PMDG 747-400 FAQ

From PMDG Ops

Here you'll find a list of frequently asked questions for the PMDG 747-400 Queen of the Skies and 747-400F CARGO addons.

Contents

Installation and Validation

Why is an internet connection required to install?

Unfortunately piracy runs rampant in today's software world. Live online validation is the only way for PMDG to ensure that our products are being installed by legitimate users. It only takes a minute and you do NOT need an active internet connection to fly the plane after installing. A complete explanation of the activation process can be found here.

Why do I see blank screens after loading the plane?

This is a failure of the validation system. First try reinstalling the aircraft and if the problem persists, contact Support with your name and order ID and we'll get the issue sorted out!

What is required to install the 747-400F CARGO?

The PMDG 747-400F CARGO addon requires a full working installation of the base PMDG 747-400 Queen of the Skies passenger version product.

How do I install the 737NG alongside the 747-400/400F?

Due to an installer issue, the 737 should be installed FIRST, prior to installing the 747-400. You will not be able to run the 747 if you install the 737NG after it.

Here's the proper install order:

  1. 737NG 600/700 Main Installer
  2. 737NG 600/700 Service Update 1.3 (if main installer is older than SU1.3)
  3. 737NG 800/900 Addon
  4. 737NG 800/900 Service Update 1 (if main installer is older than SU1)
  5. 737NG 600/700 Model Update (updates the models to 800/900 standards)
  6. 747-400 Main Installer
  7. 747-400 Service Update 1.1 (if main installer is older than SU1.1)
  8. 747-400F CARGO Main Installer
  9. 747-400F CARGO Service Update 1.01 (if main installer is older than SU1.01)
  10. 747-400 Universal Sound Update (if main installer predates the sound update)

Installing the 737NG after the 747-400 (Unsupported workaround)

If you absolutely must install the 737NG after the 747-400, try the following: 

Navigate to your \Flight Simulator 9\Modules folder
Rename the file PMDGOptions.dll to PMDGOptions.bak

Install the 737NG and all updates
Delete the PMDGOptions.dll placed there by the 737NG installer
Rename PMDGOptions.bak back to PMDGOptions.dll

Uninstalling the 747-400 and 747-400F CARGO

To uninstall, simply run the uninstaller from Add/Remove Programs. The 747-400F should be uninstalled before the base 747-400 Queen of the Skies.

Troubleshooting CTDs (Crash To Desktop)

We've spent an inordinate amount of time trying to reproduce the CTDs that some of our users have reported. The following might help a few of you with discoveries that we made during the course of our efforts. This information may not help all of you, but it's worth sharing none-the-less...

  • First

We do not feel that we are looking for a problem with the 747-400 any longer. After using Remote Assistance and some other tools to examine user machines, we are relatively certain that we are looking for issues triggered by items external to the -400, but internal to the FS9 sphere. (By sphere we mean FS9 and all installed addons.)

We may also be looking for some type of hardware pattern that has yet to emerge - but we have found a few.....

  • Second

Lets be clear on one thing before continuing: There is no value in pointing fingers at any specific product or author. If we mention a product or author at any time during this process it is because we have found reproducable circumstances. Please do not assume that the mentioned products are defective or otherwise badly programmed. There may be a simple and logical explanation for conflicts between addons and to be candid it's amazing we don't see it more often...

We have found the following circumstances that will trigger a CTD:

CTD: Render To Texture

If the following appears in your FS9.CFG: 

rendertotexture=0

You may very likely experience a CTD with almost any freeware/commercial aircraft/scenery addon that has ANY non 32bit textures located anywhere in the product. This seems to be most common with custom cloud packages and weather programs that update the cloud formations to make them look more realistic but also may be triggered by some scenery packages, aircraft liveries, etc.

There is a lengthy explanation for what this setting does, but the explanation boils down to this: If you are going to install ANY ADDON for FS9, you are better served by leaving this box CHECKED in your FS9 Options/Settings/Hardware menu. (Note, you must follow the instructions below to solve the problem, checking/unchecking the box in the menu does not guarantee the fix will take.)

