Denarq Twin Beech - Beech 18 improvements mod. New small Update 1.5.1 is out

[MeyerFlyer99]

Bendix/King KN 64 DME

The KN 64 DME is one of the avionics instruments in the MSFS 2020 Carenado Beech 18 and the Denarq mod (see Fig. 1). This instrument has confused me as to how it works in the simulator (MSFS 2020), so I tried all the switches and knobs while also adjusting the NAV1 and NAV2 radios to figure out how it behaved. Herein I document what I have found. Not surprisingly, the DME unit as implemented in the Beech 18 in the sim behaves somewhat differently than the real life one as described in the KN 62A / 64 manual.

In the real unit, there are three modes selected by the 3-position switch on the upper right of the unit: RMT – FREQ – GS/T. In the RMT (Remote) mode, the DME unit uses the frequency selected in the NAV receiver connected to the DME, generally NAV1, and displays distance, groundspeed, and time-to-station for that NAVAID. In the FREQ mode, a separate frequency for a NAVAID with DME (e.g. VOR or Localizer) can be tuned in using the inner and outer knobs on the right of the unit and it will show the distance to that station as well as the frequency for that NAVAID. In the GS/T mode, the unit displays distance, groundspeed, and time-to-station for the station tuned in with the FREQ mode. Note that for both RMT and GS/T modes, the groundspeed is the speed relative to the station. It represents the true groundspeed only if traveling directly to or from a station.

While the KN 64 unit in the simulator has the three-position mode switch, you can only select the RMT and FREQ modes. RMT behaves the same as in the real unit – it displays distance, groundspeed, and time to station for the NAVAID tuned in on NAV1 (on the GNS 530). In the FREQ mode, it behaves quite differently than the real unit. If you use the knobs to change the frequency, it shows the change in frequency on the KN 64 unit itself, but it also changes the active frequency for NAV1 as shown in the GNS 530. However, even though it shows the frequency you selected on the face of the KN 64, this is not the frequency of the station for which it displays distance. Rather, it shows the distance to the station selected on NAV2.

To demonstrate, I took the Denarq mod Beech 18 on a flight between the Scholes VOR-DME (VUH, 113.0 Mhz) in Galveston, Texas, to the Navasota VOR-DME (TNV, 115.9 MHz) (see Fig. 2 – snapshot from LittleNavMap). The distance between these two NAVAIDs is 87 nm. At a point between the two stations, one can change the NAV1 and NAV2 frequencies (e.g. between VUH and TNV) as well as change the mode and frequency on the KN 64. A video of this demonstration can be found on Youtube.

It should be noted that when a VOR with DME is tuned in on NAV1, the GNS 530 shows the station identifier, radial, and the distance to the station in addition to the frequency. However, when a localizer is tuned in, the GNS 530 shows the airport identifier and approach runway for the localizer rather than the radial and distance to the station. Having a separate DME instrument to show distance can be quite handy, therefore, on ILS or localizer approaches.

Here are a few key points for use of the KN 64 DME in this airplane in MSFS 2020:

• RMT mode works as expected – showing distance, groundspeed, and time to station for the NAVAID selected with NAV1 (on the GNS 530)
• In FREQ mode, the distance to the NAVAID tuned in on NAV2 (KX 165 COM/NAV radio) is shown along with whatever frequency is currently active on NAV1.
• I recommend not changing the frequency on the KN 64 (in FREQ mode), but simply using the FREQ mode to show the distance to the station on NAV2. Thus, switching between RMT and FREQ mode can be used to switch which station is used for the distance shown on the KN 64 – the one tuned in on NAV1 (RMT mode) or NAV2 (FREQ mode).
• Groundspeed and time to station can only be shown for the NAV1 NAVAID.
• If NAV1 is tuned to a localizer, the KN 64 (in RMT mode) can be used to show distance to the localizer which is not shown on the GNS 530.
• The ON-OFF switch on the KN 64 DME unit also controls power to the KR 87 ADF receiver.

