Autopilot Apr?? More help please, sorry guys.

If you are trying to get used to flying the heavies, I would have to suggest you fly using IFR. Have a look at the sticky and everything should be explained. You will also get vectors from ATC when you are nearing the destination airport and they will tell tou the altitude to decend to before beginning final approach.
Hope this helps in some way!!

what is IFR and how do i use it?? this is my problem i can fly but using autopilot is a whole wierd thing for me.

how do u use autopilot properly wud be a good place to start hehehe .............

IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules as apposed to VFR which is Visual Flight Rules. You select the IFR option when creating your flight. The learning centre will tell you everything you need and I advise that you get the hang of IFR and AP with a cessna first.

Ok...thanx but wud u be able to give me a quick rundown? i have already taken the time to do all the lessons but that Rod bloke waffles too much about nothing. and if u go abit wrong its all over and u have to start right from the start again.

How do use IFR with autopilot? what does that mean? im gona download the FSPassenger free demo, like u said, but do u think it will work on my downloaded version of FS2004?? its not worth spending money buying it seeing as in a month FSX comes out and that looks awesome!

thanx for ur help so far buddy

I'm going be a little tough-and apologize in advance for it- but the fact that you are searching to learn for AP approaches and just yesterday you ask for the basics means that you haven't learn to fly properly yet.
You made the mistake that many people do,and i notice it to you just yesterday...You manage to take -off and land a Cessna and you think that you can fly a heavy.Wrong. ❗
Landing is the best part of a flight...Why you want to leave it for the computer instead of do it yourself...And not with a Big Iron.

Stick with the smalls ,search,read,discover,learn and if you want to be a good pilot try heavies after one year.

Not offended to you.Only my opinion.

IFR means that during your flight you rely mainly on your instruments. At the moment you are just following your pink line on GPS but with IFR, ATC will give you a heading course to fly. They might say turn right heading 290. You can then program this into your AP and the plane will automatically fly this heading. It's the same with altitude. ATC will tell how high or low to fly. eg 'Decend and maintain 5000'
Using IFR means you won't need to rely on GPS. ATC will tell you which way to fly and how high to fly and when to decend and everything.

I haven't looked at your previous posts, but have you had a look at this post?

https://forum.flyawaysimulation.com/forum/topic/8080/ils-approach-guide-tutorial/

Its a good place to start for the basics, but I agree with Greekman, try in a small tiny Cessna first - just as you'd do in the real world.

ok fair point. and i think i am trying to run before i can walk properly!

Ok then how do i line up the run way, correctly in a Cessna is there something i shud do? coz i can line it up pretty good far away (sounds silly i know) but the closer i get the more i realise that im off centre and gona land on the grass or next to the runway!

Any advise? any preference u have? how do u line it up?

When shud i be contacting the aiport to let them know i wana land?

all these simple things i still dont know so i appreciate ur comment about heavies and i have only tried flying a learjet! the rest have just been short Cessna trips that i have so far managed, but it just feels rushed on landing (i do wana do my own landings i love it, it is my fav bit too) it feels rushed and amateurish! i feel all over the place coming down, which is probably accurate coz im in a small plane with cross winds and so on, but the last thing i wana do is get about 500ft from the runway and realise im gona land on the grass! shud i try using the approach markers for a while so i get into a pattern?

I have managed a flight from Gatwick to Luton in a Cessna (meant for Manchester but realised how far it was!!) and Just a local 13min flgiht and everything was ok. since i just been island hopping round the Carribean on smaller runways so its tested me abit!!

Its just, like i said, feels like a panic and i forget to radio ATC and wen i get down it feels a relief instead of an art! i know im new but im a perfectionist and i have found no pattern to landing!

One other thing is the fact that as soon as i sat in the Learjet, it was like being in a different world, so many indicators and dials i have never seen before!!

With FSPassenger can u ship people about in a Cessna??

thanks again, i do appreciate ur help and advise, dont worry about offending me im tought skinned!

ok so IFR i choose wen i create a flight! when will ATC tell me all this info coz im ATC people seem rubbish and wont even let me get on a runway sometimes! I was sitting at Gatwick Int with a que longer than the runway of 737's and so on and this little pathetic Cessna bound for Manchester waiting and waiting for 15mins, i saw about 2 planes land!! is this normal??

