I think Pilot’s are now doing their bit on the Dash 7 after Sim Works Studios have done their work on it.
I am left wondering how this collabaration is going to pan out tbh, what it means for the fidelity of the upcoming Dash 7 and in particular what it means for the timeliness of future updates and bug fixes.
Based on what I have seen in this thread it certainly won’t be an instant first day purchase, at least it won’t be for me.
I got the B314 because I loved the P3D version. And I was enthusiastic about it despite the bugs and missing features because I saw the updates and the potential.
But now this aircraft sits in the hangar desperately waiting for maintenance.
Bought the Clipper a couple of months ago…but then the Comanche came out so just setting up to fly the Clipper now. One question…where is the ADF radio receiver? I see all the VOR receivers but no ADF.
Thanks
Garry
Just did 1st flight. At gross weight I can’t even keep it in the air (8,000 ft) with the setting in the manual (20.5’ & 1600 rpm). Also FF are way low. What gives with the manual?
Garry
Funny funny thing is… I don’t know how to fly ADF at all. Yes, I have done the FS Academy course but I just choose to fly modern avionics period. Not even VOR to VOR even though I know how to fly that. NDB and ADF remain a mystery
That’s fine. It’s the strength of the sim that we can choose what we want to fly.
Needle on the nose, timing, teardrops, heads will fall, tails will rise.
Now you know how to fly NDB! 
Every time I start up the aircraft, within a few minutes the radio starts wigging out jumping channels. I’ve uninstalled it and reinstalled it. Seems to have started after one of the most recent patches. I gave up on the plane for a good long time, but finally got back to it tonight and was reminded of the problem! It’s this constant chatter/stutter of it switching on/off or between channels. Is there something I’m missing?
I was curious about your issue and am sitting in the 314 right now. I noted that, if I use the ATC menu to tune the radio, that it is misbehaving in a way that sort of sounds like what you describe.
However, if I sit at the radio officer’s station and tune the radio there, the issue doesn’t appear.
As an aside, I really wish Pilots would come back and finish off a number of the details they left out of this. Looking over the documentation and thinking back on the various statements in this thread made by @PILOTSdev it is clear there is a real love for this aircraft. I know the sim is capable of offering more here and this iconic aircraft is really deserving of added detail and depth.
I love early Boeing so very, very much and it pains me to see two of the most awesome 1930s Boeing aircraft left in unfinished states or just really screwy (Stratoliner, I’m looking at you).
EDIT:
I forgot how difficult this aircraft is to trim for level flight. The slightest touch of the elevator trim will see the aircraft pitch from +500 fpm to -500+ fpm and then back again. I just cannot get the elevator trimmed and have to continuously compensate on the yoke to stop the climbing or the diving.
I also never had any luck with the gyropilot. When I engage it, it just flies in lefthand circles.
Regrettably, there has been little progress after the breathlessly announced launch of this product and some rapid-fire patches shortly afterwards. All sizzle and no steak.
I’ve since uninstalled this addon. It’s just not up to the quality I expect for the price, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any further updates. It’s really too bad, the 314 is my favorite of the big flying boats. There are plenty of better choices now though.
or just really screwy (Stratoliner, I’m looking at you).
I am sad, so very, very, sad.
I spent a couple of hours flying two different variants today. I flew the 314A from SB314 (St. Barts) to PP314 (Point-à-Pitre) and then flew the 314 back to SB314.
There’s some noticeable bugs for sure. Various instrument light bulbs are non-op. The 314’s F.O.'s directional compass doesn’t rotate. The aileron trim indicator moves opposite to trim direction. The Rudder knob on the 314’s gyropilot is offset quite low to where its trim ring is located. There were others that have slipped my mind.
We never did get an update to activate the pyrometers for measuring cylinder head temperature nor did we get an update to bring more (full?) functionality to the gyropilot beyond basic ROL and ALT Hold modes.
I did enjoy flying her today. She is so magnificent with the evening sun glaring off her flank!
The radios are setup for modern VHF and spaced in 8.33 increments.
Noted, my earlier post is updated.
Still having fun with it, but admittedly mostly doing short flights.
Hopefully now that they have the Dash 7 released and updated, they’ll come back to the 314 and refine these issues.
I’ll have to try manually using the radios I guess. I hate to totally give up on it as it’s one of my favorite flying boats, but it’s unusable if the radio is going to wig out. I really have no interest in manually using it. I don’t really care about flying old aircraft in their natural state… I like them, but I’d rather fly them as they’d be operated today. For example as a flyable museum aircraft, or collectable.
I also have this weird thing for having a Hobbs meter or the like, and of the large flying boats, the 314 is the only one : /
Once I had tuned it manually, I was able to manipulate it via the ATC window when I was within range of my destination and announcing my intention to land.
See if that works for you.
Will do, thank you!
I had intended to fly this aircraft across the Pacific using Celestial Nav, but I just couldn’t get the autopilot to settle down on the heading at which I’d engaged it.
As others have said, a real shame. This could have been a classic.
Some flights of these impromptu round the world trip would be great activity material in msfs. I will definitely try to reenact their overweight departure from the Congo river at Kinshasa ( Leopoldville at the time), in tropical desert hot conditions with an seriously overweight plane. They barely survived this takeoff not only because of their serious overweight. When they finally got airborne in this river valley their ailerons were stuck and they could only turn through the curves of the river using their rudders. It took them ages before the plane reached cooler less moist air which made the engines run properly.