[Louis7129]

Nice ,I’ll have to print this out . Just put the Beech back in after a computer update . I got my license in "68 so of course I’m partial to this type of flying with VOR’s ,but I’ve been noticing more and more there’s lot of VOR’s no longer work . Digging and digging, sounds like if you are a Nava graph subscriber if they took out the Vor station in real life it won’t be there in our sim either ,I’d be interested to see what you guys have to say about this ,even the charts I’ve been noticing a lot of ILS are gone replaced with R or V nav.

[FlyingsCool5650]

I assume by “a lot of ILS are gone replaced with R or V nav” you mean ILS approaches are being replaced by RNAV and VNAV approaches?

Yeah, as you note a ton of VOR’s and NDB’s, and I guess even ILS’s?, have “disappeared” (I haven’t seen any ILS’s disappear in my area). With the accuracy of GPS, it’s no longer worth the cost to maintain all that 1940’s and 1950’s tech… as do you, I do miss those types of navigation.

I think, with time, and we’ve already seen it, we’ll at some point see addons creating all of the, say, “Navigation devices circa 1970” and other eras. We’ve already got it for 1920’s /1930’s with the “Arrows across America” mail route navigation addons and such. The Boeing 247 comes with it’s own set of nav radio systems addon.

[Apollon0011]

@FlyingsCool5650

Navigation devices circa 1970

Have you seen this?

Golden Age of Air Travel: U.S. navaids as of 1958 for Microsoft Flight...

[FlyingsCool5650]

Nope, but that’s great and will be checking it out

You up for 1970, and/or 1980, and/or 1990, and/or 2000 (about the end/peak of the old navaid system)?

While I agree with the current system design that it matches the current nav data, I love they left it open for us to be able to create mods for whatever we want.

I picture by the next version (the next major after 2024, or perhaps the next after), Microsoft will start adding historical scenery options on a world level scale.

[spock18984591]

Just for my reference, what should the empty CG %MAC be?

[WartedSummer2]

20.9% MAC. That is based on an Expeditor Weight and Balance Data manual. The range is 18.9% to 27.1% MAC.

[spock18984591]

Thank you!! Much appreciated. My gut told me a 5th adult passenger (in that third row) would really complicate things, and it sure is modeled that way.

[phutyoo]

Out of curiosity, have you ever considered just doing a ‘lite’ version of this that only has the flight model changes? I don’t mind complex aircraft but I accidentally loaded the sim without my add ons doing an update and tried a few heavily modded aircraft in their vanilla stat and forgot how awful the D18 was out of the box, especially on approach.

I think this mod can seem a bit intimidating to someone who just wants this to ‘fly better’ and has a bunch of basic FM mods. Nobody is really going to tinker with this plane because of this mod(i.e. make another mod) It makes such a big difference but the full mod is a big commitment to learn. I looked at trimming it down for my uncle but fuggedaboutit…

This is a bit more than adding a little HP or getting rid of a pushback dude.

[polemicape]

Hi everyone. Got this plane recently and setting up my controls for it. With all the engine controls we need to keep an eye on with this mod, has anyone figured out how to map manifold heat, the oil shutters, and cowl flaps to control axes? I’ve got the turtle beach yoke with plenty of axes to map, and want to take full advantage of being able to control them with my throttle quadrant instead of having to click and drag the oil shutters with the mouse, etc.

[phutyoo]

In the native game the only thing you can map is ‘cowl flaps’ and that’s still a full open/full close only, but it can be added to a lever with a +/- value. They don’t even have oil shutters. I’ve seen some developers able to cheat things, like adding something to the ‘spoiler’ command so you can give it an axis. I think evne the Wildcat has the canopy on spoiler axis or one of those usable axis.

Actually that would be cool for this one. You can use the proportional spoiler axis and assign the oil shutters to it. With some tweaks you could probably give cowl flaps a TP condition lever assignment to get both of them on levers. But the aircraft needs to be setup this way. You can’t make it work at the end user level. The oil shutters are a total PITA when IRL you don’t even have to look at them to use them.

Other than that you’d need SPAD or something similar.

[polemicape]

I don’t see why you couldn’t just selectively choose which parts of the mod you want in your community folder. Have you tried simply deleting what appear to be the custom engine .xmls in Denarq-enhancement-Beech-D18S\ModelBehaviorDefs\Carenado\Common?

