage. This effect can also kick in
during a spin or in steep turns at low speed when the fuselage gets out of alignment with the Duke’s
heading. Generally speaking, all these sound effects change dynamically according to your airspeed,
attitude and control input.
Many of the other advanced RealView sound effects work in concert with the animated effects. For
example when the landing gear is raised or lowered you will hear the doors shut and the ‘thump’
of the wheels hitting the stops inside the gear well or a ‘bump’ as the struts extend to fully open
position. You will also hear the gear doors open and shut.
For the Turbine Duke V2, we have completely rewritten the code that controls these custom
aerodynamic sound effects so that they now respond even more smoothly with control changes,
aircraft attitude changes and speed changes. To use the side-slip wind sound as an example - the
volume of this sound is now responsive to side-slip angle, so the greater your side-slip angle, the
louder the sound. This makes the sounds subtler and more natural when gently manoeuvring the
aircraft, but still loud when you boot in large amounts of control throw. The same goes for all of the
other aerodynamics related custom sounds.
Yet More Sound Effects
Each switch, dial, rotary control, knob and button has not only an accompanying sound but these are
customised to suit the position and type of the switch in question. Even the armrests subtlely squeak
as you move them, and quietly ‘thud’ into the upper position or quietly ‘clunk’ as they engage into
their cradles when moving downwards.
Sound Effect Volumes
For information on balancing the custom sound effects with the standard FSX sounds, please see the
‘Setup Guide - Balancing the Sound Effect Volumes’ section on page 20 below.
15
Setup Guide
Advanced Animations
The custom 3D landing lights in the The Turbine Duke V2 rely on the ‘skinned mesh’ animation
technique. In order for these animations to work you must have ‘advanced animations’ enabled in
FSX. To do this, go to ‘Settings/Display/Graphics’ and make sure ‘advanced animations’ is ticked.
There is virtually no disadvantage in having this option ticked all of the time, as it will not cause any
drop in frame rates and almost all FSX aircraft these days will be using skinned mesh animations in
one way or another, so it is well worth keeping this setting enabled.
The Duke V2 landing and taxi lights will only be visible when ‘Advanced animations’ are enabled.
16
Flight Model Realism
Important! Many of the core features of the RealAir Duke V2 will only work properly if your realism
settings in FSX are adjusted correctly. Our flight model relies on having the general realism slider in
your FSX aircraft menu to be set FULLY RIGHT. Even one tiny notch less than maximum general realism
will disable all the painstaking features we have built into the flight aerodynamics. You will need
general realism to be set to maximum for the correct roll rate, yaw control, side-slipping, stalling and
spinning, and in fact all general handling, to be as we intended.
It is essential to set the ‘General’ realism slider to 100%
In order to enable gear up landings (so-called “belly landings”) you will need to switch off the
collision detection in FSX’s realism menu. Keeping it switched on is not only unrealistic but instead
of belly landing FSX will close the flight when you collide with an object or overstress the airframe.
P-factor, which tends to turn propeller engine aircraft to the left, especially with a high angle of
attack and high engine power, is best set with the slider halfway, but not much less if you want
realism. The Turbine Duke V2 does not require much right rudder on the take off run but does
require a little right rudder at low speed and high power.
Propeller Torque factor, which tends to slightly roll an aircraft to the right with sudden or high
power and a high angle of attack, is not much of a problem in the Duke. While there is some tendency
to roll it is not at all prominent. We recommend setting the Torque slider anywhere between halfway
and two thirds.
Gyro drift is exaggerated in FSX and we recommend you set this slider well to the left.
17
Joystick Settings
We recommend setting your main joystick or yoke control similarly to the illustration below. Placing
the sensitivity sliders to approximately one third will ensure that you can have fine control of
the first third of joystick movement for pitch and roll, while still allowing full deflection for more
extreme manoeuvres. This affects slewing however, and if you find that using your joystick for
slewing results in sluggish slewing movement, you might wish to set the sensitivity sliders a little
higher.
Recommended control sensitivity settings
Video Card Settings
It is essential to enable anti-aliasing (AA) and anisotropic filtering in your video card settings.
Without AA enabled the 3D panel and gauges will appear ‘jaggy’, and the 3D gauges will appear
to have severe ‘shimmering’. 2x AA is the absolute minimum we recommend. Any video card
manufactured in the last few years will be capable of running 4x AA with almost no reduction in
frame-rates. The higher the AA setting you use, the better the panel and gauges will look, and the
less shimmering you’ll see, but it is essential to balance this against getting adequate, stutter-free
frame-rates.
Generally speaking 4x AA is a safe bet. 8x AA will only yield a small visual improvement over 4x, and
on most video cards 8x AA will produce a very noticeable frame-rate reduction. This is even more so
with 16x AA. Low frame-rates, and frame-rate stuttering will mean the Duke will not handle nearly
as well as it would at higher frame-rates, so it is definitely worth being conservative with your AA
settings (see the ‘Frame-Rates’ section below).
18
VC Texture Quick-Load
This settings allows you to choose whether or not you want to keep the VC textures loaded in
memory while in the exterior views.
For most systems we recommend keeping this setting enabled.
Enabling this setting means there will be no time spent waiting for textures to load when you switch
back to the VC view after being in any one of the exterior views - the VC textures will appear to
‘instantly’ load.
In contrast, if you disable this setting then the time it takes for the VC textures to load when you
switch to VC view can be quite long. Disabling this setting will use less system resources when in
exterior views and is the recommended setting for multiplayer flying or if flying on an older PC with
below average performance.
Both settings will result in identical frame-rates in VC view. You will only notice a difference in exterior
views or in multiplayer.
Frame-Rates
While many sim forums are awash with tweaks and FSX.cfg settings which attempt to extract every
possible performance improvement out of FSX, some of these tweaks can actually make things
worse, or at best offer some improvement while at the same time increasing the possibilities
of a crash, freeze, display issue or other stability problem that rarely is caused by any loaded
aircraft alone. Running the Duke with your sliders all at maximum is not recommended until you
have first flown the Duke on modest or low graphic settings. Thereafter we recommend that you
gradually increase the detail in scenery and other graphical options until you arrive at a workable
compromise.
Many of the Duke’s flying characteristics rely on a reasonably high and smooth frame rate of
approximately 30 fps in order for the flight model to display at its best. While 25 fps is adequate for
procedural flying (for example navigating under autopilot) a frame rate much below this will start to
affect the fluidity and fidelity of the aerodynamic responses, together with far less pleasing movement
and manual pilot control input.
Using a modest but reasonably up to date computer, you should be able to easily achieve 30 frames
per second in the Duke, provided you are not at large, graphically intensive airports, or are using
heavy amounts of road or air traffic.
Higher specified computers should be able to deliver a higher frame rate than this.
Loading the Turbine Duke V2 For the First Time
When loading the Turbine Duke V2 for the first time, FSX will inform you that it wants to run a
custom RealAir gauge. Click ‘OK’ to allow this gauge to be loaded, after which FSX will not need your
permission again.
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Balancing the Sound Effect Volumes
All the custom sound effects, including flaps, gear, extra wind effects (apart from normal airspeed
wind), stall buffet, G effects, aileron flutter, flap vibrations and other custom sounds are set in terms
of master volume so that they balance well within the custom sound suite. Therefore to balance
them with the default FSX controlled sounds like cockpit, environment (meaning normal wind
sounds), and engine volumes, you will need to adjust the three main sound sliders so that they
balance to your satisfaction with the custom sounds. For example, to hear louder custom sounds as
described in the above sections, turn down the engine volume slider. To turn down the custom sound
effects, increase the three main sound sliders then turn down the overall volume of your speakers. In
this way you can fine tune the balance between nearly all of the available sounds.
As a general rule, we recommend setting all three sound sliders initially at between half and two
thirds, then re-balance these sliders together with your overall speaker volume in order to achieve
the overall sound balance you prefer.
Use the FSX Sound Settings dialog to balance the custom sound volumes.
20
Config Panel
The Turbine Duke V2 features a brand new version of the RealAir Config Panel. The Config Panel
allows you to setup the Turbine Duke exactly to your liking, with a number of graphics, avionics,
sound, realism and animation settings to choose from.
The Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel
After Installation
Immediately after installing the Turbine Duke V2, the Config Panel will open. The Config panel
will suggest a radio panel layout based on which GPS gauges you have installed on your PC, press
‘Save’ to keep this recommendation. Aside from the radio panel layout we recommend using default
settings for your first flight before making any further changes.
The Turbine Duke V2 installer will add a shortcut for the Config Panel to your desktop. This shortcut
is named ‘Turbine Duke V2 Config’. Double click on this shortcut to open the Config Panel. You can
also find a link in your Windows Start Menu, or the ‘Apps’ screen in Windows 8.
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Changing Settings ‘On the Fly’
You can make changes to the Turbine Duke Config while FSX is running. To do this, do the following:
1. Change your screen to windowed mode if it is not already in that state, by pressing ALT ENTER on
your keyboard.
2. Pause if necessary (you can set FSX so it does this automatically in the next step).
3. Minimise the window. FSX will now be ‘suspended’ but still running.
4. Open the Config Panel and change or choose your different options, press ‘Save’ then ‘Exit’.
5. Now maximise FSX or press ALT ENTER again to go full screen, then press the ‘reload aircraft’ key.
Handy tip: To use the ‘reload aircraft’ command, you must assign a key to it by going to ‘Options Settings - Controls’ in FSX. For detailed help on how to do this, see the ‘Trouble-Shooting - Reload
aircraft’ section on page 82 of this guide.
Config Panel Options Explained
The Turbine Duke V2 config panel is very simple to use. Most of the options are straight-forward and
require no further explanation. However some options might not be obvious to all. Below we explain
some of those less-obvious options.
Graphics Page
Custom 3D Landing Lights
With this setting enabled, the Duke will use custom 3D landing and taxi lights in place of the default
FSX landing and taxi lights. These custom landing lights look much more realistic and convincing,
and light the ground in a more realistic way.
If you are experiencing problems with disappearing click-spots, we recommend disabling the
custom 3D landing lights. In the past this has fixed the problem for every customer we have helped
with this issue.
Please see the ‘Landing Lights’ section of this guide for much more detailed information.
VC Texture Quick-Load
This settings allows you to choose whether or not you want to keep the VC textures loaded in
memory while in the exterior views.
For most systems we recommend keeping this setting enabled.
Enabling this setting means there will be no time spent waiting for textures to load when you switch
back to the VC view after being in any one of the exterior views - the VC textures will appear to
‘instantly’ load.
In contrast, if you disable this setting then the time it takes for the VC textures to load when you
switch to VC view can be quite long. Disabling this setting will use less system resources when in
exterior views and is the recommended setting for multiplayer flying or if flying on an older PC with
below average performance.
Both settings will result in identical frame-rates in VC view. You will only notice a difference in exterior
views or in multiplayer.
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The Config Panel Graphics page
View Changing Click-spots in VC
This setting allows you to enable or disable view changing click-spots in the VC view. If you’re not
already aware, the view changing click-spots allow you to jump between VC views at the click of a
button to quickly and easily zoom in on the more important gauges and switches. Please see the
‘Virtual Cockpit - VC view click-spots’ section of this guide on page 34 for more information.
Please note: if you didn’t like the view changing click-spot navigation method in our original B60 Duke
or Turbine Duke, please give it another try in this Version 2 Turbine Duke. We have made the view
changing click-spots smaller and provided ample separation between view click-spot areas and the
other switch and knob click-spot areas so it is now virtually impossible to accidentally change VC views
when you really wanted to click on a switch or knob. We believe the revised view changing click-spots
mean there is now virtually no down-side to using this method.
VC Gauge Glass Dust
This setting controls whether or not you can see dust on the glass of the panel gauges. Hiding the
dust makes the gauges a little clearer to read, but in our opinion slightly reduces the realism and
character of the panel graphics.
VC Gauge Glass Reflections
This setting controls whether or not you can see reflections on the glass of the panel gauges. Hiding
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the reflections makes the gauges a little clearer to read, but in our opinion slightly reduces the
realism and character of the panel graphics.
VC Window Grime
This setting controls whether or not you can see flecks of ‘grime’ on the windows in VC view. Hiding
the grime makes the view outside slightly clearer, but in our opinion slightly reduces the realism and
character and immersion of the VC graphics.
VC Window Reflections
This setting controls whether or not you can see reflections on the windows in VC view. Hiding the
reflections makes the view outside slightly clearer, but in our opinion slightly reduces the realism
and character and immersion of the VC graphics.
VC Gauge Back-lighting
This setting allows you to choose between two different types of gauge back lighting. The difference
between the two is quite subtle. For most people we recommend keeping this set to ‘Type 1’. If you
think the back lighting seems a little too bright, try ‘Type 2’.
Realism Page
Engine Handling Realism
This option allows you to set whether or not the engines will fail due to improper use. Please see the
‘Preventable Engine Failures’ section of this guide for more information.
Random Engine Failure
This option allows you to set whether or not the engines can randomly fail. Please see the
‘Unprovoked (Random) Engine Failures’ section of this guide for more information.
Flap Failure
On the Realism Options page you will find the ‘Flap Failure’ option. When this is enabled it is
possible to irreparably damage the flaps by flying above the safe flap extension speed (known by
pilots as ‘Vfe’). In the Turbine Duke the maximum safe speed for the first stage of flaps (or ‘approach
flaps’) is a very handy 174kt, and for full flaps it is 140kt.
Handy tip: The maximum safe speed for full flaps is represented by the end of the white radial line on
the airspeed indicators. In addition for quick reference while flying, all of the maximum operating
speeds for the Duke are listed on the ‘Airspeed Limitations’ placard located on the right-hand wall of
the cockpit, above the co-pilot’s seat and below the co-pilot’s side window.
If you fly above 174kt with approach flaps extended or above 140kt with full flaps extended the flaps
will eventually fail. When the flaps fail you’ll hear a loud bang followed by a clattering sound as the
flaps flutter freely in the breeze. When this happens it will no longer be possible to lower or retract
the flaps, instead when you attempt to move the flaps you’ll briefly hear the flap motor straining as it
attempts to move the damaged flap mechanism.
To repair the flaps and get them working again, simply reload the Turbine Duke in FSX.
Cold and Dark Cockpit
When you enable this setting, the Duke will load with the engines stopped and all switches in the
off position. This simulates how you would find the aircraft in real life when you first hop in for a
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flight. Note: the cockpit will only load ‘cold and dark’ when you load the Duke on the ground, if you
load it while in flight the engines and switches will be as they were before the Duke was loaded. This
prevents the need for a hurried engine start to avoid an undesired landing or crash!
Unfortunately when you load a saved flight FSX can be very insistent on setting the switches as they
were when you saved the flight, and sometimes this can override the Duke’s ‘cold and dark’ settings.
Pressing the ‘reload aircraft’ key will usually fix the problem and reload the Duke with the proper
‘cold and dark’ settings. For more information on trouble shooting the ‘cold and dark’ setting, and for
help setting the ‘reload aircraft’ key, please see the Troubleshooting section of this guide.
The Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel Realism Page
Suspension Settings
Another new addition to Version 2 is the tarmac or grass suspension option. FSX runways have
broadly two kinds of surfaces: those with no ridges or bumps and these are generally runways at
large or regional airports. Some smaller FSX airfields have tarmac or concrete runways which have
an artificially imposed set of regular ‘bumps’ and undulations. These are somewhat unconvincing,
as are similar undulations on nearly all grass runways. The grass runways especially create a
uniform and rather predictable suspension oscillation and can also create exaggerated drag as a
consequence of the exaggerated friction in default grass runways and the bucking movement of
aircraft suspension and wheels.
We have made efforts to overcome these anomalies through the ‘grass’ suspension option. This can
be used with both hard and soft surfaces and its effect is to dampen and smooth out the artificial
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undulations, while the ‘Tarmac’ suspension stiffens up the Duke’s struts and springs and encourages
more of a ‘bounce’ when landing heavily on hard surfaces.
If you are using a lot of grass runways in a given FSX session we recommend switching on the ‘grass’
suspension setting. As well as changing the suspension settings, this will also change the wheel
touchdown sounds so that you do not get an unrealistic ‘chirp’ when landing on grass when the tires
contact the ground.
ADF Dip
In real-life, while tracking an NDB station, bank angle can have a small effect on the ADF needle
reading. This error is greatest when travelling directly towards or away from an NDB, and reduces
to zero when travelling at 90 degrees to the NDB. This error can make flying an NDB approach much
more challenging.
