747-8i/f Stuck in TO/GA

[lissalissa]

Hello, all.

Recently downloaded the 748, and I've noted that I lose any ability to control the engines after takeoff. I can move that throttle quadrant around all I want, but the engines remain at full power. On the PFD, autopilot indicates TO/GA for both altitude and heading (nothing for the autothrottle), and my suspicion is that the model is convinced that I am going around and need full power despite never having set this, and despite the autopilot not being turned on. I've looked all around the prop tree and can find no way to disengage this setting, and the problem has been refractory to multiple re-installations of the files. Nor can I find any command specifying this in the cockpit.

So....what to do? Is there a property I'm missing? Or do I need to be editing some autopilot files?

FG is 2017.1.1, 747-8i/f are latest from repository.

[Octal450]

Where did you get the 747 from?

You should try tikibars new version: click here.

Rename to "747-8i"

Best of luck
Josh

[lissalissa]

Hey, Josh, thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, downloading the version to which you link, I still am locked into TO/GA exactly as before.

[Octal450]

TO/GA in the PITCH and ROLL modes means nothing in regards to throttles. Have you tried with the A/T ARM switch off? Then the AT should not go on.

in TOGA, FLCH, and VNAV SPD modes, the SPEED is controlled by PITCH Attitude, with a much full throttle. If the AT is off, the throttles should be your control

Kind Regards,
Josh

[lissalissa]

And yet here we are. Confirmed the AT arm is set to off. In addition, it is noted that ANY modification of A/P settings is impossible. Cockpit buttons and menu buttons alike are unresponsive. Throttle quadrant moves to my command with no change whatsoever in engine behavior.

[tikibar]

It sounds like there's some sort of error that's excluding the AFDS code. Are you seeing any error messages in the console? Maybe you could run me through your exact procedure (which buttons are you pushing and when?) so I can try to reproduce the problem. I have never experienced this.

In the meantime, you can try resetting the AP by going to the 747-8i or 747-8F menu, then Control Panel. Click Advanced, then click Reset AFDS. See if that restores your control.

When you say you got the aircraft "from repository," to which repository are you referring? FGAddon, the link in my signature below, and the link it0uchpods gave should all give you the most up to date version.

[lissalissa]

Version was downloaded from the link provided by it0uchpods, although this was seen previously in a version downloaded yesterday from fgaddon. The procedure I'm using to reproduce the error is :

fgfs --aircraft=747-8i
Thence:
747-8i -> autostart
flaps -> 15
Throttle -> full

After rotation, gear up, and immediately pull back the throttle. Quadrant moves, engine output remains entirely unchanged. Below is the console output for this procedure:

Code: Select all

FlightGear:  Version 2017.1.2
Built with GNU C++ version 6.2
Jenkins number/ID 0:none
platform default fg_root = Path "/usr/share/games/flightgear"
Reading global defaults
Finished Reading global defaults
Reading user settings from Path "/home/alissa/.fgfs/autosave_2017_1.xml"
init package root at:Path "/home/alissa/.fgfs/Aircraft"
aircraft = 747-8i
Loading aircraft -set file from:Path "/usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/747-8i-set.xml"
Found language resource for: en_US
Reading localized strings for 'en' from Path "/usr/share/games/flightgear/Translations/en/sys.xml"
Reading localized strings for 'en' from Path "/usr/share/games/flightgear/Translations/en/atc.xml"
   option:aircraft = 747-8i
Using default download dir: Path "/home/alissa/.fgfs"
read-allowed path not found:Path "/home/alissa/.fgfs/AI"
read-allowed path not found:Path "/home/alissa/.fgfs/Liveries"
Using TerraSync dir: Path "/home/alissa/.fgfs/TerraSync"
initializing cloud layers
Configuration State
======= ==============
aircraft-dir = "/usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i"
fghome-dir = "Path "/home/alissa/.fgfs""
download-dir = "/home/alissa/.fgfs"
terrasync-dir = "/home/alissa/.fgfs/TerraSync"
aircraft-search-paths =
   
scenery-search-paths =
   /home/alissa/.fgfs/TerraSync
   /usr/share/games/flightgear/Scenery
Splash screen progress init
Intel Open Source Technology Center
Mesa DRI Intel(R) HD Graphics 530 (Skylake GT2)
3.0 Mesa 12.0.6
1.30
Splash screen progress loading-aircraft-list
Starting automatic scenery download/synchronization. Using built-in HTTP support.Directory: '/home/alissa/.fgfs/TerraSync'.
Splash screen progress loading-nav-dat
NavCache at:Path "/home/alissa/.fgfs/navdata_2017_1.cache"
NavCache: no main cache rebuild required
Splash screen progress init-scenery
General Initialization
======= ==============
FG_ROOT = "Path "/usr/share/games/flightgear""

