x737project version 5

Quick Start Manual

x737 Xclusive paint by Csaba Grnfelder

x737project for X-Plane 10.40+

by Benedikt Stratmann and Pierre Stone

A project of the
European Aircraft Developer Group (EADT)
www.eadt.eu
Welcome to x737project!
Since more than twelve years the x737project is one of the most popular aircraft simulation for
Laminar's X-Plane software. x737project offers a free Boeing 737NG to the community, along with
hundreds of beautiful 737 liveries of airlines from all over the world.

This quick start manual describes the first steps if you plan to fly x737project. Before you begin
you should be aware that x737project is not a game, it is not the simulation for some minutes of fun.
v737project is the perfect simulation for all X-Plane users intending to fly seriously, with navigation
experience, with knowledge about Boeing operation standards and technical skills. Feel free to fly
x737project, but always be aware that this thing must really be operated.

To achieve a maximum of realism x737project is more or less a software overriding and extending
X-Plane. For this a plugin that simulates most of the systems like automatic flight directing system,
engine controller as well as the fuel and bleed systems, is shipped with x737project. You won't get
in touch with complicated installation, all is done by simply installing x737project (next chapter),
x737project is working out of the box (which isn't a physical box of course).

x737project is a product of so many helping hands that we cannot list all contributors here. Besides
the x737project 'core', Benedikt and Pierre, or team painter Lukas Denhoff has done a huge number
of liveries available from our web server, as well as the x737project version 5 default livery which
is now TUI. Many painters have done great paints, our web server offers them all for free.

Many thanks to all painters and real life pilots, home cockpit builders and beta testers and all those
who have helped to make x737project such a fantastic project.

Respect copyright!
x737project is distributed free for the community. We are glad to offer this chance get it, try it,
love it or leave it. If you like, feel free to make a donation though our website, this helps us to keep
up the servers providing x737project. But please respect copyright: You can use the x737project
software for your own purpose, you can paint liveries using our paintkits and publish the livery by
your own or on our webiste, but you are not permitted to redistribute any part of the software. All
parts of x737project are copyright x737project, any copyright infringement will be pursued.

Thank you for respecting copyright!

Troubleshooting
If you run into problems with your x737project aircraft please check our FAQ first:
http://www.eadt.eu/index.php?FAQ
If you don't succeed to solve your problem there you are invited to contact the x737project team:
bugs@eadt.eu
Please keep your report short and precise so we can analyze the problem in an overseeable time.
Including the file log.txt from X-Plane's top directory might help in many cases.
The x737 is developed in the latest non-beta version of X-Plane so to use it you must keep your
version up to date with the X-Plane installer.

Installation of the aircraft:

Installing the x737 is easy. Unzip the x737-800 folder into the Heavy metal folder.
Additional liveries are installed into the Liveries folder. Liveries from v4.9 still work so just copy
them to the new aircraft.

Before you fly the x737 v5.0 you must do a few steps.
1. Control cabin setup:

- FOV is adjusted by dragging the center window divider in the cockpit.

- interior and exterior view FOV are saved independently in conf/x737global.cnf
- this can be omitted by adding the line override_FOV = true in conf/x737.cnf

The field of view should be adjusted until round instruments directly in front are drawn as circles
and you get a realistic view of everything from the captains/FO side.
In a cold and dark startup you should move the seats forward by grabbing them with the mouse
cursor and dragging.
Setting the vertical FOV independently from the horizontal can make it easier to find the optimal
viewing angle.
Here we have set 60x40 degrees:

2. Controls setup:

The x737 is recommended to be flown with all settings at zero in the Joystick setup page.
Linear and no artificial stability.

Use a nullzone as close to zero as possible, just enough to stop the flight controls from
flickering and stay in a stable center position.
Assign one axis as nose wheel tiller to make taxiing easier. The tiller can also be controlled
with the mouse in the cockpit.
 The x737 cannot be flown accurately without assigning
joystick buttons to functions driven by the plugin.
General method for assigning buttons to x737 functions.
First operate the button you want to use for the intended function
Open the Joystick & Equipment page from the menu in x-plane
Click the Buttons Adv tab
Click the square button (arrow)

Now youll see the following page

Select the folder with the function you want to assign (nose down trim is selected in this example)
Then do the same procedure for the next button (ex. Nose up trim)

Thrust reversers

Next should be the speedbrakes

Take Off / Go Around mode:

If you have no spare buttons to assign you can engage TO/GA with the button on the thrust levers