If you would like to see this ADF dip error simulated in the RealAir Turbine Duke, make sure the
‘ADF Dip’ slider is not in the ‘Off’ position. This slider controls how severe the ADF dip is in the Duke.
Set to ‘very low’ will mean the dip effect is only slight, while being set to ‘very high’ will mean the dip
effect is very noticeable. In real life, different aircraft will exhibit more or less ADF dip depending on
how the ADF antenna is installed.
If you would prefer the ADF needle to point directly towards the NDB station at all times, move the
‘ADF Dip’ slider all the way to the left until it says ‘Off’.
Panel Page
VC Mouse Interaction Settings
These setting allow you to select how you would prefer to interact with the various switches and
dials in the Duke cockpit. See the ‘Operating the Radios and Gauges’ section of this guide for detailed
information on these settings.
Panel Lights
When you enable this feature the Turbine Duke V2 will load with the panel lights switched on. This
gives improved shading on the virtual cockpit panel, which due to FSX lighting limitations can look
very dark at times, even during the middle of the day. If you do not like this and would prefer the
lights to be off when you load the Turbine Duke, set this feature to ‘disabled’.
GPS HSI Course
This allows you to choose between ‘Manual DTK’ and ‘Auto DTK’. DTK stands for ‘Desired Track’.
When the HSI is being controlled by the GPS (Nav/GPS switch set to GPS), and with ‘Auto DTK’
selected, the HSI course needle will automatically move to the GPS DTK. With ‘Manual DTK’ selected,
the HSI course needle must be manually set to the GPS DTK bearing. The latter is more realistic for
an aircraft like the Duke.
GPS & Radios Page
This page allows you to setup the radio and GPS panel to your exact liking. On this page you can
select which GPS to install into the aircraft, and how the individual radios will be arranged on the
panel.
GPS Installation
This section allows you to select your GPS installation. It allows you to choose between ‘No GPS’, the
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default FSX ‘GPS 500’ and the following third party GPS gauges:
Flight1 GTN 750, Flight1 GTN 650, Reality XP GNS 530, Reality XP GNS 430
The Config Panel automatically detects which of these third party GPS gauges you currently have
installed. You can only install any of these third party gauges if they are currently installed on your
PC. If you do not have any of these gauges installed you will only be able to select the ‘No GPS’ and
‘default GPS 500’ options.
The Reality XP GNS gauges are sold separately by Reality XP (see www.reality-xp.com for more
information). The Flight1 GTN gauges are sold separately by Flight1 (see www.flight1.com for more
information). We have no connection with Reality XP or Flight1 and cannot provide support for any of
their products.
The GPS & Radios page of the Config Panel
You will see one or two drop down boxes allowing you to select your exact GPS installation. You will
only see the second drop down box if the first GPS selected can be installed alongside a second GPS.
You can only install two GPS units from the same third party developer - that is to say you cannot
install one Flight1 GTN next to a Reality XP GNS. This avoids any possible conflict between the two
different GPS gauges, because each developer uses different methods for interacting with the panel
avionics.
Please see the ‘Reality XP Integration’ and ‘Flight1 GTN Integration’ sections of this guide for more
information.
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GPS 500 Options
If you choose to install the default GPS 500, you will be presented with a couple of options. The first
is whether the GPS will load in the on or off state. Select the option you prefer.
The second option is whether or not you would like ‘Auto CRS’ enabled. This controls how the HSI
course needle behaves when it is being controlled by the GPS. When the HSI is being controlled
by the GPS (Nav/GPS switch set to GPS), and with ‘Auto CRS’ enabled, the HSI course needle will
automatically move to the GPS course (DTK) bearing. With ‘Auto CRS’ disabled, the HSI course needle
must be manually set to match the GPS course bearing. The latter is more realistic for an aircraft like
the Duke.
Optional Separate Radios
If you choose to install a Flight1 GTN or Reality XP GNS gauge, you can choose whether or not to
install ‘optional separate radios’.
The GTN 750, GTN 650, GNS 530 and GNS 430 each contain a built-in nav/com radio. So when any
of these GPS gauges are installed it is not necessary to install a separate nav/com radio. Despite this
you can choose to install a separate nav/com radio anyway. Many people find the separate radios
quicker and easier to tune, and some prefer the look of the panel with more radios installed.
If you have selected the GTN 750 or GTN 650, you can also choose whether or not to install a
separate transponder radio. The GTN 750 and GTN 650 each have in-built transponder radios so a
separate transponder is not required, but as with the nav/com radios you can choose to install one
anyway.
The GTN 750 has an in-built audio panel, so if you install a GTN 750, you cannot choose to install a
separate audio panel. This avoids conflicts between the GTN 750’s audio panel and the stand-alone
audio panel.
Radio Panel Layout
This section allows you to quickly and easily arrange the radio layout to your exact liking. If you
would like to rearrange the radios, simply click on the radio you would like to move, and while
holding your left mouse button down drag it to a new location. The other radios will organise
themselves as you move each radio. Any radio or GPS can be placed in any position. The only
limitation is due to the physical height of the panel. The Duke’s radio layout is arranged into two
columns. If you try to install too many radios into either column, the bottom-most radio will move
across to the emptier column, ensuring that the radio layout chosen will always fit on the Turbine
Duke’s panel.
RealView Page
The RealView page of the Config Panel allows fine control over many of the custom animations that
are included with the Turbine Duke V2.
For more information on each of the RealView animation effects, please view the dedicated
‘RealView’ section of this guide.
Each slider controls the strength of each of the RealView animation effects. Moving a slider to the
right will make the effect it controls more obvious. Moving any one of the sliders to the left will
make the effect more subtle, and moving a slider all the way to the left will completely disable that
particular animation effect.
To reset all of the sliders to their default settings, press the ‘Restore Defaults’ button.
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The RealView page of the Config Panel
A note on ‘shimmering’: The ‘Ground roll vibration’ and ‘Engine vibration on ground’ effects both move
the entire cockpit relative to the pilot’s eye-point. This can cause some items in the cockpit to appear
to ‘shimmer’ as they quickly vibrate back and forth. Moving either of these two sliders to the right will
tend to exaggerate this shimmering. Shimmering is an unwanted by-product of the way FSX renders
3D objects on the screen. Increasing your video card’s anti-aliasing (AA) settings can significantly
reduce this shimmering. Most modern video cards can comfortably run 4x AA with little to no drop
in framerates, and higher settings than this will reduce shimmering even further. But it is extremely
important to not set AA so high that it reduces framerates, because low framerates will make the
Turbine Duke (and any FSX aircraft) handle poorly. If you don’t like this shimmering and would prefer
to keep AA settings low, you can opt to turn off the ‘Ground roll vibration’ and ‘Engine vibration on
ground’ altogether.
Trouble-Shooting the Config Panel
Please go to the ‘Trouble-Shooting - Config Panel’ section on page 85 for information on how to
solve any Config Panel problems you may encounter.
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Virtual Cockpit
Pilot’s panel featuring 3D gauges and switches
In the RealAir Duke’s virtual cockpit, you will find an environment in which the views are crisp, clear,
beautifully curved and moulded, and there are controls which are smoothly animated and a pleasure
to use. All the gauges, gauge needles and so on are truly three dimensional. That is to say that if you
zoom in and angle or pan your view, every aspect of the gauges maintain a realistic degree of depth.
The panel layout reflects a typical Beechcraft Turbine Duke IFR panel as you would see it today. All
currently operating Turbine Dukes have had their original B60 vintage gauges and radios replaced
with more modern equivalents. This is also the case with our simulated version of the Turbine Duke.
Most of the original flight/nav gauges have been replaced with more modern Bendix/King gauges
while the antiquated radios in the original Duke have been replaced with digital Bendix/King units.
A Garmin GPS 500 is also present on the panel. The panel in our Turbine Duke reflects a fairly typical
panel upgrade as would be seen in a Turbine Duke that is operating currently. It was designed to have
good ergonomics during IFR flight.
All currently operating Turbine Dukes are privately owned so the condition of the panel and cockpit
in our version simulates a well looked after privately owned aircraft. The condition of the panel,
cockpit and exterior is high with only minor wear.
Every switch, gauge, dial etc can be operated via the virtual cockpit. The primary flight instruments
are mirrored from the pilot’s seat (left) to the co-pilot’s seat (right), but the panel is designed around
the pilot’s seat especially for IFR flight.
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Why no 2D panels?
RealAir Simulations was one of the first developers to abandon the old-style traditional ‘2D panels’
in both FS9 and FSX. Our reasoning was this: We make our 3D virtual cockpits and panels so smooth,
efficient and life-like that there is simply no need for the old style ‘2D panels’.
We give you options in our various views to focus in on a ‘fixed’ 3D view just like the traditional
panels used to appear in flight simulator. But the difference is that our 3D panels are sharper, clearer
and run more smoothly than any of the older style panels, thus making ‘2D panels’ in our aircraft
entirely redundant.
If you are new to this concept we urge you to compare and see the difference! Not only can you
pan, zoom and position yourself wherever you choose, but you can also cycle through many view
options, some of which are ‘fixed’ views that enable you to concentrate on the task in hand. For more
information see the Views sections of this guide.
Co-pilot’s panel
The Duke’s gauges are all created as 3D objects with animated parts, in exactly the same way a 3D
modeller would create a retractable undercarriage, aileron or flap for an FSX aircraft. This means
that the gauges are not only truly three dimensional, but the needle movement is tied in to your core
flight simulator frame rate to give the smoothest gauge animation possible. For example, if you are
able to run FSX at 30 frames per second then your gauges will update at 30 fps. If you can run FSX
at 90fps then the gauges will also update at 90fps. In effect this means the gauge animations appear
completely smooth.
By contrast the gauges in older FSX virtual cockpits are made as two dimensional gauges which are
then applied to flat surfaces on the VC panel. Gauges made in this way are limited to a maximum of
18 fps but in practice they often refresh at an even lower rate than that, so they tend to appear jerky
in their movement.
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Views
Navigating your way around the panel
There are a number of methods by which you can zoom in on a portion of the panel in order to see
more detail. The first and most obvious is to use the standard pan and zoom keys in FSX, but that
is not always the quickest or easiest approach. In the sections below we detail the other navigation
methods you can use in our Duke.
The custom light switch view
Custom VC Views
In the Turbine Duke virtual cockpit, there are multiple custom VC views that can be accessed by
pressing the ‘A’ key to cycle between these custom views. For example when you first load the
Turbine Duke, FSX defaults to the main pilot VC view (left seat). If you wish to jump to the co-pilot’s
seat, press the ‘A’ key. This view is very useful, for example, when making right hand turns on to a
final approach, where the co-pilot has a better view.
The Pressurisation controls view (left) and the fuel selector view (right).
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For the other views press ‘A’ key yet again, or to reverse the cycle of views, press ‘Shift A’. These focus
more closely on a number of fixed views in order to see various functions, gauges and switches.
Every switch or function has at least one view where you can see and use the relevant control.
The rear-seat cabin view
Below is a list of the interior views, which cycle step by step with the ‘A’ key or cycle in reverse with
the ‘Shift A’ keys:
è Pilot View (left seat).
è Co-pilot View (right seat).
è IFR Main Instruments.
è Radios and GPS.
è Light Switches.
è Environment Controls (pressurisation and heating).
è Fuel Selector Switches.
è Cabin - front row looking forward.
è Cabin - front row looking aft.
è Cabin - right rear seat looking out the window over the wing.
è Cabin - right rear seat looking forward.
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VC view click-spots
The Turbine Duke VC panel features hidden click-spots to make it easy to jump between the various
camera VC views. The image below shows where each click-spot is located and the legend below this
image explains the function of each click-spot.
Left-click to jump to the ‘IFR Main Instruments’ view.
Right-click to jump to the main VC view.
Left-click to jump to the ‘Radios and GPS’ view.
Left-click to jump to the ‘Co-pilot’ view.
Left-click to jump to the ‘Light Switches’ view.
Left-click to jump to the ‘Environment Controls’ view.
Disabling the VC view click-spots
If you are a Track-IR user or prefer not to have this feature, it can be disabled via the Turbine Duke’s
Config panel. To do this open the Config Panel, go to the ‘Graphics Options’ page and select ‘Disable
VC-view click-spots’.
Please note: if you didn’t like the VC view click-spot navigation method in our original B60 Duke or
Turbine Duke, please give it another try in this Version 2 Duke. We have made the VC view click-spots
smaller and provided ample separation between VC view click-spot areas and the other switch and
knob click-spot areas so it is now virtually impossible to accidentally change VC views when you really
wanted to click on a switch or knob. We believe the revised VC view click-spots mean there is now
virtually no down-side to using this method.
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VC view keyboard shortcuts
To make navigating the extra VC camera views even easier, you can assign keyboard shortcuts within
FSX. By default two key commands are already set, they are as follows:
F9: Jump to the main VC view.
F10: Jump to the ‘IFR Main Instruments’ view.
Assigning keyboard shortcuts to jump between VC views
You can add keyboard shortcuts for some of the other Duke VC views, but it is necessary to manually
add these shortcuts via the FSX control assignment menu. This is done as follows:
è In FSX, navigate to ‘Options/Settings/Controls’.
è Click on the ‘Buttons/Keys’ tab.
è In the Assignments box, under the Event heading, scroll down until you see ‘View Camera 5
(Select)’. You need to assign keys to this event plus the four events below it. Specifically these events
are attached to the following Duke VC camera views:
View Camera 5 (Select): ‘Co-pilot (right seat)’ view.
View Camera 6 (Select): ‘Radios and GPS’ view.
View Camera 7 (Select): ‘Light Switches’ view.
View Camera 8 (Select): ‘Environment Controls’ view.
View Camera 9 (Select): ‘Fuel Selector’ view.
You can assign a keyboard or joystick button shortcut to any of these events by selecting the event
and pressing the ‘New Assignment’ button. We recommend assigning keyboard numbers 5 through 9
for the events above. That way, when you press (for example) ‘5’ on your keyboard you’ll jump to the
Co-pilot view, and so on. For additional help on assigning keys read the FSX help documents.
Please Note: These view assignments are global across all aircraft, so any changes you make here
could potentially affect other aircraft in FSX. That is why we haven’t mapped keyboard shortcuts to
these events for you. This is a limitation of the FSX view system.
Please also note: There is a limited number of events to map views to, so not all of the Duke’s camera
views can have keyboard shortcuts assigned to them. We have chosen to map the events above to the
most important views for general flying. The other views can still be accessed by cycling through the
VC views with the ‘A’ key.
Some information on the unused ‘View Camera x’ events: The FSX view system is very limited. ‘View
Camera 0’ doesn’t work - this appears to be an FSX bug. ‘View Camera 1’ through to ‘View Camera
4’ are assigned to other views by default, for example, ‘View camera 4’ is assigned to the exterior
top-down view. This left us with only 5 views to assign to the Duke’s extra VC views, and we can only
work within the constraints of FSX.
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Mouse Interaction
Mouse wheel
All of the switches, knobs and levers in the Duke can be controlled by your mouse wheel.
è Rotate the mouse wheel forwards to move a switch or lever up, or to rotate a knob or wheel
clockwise.
è Rotate the mouse wheel aft to move a switch or lever down, or to rotate a knob or wheel anti-
clockwise.
The mouse wheel can be used at all times, no matter which of the mouse interaction methods you have
chosen in the Duke Config Panel.
Click-drag mouse interaction
By default, all of the instruments in the Duke’s VC feature a click-drag mouse interaction technique
unique to RealAir’s FSX aircraft. It works as follows:
For on/off switches: Simply click on the switch as usual.
For rotary adjustment knobs:
For example, the HSI course knob, plus many more:
è To INCREASE the value: Left-click and drag UP.
è To DECREASE the value: Left-click and drag DOWN.
For rotary knobs with an inner and an outer knob:
For example, the tuning knobs on the nav/com radios.
è To rotate the INNER KNOB anti-clockwise: LEFT-click and drag UP.
è To rotate the INNER KNOB clockwise: LEFT-click and drag DOWN.
è To rotate the OUTER KNOB anti-clockwise: RIGHT-click and drag UP.
è To rotate the OUTER KNOB clockwise: RIGHT-click and drag DOWN.
In practice the click-drag method works as follows: To tune the nav or com WHOLE digits, LEFT click
and drag on the knob. To tune the nav or com FRACTION digits, RIGHT click and drag on the same
knob.
