Grumman Albatross 2.2.1 Update release notes
Greetings everyone. Now that SU3 is out, the second major update for the Albatrosses has finally arrived! My apologies for the repeated delays, but Asobo made some very useful improvements in Sim Update 3 beta which just had to be taken advantage of. This necessitated SU3 being publicly released before the update could be.
Anyway, while this update wasn’t initially intended to be anywhere near as massive as the first, it actually ended up being even bigger in the end. There are many improvements, some user requests, and a flying boatload of fixes, including several specifically for multiplayer group flights.
Below is a complete list of fixes, improvements, and some known issues and workarounds. A follow-up patch to address some minor remaining bugs will be coming soon.
The Pilot’s Guide has also been updated and is available here:
FIXES in v2.2.1:
- Missing ground roll sounds restored
- HU-16’s missing instrument lights fixed (SU_02 bug workaround)
- Garmin G1000 MFD missing plane location icon fixed (G-111)
- GNS 530 knob animation bugs fixed (HU-16)
- Turn coordinator glass flickering fixed (HU-16)
- Windshield glass flickering in external views fixed
- Analog clock adjustment knob fixed (HU-16)
- Engine power setting / rpm placard values corrected (HU-16)
- HU-16’s max manifold pressure reduced to 51.5" and max rpm to 2700
- RCAF livery roundel fixed to properly match historical period and flag orientation fixed (HU-16)
- Several potential landing light angle control issues fixed, hopefully preventing them from occasionally being stuck aiming down
- Fixed missing fuel selector tooltips
- Tire UV animations fixed
- Wake and prop wash effect materials permanently cached to (hopefully) prevent missing effect textures during streaming
- Wheel brake wear rate and temperature fade tweaked
- Nose wheel steering improved across speed range
- Fixed Garmin G5 slight display flicker
- Fixed occasional propeller max RPM overruns during slow throttle advances
- Tweaked supercharger low and high-gear outputs to better match published figures at medium and high altitudes, with significant improvement in high altitude performance
- Improved accuracy of engine rpm limits, oil pressure, oil temp, fuel pressure, CHT, and cooling flap values
- Slightly increased fuel transfer pump flow rate
- Workaround added for slow analog instrument texture streaming when switching views
- Workaround added for occasional boarding ladder and chock texture corruption when streaming
- Generator warning light logic, alternator RPM cutout, and voltmeter readings fixed
- Passenger boarding sequence at med/large airports in free flight cold & dark start fixed
- External power switch logic changed, no longer requires GPU truck (works in most ramp parking spots)
- Minor fixes for cold & dark and off-airport starts
- Small fixes to G-111 livery textures
- UI Range values fixed for HU-16
- Fixed UI fuel burn rate value
- Checklist “look at” function fixes for walkaround / preflight, and transponder buttons
- Several interior geometry and texture issues fixed (broken UVs, incorrect normal map data)
- Fixed some lighting initialization issues with water apron/runway starts
- Missing takeoff and landing performance data added to EFB
- Some camera names corrected and localized
- Some missing localization entries added
- Multiplayer: Albatrosses seen in multiplayer should now show correct propeller animations
- Multiplayer: Workaround implemented for static height sim bug during water ops. Other players’ Albatrosses should no longer appear to “hover” above the water when they are actually floating on its surface.
- Multiplayer: Workaround for erroneous trim tab deflections
- Multiplayer: Missing windshields fixed
- Multiplayer: Workaround for environment occluder bug when other players’ Albatrosses floating in water are seen from an interior camera on your aircraft
- Multiplayer: Bow splashes and wakes now visible on other players’ Albatrosses
- Multiplayer: Potential fix for copilot standing up through fuselage on HU-16 (Possibly an SU_02 bug only, unable to reproduce in SU_03)
- Multiplayer: Added workaround for sim’s missing main wheel rotation animations
IMPROVEMENTS in v2.2.1:
- Realistic aircraft beaching is now possible! Transitioning between water and land (and vice versa) with landing gear extended is much smoother now, and extending the gear into the water while floating no longer results in the aircraft popping upwards and ‘driving’ on the water’s surface. Please take launching and beaching slowly though, just as you would in reality. The surface under the water can be unexpectedly bumpy. Also note that wheel brakes will not currently work when the wheels are under water (sim bug, reported).
