Okay, thanks for clarifying! It’s still way too sensitive on the ground though. I guess the lack of inertia etc is a sim issue? How about the torque responsiveness? The engine seems to respond immediately with sound and everything as I suppose it should, but the G1000 shows a significant lag when adding power. Takes several seconds to indicate takeoff power while the engine response and sound indicate immediate response. This is an issue I’ve seen with most turboprops in MSFS.
Yes, I’m talking about the Kodiak 100. It’s a turboprop so you control speed on the ground using beta. Also use low idle when taxiing.
Just to add to the discussion, this is by far my favorite plane in MSFS despite a few issues.
PS! Regarding the lack of flap and elevator trim indications on the G1000. According to Working Title it should now be possible to add these to the G1000. I asked them a couple of months ago. This is what they said:
Me: Any chance we can have a flap and trim indicator on the G1000 any time soon? sorely missed, especially for the Kodiak 100.
WT: The plugin system available with the SU10 version of the NXi will enable plane developers to create those non-standard plane-specific elements
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Can’t say I’ve really noticed. I do know though that digital engine displays do have filtering of the sensed inputs for display purposes. It’s a trade off between erratic readings and responsiveness. Some maybe all of what you are seeing could be down to this.
I have no idea, but I’ve never seen this kind of lag in any turboprop. It should be on par with a regular jet engine in terms of engine response when adding power. In the Milviz Porter the engine response (indications) is pretty much immediate which I would expect. The issue with lag in the engine response was a well-known issue with FSX and later P3D. I suspect this is also the case in MSFS as the turboprop model is still broken.
Then in my case it still makes no sense what it is doing.
If I’m setting VS to 800 while on the ground then it ought to be capturing my VS at 0, at the least, as I’m not moving.
If when I engage the AP in my initial climb out after takeoff then it, again, ought to capture and maintain whatever VS I’m holding as I engage the AP, which is certainly not a negative value.
With an autopilot, you’re supposed to be able to preset your values prior to take off and have the system maintain those values once you engage it.
I understand that what you’re describing is how the system will behave if one has done no preselecting of VS or ALT until after they have taken off and then decide to engage the autopilot. However in my case, it not behaving as you describe nor as I describe.
EDIT:
The issues I’m having all stem from this weird need to put nose down trim on the aircraft when heavily laden. As an aside, I find the take off behavior of the aircraft when trimmed like this to be really weird. I understand why it’s meant to be done, but the net result is the plane is reluctant to rotate and I have to pull so far back on the yoke to get it to do so and then, when it does, it still suddenly goes nose in the air at a steep AOA.
And because I spend enough time on this forum, yes, I have the plane loaded correctly with the freight forward and additional freight in the foremost compartment of the cargo pod to assist with the CG for the load. There is no freight, at all, in the rearward part of the aircraft.
Anyhow, I left the airplane empty and left the trim precisely neutral and took off and engaged the autopilot with it preset as I had in the flights that gave me trouble and it behaved as it should do — engaged in a climb at the preset VS of 800’/min without the nose dive. I’m guessing any trim that is pointing the aircraft nose down is going to cause the AP to assume a nose down attitude when engaged. Therefore, I’m going to have to alter my behavior with it.
What is odd is I’ve done a significant amount of flying in this airplane with similar cargo loads and don’t recall having this nose dive with the AP.
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In earlier builds, it was VERY forgiving coasting in with full flaps and you got used to it quickly. Now you need to really get back on the throttle to approach something like St Barts once you drop them down before cresting the hill. After a while you get used to the new feeling of staying ahead of the delayed reaction of the TP. I dig it, adds a lot of challenge to throttle management it really didn’t have before. Once you let everything hang out it takes a fair swing of throttle advance back up past half and another new mini ‘session’ of management now that you’ve become a kite.
At first after it was updated a ways back I was just crusin’ it on in as before, threw full flaps and it took a second or two to notice that I was entering ‘rock’ mode without any increase in thrust. Before it would kind of perform a gliding magic landing. I probably had 50-60 hours in it before the flight model was changed, took a bit to get used to actually flying it in, makes way more ‘sense’ now.
If you’re going past 20 degrees of flap and slowing through 75 kt you need to give 'er some beans.
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Yes, I am sure.
I really don’t know what to tell you.
If you set your VS on the ground, it starts at 0. No? Then you scroll to 800. It correctly captures your VS as 0. Then you adjust.