Resolution For Render To Texture CTD

  1. Open your FS9.cfg file in a text editor such as Notepad. You must have 'show hidden folders' enabled in Control Panel\Folder Options. Then look in C:\Documents and Settings\<your name here>\Application Data\Microsoft\FS9\FS9.cfg.
  2. Search for the word "render".
  3. If you find an instance of rendertotexture=0 delete the entire line.
  4. Conduct the search again. If your FS9.cfg is old, it may have more than one instance of this. Delete any additional lines you find.
  5. Save FS9.cfg.
  6. Restart FS9.

CTD: Missing TCAS2V7.dll

We have been able to verify that there are a number of commercial and freeware addons besides our own that are also using I. Lee Hetherington's magnificent TCAS system. Unfortunately, it appears that some of the freeware and commercial vendors have not established their installer properties carefully and if you uninstall their airplane, they also delete the TCAS2V7.dll.

This renders any other aircraft using the TCAS2V7.dll inoperative and results in a CTD.

Resolution For Missing TCASV27.dll CTD

  1. Go to your root FS9 root directory.
  2. Look for the file: TCAS2V7.dll
  3. If the file is missing skip to step 6.
  4. If the file is present, right click on it and select Properties/Version. The version should be 1.1.6.0
  5. If you have the file present AND it is the correct version, this is not affecting you. If it is not present OR the version is older than 1.1.6.0, then:
  6. The simplest way to replace the dll is to open your original 747-400 installer (not the updater) and run the installer. Select "Repair" from the menu that appears and it should find and replace that missing dll. Once the installer has completed it's task- repeat the steps in this sequence to ensure you have the correct dll present.

CTD: Missing FS9 Traffic dlls

We have found that a few users machines were missing dlls that are required by FS9 in order to run. We are assuming that these dlls were accidentally removed by a freeware/commercial installer, although we have not been able to identify the guilty installer.

Resolution For Missing FS9 Traffic dlls

  1. Navigate to Flight Simulator 9/Modules
  2. Look for the following two files: Traffic.dll and TrafficInfo.dll
  3. If these files are missing you will experience a CTD.
  4. We do not have a resolution as we cannot distribute these files to you, you will need to extract them off of your FS9 install CDs.

Reinstalling and Other Addons to Troubleshoot CTDs

On final note, we've seen a few of you completely wipe out FS9, reinstall all of your addons, install the 744-400, and then report back that "it still doesn't work." We'd ask that if you do this you reverse the order please and install the 747-400 FIRST, verify that the problem is gone, then test it again after each addon installation. Eventually you will find the one that caused the 747-400 to stop working. If you report that back to us we can try to duplicate and possibly determine why.

A/P Troubleshooting

My A/P disconnects

Occasional occurence only

This might be related to the MSFS weather loading. If you are near critical flight altitudes and MSFS loads extreme weather changes- you might see the autopilot disconnect as the airplane exceeds a high/low speed parameter. (Do a search on WEATHER in this forum and you'll find a more detailed explanation of what MSFS is doing to cause this misery....)

Frequent/repeated occurence

If your A/P disconnects happen very frequently, here is a quick trouble shooting test:

1) Put yourself in flight in a scenario where this is happening frequently and predictably.

2) Unplug your joystick. (We are assuming it's a USB device here....)

If it stops- then it's "spiking" coming from your controller causing the autopilot to think you are yanking the controls to take the airplane back from the autopilot. (This is correct behavior- but it's being triggered in a manner you don't want...)

To fix this:

Pull up your Windows Control Panel, and look at GAME CONTROLLERS.

Now click on PROPERTIES.

Do you see ANY flickering from your joystick? That's what is causing the problem.... Recalibrate and see if it goes away. Also- if your joystick allows- you can try setting larger a NULL ZONE.

General Use

The following questions refer to commonly encountered issues in general use of the product.

How do I update my NAVDATA?

