Flight cheats all weekend

[Brian Peace]

Ok guys... as a CEO i have done EVERYTHING in my power to educate my guys about what to do and what not to do when flying on the client (you can read my "how to use the fsa client", in the BC NORTH forums here, on our private forums, and even in the S.O.P.'s page on our website at http://www.bcnorth.net), yet it seems we get 10-20 flight cheats every month. We fly at 1x, most of our guys are real world pilots following real world procedures/approches/shutdown techniques. Our guys report that they are not parking anywhere near fuel stands, nor are their sims ever paused, etc etc. There doing it right. Yet still at the end of so many flights the aircraft is somehow fueled to 100%... when the LANDING FUEL was correct for the flight. The problems are all coming at shutdown. Why can't the client block this fueling? What is the timeline for client improvements in the fueling issue? I am considering suspending FSA ops until fixes are made, our guys dont like being told after a 6 hour flight that it was a "cheat" when they did everything by the book. they come to me very upset. now I am coming to you begging you to make fixes.

Thanks for your time

[CAPFlyer]

First - have you read the thread that John posted last week about a setting in FSUIPC to block refueling?

Second - This is an FS issue, not a client issue. The client can only use the tools in FSUIPC and it is no longer allowing it to be blocked remotely, only by the setting.

Third - If they're still parking next to fuel boxes, it's the pilot's problem. The client isn't doing anything other than detecting FS doing what it was designed to do.

I'm sorry Brian, but I can list a dozen other VAs that fly just as much as you and none of them have the problems you do. All they're doing is following the guidelines we post and common sense and it's keeping them from having any problems.

[Alky]

It may not be completely realistic, but I don't taxi to parking. Once I land, I take the first available exit from the runway and stop then shut down the client.
If pilots feel the need to completely finish the flight to parking, then shut down the client first.

[Brian Peace]

I'm sorry Brian, but I can list a dozen other VAs that fly just as much as you and none of them have the problems you do. All they're doing is following the guidelines we post and common sense and it's keeping them from having any problems.

If your implying my real world pilots don't have common sense about flight and procedures, or arent following the guidelines posted in our forums, our site, and on this forum, you'd be kidding yourself right???

I will try and look up this fuel block setting for FSUIPC.

The dozen or more VA's... might fly as much as we do... are they all at 1x? Vatsim? Flying "as real as it gets" or at 16x and shutting the client down as soon as they land without taxiing?

[Quantum]

Hi Brian,

If you are getting a percentage of flights logging incorrect fuel then I would suggest your guys log their flight procedures/program order of start/close so that they know what procedure gives a good flight result. It may be something as simple as the order your guys are shutting things down especially with lots of other modules/programs running for the extra services you are running. You might get a 'Eureka moment' and discover what is causing you grief. The client has been designed to run as a standalone with FS9/FSX and if you load up the sim with lots of other progs then to a certain extent it's user beware. Lots of people complain about the client 'not working' with a certain aircraft when its the fault of the aircraft developer whom isn't following the SDK. MS also throw in some curve balls which upset the client balance as they change the SDK between sims and what works good for FS9 doesn't work for FSX.

Without knowing what other progs etc you guys are having to run to operate your flights, my only advice would be to get yourself all set to go with the fuel loaded etc, all other programmes loaded and running and then start your client in non-simple refuelling mode and don't use the client to make any adjustments to the fuel. Once started check the client flying window is showing the expected fuel amount. When you get to your destination, make shutting down of the client the first thing you do before you disconnect any other program/service in case doing so resets the fuel and causes the symptoms you are complaining of.

As Cap' has said there are countless VA's operating without these issues and they may well be flying as you describe but whatever they are doing it is NOT interfering with the client logging correct fuel amounts.

Regards

John

[alasizon]

Brian,

Out of curiousity, which models and add-ons are you using, I will gladly mess with them to a degree to see what the issue may be.

[Brian Peace]

well the guys are all using vatsim... some on squawkbox and some on FSinn.

we probably all have ventrilo (a voice program) running in the background

The problems are coming very randomnly... freeware planes..... payware planes.... one guy even looked right at the client as it said his fuel was correct when he was ending the flight (he checks first) and then closed it and it recorded a cheat... he was the one that was very visibly upset on these forums. And I dont blame him a bit.