This might sounds a little complicated from the above description, but to actually use you’ll find it
quite simple, intuitive, fast and precise. It allows the radios in particular to be adjusted in a realistic
way. No more searching for invisible mouse click areas, waiting for the mouse cursor to change. No
more clicking on the radio numbers when in real life you turn a knob to tune the radio. No more
waiting for values to slowly increase — the faster you drag the faster the values change. If you
haven’t tried this mouse interaction in any previous RealAir aircraft, we encourage you to give it a
try.
If you find you are experiencing difficulty adjusting instruments in the VC when the camera view is
moving around due to turbulence or g effects, switch to a different VC view using the ‘A’ key.
All of the zoomed in views have the camera movement effect turned off to facilitate easy instrument
mouse clicks (see the Views section for detailed information).
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Left-click/right-click mouse interaction
Rather than the click-drag method described above, you can choose to use a more conventional leftclick/right-click mouse interaction technique in the VC.
To enable this option, go to the ‘Panel Options’ page of the Duke Config Panel and select the
appropriate options on the right hand side of the page.
The left-click/right-click mouse interaction method works as follows:
For on/off switches: Simply click on the switch as usual.
For rotary adjustment knobs:
For example, the HSI course knob, plus many more:
è To INCREASE the value—right click.
è To DECREASE the value—left click.
For knobs with an inner and an outer knob (eg the nav/com tuning knobs), you need to position the
cursor over either the inner or outer knob to affect each knob.
Left-click to move both power levers, right-click to move a single power lever
Moving the power, prop and condition levers
The power, prop and condition levers are controlled in the following way:
Power Levers:
è To move both left and right power levers in unison, left-click and drag on either power lever.
è To move just one power lever, right-click and drag on the desired lever.
Propeller Levers:
è To move both left and right prop levers in unison, left-click and drag on either prop lever.
è To move just one prop lever, right-click and drag on the desired lever.
Condition Levers:
è To move both left and right condition levers in unison, left-click and drag on either condition lever.
è To move just one condition lever, right-click and drag on the desired lever.
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Three-position switches
The Duke features a number of three-position switches. These switches work as follows:
è To move the switch up—right-click or move your mouse wheel forwards.
è To move the switch down—left-click or move your mouse wheel aft.
The oil door switches are three-position switches
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VC Details
Unique VC animations
There are a few unique animations in the VC view:
è Cabin Door: The Cabin door can be opened by clicking on the door handle and closed by clicking
on the exposed part of the open door. The cabin door cannot be opened fully above 30 kt. If you leave
the cabin door open prior to takeoff, the cabin door will be blown shut as the speed increases! If this
happens it will still be slightly ajar. Click on the door handle or press Shift-E to close it properly.
è Folding Table: You can open/close the folding table located on the right-hand cabin wall by
clicking on it with your mouse.
è Armrests: You can lower/raise the armrests by clicking on them.
è Sun Visors: These handy visors, used for cutting down the glare when facing the sun can be
flipped down, or up, by clicking the mouse on them.
Folding table - click to open or close
VC gauge shimmering
You may notice a slight ‘shimmering’ on the VC gauges. This is an unwanted by-product of their high
resolution graphics. This can be reduced by increasing anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering in your
graphics driver control panel. Increasing these values has a very positive effect on FSX graphics in
general, including the scenery, but it will reduce your framerates. See the ‘Setup Guide - Video card
settings’ section on page 18 of this guide for more information.
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Virtual cockpit construction details
The Duke has a complex, highly-detailed cockpit and cabin where every switch, gauge and needle
is modelled in 3D. To ensure unnecessary polygons or textures do not reduce frame-rates, the VC in
the Duke is made similarly to how movie sets are made. If you view the VC from anywhere within
the confines of the cabin the cockpit should appear solid and 100% convincing. If you move the eyepoint outside the cabin things might look strange, and you may notice what appear to be ‘missing’
parts. These ‘missing’ parts have been intentionally left out to improve frame-rates and to allow the
major design focus to be placed on the VC parts that really matter—the parts you can see from the
cockpit.
Panel lighting at night
Virtual cockpit lighting
If the virtual cockpit panel appears too dark you can switch on the lights. To switch on cabin floodlighting click on the ‘Cabin Lights’ switch just to the left of the power levers. To turn on the panel
and gauge back-lighting, click on the ‘Panel Lights’ switch next to the cockpit lights switch or press
‘Shift-L’.
A feature of the panel and gauge back-lighting in the RealAir Turbine Duke is that it works at all
times, day or night, as it would in real life. In contrast the back-lighting in most other FSX aircraft
only works at night time.
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Unusual Switches and Gauges
Most switches and gauges in the Turbine Duke V2 will be familiar to experienced sim or real world
pilots. However there are some switches and gauges whose functions aren’t immediately obvious.
Below are descriptions of some of these unusual switches and gauges:
Electrical switch panel
Electrical switch panel (left) and de-ice switch panel (right)
Inverter switch: The inverter switch is located underneath the ‘Avionics Power’ label, on the left. It
has three positions - ‘OFF’, ‘MN INV’ (Main Inverter) and ‘STBY INV’ (Standby Inverter). The Turbine
Duke is fitted with two inverters — main and standby. Most of the time you should use the main
inverter, the standby inverter is meant for use only when there is a failure of the main inverter. The
job of the inverters is to convert DC current from the batteries and generators into AC current. The
Inverter must be switched on for certain avionics to function, specifically the Attitude Indicators, the
Autopilot and the various anti-icing heaters.
Ignition Switches: The Ignition switches are used while starting the turbine engines. As a general
rule they should be set to ‘ON’ during startup, and kept in the ‘AUTO’ position while the engines are
running. The engines cannot be started if these switches are set to ‘OFF’. See the Startup Procedures
section later in this document for more info on their use.
Starter Switches: These have three positions. ‘Starter On’ will initiate the engine start sequence for
each engine (left or right). ‘Gen On’ will turn on the appropriate generator (left or right). As a general
rule these switches should be set to ‘Gen On’ soon after startup and during flight. See the Startup
Procedures section later in this document for more info on their use.
Fuel Pump Switches: There are two electrically powered fuel boost pumps available for each engine.
Only one pump for each engine can be operated at any one time, the second pump effectively being a
backup incase of failure of the first pump. Either pump can be used in flight.
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De-Ice switch panel
These switches are located to the left and below the pilot’s main panel, and are partially hidden by
the pilot’s yoke. Click the yoke to hide it and gain a better view of these switches.
L wshld: Switches the left windshield de-icing heater on or off. FSX does not include any windshield
icing or de-icing functionality, so this switch has no function. However turning this switch on will
increase the load on the generators (see Generator Load gauges). To make the cockpit procedures
as realistic and immersive as possible it is good practice to still use this switch, ignoring the fact it
doesn’t do anything.
Fuel vent (left and right): Switches the left or right engine fuel vent heaters on/off.
Pitot left: Switches the pitot anti-ice heater on or off.
Prop ht: Switches the propeller de-icing heaters on or off.
Stall and R pitot: Switches the right hand pitot and stall warning heaters on or off.
Please Note: FSX does not include any functionality for a second pitot heater or stall warning heater,
so this switch has no function. Switching this switch on will however increase the load on the
generators (see Generator Load gauges). To make the cockpit procedures as realistic and immersive
as possible it is good practice to use this switch as if it did work.
Surface - one cycle/manual: This switch activates the rubber de-icing boots that are located on the
leading edges of the wings and stabilisers. In FSX, switching to either ‘One Cycle’ or ‘Manual’ will
activate the de-icing boots. In real life it is a little more complicated than this but FSX only allows for
simplified de-icing boot functionality (that is, on or off).
Pilot air: Opens the pilot’s cabin air vent. Not functional in FSX for obvious reasons.
De-frost air: Opens the windscreen de-frost air vent. Not functional in FSX.
Light switches (left), prop amps, and prop sync (right)
Light switches
These switches are located to the right and below the pilot’s main panel, and are partially hidden by
the pilot’s yoke.
Tip: Click the yoke to hide it and gain a better view of the light switches.
Interior Lights (Panel and Flood): These dimmer style switches are non-functional due to FSX lighting
limitations.
Panel lights: Switches the instrument back-lighting and main panel lighting on or off.
Cabin lights: Switches the cabin flood-lighting on or off.
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Environment and miscellaneous switches
These controls are mostly located at the bottom of the panel, forward of the power lever quadrant
and below the copilot’s panel. Many are partially hidden by the co-pilot’s yoke. Click the yoke to hide
it and gain a better view of these switches.
Gyro Press GA pilot/co-pilot: The real-world Duke is equipped with dual regulators installed in the
instrument pressure system. In the real aircraft, when set to ‘PILOT’ the Gyro Pressure gauge will
indicate the pressure in the pilot’s side pressure regulator, and likewise when set to ‘CO-PILOT’ it
will indicate the pressure in the copilot’s side regulator. Please Note: This switch is not functional
in FSX, because FSX does not allow for such a relatively complex instrument pressure system. The
switch has been included in our simulated version to make the panel and procedures as close to real
as possible.
Cabin air controls (left), pressurisation air shut-off levers (right)
Prop amps gauge: Measures the current going into the propeller heating elements. This gauge will
read zero most of the time, and approx. 16A when the PROP HT switch is on.
Prop Sync: Switches the propeller synchroniser on or off. Prop Sync will exactly match RPM between
the left and right engines. It is quite slow to respond so patience is required to see any effect. It will
only synchronise the propellers if there is less than 50 RPM difference between the two propellers.
Cabin temp mode, vent blower, and cabin temp: These are controls for the cabin air conditioning
system. For fairly obvious reasons these controls have no function in FSX. For maximum realism, you
can still operate the dial/switch even though it has no function, and the Cabin Temp Mode dial will
affect the generator load (see Generator Load gauges).
Cabin pull air on: Again, for obvious reasons this control has no function in FSX. For maximum
realism, you can still operate the knob even though it has no actual function.
Pressurisation controls: See the dedicated ‘Pressurisation’ section on page 46 of this guide for
detailed information.
Pressurisation air temp levers (2): Self explanatory but as with air conditioning controls, these have
no function in FSX. For the sake of maximum realism you can still operate the levers even though
they have no function.
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Pressurisation air shut-off levers (2): These shutoff the flow of air from the engines to the
pressurisation system. The cabin cannot pressurisation when both are out. See the dedicated
‘Pressurisation’ section on page 46 of this guide for detailed information.
Pneumatic pressure gauge: Located below the co-pilot’s HSI, this instrument measures the
pneumatic pressure going into the surface de-icing boots. For this reason most of the time in normal
conditions it will (and should) read zero. When you switch the ‘SURFACE’ switch to either ‘ONE
CYCLE’ or ‘MANUAL’, this gauge will show a positive reading. See the ‘De-Ice Switch Panel’ section on
page 41 of this guide for more information on the SURFACE switch and de-icing boot functionality.
Circuit breakers
The circuit breakers are located to the right of the co-pilot’s panel. These are all non-functional in
FSX, because FSX does not allow functioning circuit breakers. Despite this, for maximum realism
they have still been modelled in 3D and accurately labelled.
Engine switches (left bottom) and circuit breakers (right)
Engine switches
Oil Door switches: The Oil Door switches open or close the oil doors located on the top of each engine
cowling. There are three settings — closed, half open and fully open. Use as appropriate to keep
engine oil temperature within limits. Open the doors to lower the oil temperature if it is getting too
high. Close the doors when oil temperature is low to reduce drag at cruise speeds. See the Engine
Failures section for more information.
Ice Deflector switches: Open the ice deflectors to prevent engine icing while flying in weather where
engine ice buildup is possible, or to clear engine icing that has already occurred. Otherwise keep the
ice deflectors in the closed position.
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Annunciators
Main annunciator panels: The main annunciator panels in the Turbine Duke are located directly
above the radio stack. The labels are mostly self explanatory. To test that all annunciator lights are
working, press and hold the small grey spring-loaded button in the centre, toward the bottom of
each annunciator. All annunciator lights on each unit should light for as long as you keep the mouse
button held down. The screenshot below shows how the annunciators will look while the left
annunciator’s test button is being pressed.
Main annunciator panels
Master Warning: The Master Warning annunciator will light whenever one of the red ‘warning’
messages on the main annunciator panels are lit. It will initially flash for ten seconds before
becoming permanently lit. It will stay on for as long as the warning message it was alerting you to
(on the main annunciator panel) is lit. You can switch the Master Warn annunciator off by pressing it
with your mouse button, after which it will stay off until such time as a new warning message lights
on the main annunciator panel.
Master warning annunciator (left), pneumatic pressure indicator (right)
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Pressurisation
The Turbine Duke features a pressurised cabin. This means the pilot and occupants of the Duke can
fly at high altitudes without the need for oxygen masks.
The Turbine Duke Version 2 features advanced pressurisation programming that simulates cabin
pressurisation more accurately than the default FSX pressurisation coding allows.
Cruising at high altitude in the Turbine Duke’s pressurised cabin
Basic explanation of the pressurisation system
A basic explanation of how the cabin pressurisation works is as follows:
Air is pumped into the cabin under pressure at a steady rate. This pressurised air is provided by the
turbine engines. On the aft cabin bulkhead are mounted two valves—the outflow control valve and
the safety valve. The ‘Pressurisation Controller’ regulates the outflow valve to maintain the selected
cabin pressure or ‘cabin altitude’ while the safety valve is connected to the dump switch as well as
the landing gear safety switch.
Cabin pressurisation is expressed in terms of ‘cabin altitude’. A cabin altitude of 10,000ft means the
air pressure in the cabin is the same as it would be at 10,000ft outside the aircraft. Increasing air
pressure in the cabin reduces cabin altitude.
The Duke cabin has a maximum pressure differential of 4.7psi, which basically means the maximum
possible difference between cabin pressure and outside air pressure is 4.7psi. In practical terms this
means the Duke can maintain a cabin pressure equivalent to sea level while flying at 10,000ft (that is
a cabin altitude of 0ft), and at the Duke’s service ceiling of 30,000ft it can maintain a cabin pressure
equivalent to roughly 13,000ft (cabin altitude of 13,000ft).
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Pressurisation Controls
The pressurisation controls are mounted on the bottom-right of the panel between the power lever
quadrant and the copilot’s yoke. The controls are as follows:
The main pressurisation controls
Altitude Selector: Click and drag on the knob in the centre of this control to set the desired cabin
altitude. This gauge has an inner and an outer reading - the outer reading represents the selected
cabin altitude while the inner reading indicates the corresponding aircraft altitude where the
maximum pressure differential will occur.
Rate Control: On the bottom left of the Altitude Selector is the rate control knob. This regulates the
rate at which cabin pressure ascends or descends to the selected cabin altitude. When the arrow
points straight up cabin altitude will climb/descend at a rate of 500 fpm.
Cabin Climb Indicator: This gauge shows how quickly the cabin altitude is rising or falling.
Cabin Altitude Indicator: This gauge displays the current cabin altitude on the outer scale, and the
current pressure differential on the inner scale.
Cabin Pressure Dump Switch: When pressed this will dump cabin pressure, causing the cabin
pressure to be equal to the outside air pressure.
Pressurisation Air Shut-off Levers: There are two pressurisation air shut-off levers. The left lever
controls air taken from the left engine, and the right lever controls air taken from the right engine.
These levers are the big red levers at the far-right-bottom of the panel, under the co-pilot’s yoke.
Cabin Door: While definitely not one of the cabin pressurisation controls - if you open the cabin
door while the cabin is pressurised the cabin will experience a rapid loss of pressure. In only a few
seconds the cabin pressure will be equal to the outside pressure.
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Pressurisation Air Shut-off Levers (red levers)
Using the Pressurisation Controls
Before takeoff, set the Altitude Selector to either the desired cabin altitude on the outer scale or the
planned cruising altitude on the inner scale, plus 500 ft. Before descent to landing, the outer scale
should be set to the field elevation plus 500 ft. Use the Rate Control to adjust how quickly the cabin
pressure increases (Cabin Altitude descends) or decreases (Cabin Altitude ascends).
If the cabin differential pressure reaches its maximum and the aircraft is still climbing the cabin
altitude will climb with the aircraft altitude.
When cabin altitude goes over 10,000ft an annunciator labelled ‘CABIN ALT’ will light on the main
annunciator panel. With maximum pressure differential this will occur at approximately 25,000 ft
aircraft altitude.
The maximum rate at which the cabin can pressurise is approximately 2000 ft/min. It a good idea to
set the cabin rate as low as is practical so that you and your passengers do not suffer ear discomfort!