- Propeller wash effects improved, and splash effects added to gear legs when extended into water
- New bow splash and water spray effects on windshield added (easily visible in rough seas and during reverse thrust at low speed)
- New ‘legacy’ avionics panel version added to the HU-16: with dual Nav/Comm radios, ADF radio, and no GPS (accessible via clipboard “modern avionics” option, with persistent setting)
- Enabled control surface gust lock operation
- Added gust lock engagement / disengagement to checklists and manual
- New “Metallic Albatross” livery added for the G-111
- Main and Emergency Exit door handle click spots improved (you can now use external door handles from within the interior when the doors are open)
- Autopilot ALT and VS hold accuracy improved
- HU-16 nose glass texture improved
- Boarding ladder can now be deployed in the water when aircraft is stationary or anchored
- Landing light actuators now work separately again, and the landing lights now add individual and differential drag penalties when extended
- Cowl and Oil Cooler flaps now have variable and cumulative drag penalties depending on their settings
- Improved engine exhaust heat effect behaviour at speed
- Airframe LOD display distances vastly improved (noticeably better in multiplayer)
- Windshield reflections and refraction realism significantly improved
- Windshield refraction on/off option added to the accessories clipboard
- Clipboard “Clean Windshield” option renamed to “Remove Insects” for better function clarity
- Anchor deployment restrictions slightly relaxed (easier to deploy in rough seas now)
NEW OPERATING NOTES:
- Now that the landing lights, cowl flaps, and oil cooler flaps have variable and differential drag penalties, you will need to manage their settings when configuring the aircraft for optimal range and endurance in cruise flight, balancing fuel efficiency and cooling needs. The overall drag increase from having all of these items fully extended / opened is now quite noticeable (potentially losing up to 20 knots IAS at cruise power), as are the yaw moments from having them deployed at different settings between left and right.
KNOWN ISSUES & WORKAROUNDS:
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Due to a bug in the wear and tear system (as of sim update 3) the sim will accumulate “damage” to the nose gear and tire during transitions from land to water with the gear extended, regardless of speed. This only happens while moving from land to water, not the reverse, and it damages the gear and tire approximately 10% each time, eventually leading to failure if you launch into water many times in a row. This is a sim bug affecting all amphibians, and has been reported to Asobo in detail. Until they are able to fix this I highly recommend checking “Disable Aircraft Stress Damage” in the sim’s “Assistances” settings if you plan to perform several beachings during a single flight session.
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Due to my workaround for a long standing static CG height sim bug (which causes amphibians to appear to hover when floating on water in multiplayer), selecting an “off-airport” ground start point on the world map, on either land or water, or re-starting a flight, may cause the plane to initially and momentarily appear to be partially underground / underwater during flight load. This is a visual bug only and quickly corrects itself during the loading sequence.
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Using “active pause” while stationary on the ground may cause the aircraft to “crash”. This bug was caught too late for this update but it has been corrected for the next one. Please avoid using active pause on the ground until then, but active pause in the air works fine.
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When using the “Legacy” avionics in the HU-16 the autopilot’s altitude pressure source is currently somewhat bugged. This has been fixed for the next update, but in the interim please use the sim’s “Set Altimeter” function to set the correct current barometric pressure if this becomes an issue for you.
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When using “Legacy” avionics, the NAV/COMM radio screens’ brightness is erroneously tied to the panel light potentiometer. This has been fixed for the next update.
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After switching between the new “Modern” and “Legacy” avionics suites in the HU-16 I would advise you to restart your flight. You can swap the avionics in mid-flight, but you may encounter issues with GPS/NAV1 autopilot tracking. If this does occur just restart your flight and it should be fine for all flights from then on. Note that the “modern” avionics are still the default setting.
As mentioned above, another (smaller) update will be coming soon, addressing the aforementioned issues and with a few more fixes and improvements that didn’t quite make it into this one (mostly minor autopilot, avionics, and graphical bugs).
I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to all of you here in this thread for your extensive feedback over the past few months, it has really been a huge help.
Additionally I would like to thank the following streamers / content creators: JayDee, AvAngel, TwoToneMurphy, Akula, Andre Nickel, and Cow Town, for their excellent long format reviews and comments on the Albatross. These gave me a chance to really see some rare bugs / issues in action and note general areas that needed improving.
I hope you enjoy this second major update to the Albatrosses, and as always I’m here to assist if you have any questions.
Cheers, and happy flying! (or… boating?) 
-Mike