One other thing people who are so helpful......how do i download other aircraft and use them as AI craft im board of the pooey Default ones, i want like easyjet and BA and AA all those cool ones, how do i do that? so they are AI and i can use them too???

For AI aircraft, go to www.projectai.com and follow the instructions posted on the website.

The main things I find to stay on the ILS are the following.

1) Prediction of aircraft movement relative to the ILS. If you are veering or backing by a few degrees, physics dictates that without further control movements, this banking / yawing will exacerbate. If correctly predicted, then a small control movement rather than large control movement later on, can be corrected before it comes too much of a problem.

2) Small control movements. If you are becoming off course, don't use 20 degrees bank angle or you'll turn to the glideslope, and then come off the other side which requires another similar turn to get back.

3) Wait for the dissipation of inertia before making another movement. Once you make a movement, the aircraft might not respond fully until after a few seconds so making one movement, followed by another quick movement will mean you over compensate. This is especially true of heavy multi engine jets.

I suggest you read the approaches sticky which you have the link for. The above 3 points can also be used for a visual approach insofar as it describes the control movements needed and when to make them.

Contact the airport from 30nm out if you are flying VFR or you will be in constant contact with them if you are flying IFR and they will send your clearence to you, which you repeat and acknowledge.

I would also suggest that when flying your Cessnas, you enter the traffic pattern for the airport you are landing at. Traffic patterns are designed to dissipate the flow of traffic into an orderly manner. When you are flying adjacent (parallel) to the runway for a landing, you are on downwind and should be at a speed of around 80kts (Vs x 1.😎 and then turn to base at a right angle to the runway at around 70kts and then turn final i.e. lined up with the runway, at a speed of 65kts. Maintain 65kts using pitch (elevator) and altitude using the throttle. Nail 65kts and you should have a smooth and centered landing.

Sorry its a bit brief I'm in a rush.

Admirable patience from you Jon ❗

I'll second that! thank you to everyone that is helping me! cant believe the patience of everyone and i do apologise for my stupid behaviour sometimes. just seeing the screenies of big heavies gliding out of the sky down onto a runway is amazing and i want in 😀

CaptainKW wrote:

I'll second that! thank you to everyone that is helping me! cant believe the patience of everyone and i do apologise for my stupid behaviour sometimes. just seeing the screenies of big heavies gliding out of the sky down onto a runway is amazing and i want in 😀

No problem at all...Jon had the patience and he is a professional

what they said is all right 😀 😀

G'day - the first time you fly IFR it's pretty cool. I did one of the tutorial flights in Computer Pilot (or maybe it was PC Pilot) and it was easy as pie.

ATC directed me the heading and height to fly and I just changed the autopilot accordingly, by changing the heading bug and altitude (with AP on HDG and ALT) and followed their instructions.

Getting closer to the destination, ATC told me when to descend and what course to fly and lined me up with the runway and asked me if I had the runway in sight! It's great fun.

I also get a real buzz out of setting up the ILS approach and flying down the glidepath on autopilot (with it set on APR). I like doing hand landings too, but there's something about having the plane fly itself so nicely on the approach.

Good luck
smith

Hello mr Guest. You seem to be on my level 😀

right i sort of get it now and last night i tried to fly using IFR!! My girlfriend was round so it was brief attempt!

I sitting at taxi and they tell u everything, i loved that bit.

HOWEVER (there is always something with me isnt there??)

I dont totally get it! ATC gave me my HDG and ALT and i programmed that all in nicely and took off without a hitch! even lined it up perfectly on the runway (i was chuffed!). Then it says about handoff....now i start gettin abit confused..does this just mean i have to tune to the next airport? the HDG they gave me put me heading in the complete wrong direction? (i was thinking u b*****ds they just having a bit of fun with me coz im in a Cessna!! but then, this morning coming into work on the train, i was thinking...and please tell me if im wrong, do i have to tune to the next ATC at nearest airport to get my next HDG? I wudnt have thought i had to do that wud i? but i put the "137" into my HDG bit on autopilot and i was flying the wrong way? i didnt understand???

