ILS Autotune System Explained | v1.1.0-RC2 Released!

E-Jets Family v1.1.0-RC2 now available as Early Access

August is here and we have a new version of the E-Jets Family for you. After our initial Open Beta release of v1.1.0-rc1 in July, we gathered a lot of great feedback, but we also decided to add quite a few extra improvements and fixes for our next version RC2 (Release Candidate 2). And in true X-Crafts fashion, we went a bit overboard when improving our E-Jets…

The number of changes between RC1 and RC2 is 55! That could easily constitute a whole new release, but we wanted to make sure that v1.1.0 is really the best it can be before we go final.

In this update, we really focused on fixing any of the reported issues through the first round of Open Beta testing, but we also worked on some corner cases of using FMS Speed or VNAV, to ensure greater stability throughout your flights.

One of the major new features in v1.1.0 is ILS Autotune and I also worked on a new video that explains how ILS Autotune makes your landings an effortless experience. All you need is one click of a button.

You can watch the video I created below to get a great insight into how the ILS Autotune works, alongside the Approach Preview Function which is often misunderstood, because it is not present on other airliners, even though it is so useful!

 
 
 
 

Release Candidate 2 Out Now!

Version 1.1.0-rc2 of the E-Jets Family is now accessible as an Early Access version through our Open Beta Program to all E-Jets Family customers.

Top new features:

  • Improved: Autotune now happens at 150NM out just like in the real aircraft with Load 27 + Preview is triggered automatically

  • Improved: Climb Performance fine-tuned for the E170 &  E175 to match the real performance

  • Improved: FMS Speed stability was enhanced and we added more possibilities to change the speed schedules

  • Improved: The FMS and VNAV should recalculate the flight plan and vertical profile correctly after reloading a different arrival and/or approach

  • Fixed: Inability to toggle reverse thrust on TCA Throttles

  • Fixed: TO CONFIG check should now work fine also if flaps have been assigned to an axis in the hardware settings

  • Fixed: All known TOD issues fixed

  • And many more... check out the full release notes below.

You can find the full release notes here.

Known Issue: Crashing on Reload

We're experiencing a known issue with the activation system developed by a third party, causing planes to crash when reloaded. Instead, load the default C172, then return to the E-Jets. If a crash occurs, restart X-Plane, and it should work. Once the third party resolves the bug, the E-Jets will be encrypted using the fixed system for the final release.

Please ignore this when giving us your feedback.

Possible Errors when Using the Updater

The updater might be showing you an old version of the aircraft. It might also show you a red error message about the configuration file missing or something similar.

WHAT IS CAUSING THIS?

In December 2023 we had to change our servers where the Open Beta files are stored and your issue is likely caused by you still having the old configuration file.

HOW TO FIX IT:
Step 1:

  • Option 1: You can either delete the aircraft and redownload it from the store. This will give you the latest configuration files.

  • Option 2: You can manually delete the old skunkcrafts_updater_beta.cfg file, then run the updater (with the beta channel disabled). This will then download the latest config file for you.

Step 2:

  • Once you finished one of the two options above, you can re-enable the beta channel and update to the open beta version as explained in the video above.

Work in Progress Disclaimer

  • Our open beta allows you to test our latest features and fixes before they are officially released.

  • Install at your own risk, this is a Work in progress version and you acknowledge that you may encounter issues or crashes. Although we have been testing this version for months and it should already be very stable!

How Do I Participate?

  • Full information can be found on the official Open Beta Program page

  • Any E-Jets Family customer can use the SkunkCrafts Updater to access the beta channel of the E-Jets.

  • The updater allows you to access the beta versions, or backroll to the last stable version in seconds.

  • Make sure you see a skunkcrafts_updater_beta.cfg file in your E-Jets product folder. If not, please run the updater to get it.

  • You will have to reactivate your aircraft every time you try a new version. If you run out of activations, please send me a private message here with your activation key and I will add more to your account

  • Please watch the video below that explains how to download the beta version:

 
 
Marko Mamula