MCP N1 and Speed modes cant be engaged on the ground so the TO/GA switch is important in
v5.0. To engage TO/GA both flight directors (F/D) must be engaged and the autothrottle must be
armed (A/T ARM)!
A handy trick to engage TO/GA on the fly: A mouse click on any of the master indicators (MA)
above the F/D switches engages TO/GA.
 Fueling the x737

Fueling is started by requesting fuel via the x737 menu

Next enter the amount you need in the space for Captains request

Depending on which button you press youll have the fuel loaded to the correct tanks in real time or
at a quicker rate.
If you chose to refuel manually remember that the wing tanks must be full before you add fuel to
the main tank. Manual fueling will set the view to the underwing fueling port where you can take
the role as pumpman and select which tanks are to be refueled.
 Setting up weight and balance
CG and Payload has to be set manually in the x-plane Weight & Balance & Fuel page

As said in the section above, dont use the fuel sliders.

The top slider is the Payload cg. Moving it to the right shifts the weight towards the tail.
About 10 is realistic for a normal cabin loadout. The default position 0.0 is at 20% MAC.

Set the Payload weight with the second slider. Check the Total weight at the bottom to avoid getting
overweight. The Total weight is also used in the performance tables.
The numbers here are always in lbs.

Maximum weights for the 737-800 are:

Taxi: 174 700 lb
Takeoff: 174 200 lb
Landing: 146 300 lb
Zero Fuel Weight: 136 000 lb = Max Payload: 53 000 lb

We recommend using the W&B planner from the EADT homepage to check if the cg and loadout
are within legal limits for a safe take off and landing.
 Starting the x737 engines
Due to very deep system simulation the engines of your x737project aicraft have to be started in
the same way like in the real Beoing 737. Experienced pilots will do this on the fly, the following
picture shows you what to do:

You must start the APU from the battery or ground power first and turn on APU bleed! Set both
ducts under pressure (isolation valve open), and even if your passengers feel hot turn off the packs
to get more bleed air. If N2 has spooled up to abourt 26% you can open the fuel cutoff lever and
watch the wngine N1 spool up.
Don't forget to turn on BLEED on both sides and open the PACKS again to allow cabin
pressurization. Remember that since Helios flight accident it is mandatory to check the
pressurization frequently. Above 10000ft an intermittend tone warns you of low pressure.
 Take Off Trim
Setting take off trim is very important to achieve correct performance during take off. The default
trim is 4 Units and it is ok for lightly loaded take offs. For heavier loads you need to set a more nose
up trim (higher Unit numbers) since the cg will be further forward.

Trimming the x737 cant be done with the default x-plane key assignments. You must use the
x737 commands as shown in the beginning of the manual.

If the function is setup correctly youll see the wheels spin as they are turned by the motor. (aircraft
must be electrically powered up)

Trimming in flight is very important as well since the engines will make the plane pitch up or down
as thrust is changed. Keep re-trimming as the speed changes when in manual flight.

If the plane is flown in an untrimmed condition you can run out of elevator authority when you
need it the most since youll be near the maximum deflection already. The autopilot cant be
engaged if the flight controls are not centered.

The trim wheels spin faster when flaps are set to help the pilot make big trim changes quickly
during landing or a Go Around.
 Typing values into radios and MCP
This is a novel feature of the x737. It is a huge help in a busy environment where ATC hands you
off to another controller or you need to switch VORs quickly.
It can also be used in the MCP where you can enter a new altitude, speed or heading.

Click the window and the numbers will turn green, type 180 and it will change to the new value
without you having to use the return key. Low altitudes must be initialized with a zero as in 05000.
Flight levels can be entered by just typing 36 and hitting return and it will set 36000.

Beware that entering a new heading will make the plane turn the nearest direction toward the new
heading. If you want to turn the long way around you have to use the heading knob by clicking and
dragging towards the direction of desired turn.

Radios are set by typing the frequency without period or comma. 115050 for example.

Dialing in values with the knobs

Another novel feature of the x737 are progressive knobs. Operating the knobs on the MCP can be
tricky if you want to change the underlying value a lot. x737 has progressive knobs: Dragging the
mouse slowly causes slow changes, while a quick move causes bigger changes as usual. So if you
want to increase heading or course about 280 simply grab the knob and make a quick movement
left or right. Try it out!
 Setting v-speed bugs

Rotate the outer ring of the knob shown in the image, then set the speed for the displayed parameter.
The result is shown below the speed tape. Pointers will appear beside the speedtape.
Some entries cant be made in the current version.
Vref is used for landing and should show Invalid entry when on the ground.
The speed bugs are set by the FMC if one is installed. We recommend the x737FMC by Javier
Cortez.

