Plane stopped responding to all controls
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I was making a flight from KMSY to Huntsville, AL. SU 10 using DX12 and DLSS. About an hour into the flight beginning descent, selected descend on TMC and set altitude, then I moved the throttles back per PMS, no response. Tried to pan down to manually move throttles, no response. Keyboard, throttle, Velocity One controller had no impact on plane. The simulator itself responded to ESC key and mouse functioned in the menu. The plane did not respond to any controls. First time this has ever happened.
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I realize this post is 5 months old but I thought I'd add my experience recently having a similar issue in mid-February, 2023. This is post-SU10 for reference.
TL;DR - MSFS' "Active Pause" causes my BAE 146-XXX's to 'break'.
I too had experienced the exact same issue as 'rbringh' recently in the last 3 days.
I've flown over 130 logged flights (all 1hr+ minimum flight time) with various variants of the 146 and never had this issue until the last 48 hours when I experienced it 3 times in 2 days.
I had an issue very similar to the one stated here, with no authority control over any flight surfaces, no throttle response, and the inability to retract or extend flaps or airbrakes.
However, the wheel brakes worked using physical hardware (when this issue occurred once during taxi just after exiting the runway). I could apply the parking brake and see the parking brake handle extend on the centre console, as well as hear the noise of it engaging, but then a few seconds later the aircraft would roll away and continue on its own, with the brake applied.
I also had full camera control, and the ability to escape to the 'pause' menu, and access the top bar menu, but absolutely no control of the plane. It was a very weird situation.
As one would, I tried the basics of unplugging and replugging in my physical hardware, toggling 'escape/pause' several times, tried all directions on the HOTAS and throttle, various buttons, etc., with no luck.
Thinking about anything I had changed with my system, new mods, and so forth I realized that the 3 times I had these errors were after starting to use the FlyByWire mod, FSLTL, which was new to me.
I initially just associated the errors with FSLTL and decided to cease using it for the time being, even uninstalling the mod. I started a new test flight after removing FSLTL and the first flight went fine without error.
I assumed this issue was fixed, and carried on with my normal 'VA' flights. Sadly, I ended up having the 'control freeze' issue again on the next flight.
Scratching my head again and thinking some more, it dawned on me that the other variable that was in play for all the flights I had the 'control freeze' with was that I had used 'Active Pause' during all 4 flights, and had done so shortly before the issues occurred. I'd estimate maybe 30-120 seconds previously.
I began my own little tests and disabled all mods (using Addons Linker) to just the bare basics of Navigraph's navdata and in-game panel as well as the BAE 146.
I choose 5 various and random airports around the world, loaded in, started up the 146, and tried a couple on the ground when taxiing, and 3 while in the air. One during the climb, one during a cruise and another during a descent, all during different flights obviously, as this bug requires a restart/reload of the flight.
I enabled 'Active Pause' for all 5 flights, left it for 30-60 seconds each time, and then resumed the flights or taxis. All 5 times the 146 would suffer this issue of losing all control and essentially 'locking up.' It's almost like the systems within the aircraft 'froze' - for lack of a better term - yet the sim itself was still running. It continued to roll forward or fly, just with no authority input from me. And no systems worked either. For example, I could toggle the APU master switch on and off, and the switch would move and animate, but the APU wouldn't respond. The same went for several other systems of the aircraft. However, the spoiler and flap control handles wouldn't respond to my physical hardware, nor mouse manipulation.
*Also, I did try and use my mouse and keyboard keybindings during 1 of the tests to manipulate the throttles and flight control surfaces with no success. As well, my tests were performed with -100, 200QC, 300 & 300QT variants, all of which experienced the same issue.
My conclusion to all of this is that I personally just won't use 'active pause' during a flight with the BAE 146-XXX anymore.
I don't know if 'active pause' is the true cause of my issue, but I've now flown 9 flights (all 1.5-2hrs of air time) successfully with the 146 without any issue, and without using 'active pause'. But I should also note, I have also not attempted to use FSLTL with it since ceasing to use it since I initially suspected it to be the cause.
As a last note, I managed to fly over 130 flights with the 146 before trying 'active pause' for the first time as it's just something I never used and didn't even have it keybound after setting up blank control profiles. It was only recently during a busy and hectic runway/star/approach change that I needed a moment to think and manipulate the systems in 'real time', so to speak. So I bound a key to it, activated it, and did what I had to do. Obviously, it was not a great first experience.
Anyway, thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.
Hope this might help someone, somehow, or maybe even shed light on the issue.*Lastly (seriously), yes, I'm very aware of the EFB input 'gotcha' that can catch you out. I was caught by that a few times in the first several hours with the BAE and am very consciously aware of that little 'hiccup' that can happen. I promise that didn't happen all 9 times during the 'lock up' events. :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:
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@Erebus66 Excellent TED Talk, thank you :-)
All I can add is that this behavioural outcome is not confined to the 146 (I've never had it on that) but I have experienced it on the PMDG 737. Maybe twice in total with no clear trigger - I also don't use active pause and try to avoid esc in sim because when I resume I tend to find flaps and spoilers fully extended...
My TED is shorter - "Any pause bad".
I'm available for bookings :-)