Make sure both pressurisation shut-off levers are in their off position (both levers in). If you
close one of the shut-off levers, the maximum rate at which the cabin can pressurise is reduced to
approximately 1200 ft/min. Likewise, if one engine is shut-down, the maximum rate at which the
cabin can pressurise is reduced to approximately 1200 ft/min.
If both engines are shut-down, or both pressurisation shut-off levers are placed in the off position,
the cabin will slowly de-pressurise at a rate of approximately 200 ft/min as pressurised air slowly
leaks from the cabin into the atmosphere. Cabin pressure will eventually stabilise when it matches
the outside air pressure.
If you land while the cabin is pressurised, a switch connected to the landing gear suspension struts
will automatically open the cabin pressure dump valve, de-pressurising the cabin. This avoids
problems that could be associated with opening the cabin door while the cabin is pressurised. But you should plan your flight so that the cabin is de-pressurised sometime before landing.
Warning: If you attempt to open the cabin door in the air the cabin will rapidly de-pressurise!
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Standard GPS
By default, at the centre of the Turbine Duke panel is the standard FSX GPS 500 screen placed inside
a custom 3D surround, with back-lit 3D knobs and buttons. Functionally it is exactly the same as the
default 2D FSX GPS except the left and right arrows used to navigate the default FSX 2D GPS have
been replaced with the RealAir click-and-drag mouse control feature as used on all the rotary knobs
in the Duke VC.
The default GPS 500. The Nav/GPS switch can be seen below the autopilot
Mouse Interaction
Left-click/right-click knob option
Select the knob you want to move (inner or outer) by placing the mouse over it then:
è To rotate the knob anti-clockwise: Right-click.
è To rotate the knob clockwise: Left-click.
è To operate the GPS cursor, middle-click on the inner GPS knob or left-click just to the left of the
GPS knob (see image below).
Left-click to operate the GPS crsr control
Middle-click to operate the GPS crsr control
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Click-drag mouse interaction
As an alternative to the left/right click method, you can choose to navigate the GPS using our clickdrag technique. To select this option, go to the “Panel Options” page of the Duke’s Config Panel. This
method works as follows:
è To rotate the INNER KNOB anti-clockwise: LEFT-click and drag UP.
è To rotate the INNER KNOB clockwise: LEFT-click and drag DOWN.
è To rotate the OUTER KNOB anti-clockwise: RIGHT-click and drag UP.
è To rotate the OUTER KNOB clockwise: RIGHT-click and drag DOWN.
è To operate the GPS cursor, left-click quickly on the inner knob.
Mouse wheel
You can use the mouse-wheel to rotate the knob, you just need to position the cursor over either the
inner or outer knob to do this. You can also use the mouse-wheel to rotate the knob in the desired
direction.
2D GPS
You can access the default 2D FSX GPS by pressing ‘Shift-2’.
Additional GPS notes
On/off
You can switch off the GPS if required by clicking the on/off switch on the left side of the unit (the
small knob marked with a small c).
Nav/GPS
Immediately below the autopilot you will find the NAV/GPS toggle switch. If this switch is set to ‘Nav’
then the HSI and autopilot will be slaved to the Nav 1 radio. If this switch is set to ‘GPS’ then the HSI
and autopilot will be slaved to the GPS.
Shimmering
The standard GPS screen has a tendency to shimmer. If this gets very annoying you can switch off the
GPS or you can modify the FSX VC view to remove the momentum effect (head movement). Visit the
various FSX user forums for advice.
Auto DTK or Manual DTK?
DTK stands for ‘Desired Track’. The Duke V2 Config Panel includes an option to set either ‘Auto DTK’
or ‘Manual DTK’. When the HSI is being controlled by the GPS (Nav/GPS switch set to GPS), and with
‘Auto DTK’ selected, the HSI course needle will automatically move to the GPS DTK. With ‘Manual
DTK’ selected, the HSI course needle must be manually set to the GPS DTK bearing. The latter is
more realistic for an aircraft like the Duke.
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Reality XP GNS 530/430 Integration
If you own the Reality XP GNS 530 or GNS 430, you can choose to use these units in place of the
standard FSX GPS 500. Integration of the Reality XP units is all handled by the Turbine Duke V2
Config Panel.
Turbine Duke VC panel with one Reality XP GNS 530 installed
Before setting up the Turbine Duke to use either or both of these gauges, it is important to
understand the following:
è The Reality XP GNS 530 and/or GNS 430 must be bought separately. Neither the Reality XP GNS
530, nor the Reality XP GNS 430 are included as part of the Turbine Duke package.
è Before setting up the Turbine Duke to use the Reality XP GNS 530 and/or GNS 430, you must
have one or both of these gauges installed in FSX.
è We recommend using the Turbine Duke Config Panel to install the RXP gauges into the Turbine
Duke. Following this initial setup you can then use the RXP Configurator to modify the various RXP
settings.
è Reality XP sell the GNS 530 and GNS 430 separately. If you buy and install only the 530, then you
can only install the 530 into the Duke. If you buy and install only the 430, then you can only install
the 430 into the Duke. If you buy both, and install both into FSX, only then can you install both units
into the Duke.
è You can only use two of the same GNS units on one panel if you have purchased the RXP
Unlimited pack. If you don’t have this pack then you can only have one 530, one 430 or one 530 plus
one 430.
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è Cross-fill is only available if you have purchased and installed the RXP Unlimited pack. This is
because the RXP gauges only support cross-fill with the unlimited pack installed, which is something
we at RealAir have no control over.
If you own the RXP Unlimited pack, there is an option to install two RXP GNS 530s into the VC panel
Reality XP GNS Installation
Configuring the Turbine Duke to use the Reality XP GNS 530 and/or GNS 430
1. If you haven’t done so already, install the Reality XP GNS 530 and/or GNS 430 into FSX (see notes
in section above), using the installer provided by Reality XP.
2. Install the RealAir Turbine Duke V2 (you have probably done this already).
Please note: It is not important whether you install the Turbine Duke V2 first or the GNS 530/430 first.
All that matters is they are both installed into FSX.
3. Open the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel and navigate to the ‘GPS & Radios’ page.
4. Click on the ‘Select GPS’ drop down box and select ‘Reality XP GNS 530’ or ‘Reality XP GNS 430’.
5. If you own both the RXP GNS 530 and GNS 430, or if you own the RXP Unlimited pack, you will
have the option of installing a second RXP GNS gauge. Choose this second GNS by clicking on the
‘Select GPS 2’ drop down box.
6. Select whether you would like separate nav/com radios installed using the show/hide nav/com
button.
7. To finish configuring your GNS installation, you can rearrange the position of the GNS gauges
as well as the other radios by using the ‘Rearrange Panel Layout’ screen on the right of the GPS &
Radios page.
52
8. Click the Save button (bottom right) and exit the Config Panel. Now when you load the Turbine
Duke V2 in FSX the Reality XP gauges will be configured according to your selection.
Please Note: The Turbine Duke Config Panel will only allow you to install whichever RXP GNS gauges
are currently installed onto your computer.
If you have neither the Reality XP GNS 530 nor GNS 430 installed into FSX, then you will not see an
option to install these gauges.
Using the RXP configurator
Once the above steps have been completed the RXP gauges will be installed into your Turbine Duke
V2 using various default RXP settings. You can either leave it this way and go fly the Turbine Duke, or
you can now use the RXP configurator to alter the GNS gauge settings to your liking. There are some
limitations - you must use the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel to select the actual panel layout and
install the gauges into the Turbine Duke, and you must use the RXP Configurator to alter the actual
RXP settings (whether to have audible warnings, etc etc).
Using the Reality XP GNS Gauges In the Turbine Duke
Mouse interaction
When installed into the Turbine Duke’s 3D panel, these gauges work identically to how they work
when installed into a 2D panel (or pop-up window). The only difference is the buttons and knobs
are modelled in 3D. All of the default click-spots and mouse interaction methods are retained. For
example—left click to turn a knob anti-clockwise, right click to turn a knob clockwise, middle click
to enable the cursor, etc etc. See the documents accompanying the Reality XP GNS 530/430 for more
information.
You may notice when using the VC-mounted GNS gauges that the custom Reality XP cursors flash
when you move the cursor. This is normal and is related to the way FSX renders the cursors on the
VC panel.
We’ve found the screens look best on the VC panel with the brightness turned down slightly.
2D pop-up
To see a 2D pop-up of the GNS units, click on the GNS screen or press ‘Shift 2’. The custom 3D knobs
and buttons are all backlit. The back-lighting is tied to the panel lights.
Nav/GPS switch
The GNS units take control of the Nav/GPS switch, so with the Reality XP GNS units installed there
is no separate nav/gps switch on the Duke’s panel, instead there is a button on the GNS unit itself to
make this selection. See the Reality XP GNS documentation for more information on how to slave the
panel avionics to the GNS or nav radios.
RXP GNS Options
The Turbine Duke V2 Config Program is only for integrating the RXP gauges into the Turbine
Duke V2. For setting various options on the RXP GNS gauges themselves, please use Reality XP’s
own Configurator program. For information on how to do this please view the documentation
accompanying your RXP GNS gauges.
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Auto DTK or manual DTK?
Previous versions of the RealAir Config Panel had an option to select between ‘Auto-DTK’ or ‘Manual
DTK’. We chose to remove this option in the new Duke Config Panel because it could conflict with
the ‘Auto-CRS’ setting in Reality XP’s own Configurator program. To switch between Auto DTK and
manual DTK, open the RXP Config program and locate the ‘Auto CRS’ option. For information on how
to do this please view the documentation accompanying your RXP GNS gauges.
Cross-Fill
Previous versions of the RealAir Config Panel had an option to set GNS cross-fill settings for
owners of the RXP Unlimited pack. This doubled-up on a setting that can be made using RXP’s
own Config program, so we chose to remove this option from the Duke V2 Config program. To set
cross-fill, please use the RXP Config program. For information on how to do this please view the
documentation accompanying your RXP GNS gauges.
Separate Nav/Com Radios
You have the option of installing separate nav/com radios to accompany the nav/com radios built
in to the GNS gauges. In real life it is very unlikely that you would have separate nav/com radios
installed alongside the GNS units, but we chose to provide this option because many people find the
separate nav/com radios to be quicker and easier to tune.
Trouble-Shooting
Reality XP GNS version compatibility
To avoid potential problems please make sure you are using the most up-to-date version of the
Reality XP gauges currently available. Older versions of the gauge can cause some minor, and some
major issues.
FSX version compatibility
The Reality XP GNS gauges require either FSX SP2, or FSX Acceleration to be installed to work
properly with the Duke V2.
Please visit the ‘Trouble-Shooting - Reality XP Integration’ section on page 88 of this guide for more
information on specific RXP integration problems and their solutions.
Reality XP GNS 530/430 Support
We cannot offer any support on matters relating to the operation of the Reality XP GNS 530/430—you
will need to get in touch with Reality XP regarding these matters. We can only offer support on Reality
XP GNS/RealAir Turbine Duke VC integration issues.
54
Flight1 GTN 750/650 Integration
If you own the Flight1 GTN 750 or GTN 650, you can choose to use these units in place of the
standard FSX GPS 500. Integration of the Flight1 GTN units is all handled by the Turbine Duke V2
Config Panel.
Turbine Duke VC panel with one Flight1 GTN 750 installed
Before setting up the Turbine Duke to use either or both of these gauges, it is important to
understand the following:
è The Flight1 GTN 750 and/or GTN 650 must be bought separately. Neither the Flight1 GTN 750, nor
the Flight1 GTN 650 are included as part of the Turbine Duke V2 package.
è Before setting up the Turbine Duke V2 to use the Flight1 GTN 750 and/or GTN 650, you must
have one or both of these gauges installed in FSX.
è You need to use the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel to install the Flight1 GTN gauges into the
Turbine Duke V2. Following this initial setup you can then use the Flight1 GTN Config program to
modify the various GTN settings (more on this below).
è Flight1 sell the GTN 750 and GTN 650 separately. If you buy and install only the GTN 750, then
you can only install the GTN 750 into the Turbine Duke V2. If you buy and install only the GTN 650,
then you can only install the GTN 650 into the Turbine Duke V2. If you buy both, and install both
into FSX, only then can you install both units into the Turbine Duke V2.
55
You can install one or two of the same GTN units into the VC panel (2 x GTN 750s shown)
Flight1 GTN Installation
Configuring the Turbine Duke V2 to use the Flight1 GTN 750 and/or GTN 650
1. If you haven’t done so already, install the Flight1 GTN 750 and/or GTN 650 into FSX (see notes in
section above), using the installer provided by Flight1.
2. Install the RealAir Turbine Duke V2 (you have probably done this already).
Please note: It is not important whether you install the Turbine Duke V2 first or the GTN 750/650 first.
All that matters is they are both installed into FSX.
3. Open the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel and navigate to the ‘GPS & Radios’ page.
4. Click on the ‘Select GPS’ drop down box and select ‘Flight1 GTN 750’ or ‘Flight1 GTN 650’.
5. You have the option of installing a second GTN gauge either of the same type or if you own both
the GTN 750 and the GTN 650, one of each. Once you have chosen the first GTN gauge, a drop down
box will appear that allows you to select the second GTN gauge.
6. Select whether you would like separate nav/com radios installed using the show/hide nav/com
button. Select whether you would like a separate transponder installed by pressing the show/hide
transponder button.
7. To finish configuring your GTN installation, you can rearrange the position of the GTN gauges as
well as the other radios by using the ‘Rearrange Panel Layout’ screen on the right hand side of the
GPS & Radios page.
8. Click the Save button (bottom right) and exit the Config Panel. Now when you load the Turbine
Duke V2 in FSX the Flight1 GTN gauges will be configured according to your selection.
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Please Note: The Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel will only allow you to install whichever Flight1 GTN
gauges are currently installed onto your computer.
If you have neither the Flight1 GTN 750 nor the GTN 650 installed into FSX, then you will not see an
option to install either of these gauges.
Using the Flight1 GTN Config Program
Once the above steps have been completed the Flight1 GTN gauges will be installed into your
Turbine Duke V2 using default GTN settings. You can either leave it this way and go fly the Turbine
Duke V2, or you can now use the Flight1 GTN config program to alter the GTN gauge settings to your
liking. There are some limitations - you must use the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel to select the
actual panel layout and install the gauges into the Turbine Duke V2, and you must use the Flight1
GTN config program to alter the actual GTN settings. The Flight1 config program can alter such
settings as 2D GTN popup window size and position, which radios each gauge controls, and so on
(see Flight1 GTN documentation for more info).
Using the Flight1 GTN Gauges In the Turbine Duke V2
Back-lighting
The custom 3D knobs and buttons are all backlit. The back-lighting is tied to the panel lights. To turn
the back-lighting on or off, switch the panel lights on or off.
Mouse interaction
When installed into the Turbine Duke’s 3D panel, these gauges work identically to how they work
when installed into a 2D panel (or pop-up window). The only difference is the buttons and knobs
are modelled in 3D. All of the default click-spots and mouse interaction methods are retained. For
example—left click to turn a knob anti-clockwise, right click to turn a knob clockwise, and so on. See
the documents accompanying the Flight1 GTN gauges for more information.
2D pop-up
To see a 2D pop-up of the GTN units, click on the lower left hand edge of the GTN gauge, press ‘Shift
2’ to open the first GTN gauge, or press ‘Shift-3’ to open the second GTN gauge (if installed). See the
documents accompanying the Flight1 GTN gauges for more information on the exact location of the
popup click spots.
Nav/GPS switch
The GTN units take control of the Nav/GPS switch, so with the Flight1 GTN units installed there is no
separate nav/gps switch on the Turbine Duke’s panel, instead there is a button on the GTN unit to
make this selection. See the Flight1 GTN documentation for more information on how to make this
selection.
Flight1 GTN Options
The Turbine Duke V2 Config Program is only for integrating the Flight1 GTN gauges into the Turbine
Duke V2. For setting various options on the Flight1 GTN gauges themselves, please use Flight1’s own
Config program. For information on how to do this please view the documentation accompanying
your Flight1 GTN gauges.
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Auto DTK or manual DTK?
Previous versions of the RealAir Config Panel had an option to select between ‘Auto-DTK’ or ‘Manual
DTK’. We chose to remove this option in the new Duke Config Panel because it could conflict with the
‘Auto-CRS’ setting in Flight1’s own Config program. To switch between Auto DTK and manual DTK,
open the Flight1 GTN Config program and locate the ‘Auto CRS’ option. For information on how to do
this please view the documentation accompanying your Flight1 GTN gauges.