MD11 PMDG FS9 and FSX
Maam Sim DC3 FSX
PMDG 747
LDS 767
Freeware iFDG A320
Freeware FS2002 737-200

the list goes on. It's not one specific plane. And every single aircraft that ends up getting a cheat has logged DOZENS if not HUNDREDS of good flights as well. Once again this is NOT an aircraft problem!!

I will enforce the guys to taxi clear of runway, hit park brakes, end flight, and then continue taxi and we'll see if it will help.

... But then why have any realism at all if the fuel burned on taxi in to terminal and taxi speed going in, are not recorded? (or time) as it's all part of the experince..? That's my feelings on it. I guess I just don't physically understand how the client can ADD fuel to tanks, but not BLOCK it from coming in at some other points during the flight..

I will try also to get the guys to try that FSUIPC thing.

I thank you all for your suggestions in this matter.

Can we finally make a suggestion to the BoD here? Can we get this "cheat" word changed to something else? It's REALLY annoying to be called a cheater when your following real world procedures, and / or you are a real world pilot, and someone flying at 16x in an A380 halfway around the world, isn't a cheater...

Thanks

[PCD001]

Hi Brian,

I do a good portion of my flights on VATSIM as well using FSInn and have not been dinged yet.
I wouldn't think its Ventrillo as this does not interact with FSUIPC

Could it be some other software that the guys are running as well in the background.
Do they have any of the following ? :-
FS RealTime ?
FS Passengers ?
FSACARS ?
Active Sky ?
FSEconomy ?
Does this happen mostly at one airport or many ? kwestchuns kwestchuns . . . . . .

Cheers now

[alasizon]

Brian,

I reviewed the most recent flight marked as a cheat, there obviously was nowhere near enough fuel cosumed especially for a very fuel effcient DC3.

Out of curiosity, which flights that were marked are you most concerned about? (Obviously all of them but as far as ones that you couldn't see a reasoning for.)

[Brian Peace]

All that were marked cheats have been "corrected" by admins already. If they put in a figure that's incorrect, so be it. I wouldn't think that the MAAM sim DC-3 is at all innacurate on fuel burn... they PAY real world pilots to make sure figures add up on these kinds of things.

Some of our guys DO use active sky.

As far as the other stuff, one guy uses FS passengers but he has never been marked a cheat. he also uses ONLY paywares. All the ones mentioned above, and a lot more, matter of fact, he doesnt have anything that isnt payware. If there was a payware of a tree, this guy would probably go buy it and fly it.... and yet he's never had a cheat... so that's why I am so baffled. If I could narrow it down to one thing I would!

so far here's my only answer I can come up with for all our problems: real world shutdown and / or taxi procedures.

[alemaobaiano]

Brian

I use Active Sky 6 on FS9 and have never had a problem with it, so you can probably discount that version at least from the list of possible culprits.

I agree with you about the word cheat, it has a very negative connotation when in many cases it's something to do with the system being used by the pilot, not an active attempt to circumvent the rules. Changing that word would reduce a lot of stress and bad feelings around here.

TTFN

[CAPFlyer]

We've asked for it to be changed several times, but it's "low priority".

Brian - I'm sorry, but yes. I'm saying your pilots may not be using common sense. You may be offended by that, but from my end, I fly on VATSIM, used ActiveSky 6.5 (now using ASX), used FSRealTime (that caused problems so I stopped using it), have used FSPassengers in the past, and NONE of them caused problems. I've not used the PMDG 747 for FSAirlines, but I've used the Level-D 767 in the past, I use the MAAM-Sim DC-3 all the time for FSX, and I use both the iFDG A320 and the FS2004 version of the 737-200 your guys are using. I have never had any problems with any of those configurations UNLESS I did something that has already been outlined as a "no-no" with this system due to the problems that Flight Simulator itself causes and the client is unable to prevent.

When we cannot recreate the problems you are having and you are not giving us any real traceable information on how this is happening (like sending the DEBUG.OUT file to support@fsairlines.net as has been requested in the past), then the only thing we're left with is that it's something the pilots are doing.