You may have to alter some paths in layout.json or manifest.json as well, but in theory this should be possible, right?

Disclaimer - I have no idea how this stuff works!

[phutyoo]

Heh this mod is complicated… I might try but then it’d just be for him. I haven’t seen a more detailed set of engines and cockpit and prop configurations ever. He just wants it to not fall like a boat anchor at landing speeds. I told him just fly the 182s with me…

I really wish Carenado had just made the D18 fly like a Carenado, it may be their worst flight model.

[MaverickKing57]

I had a strange issue with this plane the other day. I was doing my runup in preparation for takeoff, I cycled the props from high to low and back twice, then hit the left feather switch to check its operation and it worked and went back to normal just fine. I then checked the right feather switch and again it worked as intended. Then I cycled the props one more time and the prop levers locked up in low pitch. I could move the levers on my bravo quadrant and nothing happened in the cockpit, even grabbing with the mouse did nothing. I then decided to see if the throttles were locked too and pushed them up. The engines tried to rev up but the manifold pressure gauge was bouncing and I watched the cylinder head temps climb rapidly so I pulled the mixture and shut it down. I didn’t look into it too much and just went and flew something else. Very weird issue and really the only one I’ve had that couldn’t be explained by carb ice or something I did.

I love this mod and it makes this airplane feel alive. It’s pretty much the only plane that I feel like I have to do a run up or things will go wrong.

[Louis7129]

Can some one here if you get a minute put your rudder settings ? i have a fairly new set of Saitek Pro pedals and just got my rig back from an update and a lot is back to default . I find them way too sensitive i tried different settings but still sensitive , they were set ok before . I went and bought one of those I call 4 foot wide Samsung monitors and kind of regret it cause you lose about 1/3 of you vision cause of how the monitor is narrow so this Beech the DC3 i find pretty hard to get the cockpit view right .I should of went with 3 33inch instead.

[FlyingsCool5650]

When I first got Flight sim, I tried the 3 monitor setup, and just couldn’t get it right, I hated those in-between the inner and outer monitors breaks.

At the time I had a 2070 Super, and got a 55" 4K TV monitor instead, and I’ve loved it ever since. Essentially a life size cockpit panel. I keep it on my desk, and it’s about 18" back. Granted, I do use free look to look around, but, it’s great when I’m not flying VR (HP G2). (I upgraded to a 3080S, and now have a 4090).

[Louis7129]

Didn’t think the breaks between monitors would be that bad looking at a lot who have multiple monitors.

[FlyingsCool5650]

I personally didn’t like it. I think largely because at the time I was using head tracking, and the bars were annoying (to me) as I moved my head around. I fly mostly GA, I love open cockpits and lots of glass all around, and I love to look around. Now, the 55" TV screen is so tall, head tracking isn’t really viable (there’s no place to put the emitter/receiver), so I use Free Look with my mouse, (and VR, but that’s not applicable here).

In airliners, you don’t tend to look around a whole lot because the exterior is pretty much a fixed view, and there’s often structure, and you can set the monitor views up so they coincide with those vertical beams. So if that’s how you rock, it works great for that.

I was using 3 19" monitors with 1" bezels for reference. It might work better with say a 55" monitor and two side monitors? Or monitor screens that go all the way to the edge. I suppose I should have pointed that out.

In the end, it all comes down to you. I was just relating my own experience and how I felt, and suggesting something you might consider, but I would never want to invalidate your own experience and feelings.

[TBizzleII]

I just want to say, I agree 1 55 or 50 inch monitor is better than a wide screen or multi monitors.

[Louis7129]

Well thanks for the explanation cool , now you guys got me thinking .In the Beech and DC3 setting up the cockpit view is a real chore cause like i said, you lose 1/3 of your view looking out the window with this thing and if i finally get the view right I don’t know how to save it .Since leaving P3D I’m done with airliners but maybe will get the new FSS 727 cause that’s what took the crew in and out of the Artic north of Yellowknife and I sat in the cockpit a lot cause the flight crew i knew well --might just put this Samsung up for sale, is a 55inch monitor ok or do i need a TV?----Louis ----- Alberta