Cruise Speed in 10k is just 92kn. Unflyable !
Hope there is an update soon.
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Earlier in the thread Iād reported the KAP AP head not responding to button presses and VS speed changes, etc.
Iād said Iād reboot the sim and revisit. Well, Iāve done that and I see no change. Iām unable to get the AP head unit to respond to anything once the gyropilot servo is engaged. You can even turn āonā every function on the AP at the same time. Of course itās just the tooltips reporting that the state of the button/switch is on, as the displayās annunciators do not light up.
Changing the NAV units from analog to the GNS 430/530 doesnāt make any difference.
I also must be dumb, because Iām having a heck of a time making sense of the altimeter and that is a first for me. Iāve got the HUD on, because Iāve been using slew to set the aircraft at different altitudes to see how they display on the altimeter. I still canāt understand why at 10000ā the small pointer in the very middle of the dial isnāt pointing at the 10.
Iām having issues with the autopilot. The Gyropilot only partially works. I can set a heading, but the compass on the second row remains at 0 degrees. Also the pitch control doesnāt work.
I canāt figure out how to hold an altitude.
As for the modern avionics it frequently disengages and sends the aircraft into a nose dive.
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The airplane will not cruise at 20000ā, since it is modeled as the original PanAm version with single-speed supercharger and 33 seat configuration. The TWA airplanes had 2-speed superchargers. Those are the airplanes that the military used during the war and then they were returned to TWA, modified and placed back in service. The example in the Smithsonian is one of the Pan Am airplanes.
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This cockpit light is āonā when the lights are off, yet projects no light. Itās twin on the Captainās side is dark, as it should be.
Iād also reported that the pressurization system is indicating 9000ā cabin altitude when on the ground. Airfield altitude here is 818ā.
The Gyropilot lighting isnāt working either
EDIT: Looking at that pressure gauge, I believe Iām reading it wrong. That says x100. That is reading airfield altitude.
This aircraft is a hot mess at the moment, hopefully it will get some attention soon.
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What I just donāt understand is that Iāve barely spent any time with it and Iāve stumbled over a number of issues that are very apparent.
How does this not get seen during testing? Who is the producer at MS who oversees these commissioned aircraft projects? Shouldnāt that individual be looking out for this sort of thing? When I was a video game/software producer, I certainly was. I find it all very puzzling.
EDIT: You know, I just wish I could help. I wish I could be a part of the mechanism that proofed these things and could help make the whole experience better. Itās frustrating to be on the outside unable to do anything to facilitate change.
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It is very puzzling. Itās Microsoft who is backing these planes, with all the trailers and info on official site. But it looks like there is almost no beta testing. The free Ford Trimotor was released in a better state than the Stratoliner.
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This is what the MSFS manual states for this model:
āThrottle back to give around 30 inches and 2,250 R.P.M and continue to
climb at around 175 M.P.H. at 1,200 feet per minute.
Normal cruise speed is 222 M.P.H. (at 19,000 ft)
and engines should be adjusted to give 1,850 - 2,000
R.P.M or 23 inches of mercury on the gauge.ā
That performance is absolute not reachable in the current state. You can slowly creep up to 16.500ft before stalling. Thats it.
The whole point of the B307 is to have a pressurized cabin and the 4 engine performance to go high above the weather.
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This is puzzling to me as well. With so many users willing to help in a constructive way, the reasoning behind releasing a product that is obviously deeply flawed is a strange one.
All I can think of is that the corporate mentality of āWe need to stay on track with the project release scheduleā wins out over the common sense of making sure the product is a quality offering. Itās not like we are all geniuses that can spot obscure issues, much of this stuff is obvious even to the layperson. So there has to be a larger force at work here that is pushing for the release even if the bugs are so abundant as to give the product a poor user base review.
Speaking from corporate experience, sometimes meeting the goal is seen as more important than doing what is best for the customer and ultimately, the quality of the companies products.
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If thatās the case the corporate mentality will have to learn that I will now probably not buy the next Local Legend if it was developed by Aeroplane Heaven. Microsoft/Asobo really should look for a new partner that is able provide a higher level of quality.
Cobbled together aircraft that barely function donāt reflect well on Flight Simulator, especially when they come as official MS/Asobo releases.
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Yeah Iām wishing I didnāt buy it. Iāve got most of the stuff running, but the issue of it having half the power it should have, and the feeble sound of the engines, makes this plane just not much fun. Sorry to say.
I did manage to get it to 150KIAS by not flying above 12000ā. I tried to climb to 19000 but she stalled out before I could and went into a horrendous spin. After recovering, and trying several times to reset the trims and get the AP aligned again, I just kept to lower altitudes and high power settings.
ILS approach was okay, but she does have a tendency to fall out of the sky at lower speeds even with full flaps (and even within the ground effect envelope too!). I think there are serious issues with the flight model.
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Climb at less than 1000 probably. I climbed up and out of the Rocky mountains on my first flight last night to 15000 feet on my way to Denver. I used the updraft against mountains to help lift it as I needed to gain altitude fast. My chosen-at-random airport (which I donāt remember) was buried in the mountains!
Thatās neat! I didnāt know about that.
Honestly Iām also having regrets on this one. I did a fresh install of the plane. Itās weird.
I love to try my test flights out of Hawaii, and itās consistently struggled to stay around 100 knots. After the reinstall i tried flying out of Heathrow for a change of pace. I got similar number then, roughly 150 at 10k-11k altitude with everything firewalled. A struggle to get there, stay there and above there.
The trimotor had some minor issues but is ultimately enjoyable. Especially as I got it free. But as the 307 currently sits it does not live up to expectations. Iāve never had such trouble with an aircraft.
How often/quickly does this dev update their products?
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I found it! I didnāt see these dials, I was to focused on switches!! It is really an amazing aircraft. The fuel truck for example is so cute and well designed! They where much better at designing beautiful stuff in the good old days 
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So Iāve been reading through this thread, and there are plenty of complaints about not being able to hit the stated performance numbers.
Are you saying itās simply that the performance numbers are for the wrong version of the 307, and the addonās actual performance matches the real world Pan Am version?
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Try turning the automixture setting (under āassistsā) on and see if that helps.
From their previous products, AH doesnāt actually simulate the āauto rich/leanā settings on airplanes like the DC-3 or 307 (MSFS doesnāt support that without some custom coding), so itās distinctly possible that the mixture isnāt set properly.
Here they state the performance data of the Pan Am version with the Wright Cyclone engines.
According to that , the airplane should be able to reach 17.000 ft.
This is copied from that linked page:
The Boeing 307 Stratoliner measures 38 feet, 7 inches in length, stands 20 feet, 9 inches tall, and has a wingspan of 107 feet, 3 inches. It is powered by four Wright GR-1820-G102A Cyclone radial engines that produce up to 1,100 horsepower each and turn 3-blade constant speed propellers. The 307 has a range of 1,300 miles, a service ceiling of 23,800 feet above sea level, a cruise speed of 222 miles per hour, and a top speed of 250 mph.
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