First, it's important to understand that in the real world "navdata" refers both the database of airports, runways, VORs, NDBs, fixes and airways, AS WELL AS the database of terminal procedures including departures, arrivals, and instrument approaches, which you'll commonly see called "SIDSTARS" or "SIDs/STARs" in the simming world. When a real FMC is updated, all of this information is contained in the same process and file. In the simming world however, we have to update the two separately, even though both are technically "navdata."

  • AIRAC stands for Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control and for our purposes is the database of airports, runways, VORs and so on described above. To update it, visit Navigraph to purchase and download an updated cycle, which is the same file for the 737NG, 747-400/400F, and the 767PIC addon. The navdata is stored in \Flight Simulator 9\FMCWP\ if you need to access it directly for some reason.
  • Terminal Procedures include Standard Instrument Departures and Standard Terminal Arrivals Route (also known as Departure Procedures in the USA) and are the specific proceedures for the world's airports that you access from the FMC's DEP/ARR page. This database also includes IAPs, Instrument Approach Procedures such as ILS, VOR/DME, and RNAV approaches. To update these for the United States only, visit Terry Yingling's PlanePath and download the PMDG file. It is the same for both the 737NG and the 747-400/400F. Full worldwide SIDSTAR updates for the PMDG products are not currently availiable from Navigraph. They are working on it however, so keep an eye on the Navigraph and PMDG forums for an announcement on availability when it happens.

Note: The actual files are stored in \Flight Simulator 9\PMDG\SIDSTARS\ in text file format if you wish to edit them by hand. Terry has a great tutorial available at the same site if you want to learn how.

For more information about terminal procedures please see the article SIDSTARS.

Why are navdata updates now payware?

In October of 2006, the U.S. Department of Defense ceased publishing of a public document called the Digital Flight Information File. The DAFIF database, updated monthly, was the source of almost all of the flight simulator navdata graciously made available to the simming community by individuals like Richard Stefan and Terry Yingling. As a result, Richard partnered with Navigraph to purchase a monthly commercial database with which to create updates for sim aircraft and there is now a modest fee to cover the high cost of obtaining such a database. The upside is that this database is far more complete than the DAFIF was and eventually should be nearly identical to what gets loaded into real life FMCs.

How do I load fuel?

  • DO NOT use the default FS9 fuel loading menu - you WILL experience unintended issues if you use it!

Our 747-400 includes an extremely realistic and complete simulation of the aircraft's complicated fuel system. In order to facillitate easy preflight use of the system, we've implemented a virtual fueling truck of sorts that will automatically balance the tanks correctly as well as set the fuel pump switches and crossovers on the overhead for whatever fuel load you enter in.

To access this system, open the PMDG/General/Fuel dialog and either enter a custom fuel value (you can use your mousewheel to increment or decrement the value faster) or choose one of the preselected values. Press OK and the fuel will immediately be loaded into your tanks.

How do I align the IRS?

For a more detailed explanation, please see the PMDG 747-400 Type Rating Course.

Here's the basic method though:

  1. Move the IRS selectors from OFF to NAV
  2. Open the FMC and go to the POS INIT page, downselect the GPS Position into the ENTER IRS POS prompt (LSK 6R).
  3. Wait the specified time (set in the PMDG/General/IRS dialog) - a countdown is visible in the upper left corner of the ND.
  4. IRS alignment is complete when you have a full PFD and ND displayed.

If you see the ENTER IRS POS prompt twice

This is a feature of the real aircraft's IRS and happens because the plane has been moved from the IRS's last known position while the gyros were powered down. In FS this can happen easily if you start your next flight after a shutdown from a new airport or gate location. The FMC will ask for the current position twice just to make absolutely sure that it's accurate.

How do I tune the radios?

The 747-400 does not have analog radio tuning knobs the way other aircraft like the 737NG or 767 do. All radio tuning including VOR, ILS, and NDB/ADF is accomplished from the FMC's NAV RAD page. Under most circumstances, the FMC will autotune the correct radios for you. We've gone to painstaking lengths to ensure that our simulation follows the exact rules the real thing does for autotuning.

