That's My Way with MS-FSX - Part Two E-Book

Alberto Ramolfo

• Herausgeber: Alberto Ramolfo
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Dedicated mainly to those who already have a minimal experience with a PC Flight Simulator, this book aims to guide the reader into the world of flights instrumentally controlled both by the autopilot and/or GPS.
This booklet opens with light aircraft of general aviation (equipped with automatic navigation systems but) with traditional analogue instrumentation to move at first to propeller-driven aircraft with digital displays and more sophisticated instrumentation and secondly to jets with particular reference to the Learjet 45 and the Boeing 737 with some complete example of flights, all accompanied by many illustrations taken from the application itself.
In closing, a Technical Appendix illustrates some types of aircraft engines based on piston and turbo principle of operation.
 

Leseprobe

Alberto Ramolfo

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Indice dei contenuti

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Autopilot and ILS

1.1 - Generalities

1.2 - The AP panel

1.3 - HDG – ILS (Rijeka – Pula [Croatia])

1.4 - GPS – (Torino Caselle – Biella)

1.5 - HDG – REV – ILS (Malpensa – Orio al Serio)

1.6 - HDG – NAV – ILS (St. Etienne [F] – Ginevra[CH])

1.7 - A comment

Chapter 2 - Using GPS

2.1 – Fog in Linate

2.2 – A problem between Biella and Bergamo

Chapter 3 – The glass panels

3.1 – The Primary Flight Display

3.2 - The Multi-Function Display

Chapter 4 - The propeller

Chapter 5 - The Jets

5.1 – Altitude e Flight levels

5.2 – Practical experiences

5.3 – Bombardier Learjet 45

5.4 – Boeing 737

5.5 - Two FSX Missions

Appendix

Conclusion

Introduction

With this second book I want to continue the exposition of what has been my experience with Microsoft's Flight Simulator "X" version. The intent is the same as before: to note all the steps taken to achieve a certain purpose and to give others information and suggestions, gathered in a single booklet, without having to do researches, maybe long and boring, on the Internet or go around in the computer world to search difficult-to-find manuals. The intention is always to fly with only the aid of the mouse, having fun, learning new things, spending some time and relieving stress. I deliberately interrupted the first book at a point that could represent a good break point for the people interested in learning only the first rudiments of the simulated flight, the one in which the basic courses of flight schools stop. But there is a completely different world, linked to the use of more sophisticated instrumentation, which in everyday practice is dealt rarely or only done when a student intends to make the flight become his profession. In this second book we will examine these aspects through numerous examples and exercises, immediately putting into practice a just explained concept, with one or more examples. Some are taken from reality, but must be remembered that when a flight enters the News it means that everything did not go quite smoothly and that with greater foresight and knowledge of one's own means and instrumentation in the aircraft certain errors could have been avoided. For those who didn’t have the opportunity to read my first book, I want to reiterate and repeat that I am not a pilot, I do not have a flight license, nor am I an instructor, so not having the title to teach something; this is not a flight manual, nor do I pretend that what I write replaces the concepts that are expressed in a flight school. The title of this booklet is clear: "That’s my way with FSX"; be it right or wrong, it describes what I do. I would really like someone to correct me where I'm wrong, it would mean that at least these lines have been read. This book will necessarily be more descriptive than the previous one, both because some procedures are taken for granted, and because the new concepts introduced need a few more words to be more easily explained. We will use “Little NavMap” (also referred to as LNM), a free tool that can be downloaded from the Internet, which I talked about extensively in the first book. It is a cartographic program that hooks up to FSX and provides a great deal of information regarding the aeronautical world. It is tailored for 32 bit Operating Systems. On 64 bit systems sometimes goes “Not Responding”; if this happens try: Right click on the icon and select Properties Open the Compatibility tab Check “Run this program in compatibility mode for..” choosing the proper system from the drop-down list. I tried to set up the succession of topics so as to give basic information first, then developing these with more complete and advanced concepts, so the book should preferably be read sequentially. Chapter 1 deals with the Autopilot Panel for small planes of general aviation with the related connections to the ILS system. Chapter 2 introduces the Garmin 500 GPS instrument, touching only a couple of its multiple modes of operation. Chapter 3 will describe the so-called "Glass Displays", completely graphic and computer controlled, preparatory to those found on the jets. Chapter 4, to conclude the treatment on light planes, will briefly talk about the propeller as a flying means. Chapter 5 introduces jets; first the Learjet 45 and then the Boeing 737. There is no mention of the others because, ultimately, the concepts are always the same and the differences can be reduced to a different layout in the cockpit. At the conclusion of the book, the Appendix summarizes the relative concepts of the different types, certainly not all, of aeronautical engines of the past and present. This is the English translation of my book “Come Volo Io con Microsoft FSX – Seconda Parte”, originally written in Italian and on the market since short time. Have fun and nice flights to everyone.