Setting VS is not part of my pre flight routine in the Kodiak for the reasons I twice described above. It always captures your current VS. It captures. Then you adjust. Every time you turn it on. Capture. Then adjust.
Found a workaround for me. I used to engage the autopilot through a button on my yoke. When I do that, she goes into a dive. By engaging the AP manually with my mouse, the Kodiak behaves exactly as she should. Maybe this is also a workaround for @NixonRedgrave .
That is weird. Let me get this straight, clicking the AP button on the instrument panel with a mouse results in a different behavior than using an assigned button on a peripheral?
That is not totally correct.
When I tested it this morning with an unloaded aircraft and neutral elevator trim, I preset it to 3500’ with a VS of 800’/min. When I engaged the AP it didn’t change the preset VS to whatever climb rate I had going, it took control of the aircraft and put it into an 800’/min climb attitude until it reached 3500’ and leveled off.
That is the expected behavior when presetting the autopilot on the ground during pre-flight.
Anyhow, as I stated in my edit, I believe the dive issue is related to the nose down elevator trim.
I will have to test again tonight to confirm. I hadn’t noticed this ever with my hardware. Maybe try for yourself and see.
And definitely try the procedure I suggested to see if it works.
For me it has always been VS capture, then adjust. It is second nature at this point.
Yes, this is how it works once airborne and with no preset or when engaging it again once you’ve leveled off at a set altitude.
My issue revolved around the behavior with a preset and initial AP engagement.
For the life of me I cannot think of a way to preset. I don’t think that is how this bird works. Every time AP or VS gets shut off, you have to start with a new capture/adjust when you engage it again.
As long as VS remains ON, you can continue to adjust to your heart’s content.
Pre flight? Well, you don’t take off with the AP engaged so… you have to start anew when it is engaged when airborne.
We’re going around and round here.
Go and do what I say. Try it in the 172, try it in the Kodiak (just leave the elevator neutral and no passengers/cargo).
• Set an altitude that is appropriate for the elevation of your airfield and press the ALT button
• Set a VS of 800
• Set a HDG (I suggest the runway’s heading)
• Taxi and takeoff
• When you’re off the ground and have a positive rate and have retracted flaps, engage the AP
• Observe the AP initiate a climb at 800’/min to your preset altitude on the heading you’ve preset
I use a procedure like this in nearly every AP equipped aircraft provided the AP isn’t bugged.
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The only reason we seem to be talking in circles is you haven’t taken me at my word every time I have said a variation of, “The Kodiak doesn’t work that way.”
To my knowledge you are trying to make it work in a way it does not. And I don’t think that is going to change.
I have tried everything I can think of to make it work the way you want because I can see that being a nice feature. But… 
It isn’t a Cessna.
The procedures I have described have been used for my around the world trip in the Kodiak. Like I said, it is second nature by now to do this. I don’t even think about it. It is in my muscle memory by now.
I don’t understand.
I just told you twice that it does work that way!
I’ve given you steps to repeat it to see for yourself.
I’ve said, I believe the issue is me — that I have to re-trim the aircraft after having used nose down elevator trim when heavily laden with cargo prior to engaging the AP else it will nose dive. I say this because I’ve proved to myself that the aircraft AP works as expect when I have neutral elevator trim when it’s empty.
Therefore, I need to take off heavy with nose down trim. Re-trim to a more neutal point after takeoff, then engage the AP. I’ve yet to test this, but I’m fairly certain it will work given my empty, neutral trim test.
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Just for clarity, this works that way on another plane. No?
It doesn’t work that way on the Kodiak, which is why you are asking if it can work that way on the Kodiak. No?
I have gone the extra mile, and as promised, did my own testing, could not get it to work the way you wanted, and then walked you through my process.
And you are still trying to get it to work like another plane.
Even though it is NOT that other plane and it works differently.
Did I miss something here? Because I really have spent hours trying to help you and you keep suggesting I have missed something. I don’t think I have. I just suspect you didn’t want the answer I ultimately provided. VS on the Kodiak just doesn’t work that way and to the best of my knowledge and ability I cannot turn it into a Cessna for you.
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It work this way on the Kodiak and other aircraft. Nearly every single aircraft with a modern altitude hold and climb function will do so. The Kodiak is no exception.
In sorry if my communication has been confusing or difficult to understand.
Regardless, it doesn’t matter. I’m not here to prove you wrong or make you believe me.
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