How to handkle levers in a Turboprop?
 

Hello,

In my FSX I have a virtual Beech Turbine Duke with a PT6A turboengine. The Powerplant has 3 pair of levers and I would appreciate very much a few lines on how to handle these...

power lever
propeller lever
condition lever

during different "flightsituations", that is

take off
climb
cruise
descent
landing

Thank you very much for your help!

Best Regards

Lars Frederiksen
Denmark

hello !

well. with the power lever you set the power output- so make sure you do not exeed torque, gas generator speed and ITT limits. on takeoff you are typically torque limited, at altitude gas genartor speed or ITT- but not sure if fsx simulates this correctly.

with the prop lever you set a target prop rpm which (inflight) is held constatly regardless of the power output . typically full forward on take and landing and lover values for climb and cruise- the exact numbers differ between models.

with the condition lever you start introducing fuel into the engine at startup and also shut off the engine . some models have just a stop-run position, some have low idle and high idle. so here you can also set the idle speed of the turbine. typically you always are nearly always in low idle.

have fun !

First of all, MSFS does not model the PT6a correctly, in fact it really doesn't model it. With that understanding, you need to set the condition levers to low idle and keep them there. (flew with 2 different companies having a fleet of these on different a/c and never heard of anyone using high idle, BYW, applies to the twin otter, not alll a/c with PT6's). In actuality you should only have temp problems on hot days- typically summer. Expect to be torque limited. Prop rpm? Depends on the a/c: twin otters we used 75-80% rpm always, unless an engine failed- then full prop. At the other company we flew B99's, and you need props at 100% for take-off, don't remember the figure for climb, and another reduction for cruise. Approaches were done at cruise prop setting, full forward on touchdown.
FSX? Too bad. Try to find FS9.
Bob.

Hang on, are you saying that the Twin Otter has high idle and low idle positions? What PT6A engines were fitted to your airplanes? And 75-80% Np always? := Takeoff and landings: Prop levers to Full increase!

My typo: The B99 had hi-lo idle, the twin otter no. Sorry, again my mistake.
We also took-off with props at 75-80% in the twin otter.. That's plenty of power. The props were very noisy. If your company procedures are different, fine, follow them. B99- used everything we could get.
Bob.