The situations when you will get autotuning include:

  • Placing a VOR or NDB in the FMC route.
  • Selecting an arrival runway equipped with an ILS on the DEP/ARR page

There are instances however, where you might wish to manually tune the radios. The correct formats for doing this are: 

FFF.FF
FFF.FF/CCC
NNN
NNN/CCC
IIII

Where FFF.FF = a standard ILS frequency such as 111.70, CCC = a standard three digit course such as 123, NNN = the ICAO identifier for a VOR or NDB station such as TUS, and IIII = the ICAO identifier for an ILS such as ITUS.

How do I perform an autoland?

For a more detailed explanation, please see the PMDG Type Rating Course.

The basic procedure:

  1. Ensure the ILS is properly tuned and receiving.
  2. Intercept the localizer at a 30° angle and below the glideslope. 12nm out is a good point to aim for.
  3. Once established on the localizer, press APP to arm the glideslope capture mode.
  4. At 1500 feet radio altitude, all three autopilot CMD lights will illuminate and you'll see LAND 3 as well as FLARE and ROLLOUT modes annunciated on the FMA. Remember to arm the spoilers and autobrakes.
  5. Retard your physical PC throttle to idle before the flare, engage the thrust reversers after touchdown and allow the plane to decelerate.
  6. Disconnect the autopilot and autothrottle and exit the runway on the first availiable high-speed taxiway.

Why doesn't the nosewheel turn when I use the rudder on the ground?

You must be moving forward a slight amount in order for the nosewheel to rotate, or you have enabled the Autorudder setting the in the Realism section of FS9 and need to disable it.

Why does the 747-400/400F pull to either side after landing?

After performing an autoland you must disconnect the autopilot after slowing down. The PMDG 747 uses the runway's localizer signal to hold the centerline while in ROLLOUT mode. Due to an MSFS limitation, this signal can become eratic further down the runway. The result is that the plane starts pulling to whichever side it thinks it needs to go to to continue following the signal. Once you disengage the AP either by pulling the command bar out or by pressing the yoke switch, the plane should steer normally on the ground.

Why do flaps take so long to extend/retract?

That's how they behave in real life!

How to send saved flight files to someone else

If you want to share an exciting flight or route with the community or send the PMDG team a flight that demonstrates a potential issue with the product, here's the steps to take to ensure you have all the files you need:

  1. Go to the File menu and choose Save Flight... just as you would with any other aircraft. The difference that happens behind the scenes is the creation of a 747-400 panel state that will automatically be saved along with the normal FS9 flight files. You do not need to use the PMDG menu Save Panel State option unless you are only trying to create a cockpit setup such as a Cold and Dark file. Assume for the sake of this example that you've saved the file as "PMDG Flight".
  2. Create a zip file that has the following files in it:
    • PMDG Flight.flt and PMDG Flight.wx from the \My Documents\Flight Simulator Files folder.
    • PMDG Flight.sav and PMDG Flight.rte from the \Flight Simulator 9\PMDG\747400\PanelState folder.
  3. You now have everything you need, upload or email the zip file and others will be able to load your saved flight by extracting those files to the correct folders on their own machine.

Should I use 32bit or DXT3 liveries?

32bit liveries look best but use up more of your video card's texture memory. DXT3 uses up less memory and can result in improved framerates, but often has a fuzzier look compared to the shart 32bit textures. It's really up to you, try some 32bit ones and note the difference in framerate between them and the DXT3, then decided from there.

  • Be aware that you could potentially run into the Render To Texture CTD issue if you use DTX3 liveries without this option checked.

Why doesn't the PMDG 747-400/400F have "wingviews"?

The decision to exclude the wings from the virtual cockpit model was made for performance considerations. The wingtips are barely even visible from the real plane's cockpit and the pilots need to crane their necks against the glass to even see the winglets.

It is possible to create wingviews from the external model in spot view by using a custom camera utility such as IGFly's Walk and Follow

Why are the contrails misaligned? I found a hack to fix it.