Chapter 1 - Autopilot and ILS

1.1 - Generalities

As I wrote in the Introduction, I closed my first book before tackling a very important topic to which I wanted to devote a lot of space and which we will face now: autopilot navigation. We will then see how to make a flight using two tools that are now found on all types of aircraft and that are of immense help to the pilots: the Autopilot and the ILS system for the approach phase and landing. Having neglected this topic in the previous book was dictated by the fact that I wanted to emphasize only the manual flight and the problems associated with it, in the conviction that a bit of manual dexterity and sensitivity is needed before addressing a topic that is outside the programs of all the basic flight schools and that is only faced in the specialized field by those that prepare commercial pilots. We will do this route by setting different flights with different aircraft, not so much because this type of navigation changes from plane to plane, but because each "cockpit" has the controls arranged in different positions and therefore a minimum of practical acquisition is necessary, but above all a minimum explanation to know where these commands are allocated. The basic concepts obviously do not change and the difficulty, if you want to call it so, is to find the information and messages that the various sensors scattered in the aircraft provide to the pilot and that are presented in different ways depending on the panel that is installed on board. What is shown in these pages is therefore largely the result of a series of researches carried out online, in order to summarize the diversity and peculiarities of some aircraft in a single volume. It is clear that it is not possible to examine all the aircraft of the Microsoft library, but this will be done only on some of these, where there are significant differences.

1.2 - The AP panel

Put yourself in any flight condition, you can open the radio picture with [SHIFT 2]; the Autopilot occupies the lower panel shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 1

Let's see the meaning of the buttons that can be operated with the mouse when this has the normal appearance of an arrow or alternatively with the keyboard. AP is the on/off button on the panel; all others depend on this. HDG allows the aircraft to turn according to the position of the bug on the gyro compass. NAV allows you to follow a route guided by the signal set to VOR1 or by the route pre-set on the GPS depending on the position of the NAV/GPS selector (visible in Fig.3 immediately above the radio panel) APR is the basic key for the ILS approach once you have entered the range of the related signals REV allows an automatic approach, but only horizontally, in the case you arrive in the opposite direction pointed by the ILS locator, if the runway has it in only one direction. ALT guarantees to have a constant altitude according to a preset value. The value of the flight level you want to keep can be changed with the UP and DN keys or with the "little hands" ‘+’ and ‘-‘ that you see when scrolling with the mouse over the numeric value. The vertical speed value can be changed only with the mouse hand shape. We will perform a certain number of flights to cover all possible cases and obviously to see how one can behave in various situations. We will use the mouse for long time in Windows mode (white arrow) without pausing the flight; in this regard, three important things must be emphasized: To switch from one mode to another we will use [CTRL y] instead of using the item that appears in the pop-up menu that opens when you right-click; this to avoid moving of the mouse from the correct control position, which would certainly lead to unconscious movements for the plane. To change the engine speed make use of the F2 and F3 keys, because with the mouse in Windows mode the engine is no longer controlled by the central wheel. The Autopilot will always be switched on or off from the keypad with 'Z' and not by pressing the AP button with the mouse, since passing from manual flying to the automatic mode and vice versa, it is necessary that this change takes place so as not to cause sudden variations in the attitude of the aircraft due to an incorrect position of the pointer.

1.3 - HDG – ILS (Rijeka – Pula [Croatia])

For this exercise we will move to Croatia, with a beautiful summer panorama. Set up an IFR flight with Rijeka (LDRI River) as the departure airport and Pula (LDPL) as the arrival airport. Fly with a Cessna C172 at a daytime, good weather, summer season, no wind. Pola has only one track with ILS, the 27 with the following features: Altitude 274 feet effective heading 266 ILS frequency 111.50 MHz Range 27 NM Descent angle 3.2 ° DME absent To get the data of the airport you can proceed in two ways.

Fig. 2

To get the data of the airport you can proceed in two ways.

1) Through FSX when you are in one of the three flight windows you need to recall the menu item World-> Map Maximize the area where the airport of interest is located and click on the airport itself (highlighted by a green rectangle). You get an image like the one shown in Fig.2. The mouse must be in Windows mode and not in control mode. 2) Through Little NavMap, select the airport in the "Flight Map" window (top left), thus obtaining all the characteristic data in the "Information" window immediately below, with much more detail than those given by FSX.

