Autostart failure.

[jakkos98]

Shouldn't autostart function always work?
Currently somtime it fails for whatever reason.
This behaviour is frustrating when you want to test some features or make quick flight and instead of flying you need to manualy solve startup problems which autostart function messed up while failing.

Kind regards
Jakub Kosakowski

[dany93]

Hi, Jakub,

I noticed this a few times.
One thing that often happens is that, if the throttle value is changed during primer procedure, the engines stops. I don't know why this feature is like this, rather unpleasant, but it is. And, sometimes, the subsequent Autostart fails.
Is it this behavior for you?

At trying this time, I noticed the failure, and even after having succeeded to start the engine (primer, throttle > 20%), the engine runs normally but it stops if I lower the throttle to 0.
Even after exiting from and launching again the simulator, the engine start failed.
I was with "Complex engine procedures and failures" checked ON.
By unchecking "Complex engine procedures and failures", it worked again. Coincidence? I don't know.
I only noticed this second failure recently, not in the past. It seems a bit erratic or I don't understand the correct reason.
Just in case these observations can help to find the failure.

[wlbragg]

By unchecking "Complex engine procedures and failures", it worked again.

That makes some sense as when in the "Complex engine procedures and failures" mode the aircraft must be maintained like the real thing, oil must be maintained, fuel must be tested and water removed when present. If for example you have it in the "Complex engine procedures and failures" and you don't go through the checklist and there is indeed water in the fuel or the oil is too old or too low you will have issues running the engine.

There is an argument that maybe autostart while in the "Complex engine procedures and failures" mode should repair all maintenance issues, but "Complex" and "Auto" are somewhat mutually exclusive to one another.

I see a few possible remedies, but I am not convinced we need to when taking it out of the "Complex" mode changes the behavior. What if all along we had grayed out the autostart GUI choice when in the "Complex" mode? Would this then be an issue.

1. grey out the autostart GUI choice when in the "Complex" mode
2. provide better screen warning as to the cause when failures happen
3. fix it where autostart cures all
4. add a "Repair Aircraft" GUI choice, such as the 182 does

[dany93]

@wlbragg wrote

That makes some sense as when in the "Complex engine procedures and failures" mode the aircraft must be maintained like the real thing
"Complex" and "Auto" are somewhat mutually exclusive to one another

I agree.

However, during my tests with the cowl grill (if I remember well) and recently for this subject, I had this issue in flight or at rest:

even after having succeeded to start the engine (primer, throttle > 20%), the engine runs normally but it stops if I lower the throttle to 0.

(to be confirmed, seems erratic. I can't reproduce it this day)