Braking performance in the Dukes
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I've noted varying performance in during braking which has lead to surprises.
Around 750 feet on hard surface with 6,600 lbs gross in clip#1, 2:45 onwards https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2722275938
1,500 feet at 5,500 GW on hard surface in clip#2 https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2722275940
In this clip#3, around 2,100 feet at 6,500 GW on soft surface (I know the igniters are set-up wrong)
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2754158932Full beta+max brakes are used on all clips.
There is a huge difference in clips 1 and 2. It may a "sim thing", but from user point of view, I'd like to know what is going on.
Am I seeing correct performance in these clips?
For which parameters is manual's 400 ft ground roll stated for?
On the technical level, how does the model "see" the runway surface & friction coefficient? Do scenery's surface type and surface texture matter?
In this clip, the parking brake does squat. It is a 2020 scenery. https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2740655772 (Forgot to trim the clip, the beef is at the beginning).
Are there any aftermarket high performance brake kits for these birds, hehe?
FS24 SU4 v0.1.2
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2024 models brake fade, which could be relevant if you've been practising circuits and have heated up your brakes.
One of the debug tools in Dev Mode shows brake effectiveness and live values - check the 'Aircraft' > 'Wheels' overlay.
The yellow lines coming from the wheels show the force direction and the length indicates the amount of force.
Here, the aircraft is turning so there is a sideways force. When braking, the force is backwards etc.
With the Duke, the force lines from the main wheels are always vertical, which might be an indicator of a slightly different implementation in the sim, as the handling otherwise feels correct. I'm not meaning to pick at Nick's incredible work, so have no idea what this difference actually means.
Here you see a high force on the left wheel and small force on the right wheel, due to a tight right turn (but the lines do not 'lean' to show the sideways forces as for the C152):
Finally, the overlay window shows brake temperatures and effectiveness. As they get hot, the effectiveness reduces. Here's a sample after taxying around with my left brake on:
I'm applying 100% brakes but am only getting 70% effectiveness due to the brakes being 229°C!
Also, since you asked, the overlay shows the surface type under each wheel and it changes dynamically along with the lateral and longitudinal forces:
So while I can't give you any definitive answers, I can perhaps give you a way to check/test your situations and understand what might be happening. It's fun to look under the hood and see the magic happening
Regards,
Martyn