APUS Compensator

In this weeks changle log the APUS compensator is mentioned being adjusted independent of landing gear. Anyone with more knowledge than me know what this is? Tried searching a few times but couldn’t find anything. Maybe to do with the hydraulic system in the undercarriage?

It’s the Automatic Flight Control System (ACS), I believe. Dampens oscillations, etc. I think the compensator controls the amount of pressure (air? hydraulic?) the system uses in doing its job.

Haven’t updated yet myself. Wonder if the wandering nose is now reduced a bit with the gear down.

Thank you very much Ironhand. Going to fly her and find out right now!

Maybe I'm just imagining it but the whole flight model feels slightly more refined.

Also seems a lot easer to land too or maybe I am just getting better at it. :)

It defiantly feels a little less pitch sensitive and the nose doesn't drop or rise as aggressively as it use to when the landing gear and flaps are raised or lowed. :thumbup:

Maybe I'm just imagining it but the whole flight model feels slightly more refined.

Also seems a lot easer to land too or maybe I am just getting better at it. :)

 

It defiantly feels a little less pitch sensitive and the nose doesn't drop or rise as aggressively as it use to when the landing gear and flaps are raised or lowed. :thumbup:

Hope to be in a position to update over the weekend and see for myself. I can now touch down smoothly at 260 km/hr. Be interesting to see, if it smooths out more. Also be interesting to run a landing track I have after updating and see at what point the track starts to differ--before or after the landing gear are in use.

The team--or a part of the team--was suppposed to be meeting with a group of MiG-29 pilots and engineers (?). They were to test fly the sim's version and provide feedback about the modeling. Don't know if that's already happened or not. Be interesting to know if any other tweaks are in the works as a result.

Well somebody has been working hard on the flight model and dong a good job. :thumbup:

Improvements I've noticed in the update.

Everything just feels smoother, natural and more refined.

Still sensitive in pitch as the MiG-29 is meant but seems not as aggressive and abrupt as before.

I find it easer to trim straight and level.

No more rocking as autopilot trys to find centre on the roll axis.

You can now fly at 1500kph at 100 m off the deck and trim her to fly hands off!

No more pushing the stick all the way forward to the stop to hold her there!

Pitch seems to be less affected when you make changes to your throttle settings.

As I mentioned before you can raise and lower your landing gear with with out that abrupt pitch up or down as it was before.

Any one else notice these changes or is it just me imagining things? lol

I'm absolutely loving this flight model! :D

Probably one of the most convincing and enjoyable of any I've flown to date! :wub:

I also notice the changes. It's pleasure to land with the actual MiG-29. Thanks, ED!

Maybe I'm just imagining it but the whole flight model feels slightly more refined.

Also seems a lot easer to land too or maybe I am just getting better at it. :)

 

It defiantly feels a little less pitch sensitive and the nose doesn't drop or rise as aggressively as it use to when the landing gear and flaps are raised or lowed. :thumbup:

I noticed this as well.

It took a while, but now the module starts getting verrry interetsting to me again, yes Sir! :thumbup:

Well...

Guess I'll be something of an outlier. I updated over the weekend and had a bit of time to fly. While I notice improvements to pitch handling that seem to start at around 700-800 km/hr IAS, below that airspeed, I don't see a difference. The one exception to that last statement is that you no longer have the nose drop as the landing gear are released and, therefore, are no longer required to make sudden adjustments to pitch trim at a critical time (how critical depends on your landing approach).

I happened to have a cockpit video recording of a pre-update landing to compare things to. The post-update flight matched the pre-update flight as I entered the circuit, slowing throughout, altering trim as I slowed. Airspeeds and altitudes matched at every checkpoint. The flight matched turns 1 and 2 exactly. It wasn't until I was heading toward the third turn (downwind leg) that I lowered the landing gear per the manual. That's where the flight made a major divergence. Post-update, my nose pitched up in response to the retrimming that was no longer necessary.

So...I ran the track again and, this time, took control just prior to that retrimming. On this occasion, I only had to make some minor throttle and trim adjustments in respose to the slowing aircraft expecting to feel some additional differences as I flew the base and final legs. But I didn't. I noticed no difference in aircraft handle right through to touchdown.

So from my point of view, yes, aircraft handling has improved, especially at higher speeds but, at lower speeds, with the exception of the missing nose drop as the landing gear come down, I'm not noticing a difference. Landings don't seem any easier or harder. OTOH, the aircraft remains a joy to fly.

Well...

 

Guess I'll be something of an outlier. I updated over the weekend and had a bit of time to fly. While I notice improvements to pitch handling that seem to start at around 700-800 km/hr IAS, below that airspeed, I don't see a difference. The one exception to that last statement is that you no longer have the nose drop as the landing gear are released and, therefore, are no longer required to make sudden adjustments to pitch trim at a critical time (how critical depends on your landing approach).

 

I happened to have a cockpit video recording of a pre-update landing to compare things to. The post-update flight matched the pre-update flight as I entered the circuit, slowing throughout, altering trim as I slowed. Airspeeds and altitudes matched at every checkpoint. The flight matched turns 1 and 2 exactly. It wasn't until I was heading toward the third turn (downwind leg) that I lowered the landing gear per the manual. That's where the flight made a major divergence. Post-update, my nose pitched up in response to the retrimming that was no longer necessary.

 

So...I ran the track again and, this time, took control just prior to that retrimming. On this occasion, I only had to make some minor throttle and trim adjustments in respose to the slowing aircraft expecting to feel some additional differences as I flew the base and final legs. But I didn't. I noticed no difference in aircraft handle right through to touchdown.

 

So from my point of view, yes, aircraft handling has improved, especially at higher speeds but, at lower speeds, with the exception of the missing nose drop as the landing gear come down, I'm not noticing a difference. Landings don't seem any easier or harder. OTOH, the aircraft remains a joy to fly.

Thanks, I’ve been waiting for your thoughts on this Ironhand. :)

What you say dose tie in nicely with the change to the APUS compensator that ED announced and no other changes were mentioned.

You track comparison would have proved that.

Placebo effect or I’ve just got better at flying her maybe..?

Imagining it or not, the handling over the whole flight envelope feels more refined to me and Im very happy with the work ED has done to date. :)

Remember the first MiG-29 we got in Flanker 2.5?

You couldn't dream of the filght model we have now back then.

Out of interest have you experimented with 0% curve on the pitch axis?

It made the world of difference to me.

Experimenting by going back to 5% or 10% I cant keep her as smooth in pitch as I do with no curve.

...

Placebo effect or I’ve just got better at flying her maybe..?...

:) You've gotten better.

Out of interest have you experimented with 0% curve on the pitch axis?

It made the world of difference to me.

Experimenting by going back to 5% or 10% I cant keep her as smooth in pitch as I do with no curve.

Not recently. I tend to add a 15% curve to the pitch axis for all the aircraft I fly. I tried 0% shortly after the PFM was released but haven't been back to try it since. With the 15%, "pitchiness" is seldom, if ever, a problem, though.

I would say that it feels less sensitive in ptich on final. But it might not be the APUS.

I think, the consensus the flight model is great now, and I do agree with that :)

Now we can only wish for the Waypoint panel and countermeasures counter and we are all set :D