ericnelson7

The gyrocompass agrees with the wet compass and BDHI when I'm heading 050, but on the 230 reciprocal the gyro reads 245 when wet compass and BDHI are correct at 230. Attached are VR screenshots, grainy due to sharpening for display.

When starting a flight ready for takeoff, as of v1.03 the flaps are still pre-set to the wrong position. They should be at 32 degrees, not 30 percent (on the classic cockpit indicator, flap position is shown as percent of full 45 degree travel) so two more notches are required for standard performance. "Water-injection" switch (does this do anything?) is pre-set to on, though I'd rather it be off. Tip tank feed switch is pre-set off, though it should be on.

In v1.03 the speedbrakes still actuate without battery/hydraulic power.

Something is definitely wrong when the landing light produces some air reflection glow even at noon...

In the back seat, the turn coordinator dial does what the altimeter in the front seat does...floodlight to max, one click on individual instrument lights, and the dial changes reflection unlike the others. But the floodlight housing in the backseat does not glow like the front light housing does. Also the lighting knobs in the back seat aren't in sync with the off-max positions, stopping before reaching off and turning beyond max.

Note the altimeter appearance changes between the "landing light" and "taxi light" images; flood light is max in both images, and in the taxi image the individual instrument lights have been turned on one click -which causes the altimeter dial to change reflectance unlike the other dials. Landing light airglow is far more pronounced than the taxi light, and in VR it makes it hard to see airport lights when flying night approaches due to such intense whiteout in front. I've never flown the T-33 in 2D desktop mode, only in VR. The red lighting knobs should produce a wider range of brightness, but probably should have a lower maximum level since all old incandescent bulbs that size struggled to produce much light at all! I was a USAF avionics tech on the old C-141 Starlifter...

In the 1.02 update the EFB offers NAV radio tuning, which is most welcome. But only for area VOR's. Could the EFB NAV page also include nearest ILS frequencies? Tuning ILS while hand-flying in overcast without autopilot is pretty hard to do, especially in VR where digits on the dial are indistinct. Perhaps a digit texture cleanup could also help. Where possible, TACAN frequencies might be nice to have available too, though I'm not sure if MSFS really offers built in TACAN stations. If it does, the T-33 should make using them as easy as civilian VOR.

I forgot that fuel load can be updated through the MSFS weight/balance menu, so that's useful, though the transfer to fuselage tank operates as though pumps are running even in the aircraft W&B menu before launching a flight...which complicates setting up the desired load. In the latest update I've found that launching a flight with a departure point in midair in combination with a specified arrival point does pre-load the classic cockpit's fuel totalizer. However, the totalizer is not loaded if launching from an airport without a destination, and apparently also not when launching from an airport with another as the arrival point. I haven't tested the digital cockpit version. I often launch a flight from an airport without specifying an arrival point, to shoot landings or fly VFR, so a working totalizer in that case would be a big help. And in the case of dynamic mid-flight fuel changes via menu, it would be good if the totalizer would automatically update following any change.

By caster steering I meant differential braking...the brakes don't yet have enough "grab" to allow that to work. I know PC pilots may prefer rudder pedal steering, so maybe an EFB switch could offer either mode for ease of use or full reality.

The aerobatic string doesn't seem to behave accurately, as though the MSFS model isn't catching enough flow at the windscreen. Maybe the string isn't useful and can be deleted... A bug: the string set to "on" in the EFB is persistent for reloads, but the string never appears until you return to the EFB and toggle off/on again.

In the analog cockpit, try setting white floodlight to maximum at night, then turn individual instrument lighting on to one click. The altimeter dial reflection changes. Also the canopy bow floodlight housing glows. I'd suggest the red side console lighting is too bright/reflective. Landing light air-glow is too intense, whiting out the scene. A wide cone of light is welcome, but the effect shouldn't reflect in air to this extent unless it's pouring rain or snow. The USAF manual seems to say the trim tab telltale lights for elevator and ailerons should glow while the trim switch is operated, but they only seem to glow once extreme limit positions are reached.

This might be a good time to mention the current (1.01) engine start procedure doesn't follow reality. The USAF manual requires all fuel switches off for start, and only the "starting fuel" switch provides feed. In the current sim version, the engine won't start without the fuselage tank switch on, and the starting fuel switch seems to have no function. It would be enjoyable to start the jet as specified. The "starting fuel" switch guard should open farther and expose the switch for better control, especially for VR users. Also note fuel switch lights in reality cannot be tested unless the switch is on, and as usual with press-test lights, a light currently on should go off with press.

Oops, wheel brakes do hold up to 100% power, no bug. My fault: I had 1% extremity deadzones on my brake pedal axes. Brake effect for caster steering would still be a welcome improvement if possible.

Speedbrakes can be operated without electrical or hydraulic power, so that needs to be corrected. Wheel brakes don't have enough effect to remain stopped at 85%. They also can't steer the aircraft without kicking rudder pedals, though I'm not sure MSFS code allows true caster steering.

It takes forever to dial the fuel totalizer, and you can't fly accurate approach speeds without knowing quantity remaining. How about auto linking the totalizer gauge to the fuel state at sim start? Also, please allow EFB to control fuel tank status, as seen in the Flysimware Lear 35.