You were told by the controllers to takeoff is from runway 32 and hold 6,000 feet, so set this value on the panel and VS at 700 feet/min. You can also set NAV1 to 111.5 and activate it from this moment on as an active frequency. Bring the heading bug to 320, a notch flaps and take off. At 2000 feet change the mouse mode and activate HDG and ALT. Remember that with the mouse in Windows mode (white arrow) you can no longer act on the engine speed with the central wheel, but you must use the F2 and F3 keys. Here are only the conversations with the control that are significant for our example. TOWER Cessna AFM contact Rijeka Departure on 119.0 To contact the tower, you need to change the COM1 frequency; you can do that from the ATC window with the mouse or with the 1 key on the keyboard, but it is more elegant to use the mouse on the COM1 stand-by frequency and then make the exchange, as it would happen if you were really in flight,. PILOT Key 1 or click with the mouse on item 1 directly in the ATC window .. TOWER Cessna AFM, - - -, Turn left heading 195, climb and maintain 6000. Expect vectors ILS runway 27 approach. PILOT Key1 (Acknowledge) Bring the heading bug to 195 using the knob on the bottom right: you must make a left turn, then turn it to the left, otherwise you will find yourself in the correct direction, but after having made a long turn. After a while: TOWER Cessna AFM, turn right heading 230 PILOT Tasto 1 Turn the knob to the right until the heading bug is 230. Remember to always give the acknowledgment first and then execute the command. If the speed drops below 80 knots, decrease the rate of ascent to 500 feet / min. TOWER Cessna AFM, Descend and maintain 2800 PILOT Tasto1 (Acknowledge) Bring the altitude up to 2800 and reduce power to level correctly. Approaching Pula at a certain point, the ILS signal hooks up. You can realize it because in the VOR1 indicator the flag changes from white-red to white-black and the horizontal and vertical reference lines are no longer at rest or at the end position (Fig.3). Cessna AFM, contact Pula Approach on 118.4 Tasto 1 (Acknowledge) Change COM1 and make the call through the menu item. Cessna AFM, turn left heading 175, Climb and maintain 2800 Tasto 1 (Acknowledge) Rotate the knob to bring the bug to 175 turning left. After a while: Cessna AFM, you are 15 miles east. Turn right heading 235. Descend and maintain 2800. Cleared ILS runway 27 approach. Maintain 2800 until estabilished on the localizer. Contact tower on 120.0 Tasto 1 (Acknowledge) Turn right to 235 and when the answer-back transmission is over change the communication frequency and contact Pula. Cessna AFM, Pula Tower. Fly straight in, runway 27, altimeter 2992. Tasto 1 (Acknowledge) You were making a turn to 235, but since you were told to fly straight in and are already established on the localizer you can switch off HDG and on APR in the AP. Pay attention now to the reference lines of the VOR1 indicator; they must both be in a central position and most likely the horizontal reference aligns first (which on the instrument is the vertical line pivoted upwards) and only after the vertical one (the horizontal line hinged to the left). The approach to the ideal path is always from the bottom; to understand why, refer to Fig.4. The blue plane, approaching below the ideal path, can better manage the speed, maintain a constant AGL altitude and intercept the GS with a leveled attitude; the red plane, on the other hand, has a pronounced angle of descent, a nose down attitude and almost certainly a higher speed that must be managed and reduced at the last moment. The arrival from above, called "slam-dunk approach", therefore is more problematic, even if in reality some controllers propose it, because in very busy airports it frees space at low altitudes for aircraft in take-off phase. It is probably faster than the standard approach and does not involve greater fuel consumption, but a steeper descent is required and a marked pull-up at the last moment. However, the pilot has the right to accept this request or not. The figure is obviously not to scale, but, as can be seen, to correctly intercept the 3° angled descent path with respect to the runway, it is necessary to have a level of 1400 feet AGL at 5 NM from the runway limit. The Pula airport is practically at sea level (274 feet) and we are asked to maintain 2800, but we are beyond 10 NM, so the level required allows us to arrive from below and since we are still low compared to the path of descent, we must maintain 2800 feet, as ordered. At a certain moment the vertical reference aligns. You should be at the start of the final. The indicator on the ALT button should turn off by itself, if not turn it off, otherwise you will never go down. Leave the AP on still for a while, then move the mouse to a suitable position to be able to continue with manual flying, change the mouse functionality and press ‘Z’ to switch off the autopilot. A beep will warns you of the successful operation. Cessna AFM, cleared to land runway 27 Tasto 1 (Acknowledge) Check speed and horizontal and vertical alignment, also with the help of PAPI lights, and perform a manual landing. Parking areas in Pula are on the right side of the runway if you want to reach them. Congratulations, your first ILS approach is over. Easy, right? Even too much. Apart from the two take-off and landing procedures, there has been little or nothing to do, but than look at the monitor and wait in the headphones for instructions from the traffic controllers. We will see in subsequent exercises that the operations are roughly always the same, but each aircraft has its own characteristics and the layout of the controls is absolutely unique for each model. If instead of flying with the Cessna, you had chosen other planes the visualization of the references for VOR1 could have been different. We see two examples in Fig.5. On the left we find the classic HIS: The reference alignment is on the central plane of the HSI, so in the case shown you would find yourself vertically just below the descent slope and horizontally slightly to the right. Fig. 5 right shows a slightly different version of the one on the C172. Instead of having two fan-like hinged lines, there are two lines, one vertical and one horizontal, which move parallel to the axes. The alignment occurs when these two lines intersect in the center of the indicator. This type is not found on aircraft of Microsoft library; the one displayed is on the third-party Cessna 414 downloaded via the Internet. The two images if Fig. 5 represent the same situation (Cessna 414 has both); to be noted also the white small triangle that indicates the direction of the incoming radio signal.