Separate Nav/Com Radios
You have the option of installing separate nav/com radios to accompany the nav/com radios built
in to the GTN gauges. In real life it is very unlikely that you would have separate nav/com radios
installed alongside the GTN units, but we chose to provide this option because many people find the
separate nav/com radios to be quicker and easier to tune.
Separate Transponder
You also have the option of installing a separate transponder radio to accompany the transponder
radios built in to the GTN gauges. In real life it is very unlikely that you would have a separate
transponder radio installed alongside the GTN units, but we chose to provide this option because
many people find the separate transponder to be quicker and easier to tune.
What happened to the audio panel?
The GTN 750 has a dedicated page for controlling all audio functionality, so the dedicated audio
panel is not required. The GTN 650 does not have this functionality, so the audio panel remains
when there is only a GTN 650 installed.
Trouble-Shooting
Flight1 GTN version compatibility
To avoid potential problems please make sure you are using the most up-to-date version of the
Flight1 GTN gauges currently available (see Flight1 website).
FSX version compatibility
The Flight1 GTN gauges require either FSX SP2, or FSX Acceleration to be installed to work properly
with the Turbine Duke V2.
Please visit the ‘Trouble-Shooting - Flight1 GTN Integration’ section on “Flight1 GTN Integration”
on page 89 of this guide for more information on specific F1 GTN integration problems and their
solutions.
Flight1 GTN 750/650 Support
We cannot offer any support on matters relating to the operation or installation of the Flight1 GTN
750/650 gauges—you will need to get in touch with Flight1 regarding these matters. We can only offer
support on Flight1 GTN/RealAir Turbine Duke VC integration issues.
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Landing Lights
Custom 3D Landing and Taxi Lights
New in the Version 2 Turbine Duke are custom 3D modelled landing and taxi lights that actually
light the terrain rather than cover the terrain in a white wash (as the default landing lights do). This
method of creating landing lights was first pioneered by Mike Johnson of Lotus Sim in his wonderful
L39 and has since been used by many other developers.
Custom 3D landing lights
The nature of these lights means they will look brighter or darker depending on the lightness or
darkness of the surface they are shining on. On very dark grey runways they will look quite dim but on
lighter grey runways they will look nice and bright. If you use a product like REX to set your runway
textures we recommend setting the runways to one of the lighter grey options to really bring out the
best in the Duke’s landing lights.
Light Limitations
With these landing lights it is possible to produce much better and more atmospheric landing lights
overall, but there are some limitations that cannot be avoided. The biggest limitation occurs in low
visibility when the edges of the textures that produce the landing light become visible when they
should be invisible. This results in big square polygons being visible on the ground in front of the
aircraft when near the ground and in low visibility. We have to stress that this is a problem that is
present in all aircraft with this method of lighting, and it appears to be an insurmountable limitation
of this form of landing light. We have been able to reduce the severity of this problem to the point
where the big square polygons are only visible at early dusk and late dawn in low visibility (less
than 5 miles) - at all other times the landing lights appear natural. To do this, we needed to set the
landing lights to become visible at a very low height in low visibility, that is to say the lower the
visibility then the lower you need to be to the ground before the landing lights become visible. In
high visibility the lights will become visible at quite a high altitude. This is not ideal but we believe
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it is the best compromise possible given the limitations of FSX in this regard. In real life, if you were
flying in very low visibility the landing lights would only be reflecting the fog back at you, so we
believe this is an acceptable compromise.
Custom Or Default Landing Lights
In the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel you will find an option to use the default FSX style landing
lights rather than our custom 3D landing lights. This has mainly been provided as a solution to
disappearing VC click-spots.
Some users of our Duke B60 V2 reported experiencing disappearing VC click-spots which meant
they weren’t able to click on any of the gauges or controls in the VC. After a lot of time spent
searching for a solution we and other developers learned that removing custom 3D landing lights
from an aircraft’s 3D model fixed the problem for almost all users. That is the main reason we have
provided this option in the V2 Turbine Duke.
We’d like to stress that there is no reason why the 3D landing lights should have this effect on the
VC click-spots. There appears to be an FSX bug being triggered by the landing lights. The 3D landing
lights and VC click-spots are completely unrelated, but removing them appears to have fixed the
problem for almost all of our users. FSX has been around since 2006 and third party developers
are stretching FSX to do things it was never originally designed to do, so in many ways it is not
surprising that such a difficult bug should come along every now and again.
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Flying the Turbine Duke V2
Power Handling
The Condition Levers
One of the differences between piston and turbine aircraft engines is that the latter do not have a
“mixture” control. Instead there are condition levers. In the Duke, as with similar aircraft equipped
with Pratt and Whitney PT6 engines, the condition levers have broadly only three functions:
1. To introduce fuel into the turbine chamber by raising the levers from “cut off” position into low
idle, after the turbine has reached sufficient speed when starting.
2. To stop the engines by pulling the levers back to “cut off” position.
3. Optionally to push the levers into “high idle” position to aid taxiing.
Aside from the above three points, the condition levers are almost always left at “low idle”
throughout any flight. This is somewhat a controversial subject even among experienced pilots, but
the general consensus is that there is no benefit in this type of aircraft in having the levers anywhere
other than low idle during the flight.
Taxi by pushing the condition levers forward until momentum is achieved – then pull the levers back
Important! Starting the Duke by pushing the condition levers fully forward will likely result in engine
and prop over-speed during or shortly after start up. Please refer to the section below for details
about the start up procedure. Another important thing to note is that there is a bug in FSX whereby
slewing then un-slewing results in the condition levers snapping to maximum high idle. Please be
aware that if you slew on the ground, it is advisable to apply the parking brakes before doing so in
order to avoid sudden uncontrolled excursions!
The turboprop start up sequence in FSX is virtually hard-coded whether you opt to start manually or
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by using the CTR E key for an auto start up. Using the auto start sequence a few times will help you
get familiar with how to proceed. There are more details about starting up in the sections below.
If using auto start FSX programmes the levers to rest at 40% idle. This results in a somewhat
excessive idle NG reading of 54.4%. When starting manually push the levers just above the first low
idle detente, just above the cut-off position. This will result in a more accurate 52-53% NG. Idle rpm
should be around 1200.
Using the condition levers to aid taxiing
There are two distinct methods to taxi in the Duke. One is to leave the condition levers at low idle
and use the power levers (the word “throttle” is not used in turboprop aircraft). The other is to
release the parking brake and move the levers towards high idle but with the power levers at 0%.
Slowly, the Duke will move forward on high idle power (up to 70% NG). As soon as you are moving
pull the condition levers back towards low idle and the Duke will keep forward momentum. If the
speed increases too much (a likely event should your payload be light), pull the levers right back but
not as far as the cut off point, then apply a little “beta” reverse with the power levers. This will act as
a brake.
The advantage of taxiing with the condition levers and use of beta reverse is to save wear on the
brakes. After some practice this method can be used regularly.
Managing Power and Propellers
Whether you are airborne or on the ground, never slam the power levers forward or back. This is
also the case in the real aircraft. Especially on the ground, quickly pushing the power levers forward
to obtain take off power will likely result in the props over-speeding. Torque and prop rpm take time
to overcome inertia. When powering up for take-off it is most important that you first stabilise the
props. Not doing so results in unstabilised prop speed as the prop governor is under stress in its
effort to contain the over-speed.
Power and propeller rpm are both stabilised after waiting for a few seconds at 80-87% NG
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The correct method when seeking take off power is to slowly push the power levers forward until
the props are at the optimum 2200 rpm, optionally with the brakes holding the Duke stationary.
The power setting for prop stabilisation will vary with ambient pressure and temperature. Below
is an illustration of stabilised props after the power levers were slowly pushed forward until
approximately 80-87% NG. At this point the props have just reached the required 2200 rpm. Now
you can push the levers further forward to set required take off power.
Important Note! Some customers of Version 1 contacted us to ask whether full power should always
be set for take-off. The answer is that unless you are taking off from a very short runway, there is
generally no need to set absolutely full power. The Duke is capable of a remarkable take off distance
of 1000 feet on full power. Given that most runways are much longer, a setting of 1000+ lb of torque
is adequate for most airfields. If you opt to set full power, it is most important to monitor torque,
which will increase as you gain airspeed.
Turbine Engine Startup
The following paragraphs describe operating procedures where they relate to FSX. Many, but not
all, of the actual Turbine Duke procedures are emulated in this simulation. For detailed procedures
please refer to the included Pilots Checklists PDF and pilot’s reference and checklist which you can
access from the kneeboard within FSX.
‘Cold and dark’ cockpit
‘Cold and Dark’
If you wish to operate the Turbine Duke ‘Cold and Dark’—which is loading the Duke with engines,
systems and electrical power off, there are two alternatives: One is to simply choose the ‘Cold and
Dark’ starting option in the Config Panel before you run FSX. The other is to load the Turbine Duke
then switch off the engines, avionics, pumps, generators, then the battery, then save the flight after
moving to the airfield of your choice. Thereafter you can load this flight whenever you wish to fly ‘by
the book’ and add preset scenarios at any chosen airport and in any weather conditions. (Please see
FSX’s excellent help files and videos for more information).
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Starting From Cold
The turbine version of the Duke has a very different method of controlling, starting and shutting
down the engines compared with the piston version. As far as we could, we followed the real
procedures where FSX allows it, but some of the proper procedures for turbo prop starting are not
supported by FSX and so we describe below the practical start up and management procedures
within the limitations of what FSX will successfully allow.
Pre-Start
Check that the parking brakes are set. This is most important. Without parking brakes ON, FSX will
exaggerate the yawing tendency of running one engine only on the ground because the ground
friction is not realistic and there is not enough tyre grip. Therefore you need parking brakes to stop
any tendency to yaw or move when starting the first engine.
Note: It is also very important, if you are using your joystick or associated throttle controller, that
you calibrate your throttle controller so it is capable of showing a true 100% power when fully
forward and a true 0% percent (idle) power when fully back (but not in the beta/reverse zone).
Otherwise there is a possibility that pulling the power levers further back by dragging the mouse,
after landing and needing reverse thrust, will result in the power levers ‘snapping’ back to idle. If
your calibrating efforts still cause problems, you might overcome this by pressing F1 for idle power
then F2 for full reverse.
Starting the Engines
First, check that the condition levers are in the off position (fully back). Note: You can control each
individual condition lever by clicking the right mouse button then dragging. Clicking the left button
then dragging moves BOTH levers and this is the same for all the control levers. The convention is to
start the RIGHT engine, then the left. To start the right engine, do the following:
1. Set parking brakes. Check the condition levers are fully back.
2. Set RPM levers to full forward, power levers to idle and condition levers fully back (cut off).
3. Set fuel tank levers to the ON position.
4. Switch the battery ON. This will make the engine gauges go ‘live’ but the avionics will still be OFF.
Right engine start: engine switches (left), engine gauges and annunciators (right)
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Right Engine Start
1. Set the right side fuel pump to PUMP 1 or PUMP 2.
2. Set the right side ignition to ON.
3. Push the right starter button down to engage the starter.
4. As the NG reading equals or exceeds 12%, push the RIGHT condition lever smoothly forward to
low idle IT IS MOST IMPORTANT that you only push each condition lever just forward of the white
marker line between cut off and ON. Push the condition lever forward more than this can result in
the props over-revving.
5. Soon after the prop engages and turns the ITT reading will peak somewhere near or slightly above
the normal operation redline. It is acceptable to briefly exceed the normal operation redline during
startup—the maximum ITT during startup is 1090° C for no longer than 10 seconds (a second,
dashed redline on the ITT gauge indicates the max startup ITT).
6. When the right propellers are turning and stabilised the ITT should drop to normal and the prop
RPM will show around 1200 RPM. The condition lever should remain at the lowest position before
cut off at this point.
7. Set the right starter switch to GEN ON.
8. Set the right ignition switch to AUTO.
Left Engine Start
Now repeat the above procedure for the LEFT engine, using the appropriate and similar switches for
the left side. After Start
When both engines are started and stabilised:
1. Set the Avionics Master Switch to ON.
2. Set the Inverter switch to MN INV (Main Inverter On).
3. Switch on the various individual radios and GPS units.
Once started it is MOST IMPORTANT to keep the condition levers on a low setting during and after
the start. Once you are taxiing however, you can optionally use the condition levers to control the
speed of taxi. Please note the effect of these levers is quite sensitive.
For detailed startup procedures see the accompanying ‘Pilots Checklists’ PDF document, or view the
checklists from within FSX via the aircraft kneeboard.
Flying and Operating the Turbine Duke
We strongly advise you to read the following tips on general flying and engine operation.
FSX has limitations regarding simulation of turboprop aircraft. These limitations affect almost every
aspect of engine controls, torque, turbine rpm, propeller handling and of course sounds. There are
too few parameters available to perfectly implement the true sound of turbine propellers, but we
have worked hard to get as close as we can given the limitations. In particular, it is extremely difficult
to simulate propeller speed and the sound reaction to it without such sounds becoming an inflexible
“drone”. Turboprops in FSX sometimes act in unpredictable ways, with prop rpm being difficult to
control particularly on the ground. If you look at the prop rpm gauges in the default aircraft you’ll
see exaggerated rises and falls in rpm especially during ground handling. Assigning sounds to ignore
propellers can alleviate this problem and covers up the anomalies. We have faced this challenge and
have made efforts to overcome these intrinsic flaws in FSX, and have included propeller rpm sounds
in our sound design for the Turbine Duke.
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Other aspects of FSX make it extremely difficult to co-ordinate the smooth transition between what
is know as the “beta range” in turboprop aircraft. Beta range is a mechanism whereby the power
levers also act as a propeller angle “reverser”. In a perfect simulation, small movements of the power
levers in beta range should be able to give subtle control over taxi speed braking, and a large range
of reverse thrust.
In order to get the best from this simulation, it is most important that you read the information set
out below regarding operation of the Duke Turbine engines within FSX. Not being aware of these
procedures can result in the engines acting strangely or in you losing control of their operation. In
most cases we stay as close as possible to real world procedures but there are a few FSX-specific
rules to follow.
In real turbo prop aircraft, the relationship between three crucial engine attributes is quite different
to that in FSX, which simulates these relationships in the opposite way to what they should be.
Firstly, in FSX, turbo prop turbine rotation speed (expressed as NG) reduces with altitude, and
secondly, engine temperature (ITT) always reduces with altitude. Finally, reducing the prop rpm by
pulling back the prop lever results in decreased Torque. Actually, the opposite should be true in most
cases. In addition, Turbine speed falls away with altitude in FSX. This is not necessarily the case in
real turboprop operations.
Torque, ITT and NG (left), Prop RPM, Fuel Flow and Fuel Pressure (right)
In the RealAir Turbine Duke V2, most of these faults have been corrected. To understand why
these attributes are important it is necessary to explain how Turboprop operation works, and how
Turbine engines perform. The most important concept to grasp is that engine temperature (ITT)
is in the main the most relevant influence on the amount of safe available power when flying on
hot days, and torque needs to be monitored in all weathers so as not to exceed the torque limit. If
temperature was not an issue, turboprop engines could achieve more available power in certain
situations, but generally speaking, ITT limits dictate how much power is available especially after
climbing out from a hot, high airfield. Another factor to keep in mind is not to exceed maximum
turbine speed.
The RealAir Turbine Duke simulates flat rated PT6A-35 engines producing 550 hp. This is enough
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power to achieve rapid acceleration and excellent climb performance of typically 4000 feet or more
per minute IN IDEAL CONDITIONS. In the RealAir Duke Turbine, the limits are as follows:
ITT: 750-800° C
NG: 101.5%
Torque: 1250ft-lb
ITT is short for Inter-stage Turbine Temperature - in basic terms the turbine engine’s operating
temperature. NG is turbine rotation speed, expressed as a percentage of maximum continuous RPM.
Torque is a measure of prop shaft/propeller loading.
Flying close to max power. Note Torque and NG both close to redline
A golden rule in turbo prop engine management could be expressed like this:
All or any of the above three parameters should not exceed their known limits. So for example if
Torque is lower than 1250 but ITT is over the redline, power should be reduced. If Torque and
temperature are within limits but NG is over 101.5% for any appreciable time then power should
also be reduced. If torque exceeds 1250, power should again be reduced. If the oil temperature ITT,
NG or Torque exceed limits for long periods, the RealAir Turbine Duke V2 simulates engine failure.