The flight model was designed and tuned to behave correctly within the somewhat limited physics model of MSFS. To balance the flight model so that it behaves correctly across the entire flight envelope, we spend months and months tuning, tweaking and adjusting everything from engine location to airfoil surface area, until we find a performance level that matches the book. This takes thousands of hours (and hundreds of cartons of cigarettes for Dr. Vaos).

If you move the engines away from the location at which we have placed them, you affect MANY aspects of the performance of the airplane including:

  • Fuel flow scalars
  • Engine out moments
  • Localizer tracking with engine out
  • Cruise fuel flow performance
  • Ground handling with not all engines running

It would be gratifying if, for a change, you guys would assume that we know what we are doing, rather than assume we'd overlook something as silly as to place the engines slightly out of their real world position.

When working within the confines of the rather limited MSFS phyisics model, it is necessary to take some liberties in order to ensure that performance in the end, comes out well balanced.

We recognize that most folks think that any country bumpkin (no offense to any bumpkins) can program addons as complex as these but we assure you that it is much more difficult to do exceptionally well than you might believe.

Please note that the EULA specifically forbids such alterations. We do this not for legal reasons but because when you guys post "hacks" to the existing airplane, we begin to get irate email to tech support from folks who do not understand that by entering what appears to be a "minor modification" they can throw the entire performance of the airplane in the toilette.

Please do us the courtesy of not distributing this hack unless one of you is willing to answer technical support email for us. :)

How do I open the doors?

The 747-400 and 747-400F use custom code for the door logic, as such the default SHIFT-E commands will not work.

Go to the PMDG menu within MSFS and then the General | Keyboard Assignment option. There you will find a category listing for Doors 747. Assign your desired key combinations for each of the doors and exit the menu. You will now be able to open each door individually according to the key combinations you assigned.

How do I open the 747-400F Cargo Doors?

Assign keyboard combinations as described in the previous section, but under the category Cargo - 747.

To operate the main deck cargo doors, you must have either APU GEN2 or EXT PWR2 showing as AVAIL. Please consult your operating manual (Chapter 13, page 10) for more information.

Advanced Use

What is standby ignition for?

There are 2 ignition systems for each engine (Ignition Sys 1 and Ignition Sys 2). Normally, 115V AC Bus #1 feeds Ignition Sys #1 and 115V AC Bus #3 feeds Ignition Sys #2.

With the Standby Ignition Switch in NORM:

  • If AC Bus #1 fails, then Ignition Sys #1 (on all four engines) will be powered by the Standby Bus.
  • If AC Bus #3 fails, then Ignition Sys #2 (on all four engines) will be powered by the Standby Bus.

Note that losing a bus is very rare. All generators feed all buses on the 744, except during Autoland.

When the Standby Ignition Switch is selected to 1 or 2, the Standby Bus will power the selected (1 or 2) Ignition system on all four engines.

If you lose Main AC power (1 & 3), then, irrespective of Standby Ignition Switch position, Standby Power will provide power to both (#1 and #2) Ignition systems.

The Standby Switch shouldn't normally be touched on the 744. The EECs control ignition switching automatically (cycling between sys 1 and 2 on each leg and controlling single/dual ignition as required).

How do I intercept and track a VOR radial in the 747-400?

The 747 does not have a "NAV" or VOR tracking mode in its autopilot system like those you may have seen on other aircraft. It is quite easy to do though using the FMC:

  1. Enter the VOR you wish to track a radial TO or FROM on the LEGS page at LSK 1L. (Just as you'd do to go direct to it)
  2. Now, enter the correct course for the radial (same as what you'd set a CDI gauge's OBS knob to) into the INTC CRS prompt that appears at LSK 6R after step 1.
  3. Press EXEC

You should now see a magenta line extending to infinity on the course you specified. Turn toward it and arm LNAV. The plane will capture it and you'll be on your way.

How do I perform a go-around?

Please read 747 Go-around procedure written by Steve (cowpatz), a real life 747-400 pilot.

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