Backcourse & Yaw Damper

What do these buttons on AP do?

Thanks 😀

https://forum.flyawaysimulation.com/forum/topic/8901/ils-back-course-landing/
https://forum.flyawaysimulation.com/forum/topic/3719/backcourse/

Those two posts should provide some information about the backcourse button 😉

Yaw is the physical characteristic of an aircraft in which the nose moves toward one side or the other, often in a back and forth or oscillating movement. In aviation texts it is called movement on the vertical axis. Some aircraft have almost no tendancy to uncommanded yaw. That is, the a/c is stable on its vertical axis. Others, especially highly manueverable a/c, have a higher propensity to yaw - that is they are inherently unstable on their vertical axis.

A yaw damper is a device that senses yaw and automatically makes small rudder corrections or trim corrections to prevent yaw from developing to a troubling degree. I have not flown an a/c with a yaw damper installed in many years. For the most part, a/c that have that tendancy are either hand flown at all times or the autopilot automatically corrects for yaw.

Great explanation, Don. Thanks 🙂