In practice, the most significant power limiters are dictated by ITT and Torque, especially at lower
altitudes. In hot conditions NG will also need to be monitored, since the Turbine is likely to rotate
slightly faster at higher temperatures. This faster rotation does not mean there is more power, unless
the increase was commensurate with a higher power lever setting.
In normal conditions (eg: Ambient Temperature of 59° F), NG at take off might typically be 98-99%,
but a hot day take off could easily take NG over the limit and well beyond 102%. ITT increases with
altitude, but beyond mid altitudes will begin to decrease. The key to getting efficient performance
is to be aware of ambient temperature, torque settings, prop rpm, Ng and of course fuel flow.
In addition, real turboprops show increased torque when reducing propeller rpm, and we have
successfully simulated this too.
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If you set sea level temperature in FSX to hot (say 80 to 95° F), you will not be able to achieve the
Turbine Duke’s 4000 feet per minute climb rate, because NG will be high enough to overspeed at
less than full power. ITT will also be high and easily redline. Thus in hot climates, you should expect
climb rates much less than the normally possible 4000 feet per minute initial climb rate.
The approximate optimum altitude for best cruise speed is 23,000 to 24,000 feet. In ideal conditions
the Turbine Duke can fast cruise at 301 knots or more True Airspeed (TAS) at this altitude. True
Airspeed is the actual speed of an aircraft relative to the air through which it flies, while Indicated
Airspeed (IAS) is the aircraft’s speed as measured by the Airspeed Indicator’s pitot tube. Normally
the airspeed gauge in FSX is set to Indicated Airspeed (IAS). IAS is more useful to a pilot because
stall speed, never exceed speeds, flap speeds and so on are all relative to Indicated Airspeed, but at
altitude IAS will be much lower than TAS.
To see what your True Airspeed is, hover your mouse over the Airspeed Indicator, and you will see
a readout of both indicated and true airspeeds. Another way to determine how fast you are really
going is by looking at the GPS screen. The GPS (both RXP and default FSX) can display ground speed.
Ground speed will be close to True Airspeed, but won’t be exactly the same thanks to the effect of the
wind speed at the altitude you are flying.
Example Flight - Ambient Temperature: 70° F
Start up according to the starting instructions in this document, or for more detailed startup
procedures see the accompanying ‘Pilots Checklists’ PDF document, or view the checklists from
within FSX via the aircraft kneeboard.
After starting (with parking brakes ON), release the brakes and taxi using small movements of the
power levers or by using the condition levers between low and high idle. To reduce taxi speed you
can either use the wheel brakes, or use a small amount of Beta reverse to contain the speed. Please
note that the condition lever can also be used in a similar way, since it affects taxi speed in varying
degrees according to aircraft loading. The lower the all up weight, the more “lively” will be the
acceleration using high idle.
Because climb is so swift, it is best to preset the autopilot before take off. With the autopilot OFF,
press the ARM button, then set desired altitude and climb rate (VS), and optionally the heading
button (assuming you have already set the heading bug). Please note: pressing the ALT button will
reset the selected altitude to your current altitude.
After lining up, increase power slowly with the brakes still on. Above around 50% power setting, the
brakes are not powerful enough to prevent creeping forward. Release the brakes, keep straight and
slowly increase the power, monitoring ITT, Torque and NG. If any of these three readings exceeds
limits, reduce power slightly.
After take off, gently raise the nose and trim for a climb of around 2500-3000 fpm, then if desired
switch on the autopilot, after which the autopilot will trim the aircraft to climb to your selected
altitude at the climb rate you set. Acceleration will be very rapid, so you need to quickly set or adjust
the VS (vertical speed) or react quickly with trim if flying manually. You can hold the VS button down
and it will auto-increase or decrease the climb rate.
Continue monitoring temperature, torque and NG. At this stage all three are likely to increase so you
must be careful to keep all three readings within limits. Once climb is established, optionally reduce
prop RPM from fully fine (2200 rpm) slowly back to 2000 rpm for a quieter climb out, and this also
saves wear on the engine and props. Reducing prop rpm will (correctly) cause the TORQUE to rise,
so it is important that you do not exceed torque limits. The safe option is to make sure torque is well
below the 1250 limit BEFORE reducing prop rpm to cruise/climb.
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Maximum rate climb at full power, note climb rate set on autopilot
As you climb, continue to watch airspeed, temperature, torque and NG. Any increase in airspeed
(IAS) will cause the NG reading to increase. As you climb, ITT is likely to slightly rise, whereas torque
will gradually fall off, especially passing through 10,000ft and above. Keep all three gauges within
limits and you will achieve 23,000 feet quickly - around 9 minutes depending on conditions with a
full power climb.
A typical cruise altitude would be FL230 to FL250 (23,000-25,000 feet). Above this altitude cabin
pressure (see section on pressurisation) is unable to keep the cabin at safe pressure altitude and
theoretically, oxygen would be a safety requirement in order to climb further to the Duke’s published
ceiling of 28,000ft. In fact the Duke Turbine could easily achieve 30,000ft and above, but neither
airframe nor pressurisation are cleared for these altitudes.
In order to save fuel, a typical economy cruise TAS would be 270-275 knots. Torque would be
approximately 950-1050ft-lb depending on weather conditions. At this speed you should be able
to get fuel flow down to 30-33 GPH per engine for a total fuel burn of 60-66 GPH. For maximum
cruise speed of 290-300+ knots TAS you would be burning significantly more fuel and require a high
Turbine rpm speed - close to NG limits.
Engine Shut-down In-Flight
To simulate an engine failure, we give below an example of shutting down the LEFT engine. To shut
down, do the following:
1. Reduce power to idle if there is enough altitude.
2. Reduce left prop rpm by pulling back the left prop lever (hold the right mouse button down for
individual lever control).
3. Cut the fuel to the left engine by pulling the LEFT condition lever fully back.
4. After the engine turbine has been shut down, pull the LEFT prop lever FULLY BACK (you might
have to do this twice).
5. The left propellers will now FEATHER (present an 85-88 degree high angle to the airstream for
minimum drag) and cease revolving.
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Left engine shut-down
NOTE: Since Auto-feather is not well implemented in FSX and does not work as it should, we do not
implement auto feather in this version of the RealAir Duke Turbine, but manual feathering works
flawlessly if you follow the procedures.
You can fly safely on one engine. Unlike the piston powered Duke, the Turbine version will not
require a critical amount of rudder to counteract the drift caused by the right engine. Simply bank
slightly towards the dead engine and use right rudder to correct the drift, which can be seen clearly
in spot view. You can cruise normally on one engine up to 27,000 feet and climb will still achieve
between 1300-1600 fpm at low altitudes.
Engine Restart In-Flight
To restart the left engine, we depart from perfectly accurate procedures due to the limitations of FSX.
Keep the left propeller feathered, make sure the Ignition switch is set to ON or AUTO, press the left
starter (yellow) switch to ON, engage the left condition lever to low idle when NG reaches or exceeds
12%. The left engine will now restart. Slowly push the left prop lever forward so the rpm matches
the right engine. After the engine has started, switch the left Start/Generator switch to GEN ON and
the left Ignition switch to AUTO.
A note about feathering: The PT6A engine is a “free-turbine”. This means that there is no solid
physical connection between the turbine and the prop shaft. In FSX the propellers on a feathered
turboprop aircraft will not “windmill” so an “air start” is not possible without using the starter
motors. Please also note that you will not see the prop feathering or changing angle. To do so would
be incorrect since propellers can only “twist” or change angle while revolving.
Climbing
In ISA conditions (International Standard Atmosphere) the Turbine Duke can easily achieve 3,8004,000 feet per minute initial climb rate. If you are lightly loaded you can achieve even better climb
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rates, up to and beyond 4,500 fpm. Best climb speed is 120 knots, while the recommended maximum
rate continuous climb speed is 140 knots. You do not need flaps for either take off or climb.
Unlike the piston Duke, climb rate does not fall off as dramatically with altitude. You can sustain up
to 4000 fpm climb rate to at least 7,000 feet, and only a little less than this up to 15,000 feet. When
torque (available power) begins to fall away you will need to reduce climb rate.
For cruise climbing, set prop speed to 2000 rpm and aim for 2000 feet per minute, with 80-90%
power which should give you 160-170 knots IAS.
NOTE: If climbing at high ascent rates (3000-4000 fpm) on autopilot, you will need to manually
reduce climb rate to approximately 2000 fpm shortly before reaching your designated altitude, since
the autopilot is likely to “overshoot” the desired altitude at very high climb rates. This is normal for
any autopilot. You can quickly change the vertical speed by rotating the mousewheel while hovering
over the VS up/down buttons on the autopilot console, or by repeatedly clicking the mouse.
Cruise
Best cruise altitude is FL250 (25,000 feet), and the Turbine Duke is flexible enough to perform well
with varied amounts of power. With 80-90% power a typical cruise speed (TAS) is 260-275kt. For
the magic speed of 300 knots + TAS at FL230-FL250, you will need 100% power and prop levers
moved forward. You will need to monitor the NG gauge and not allow the needles to exceed 101.5%.
Sustained use of 101.6% and higher could damage the engine.
High altitude cruising
While the Turbine Duke can cruise at up to 30,000 feet, it is not cleared to this altitude and cabin
pressurisation is restricted to the equivalent of 10,000 feet at a cruise height of 24,000 feet. Since
normally you would need oxygen above 10,000-11,000 ft, it is dangerous to fly at altitudes of FL260
to FL300 unless you have oxygen equipment.
Stalling, Side-Slipping and Inadvertent Spins
The Turbine Duke has a slightly slower stall speed than the piston engine version - typically 75 knots
indicated when fully loaded and 70 knots with full flap. If you allow the stall to develop and do not
push the stick forward to establish airspeed the Duke can spin, though it is not cleared for spinning.
Depending on how much up-trim you have and with the stick fully back, plus rudder in the direction
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of the spin, rotation will once established continue until you neutralise the rudder and ease the yoke
forward.
The Turbine version of the Duke, unlike the piston version, is not cleared for side slipping of any
kind, although a brief and mild side slip will not do much harm. However the Duke will sideslip with
too much rudder just like any other aircraft, and our flight model reflects this.
Entering an inadvertent spin
Accelerated Stalls
Turning steeply at low airspeed, especially with high loadings, will also result in pre-stall buffeting,
which can develop very quickly into a wing drop, spiral dive or even a spin. As soon as you hear and
see this effect while turning, unload the elevator and if necessary increase power to recover full
flying control.
Descent and Landing
Descending is straight forward. Lower the nose and in normal circumstances select idle power.
You can descend at high speed (high descent rate) provided you do not exceed 198 knots IAS, but
you should not do this when descending from high cruise altitudes, because the pressurisation
mechanism cannot “keep up” with the gain in outside pressure and the need to drop the cabin
pressure to suit the descent. This can be very dangerous. You will notice that the torque gauges
occasionally show zero as you descend with idle power. This is an FSX limitation.
You can select gear down from 173 knots or less. The first stage of flaps (‘approach’ flaps) can be
lowered at 173 knots or less while full flaps (‘landing’ flaps) can only be lowered when flying at 134
knots or less (marked by the high end of the white arc on the airspeed gauge). For rapid descents
you can use gear down and if necessary approach flaps to keep airspeed in check. Downwind,
maintain a steady 120 knots IAS and select first stage (approach) flap on your cross wind leg,
then full flap if required on final approach. The RealAir Turbine Duke is fully IFR capable with a
totally reliable ILS landing system. For more information on ILS landings please see the FSX help
documents.
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The final approach will require around 30% power with gear down and full flaps to maintain
descent speed. Aim to be over the threshold at less than 100 knots and gently flare while cutting
the power levers to idle, normal touchdown being in the range of 80-90 knots. If landing on a short
runway, you can immediately engage reverse thrust by pulling the power levers fully back, and
together with wheel braking you should rapidly decelerate. Once at 40 knots smartly push the
power levers to 0%, or press F1 to disengage reverse beta. Doing this slowly could result in the prop
rpm over-reacting, with accompanying over-revving sounds of the propellers. This is a hard coded
limitation of FSX.
Gear-Up and Emergency Landings
This simulation of the Duke includes full ‘belly landing’ effects. While it is not possible to simulate
undercarriage deployment failure, you can practice gear up landings by not selecting gear down and
flying a careful approach for a gear up landing. In order for the effects to be seen and heard, please
make sure you DISABLE collision detection in the aircraft/realism menu and you switch to spot view
just before runway contact to see the effect at its best.
As the fuselage contacts the runway you will see and hear the effects of sparks, dust, dirt and smoke
plus a wake trail or groove created by metal against tarmac behind the aircraft. The Duke will
come to a shuddering halt, hopefully leaving you and your passengers unharmed if the landing is
successful.
Please note that limitations in FSX prevent the props from ceasing rotation if you didn’t first feather
the engines before ditching.
Sea and lake gear up ditching can also be practised, with the Duke skimming the water surface and
thereafter floating on the water when coming to rest.
Shutting Down
After reaching your parking spot or terminal space, shutting down is straightforward. Apply parking
brakes. Check that the Fuel Pumps are OFF, Starter/Generator switches are OFF and Ignition set to
OFF. Switch the avionics OFF. Then pull the Condition Levers fully back and wait for the engines and
props to cease turning. Switch the Inverter to OFF and then battery power to OFF.
V-Speeds
Vmc (minimum control speed) .................96kt (lower red line on ASI)
Vr (rotation speed) ........................................ 102kt
Vx (maximum climb angle) ....................... 110kt
Vy (maximum rate of climb) ..................... 120kt
Vfe (maximum flap speed) ......................... 134kt for full flaps (173kt for approach flaps)
Vle (max. gear extended speed) ............... 173kt
Vne (never exceed speed) ........................... 198kts
Vref (final approach speed) ....................... 100 knots (depending on conditions)
Please Note: Counter-intuitively the Turbine Duke has a lower Vne than the piston Duke. This is
because turboprops are certified according to a different set of rules when compared to piston
powered aircraft. The Turbine Duke’s Vne is equivalent to the piston Duke’s Vno, or the start of the
yellow arc (rough air caution range) on the piston Duke’s ASI. Soon after you exceed 200 knots (IAS)
you will see an overspeed warning. Of course the true airspeed at high altitude is very much faster.
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At lower altitudes however, keep an eye on the airspeed indicator and keep the speed below 200
knots.
Pilot’s Operating Manual
Due to copyright issues, we are unable to include a full Pilot Operating Handbook supplement
for this product. This does not prevent you in any way from operating the RealAir Turbine Duke
effectively. There is a comprehensive checklist including start up and shutdown procedures, safety
limits (discussed in this document) and illustrated info also within this flying guide, and finally a
brief reference guide, the last two items being available as you fly the Duke within FSX. For more
information about flying Turboprops and general flying techniques, please see the wealth of material
included within FSX itself and by searching on the web.
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Engine Failures
The RealAir Turbine Duke V2 includes a custom engine failure feature. It is possible for one or both
engines to fail in-flight. There are two types of failure modelled — ‘preventable’ failures, caused by
the pilot over-stressing an engine, and ‘unprovoked’ (random) failures.
Left engine failure
The motivation for adding this engine failure feature was two-fold. Firstly, we wanted to make
this simulated aircraft more interesting and stimulating to fly. Secondly, we wanted to provide the
pilot with some motivation to fly the aircraft realistically with the engines within limits. In the real
Turbine Duke, the enormous cost of overhauling a mistreated engine, or the threat of an in-flight
engine failure mean the pilot is highly motivated to look after the engines and keep them well within
limits. In the simulated version, without the threat of an engine failure it is too easy to just pin the
power levers to their stops and tear around the sky (something the Turbine Duke does very well by
the way).
Preventable Engine Failures
This type of failure is caused by running either engine above its safe operating limits for an extended
period. If you exceed safe limits on any of the following instruments there is a risk of engine failure:
Torque, ITT, NG, Oil Temperature
The safe limits for these values are marked by a redline on the appropriate gauges, so staying within
limits is simply a matter of keeping the engines gauges ‘in the green’, and below the redline value.
By default, this type of failure is enabled when you install the RealAir Turbine Duke V2. You can
disable or enable this feature via the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel. To do this, open the Config
Panel, and go to the ‘Realism’ page.
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• To disable preventable engine failures, choose ‘Forgiving’ under the ‘Engine Handling Realism’
heading. With this setting you can run the engines at maximum power at all times with no danger of an
engine failure.
• To enable preventable engine failures, choose ‘Realistic’ under the ‘Engine Handling Realism’ heading.