The lower engine display

This display is used for showing additional data about the systems or the engines.
Use the ENG and SYS buttons to switch views.
 EFIS mode Nav Freq Disagree

This is a warning that the frequency is set for an ILS while the switch is positioned to VOR or vice
versa. The warning disappears if the switch is turned to APP or the frequency set to VOR range.
 Single channel ILS
The aircraft can fly an ILS on a single radio but only down to minimums. There will be no auto
flare so the pilot must take over manually for landing.

Dual channel ILS

This is the normal mode and it provides an auto flare operation when passing the RWY threshold.

To set this up you need both Nav radios tuned to the same ILS, Localizer and Glideslope captured
and be above 800 ft AGL.

Loud blaring tone heard during approach

This is the gear warning tone. It will activate if the thrust levers are set below a certain %, flaps
more than 10 and gear not down with 3 greens.

Be ready cause it will wake your neighbors up!

Off Schedule Descent

This warning happens when a descent has started before the aircraft has climbed to the preset
altitude. The landing altitude will be set equal to the departure airport internally in the
pressurization controller. To avoid this, set a lower cruise altitude in the flight altitude window of
the pressurization panel.
 Customize your x737project aircraft
When you get additional x737project liveries from our website this liveries are well configured to
make the aircraft behave and look as close to reality as possible. Livery painters set up their work
by editing a configuration file which is found in the directory conf/ in every single livery folder. The
file conf/x737.cnf ist a text file which is loaded by the x737project plugin to make up certain
settings.

Example: Some Boeing 737NG aircraft use amber displays on the MCP, others have white displays.
In the file <myLivery>/conf/x737.cnf you can either write
mcp_disp_color = "amber_color"
or
mcp_disp_color = "white_color"
depending on the color you want to see on the MCP displays. Try it our, reload the livery and see
the result. The position of this line within the text file has no influence on the result, but only the
first occurence is used to set the display color.

The following options can be set up per livery:

Key Value(s) (in ..) Meaning Default
tailnum [string] Tailnumber of the x-737
aircraft when loading
this livery.
mcp_disp_color amber_color Color of MCP amber_color
white_color displays.
fltalt_disp_color amber_color Color of FLT amber_color
white_color ALT/LDG ALT
displays (overhead
panel)
battery_cap Number Capacity of main 48
battery in Ah
has_aux_battery true Aircraft has an aux false
false battery, same
capacity as main
battery
fuel_unit fuel_lb Fuel unit (center DU) fuel_lb
fuel_kg
aircraft_type Boeing 737-800/w Aircraft type Boeing 737-800/w
(will be used later)
qnh_unit qnh_inhg Unit of barometric qnh_inhg
qnh_hPa pressure indication
nmb_fwd_auxtanks Numerical, 0..4 Number of fwd aux 0
tanks (Makes a BBJ2
from your -800); not
suported in version
5.0
nmb_aft_auxtanks Numerical, 0..5 Number of aft aux 5
 Key Value(s) (in ..) Meaning Default
tanks (Makes a BBJ2
from your -800); not
suported in version
5.0
pump_shutoff_logic true Whether the center true
false fuel pumps shut off
when tank runs dry;
later 737-800 have
this equipment
captain_name [string] Captain's name
fo_name [string] First Officer's name
airline [string] The airline
painter [string] The painters name
has_nr_vortilons true Whether the aircraft true
false has noise reduction
vortilons below the
windshield (later 737
have this equipment)
window_plugs_l String of 45 '0' or Every 0 opr 1 00....00 (45 zeroes)
'1', representing false indicates wheter the
or true window at this
position is open (0)
or closed (1), left side
of fuselage
window_plugs_r String of 45 '0' or Every 0 opr 1 00....00 (45 zeroes)
'1', representing false indicates wheter the
or true window at this
position is open (0)
or closed (1), right
side of fuselage
has_split_scimitar_winglets true Whether the aircraft false
false has the new split
simitar winglets
(SSW)
Usually this is used
in combination with
LED nav lights, see
below
has_LED_navlights true Whether the aircraft false
false has the new LED
lights at the wingtips.
Usually this is used
in combination with
SSW, see above
There are a few variabled which are gloablly set in the file conf/x737global.cnf in the x737project
aircraft folder (where 737.acf is located, not in the liveries-folder!). This file might be helpful if you
have a multi-monitor setup.

Key Value(s) (in ..) Meaning Default

override_FOV true When set to ''false' false
false x737 does not change
the FOV between
interior and exterior
views. Refer to
chapter 1. Control
cabin setup. This is
disabled then.
 More info about the x737
More info, support, FAQ, and documentation about the x737 and the real Boeing 738 can be found
at: http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/forum/71-x737-support/