Please can someone let me know what i do? I got all the altitude and took off climbing to 2800ft, then hit AP to get it up to 3000 nicely and dropped back on the speed a bit to cruise. then i checked my GPs to see where i was HDG and i was going nowhere near the pink line!! infact i was flying nowhere near it!

I do apologise and have been reading about it all and it is fascinating but i just find it easier to ask about the things i dont know about from actual people so i can relate.

Thanx in advance

If you have filed an IFR flightplan then ATC will be commanding your navigation.

When you are on the taxiway, you will receive your IFR clearence which will give you departure instructions (not take off clearence) where you will be told something similar to "fly runway heading and climb and maintain 6000ft" which you acknowledge and follow.

You will then receive headings and altitudes from ATC which should be fairly accurate - if not, then check your flight plan. After a while, you will leave the airspace of one controller and enter the airspace of a new controller because their airspace only radiates a certain distance, at which point you will hear something to the effect of "Contact London center on 119.23" where you will change frequencies (it does it automatically) and your flight details will be called by another station. Incidentally, the word "contact" used by ATC for a frequency change, signifies that the new frequency has all of your details, if they don't, you'll be told to "free-call" which I don't think happens in FS9, but certainly does in the real world.

You change controllers because each controller has a radial area to cover, so aircraft come and go all of the time. A quick change of frequency and you are under command (but not entirely) of another air traffic controller.

Yes, ATC will probably vector you away from your GPS path for a bit, but it should get you there eventually.

ok..cool. So i was sitting on the runway and they said that thing u said.

so wen it says "fly runway....blah" thats not my flightpath instructions?

if not wen do i get them? i pretty much sorted just this and i shud be able to leave u poor people in peace! i can read through the landing guide till i have it sorted and even use the hoops to go through till im a pro!! but just gettin there is the problem! i was so far off my flight path with the hdg ATC gave me i must have put in the wrong ones!! they will give me an HDG yeah? like 320 or something like that?

You will first receive a clearence which will consist of your flightplan i.e. "fly runway heading and climb and maintain 6000ft" as I already said. They are your departure instructions for when you have been given clearence to takeoff. Smaller aircraft flying VFR will also receive departure instructions i.e. "depart to the north-west from right downwind and resume own navigation" even though you aren't getting any more instructions.

You will then be handed off to another controller where you will receive instructions for altitude and heading - follow them to your destination.

EDIT: When you acknowledge the frequency change, you'll say something like "London center with you, climbing through 2800ft for 30,000ft" or something similar, I forget how ATC in FS9 phrases it. ATC will acknowledge this and if you don't conform to the climbing instruction, you'll be told to expedite your climb. ATC will also give you vectors towards your destination, "BA2036 turn heading 236". When you get near your destination you'll receive a long approach clearence, "BA2036 you are 70nm's east of London Heathrow, turn heading 120 degrees, descend and maintain 3000ft and expect ILS approach runway 9L. Report when established" again, if its not in that format, it'll be similar.
Note, the vector they give you to intercept the ILS is not the runway heading i.e. the aligning heading of the runway. It'll be a course to intercept the glideslope, at which time you should be using your ILS indicator to judge when you should turn which is when you report that you are established on the localiser.

Follow the ATC instructions to the letter and there shouldn't be any reason why you don't see your destination airport dead ahead.

Good luck!

Just a clarification in case you're still a bit confused. When ATC hands you off to someone else (ie they tell you to contact another centre on another frequency), you'll open the ATC window to select the option to acknowledge. After you acknowledge the handover, the ATC window will change to give you an option of selecting "contact blah-blah on whatever frequency". If you select that, then your pilot voice will call up that controller and your radio will automatically change to that frequency.

Basically, ATC will tell you what course and altitude to fly and even tell you to hurry up if you are too slow descending (as i usually am - I tend to descend at a shallower rate than the default that the autopilot uses).

cheers

smith

Here's about the best simple guide I've read for flying IFR for beginners. Dave Maltby is genius - while you're there, have a look at his Trident! Amazing freeware.

smith