With this setting you will have to keep the engines within safe limits to avoid an engine failure. Read
the sections below for more information on this setting.
Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel engine handling realism setting
Failure Due to Excessive Torque, ITT or NG
The PT6A turbines fitted to this aircraft are inherently very reliable engines, so it is quite difficult
to overstress one of the engines to the point that it fails. At normal sea level temperatures, below
about 70° F (21° C) the engines will only just go over limits at full power settings. Factors such as
altitude, airspeed and Outside Air Temperature (OAT) will affect the ITT, NG and Torque values. In
cool temperatures it is very hard to deliberately fail an engine by exceeding either Torque, ITT or NG
limits.
When the ambient temperature climbs higher than 70° F at sea level, it becomes easier for the
engines to exceed their limits, and the higher the temperature the easier this becomes. Above 100°
F (38° C) compressor speed (NG) can get as high as 105% at full power, whereas its safe limit is
101.5%. If you run the engines at full power in this situation, a failure is likely to occur in fairly short
order. Torque and ITT also get much higher at high ambient temperatures, especially ITT, which can
go far over redline. At high temperatures you’ll often find that power is limited by ITT, and you may
need to power back by quite a lot to keep ITT within limits.
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Torque, ITT and NG are all above safe limits. Notice ‘Eng Over Limits’ annunciator warnings are lit.
The key to avoiding an engine failure is to keep all the engine gauges below redline and ‘in the green’.
One reading (either Torque, ITT or NG) will always be closer to, or further over redline than the
others, in which case it will be the limiting factor as to how much power can be safely used.
Failure Due to Excessive Oil Temperature
It is also possible to fail an engine due to excessive oil temperature. Again, being such reliable
engines this is quite a hard thing to do and can be easily prevented if you take a few simple
precautions.
The first thing to remember is that the oil temperature will be higher with high power settings, and
lower with low power settings. The second thing to remember is the faster you’re flying, the more
air is going into the oil coolers and the cooler the oil will be. This means you are at greatest risk of
over-heating the oil when at high power settings and low airspeed. Usually the only time these two
conditions occur together is when climbing at close to the Turbine Duke’s maximum sustained climb
rate of 4000 fpm.
So, at very high rates of climb it is possible to over-heat the engine oil, but still it does take quite
a while. You can prevent the oil from over-heating by either putting the nose down to gain some
airspeed (that is, climbing at a reduced rate, say 3000 fpm), or even easier, you can open the ‘Oil
Cooler Doors’. This lets more air into the oil coolers so they can do a better job of cooling the engine
oil. The switches for the Oil Cooler Doors are located to the left of the pilot’s seat, close to the Engine
Hour Meters. With these doors open you should be able to maintain 4000 fpm as long as possible
without the oil over-heating.
To keep the engine oil temperature within limits monitor the oil temperature gauges. These gauges
are located low on the panel, directly in front of the power, prop and condition levers. They can be
hard to see so you can either change VC views for a better look or hover the mouse over each gauge
to get a reading on its tooltip. If the oil ever goes above the safe limit of 100° C (indicated by a redline
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Right engine oil temperature above redline. Inset: Right engine oil temp annunciator lit.
on the oil temp gauges) the ‘Master Warn’ light will start flashing and the message ‘L ENG OIL TEMP’
or ‘R ENG OIL TEMP’ will light on the main annunciator panel. If you are flying and you see either
of these warning messages, open the oil doors, or put the nose down to gain some airspeed, or
preferably do both. If you react quickly you’ll avoid an oil temperature related engine failure. If you
continue flying with the oil temp above redline an engine will eventually fail.
When flying on one engine it is easier to over-heat the engine oil, because the aircraft flies slower for
a given power setting. So when climbing on one engine, be very careful to keep its oil temp within
safe limits.
Deliberately Provoking an Engine Failure
This being a simulator, and not real life, you’ll probably want to try failing an engine on purpose.
As mentioned above there are two ways to provoke an engine failure — exceeding power limits or
exceeding oil temperature limits. We’ll deal with the former to start with.
The quickest way to fail an engine due to excessive Torque, ITT, or NG is to first go to the FSX
weather settings and change the ambient, sea level temperature to a very high value such as 100 or
even 110° F (38-43° C). When back in the sim with the Turbine Duke sitting on the runway, takeoff
as usual but keep the power levers pinned on full. Outside Air Temperature will drop quickly as you
start to climb so after takeoff, level off and maintain a low height above the ground, say 1000ft AGL.
The Torque, ITT and NG gauges should all be well over redline, indicating that you are over-stressing
the engines. After flying like this for a minute or two the ‘Master Warn’ light should start to flash.
At this point have a look at the main annunciator panel located directly above the radio-stack. You
should see a warning message stating ‘L ENG OVER LIMITS’, or ‘R ENG OVER LIMITS’. One engine
(either left or right) will get to this critical point first, followed very shortly after by the second
engine. If you were just flying around and saw this warning message, and you didn’t want an engine
to fail, this is the time when you’d power back and get the engines back below safe limits to prevent
a failure. But seeing as we are trying to fail an engine. We’ll press on, keeping the power levers
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pinned on full.
After several more minutes like this either the left or right engine will fail. Upon failure, the first
thing you’ll most likely notice is a strong yaw towards the failed engine. You can double check the
engine gauges to see which engine has failed (Torque will drop almost straight away on the failed
engine). The RealAir Turbine Duke isn’t fitted with auto-feathering props, so you’ll need to feather
the appropriate prop yourself to stop it from wind-milling.
Left engine failure, prop feathered
At this point, presuming you don’t want the second engine to fail as well, you’ll need to very smartly
get it back below safe limits, by moving its power lever back until its Torque, ITT and NG readings
are all well below safe limits. If you don’t do this quickly it is still possible for the second engine to
fail even after throttling back (because it was over-stressed for such a long time earlier in the flight).
But if you get the good engine back into safe limits quickly, it should get you back to earth safely.
The second way to fail an engine is by exceeding the oil temperature limits for too long. If you’d like
to deliberately provoke an oil temperature related engine failure, the quickest way to do so is as
follows:
Start with the Turbine Duke sitting on the runway ready for takeoff. Takeoff as normal. After takeoff,
set the power levers to full or very close to full and commence a climb at 4000 fpm. Use the autopilot
to maintain this climb rate. Make sure both Oil Doors are closed. Now just sit back, monitor the
instruments and wait. Make sure airspeed doesn’t drop below 120kt IAS — if this happens or is
in danger of happening reduce climb rate as necessary to maintain 120kt or higher to avoid an
inadvertent stall/spin. As you climb you should see the oil temperature on both gauges get higher
and higher, getting closer to redline. Before too long the oil will go over redline, the ‘Master Warn’
light will flash and you’ll see the appropriate warning lights on the annunciator panel. Presuming
you still want to deliberately fail an engine, don’t do anything, just keep climbing. You should be
getting quite high by now, perhaps 15,000ft, it depends on the exact speeds/power setting used.
Before too much longer an engine (either left or right) will fail.
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At this point, if you had the autopilot engaged the first thing to do is disengage it. Then very quickly
put the nose down to prevent any further loss of airspeed that could lead to a stall. Feather the failed
engine’s prop and do whatever is necessary to get the good engine’s oil down below redline (put the
nose down, gain airspeed, and open the good engine’s oil door).
Unprovoked (Random) Engine Failures
In the RealAir Turbine Duke V2 it is also possible for an engine to fail without any warning or
provocation. These failures are purely random and unavoidable.
Set the Random Engine Failure probability on the Realism page of the Config Panel
You can choose the probability of an unprovoked engine failure via the Turbine Duke V2’s Config
Panel — there are several settings available, from ‘Very High’ probability to ‘Never’. To do this open
the Config Panel and go to the ‘Realism’ page. You will see a slider under the heading ‘Random
Engine Failure Probability’. Move the slider left or right to select your desired setting and press the
‘Save’ button in the bottom-right.
These engine failures are truly random. The random engine failure routine runs once every minute.
When set to ‘Very High’ there is a 1/10 chance of an engine failure occurring in that minute. With
this setting the laws of probability suggest an engine should fail at some point during a ten minute
flight, but it also means an engine could fail straight away or you could fly for hours without an
engine failure. The ‘Very High’ setting is good to use if you want to practice engine out procedures
but don’t want to know exactly when a failure will happen.
When set to ‘Very Low’ there is a 1/500 chance of an engine failure occurring once every minute.
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If you don’t want to be bothered by constant engine failures, but would like the added realism of
wondering ‘will an engine fail during this takeoff?’, then this is the setting to use. On average you
should see an engine failure about once every 500 minutes (8.3 hours). Still bad odds compared to
real life but infrequent for a simulator.
There are four other settings to choose from, these settings are labelled ‘High’, ‘Moderate’ ‘Low’ and
‘Never’. If you choose ‘Never’ then the engines will never randomly fail. But remember, if you have
chosen ‘Realistic’ under ‘Engine Handling Realism’ the engines might still fail due to being overstressed.
The probability of a failure for each setting is as follows:
Very High .......... 1/10 chance per minute, or approx. 1 failure per 10 mins (on average).
High .................... 1/20 chance per minute, or approx. 1 failure per 20 mins (on average).
Moderate .......... 1/66 chance per minute, or approx. 1 failure per 50 mins (on average).
Low ..................... 1/333 chance per minute, or approx. 1 failure per 200 mins (on average).
Very Low ........... 1/1000 chance per minute, or approx. 1 failure per 500 mins (on average).
Never .................. Random failures will never occur.
We’ve gone a little easy on you in that if you experience a random engine failure, then the other
engine won’t randomly fail. This means you can safely fly and land on one engine. But be warned, if
‘Engine Handling Realism’ is set to ‘Realistic’ the good engine can still fail due to being over-stressed,
and it is easier to over-stress an engine when flying on only one engine.
To make things a little more interesting, the probability of an engine failure during takeoff is roughly
ten times greater than during the rest of the flight.
When flying at or near takeoff power and below 250ft AGL the random engine failure routine is run
every six seconds rather than once every minute as it is at most other times during a flight. So with
probability set to ‘Very High’ there is a 1/10 chance of an engine failure every 6 seconds (rather than
every 60 seconds). These are terrible odds! I wouldn’t want to be in that plane.
If you experience an engine failure, and wish to ‘clear’ the failure so you can carry on flying, or
perhaps even practice another failure, you need to reload the Turbine Duke V2. You can do this by
loading another aircraft in-flight, then re-loading the Turbine Duke V2 or you can assign a keyboard
shortcut to the ‘Aircraft (reload)’ event in the FSX settings (see the Troubleshooting section on page
82 for more information on this key command). Once reloaded, the engine that failed will be
working again.
A Final Note On Engine Failure Probabilities
The ‘unprovoked’ engine failures are truly random in their nature. Say you set the failure probability
to ‘High’ — while this should on average give one failure every 20 minutes, it’s not unusual to fly for
an hour or more without an engine failing. Conversely it is possible to have an engine fail less than a
minute after loading the Turbine Duke, even with probability set to ‘Very Low’. It is even possible for
an engine to fail prior to engine startup, making it impossible to start, but this is very unlikely.
If you fly for much longer than expected and don’t get an engine failure, it’s not because there is
something wrong with the random engine failure feature, it just means you’ve been very lucky!
Disabling Engine Failures Altogether
To make it so an engine can never fail, under any conditions, open the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel
and choose ‘Forgiving’ under ‘Engine Handling Realism’, and ‘Never’ under ‘Random Engine Failure’.
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Trouble-Shooting
Reload Aircraft
How to use the reload aircraft command
Before we get in to trouble-shooting specific areas, it is worth discussing the FSX reload aircraft
command. There are many times when this command is extremely useful, for example when you
make a change in the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel while the Turbine Duke V2 is loaded in FSX, or
if the Turbine Duke flaps have failed and you want to get them working again, or when dealing with
certain technical issues.
By default there is no key assigned to the reload aircraft command in FSX, so you will need to assign
one. To do this, follow these steps:
1. In FSX go to ‘Options’ - ‘Settings’ - ‘Controls’, then click on the ‘Buttons/Keys’ tab at the top of the
dialog box.
2. In the ‘Event’ column find ‘Aircraft (reload)’. Select this event.
3. Now click on ‘New Assignment’.
4. In the dialog that opens, select the key or button command you want and press ‘OK’. Be sure to
select an assignment that isn’t already used. If the key assignment is already used you will see a
warning message at the top of the dialog box.
5. Now press ‘OK’ on the ‘Settings- Controls’ dialog and you are finished.
Now whenever you wish to reload the aircraft, simply press the key you assigned in the steps above.
Disappearing Click-Spots
If you experience disappearing click-spots which mean you aren’t able to click on any of the gauges
or controls in the VC, we recommend the following:
Firstly—try reducing the detail settings in FSX. One thing we have noticed speaking with customers
who have experienced this problem—the more powerful the user’s PC, the less likely it is that this
problem will occur. Also, the more stressed your PC is, the more likely this is to occur. Reducing
detail settings in FSX can help to alleviate this problem.
If the above fails to help, disable the Turbine Duke V2’s custom 3D landing lights. To do this, open the
Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel, navigate to the ‘Graphics Options’ page and select ‘Use default FSX
landing lights’. This should cure the problem.
This problem has affected quite a number of FSX aircraft developers over the last couple of years.
After a lot of time spent searching for a solution to this problem we and other developers learned
that removing custom 3D landing lights from an aircraft’s 3D model almost always fixes the problem.
We’d like to stress that there is no reason why the 3D landing lights should have this effect on the VC
click-spots. The 3D landing lights and VC click-spots are completely unrelated, but removing the 3D
landing lights appears to have fixed the problem for almost all of the customers we’ve helped who
have experienced this problem. There appears to be an FSX bug that we have no control over that is
being triggered by the 3D landing lights. FSX has been around since 2006 and third party developers
are stretching FSX to do things it was never originally designed to do, so in many ways it is not
surprising that such a difficult bug should come along every now and again.
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Animations
Problems with animations immediately after loading
Many of our custom animations use variables that need to be set to a certain starting value
whenever the Duke is first loaded. Unfortunately FSX will often try to set these variables to the
values that were set when you saved your flight, or the values that were set from the previous flight,
instead of using the values that were written into the code. In an attempt to overcome this problem
we have even written code that repeatedly sets the starting values for these variables many times
per second for the first few seconds after you load the Duke, but even then FSX can occasionally
override these values. For example, immediately after loading, you may very occasionally see the
propellers rotating while the engines are off - this behaviour is caused by the problem described
above. Thankfully there is a simple solution that works almost every time:
All you need to do is use the FSX reload aircraft command immediately after you first load the Duke.
This has the effect of setting the various variables to their proper values.
See the Reload Aircraft section above for help on using the reload aircraft command.
Sound Effects
Sound glitching and hiccups
After extensive testing we have found the custom sound coding to be extremely reliable, but in a very
small number of cases, especially on older computers that rely on a not-very-powerful on-board
sound chip, it is possible that you may experience the odd glitch or occasional hiccup. Where this
does occur, we recommend you do one or several of the following things:
1. Check your Direct X settings.
2. Try an alternative method of sound using one of the two options within the sound menu while FSX
is running, then quit and re-start FSX.
3. Reload the Duke by pressing whatever key you have assigned to ‘Aircraft (Reload)’ in the controls
menu of FSX.
4. Try a different windows sound driver, or update the driver you currently have installed.
5. If you have a dedicated sound card or device, use this rather than an onboard sound chip.
Custom sounds stop working
In very rare circumstances the gauge that triggers the custom sounds can stop working. When this
happens you won’t hear any of the custom sounds. We found that it only ever happened when we
spent long periods in FSX changing between aircraft and Duke liveries while making and testing
changes during the development process. If you do experience this problem, the only solution we
have found is to restart FSX.
For us, this problem never occurred when we loaded up only one or two liveries and flew around as
normal - it only ever happened after long periods testing and re-testing changes, where we reloaded
the aircraft dozens of times and often more. Even then it was extremely rare.
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Graphics Issues
Low frame-rates
While many sim forums are awash with tweaks and FSX.cfg settings which attempt to extract every
possible performance improvement out of FSX, some of these tweaks can actually make things
worse, or at best offer some improvement while at the same time increasing the possibilities
of a crash, freeze, display issue or other stability problem that rarely is caused by any loaded
aircraft alone. Running the Duke with your sliders all at maximum is not recommended until you
have first flown the Duke on modest or low graphic settings. Thereafter we recommend that you
gradually increase the detail in scenery and other graphical options until you arrive at a workable
compromise.