Attempting to set starting position for ENBR:35
Reading timezone info from: Path "/usr/share/games/flightgear/Timezone/zone.tab"
Splash screen progress creating-subsystems
Creating Subsystems
========== ==========
Reading materials from /usr/share/games/flightgear/Materials/regions/materials.xml
Reading systems from Path "/usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/Generic/generic-systems.xml"
Initializing HUD Instrument
Reading sound sound from Path "/usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Sounds/747-sound.xml"
  Neither a condition nor a property specified
Creating subsystems took:1357
Splash screen progress binding-subsystems
Cannot connect to server socket err = No such file or directory
Cannot connect to server request channel
jack server is not running or cannot be started
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for 4294967295, skipping unlock
JackShmReadWritePtr::~JackShmReadWritePtr - Init not done for 4294967295, skipping unlock
AL lib: (WW) ALCjackBackendFactory_init: jack_client_open() failed, 0x11
AL lib: (WW) alc_initconfig: Failed to initialize backend "jack"
747-8 electrical system by Ivan Ngeow.
747-8 hydraulic system: so far so good
Copilot ready
Nasal runtime error: nil used in numeric context
  at /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/eicas.nas, line 212
  called from: /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/eicas.nas, line 310
  called from: /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/eicas.nas, line 47
  called from: /usr/share/games/flightgear/Nasal/globals.nas, line 119
Nasal runtime error: nil used in numeric context
  at /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/vspeeds.nas, line 13
  called from: /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/vspeeds.nas, line 55
AFDS System ... check
Pilot dual control ... initialized
Brake System... OK
Nasal runtime error: nil used in numeric context
  at /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/AFDS.nas, line 345
  called from: /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/AFDS.nas, line 734
DEBUG refresh(5) sync idg1/contra ac 1111 ssb closed
DEBUG refresh(5) sync idg1/contra ac 1111 ssb closed
DEBUG refresh(5) sync idg1/idg1 ac 1111 ssb closed
DEBUG refresh(5) sync idg1/idg1 ac 1111 ssb closed
Nasal runtime error: nil used in numeric context
  at /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/system.nas, line 227
  called from: /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/system.nas, line 917

[Octal450]

The problems are here:

Nasal runtime error: nil used in numeric context
at /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/AFDS.nas, line 345

So 345:if (getprop("instrumentation/airspeed-indicator/indicated-speed-kt") < 0.9 * getprop("instrumentation/fmc/vspeeds/stall-speed"))

Nasal runtime error: nil used in numeric context
at /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/system.nas, line 227
called from: /usr/share/games/flightgear/Aircraft/747-8i/Nasal/system.nas, line 917

line 227: if (!wow and spd < 0.8 * stall) {
and in 224 we again: var spd = getprop("instrumentation/airspeed-indicator/indicated-speed-kt");

So the problem seems to be with running a getprop on instrumentation/airspeed-indicator/indicated-speed-kt.
Can you push the forward slash on your keyboard, and go into instrumentation then airspeed-indicator then have a look. Can you see a property "indicated-speed-kt"? If so, does it have a value, or just = ' '.

If you can verify the value of this, then that would be helpful.

When a nasal error occurs, most of the time, that script stops running, therefore causing the throttles to not update with the "real" throttle position.

Good luck,
Josh

[lissalissa]

That property is set to ' '

[tikibar]

That error with the AFDS is later in the list. The important one is the first error, the one on line 212 of eicas.nas. Once it fails there, it stops loading the rest of the nasal modules. Everything else is a cascade of errors. I'll take a look at it. This is actionable. The best kind of bug report has filenames and line numbers. Thanks lissalissa!

[lissalissa]

No, thank you! You're the one doing the work! I'd offer to fix it myself, but I've never worked in nasal and I'm afraid I'd cause more harm than good.

[Octal450]

Great that we have isolated the cause!

@tikibar
I'd be interested if the indicated-speed-kt had anything to do with this. Could you let me know?

Thanks,
Josh

[tikibar]

It doesn't. yasim/gross-weight-lbs is not getting initialized until after eicas.nas and vspeed.nas are loaded, so when those scripts look up the gross weight, it's undefined. Then vspeeds tries to calculate a stall speed, but it has no gross weight, so then stall speed is undefined. Then AFDS.nas calculates something else with the indicated speed and the stall speed. Without a stall speed, that's undefined too. And that causes the AFDS to fail.

I fixed this by delaying the loading of the eicas.nas and vspeeds.nas for a couple of seconds. The fix is uploaded now. You can get it at the link in my signature.

Cheers,
John

[lissalissa]

That's fixed it for me. Thank you so much for the help, John!

[Octal450]

Good to know.
Glad it's sorted.