Many of the Turbine Duke’s flying characteristics rely on a reasonably high and smooth frame rate
of approximately 30 fps in order for the flight model to display at its best. While 25 fps is adequate
for procedural flying (for example navigating under autopilot) a frame rate much below this will
start to affect the fluidity and fidelity of the aerodynamic responses, together with far less pleasing
movement and manual pilot control input.
Using a modest but reasonably up to date computer, you should be able to easily achieve 30 frames
per second in the Turbine Duke, provided you are not at large, graphically intensive airports, or are
using heavy amounts of road or air traffic.
Higher specified computers should be able to deliver a higher frame rate than this.
‘Missing’ parts in the virtual cockpit
The Turbine Duke has a complex, highly-detailed cockpit and cabin where every switch, gauge and
needle is modelled in 3D. To ensure unnecessary polygons or textures do not reduce frame-rates,
the VC in the Duke is made similarly to how movie sets are made. If you view the VC from anywhere
within the confines of the cabin the cockpit should appear solid and 100% convincing. If you move
the eye-point outside the cabin things might look strange, and you may notice what appear to be
‘missing’ parts.
These ‘missing’ parts have been intentionally left out to improve frame-rates and to allow the major
design focus to be placed on the VC parts that really matter—the parts you can see from the cockpit.
VC gauge shimmering
You may notice a slight ‘shimmering’ on the VC gauges. This is an unwanted by-product of their high
resolution graphics. This can be reduced by increasing anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering in your
graphics driver control panel. Increasing these values has a very positive effect on FSX graphics in
general, including the scenery, but it will reduce your framerates.
See the ‘Setup Guide - Video card settings’ section on page 18 of this guide for more information.
Shimmering faint white lines, or tiny gaps on the edges of some parts
You may notice what look like very faint white lines, or what can appear to be very tiny, narrow gaps,
on the edges of some 3D parts, and these lines can appear to ‘shimmer’. This can be seen around the
edges of the fuel gauges and elevator trim wheel, and sometimes on the seats and other parts.
Firstly these aren’t actually gaps, and secondly they’re not a result of something inherently wrong
with the 3D model. They are caused by a rendering problem that we have no control over. In a
nutshell, when a polygon is exactly 90 degrees to the viewpoint you can sometimes see what appears
to be a very faint white line on the edges of that polygon. You can test this by turning off the engine
vibrations and then moving the eyepoint. You can see when a polygon lines up at exactly 90 deg the
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white line will appear and you only have to move a tiny bit, and as the polygon is no longer 90 deg to
the camera the line will disappear. This issue is completely outside of our control and has something
to do with the way FSX is rendering the scene. This problem is much more noticeable in the Duke
V2 compared to other FSX aircraft because the RealView moving camera vibration effects make it so
your eye can readily notice these lines as they move and vibrate (our vision has evolved to pick out
moving objects), and once you’re conscious of them they remain obvious.
Higher AA settings make these lines less obvious. Very high AA (16x) makes them almost invisible,
although we don’t recommend very high AA for most users due to its effect on fps. If you find these
lines particularly irritating the best thing to do is to turn off ‘Ground roll vibration’ and ‘Engine
vibration on ground’ by going to the RealView page of the Duke V2 Config Panel. This will stop the
VC from vibrating on the ground, which will stop the lines from shimmering and therefore make
them much less obvious.
Windscreen reflections disappear at night
When on the ground at night, with either the taxi or landing lights switched on (or both), the VC
windscreen reflections will disappear. This is intentional - there was an interplay between the
custom 3D landing lights and the windscreen reflections that caused some severe, and very ugly
colour banding. We spent some time searching for a solution but in the end the best fix we found
was to disable the windscreen reflections at night when either the landing or taxi lights are switched
on. The reflections aren’t strong at night so in practice this is not very noticeable. Please understand
that sometimes when developing for FSX it is necessary to choose the lesser of two or more evils and
this was such a case.
Long loading times
The RealAir Turbine Duke has very high resolution 3D modelling and textures. Because of this it is
normal to have to wait a short time for the aircraft to first load.
If you select ‘Keep VC textures loaded in memory while in exterior views’ in the Turbine Duke Config
Panel, you will only have to wait for the textures to load when you first load the Turbine Duke. After
that you will experience no waiting when switching views.
See the ‘Config Panel - Exterior model options’ section on page 18 of this guide for more information
on the texture loading options.
Config Panel
Changes made in the Config Panel are not saved
The Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel will work as described on the vast majority of computers, but
as you can imagine there can be a huge variation between individual computer systems, individual
Windows installations, different versions of Windows, and individual user account preferences,
so occasionally the Config Panel can encounter problems when attempting to save your desired
settings.
If when you make a change in the Turbine Duke Config Panel and press ‘save’, you find that your
settings haven’t been saved when you load the Turbine Duke in FSX, there are a number of possible
causes, many of which are outlined below.
File permissions and file ownership
The most likely problem is that your Windows installation is not allowing the necessary files to be
modified. It is vitally important that all of the files in your RealAir Turbine Duke installation have
their file permissions set to allow changes to be made, and that Windows will allow the necessary
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files to be moved, copied and overwritten. It is also vital that the Turbine Duke’s files do not inherit
file permissions from any of the folders above the file in the file’s directory path.
Config panel error messages
New to the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel are some basic error messages to help identify any
problems with saving your settings. If there are problems you will see these error messages almost
immediately after you press ‘Save’ in the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel.
‘The Config Panel has encountered an error while trying to modify your aircraft.cfg file with your
chosen suspension settings: Could not set the specified value.’
The most likely cause of this error message is that the aircraft.cfg file within your Turbine Duke V2
installation has its file permissions set to not allow changes. To fix this you will need to manually
change the file permissions (see below). This file is located in ‘[FSX root folder]\SimObjects\
Airplanes\RealAir Turbine Duke V2’.
‘The Config Panel has encountered an error while trying to modify your panel.cfg file with your chosen
GPS settings: Could not set the specified value.’
As above, the most likely cause of this error message is that the panel.cfg file within your Turbine
Duke V2 installation has its file permissions set to not allow changes. To fix this you will need
to manually change the file permissions (see below). This file is located in ‘[FSX root folder]\
SimObjects\Airplanes\RealAir Turbine Duke V2\Panel’.
‘The Config Panel has encountered an error while trying to modify your options.xml file with your
chosen settings: Error saving XML file.’
As above, the most likely cause of this error message is that the Options.xml file within your
Turbine Duke V2 installation has its file permissions set to not allow changes. To fix this you will
need to manually change the file permissions (see below). This file is located in ‘[FSX root folder]\
SimObjects\Airplanes\RealAir Turbine Duke V2\Panel\Config’.
‘The Config Panel has encountered an error while trying to modify your realview.xml file with your
chosen RealView settings: Error saving XML file.’
The most likely cause of this error message is that the RealView.xml file within your Turbine Duke
V2 installation has its file permissions set to not allow changes. To fix this you will need to manually
change the file permissions (see below). This file is located in ‘[FSX root folder]\SimObjects\
Airplanes\RealAir Turbine Duke V2\Panel\Config’.
Solving Windows file permission and file ownership problems
With the UAC enabled in versions of Windows from Vista or newer (ie Windows Vista, 7 and 8 at the
time of this writing), Windows can be very aggressive in the way it won’t allow files to be moved or
copied. For example, in Windows 7, by default the ‘Program Files’ (and ‘Program Files x86’ folder
in 64bit versions of Windows 7) have their permissions set to not allow any files contained within
those folders to be modified or moved. That means if you installed FSX into the default location
(which is usually ‘C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X’), it might not
be possible to move or modify any files installed into FSX without manually changing the necessary
Windows file/folder permissions. For this reason we (and other developers) recommend installing
FSX to a location outside the Program Files folder, for example ‘C:\FSX’.
If a Windows file permission problem is causing the Turbine Duke Config panel to not work, the only
way to fix this problem is to manually alter file permissions in Windows (Windows will not grant
any programs the necessary permission to make these changes). You need to set the file properties
to allow ‘Full control’, and make sure that ‘read-only’ is not set. This will guarantee that the Turbine
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Duke Config Panel can make the necessary changes. The fastest way to do this would be to change
permissions in the FSX root folder, and then have Windows set all files and folders contained within
the FSX root folder to inherit those permissions. If done this way, you’ll not only fix file permission
issues with the Turbine Duke Config panel, but you’ll also avoid any file permission problems you
may encounter with other third party files installed into FSX. Sometimes we have found that this
approach doesn’t work and you need to alter each individual file’s permissions separately. For
information on which files to alter see the ‘Error Messages’ section above.
It is beyond the scope of this guide to show exactly how to change file permissions because it can
vary between versions of Windows and Windows User Account settings. If you google something
along the lines of ‘how to change file permissions in Windows 7’, you should find plenty of
information on how to go about changing file permissions.
Another potential problem is Windows file ‘ownership’. This is similar to file permissions but a
little different. If the currently active Windows User Account hasn’t been granted file ‘ownership’ by
Windows, it may not be possible to make changes to the file. Again the best course of action is to do
a google search for instructions on how to change file ownership. For example search ‘how to change
file ownership in Windows 7’.
We are very sorry that there is no easy fix when it comes to granting file permissions and ownership
in Windows, but that is the nature of these particular Windows security features - only a Windows
User with sufficient permission is capable of changing these settings. This helps stop malicious
software from making unwanted changes to your computer. If at some time in the future you need
to reinstall FSX, installing it to a location outside the Program Files folder should give you a good
chance of avoiding these problems in the future.
Registry problems
Another possible problem could arise from incorrect FSX registry settings. When the Turbine Duke
V2 Config Panel attempts to change the necessary files to save your chosen settings, it reads the
Windows registry to locate your FSX installation directory, and then uses that registry value to locate
the files that need changing. If this registry value is incorrect, the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel
won’t be able to find the necessary files to make changes to them.
The Turbine Duke V2 installer (and all RealAir installers) also reads the Windows registry to
automatically detect your FSX installation directory. This means that if, when you installed the V2
Turbine Duke, the installer automatically and correctly detected your FSX directory with no further
input required, then the chances are that your FSX registry settings are correct and don’t need
repairing. If you had to manually input your FSX directory into the Turbine Duke V2 installer, there
probably is a problem with your FSX registry settings.
This latest version of the Turbine Duke Config Panel has some extra code compared to the config
panels included with our older aircraft. The Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel will attempt to verify
your FSX directory path registry value and if it thinks it is wrong a dialog will open asking you for
the correct location of FSX. You will only need to do this once, this new directory path will be saved
and used in the future whenever you open the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel. This means that even
with incorrect FSX registry values the Turbine Duke V2 Config Panel should still work.
If you suspect there might be an FSX registry problem, it is worth making efforts to fix it because
there is a very good chance that this could cause other problems in FSX in addition to those relating
to the Turbine Duke. For this there are three possible fixes. The first is to try the ‘repair’ utility in
your windows control panel/programs and features/fsx. The second is to download and run the
Flight 1 FSX registry tool. This tool is published for the benefit of all FSX users and can be found on
Flight 1’s website or by performing a google search for ‘FSX registry fix’ or ‘Flight 1 registry tool’.
The third and most drastic method is to uninstall and then reinstall FSX. Obviously this is a big
87
job, especially if you have a lot of third party software installed and is definitely not recommended
except as a very last resort! Please note that the above described fixes are entirely at your own risk.
Reality XP GNS Integration
Extremely low framerates with RXP gauges installed into the Turbine Duke
Problem: When one or both of the Reality XP GNS gauges are installed into the panel of the Turbine
Duke, frame-rates in the Turbine Duke drop to extremely low values, or FSX freezes.
This can occur due to use of older RXP gauges and is not related to the Duke itself. The solution is
to update your RXP gauges to the latest version currently available. As of this writing (September
2013) the currently available version of the RXP gauges do not display this issue. The latest version
of the Reality XP gauges can be downloaded from the Reality XP website (www.reality-xp.com).
HSI won’t follow GPS course commands
There is a problem with older builds of the Reality XP GNS WAAS gauges and some (not all) FSX SP2
installations that causes the Turbine Duke’s HSI to not respond to GPS inputs. More specifically, the
HSI course needle and Nav flags will not display the GPS course information as they should when the
GPS is set to control the HSI. The solution is to install FSX Acceleration or install the latest version of
the Reality XP gauges. RXP GNS builds later than early 2010 should not exhibit this problem, so it’s
very unlikely you’ll experience it.
Shimmering
The Reality XP GNS screens on the VC panel can exhibit fairly severe ‘shimmering’ when in the
main VC view. This is caused by the way anti-aliasing works combined with the FSX moving camera
‘momentum’ effect. You will notice there is no shimmering whatsoever in all of the Turbine Duke’s
zoomed-in VC views, because they have the camera momentum effect disabled. You can disable the
momentum effect in the main VC view, but it must be done globally (and therefore will affect all FSX
aircraft). This is done by modifying the VC camera entry in your FSX ‘camera.cfg’ file. We consider
this an advanced technique and we cannot offer help on how to do it, or support if you do try this
mod. If you’d like to try this, we recommend visiting the various FSX user forums for advice.
Other Reality XP problems
Because we did not have anything to do with the creation or sale of the Reality XP GNS gauges, we
cannot offer any support on matters relating to the operation of the Reality XP GNS 530 or GNS WAAS
430—you will need to get in touch with Reality XP regarding these matters. We can only offer support
on Reality XP GNS/RealAir Turbine Duke VC integration issues.
88
Flight1 GTN Integration
Shimmering
The Flight1 GTN screens on the VC panel can exhibit fairly severe ‘shimmering’ when in the main
VC view. This is caused by the way anti-aliasing works combined with the FSX moving camera
‘momentum’ effect. You will notice there is no shimmering whatsoever in all of the Turbine Duke’s
zoomed-in VC views, because they have the camera momentum effect disabled. You can disable the
momentum effect in the main VC view, but it must be done globally (and therefore will affect all FSX
aircraft). This is done by modifying the VC camera entry in your FSX ‘camera.cfg’ file. We consider
this an advanced technique and we cannot offer help on how to do it, or support if you do try this
mod. If you’d like to try this, we recommend visiting the various FSX user forums for advice.
Other Flight1 GTN problems
Because we did not have anything to do with the creation or sale of the Flight1 GTN gauges, we cannot
offer any support on matters relating to the operation of the Flight1 GTN 750 and/or GTN 650—you
will need to get in touch with Flight1 regarding these matters. We can only offer support on Flight1
GTN/RealAir Turbine Duke VC integration issues.
89
Support
We welcome both feedback and support queries via e-mail if you are a bone fide RealAir Simulations
customer.
Please thoroughly check the manuals and documents before contacting us with a problem. It is highly
likely that you will find the answer within this guide or the other included documents.
If you have a support issue, it is very helpful if you include in your email the following details:
• Your full name.
• Your order number or keycode.
• Date of order.
• Describe the problem you have encountered as accurately as possible.
We always make efforts to answer queries as quickly as possible, and our average response time is
often within a few hours and very rarely longer than 24 hours.
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Credits
The RealAir Turbine Duke Version 2 was created by:
Sean Moloney - 3D modelling, textures, cockpit panels, gauge graphics and programming, animation
and sound programming, document writing and presentation, installers, testing, website content
creation and design.
Rob Young - Flight aerodynamics, sounds, document writing, testing, and customer support.
Acknowledgements
Testing
Thanks to Ryan Butterworth and David Wilton for the their thorough and insightful testing.
Custom sound gauge
Special thanks to Doug Dawson for his wonderful XML sound gauge.
Flight1 GTN integration
Thank you to Jim Rhoads for his valuable assistance with the Flight1 GTN integration.
Reality XP integration
Thanks to Jean-Luc Dupiot for his valuable guidance when it came to integrating the Reality XP GNS
530/430 into the original V1 Duke.
Multiplayer guidance:
Geoff Drayson of www.fsmp.com
Geoff very generously helped us get our Turbine Duke V1.2 working well in multiplayer and shared
cockpit. His help with the Turbine Duke V1.2 contributed to the knowledge required to make the
Turbine Duke V2 multiplayer compatible.
3D landing lights
Thanks to Jon Blum of Vertical Reality Simulations for divulging the incredible intricacies of 3D
landing lights to the FSX developer community.
This document written by Rob Young and Sean Moloney, November 2014
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Flying Guide Turbine Duke Version 2.0

Transcription

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