BRAVO7E7 From United States, joined Jul 2004, 1840 posts, RR: 35 Posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 8286 times:
This is a very stupid question. I usually fly boeing jets in FS2004, yet don't know how to find out where the runway is on landing. I have read the entire manual and can't figure it out. Basically, is there a device which tells you exactly how to line up with the runway for landing, or even which direction it is? I know it is somewhere on the GPS but can't figure it out. Thanks for the help.
"To find fault is easy: To do better may be difficult." -Plutarch
UA772IAD From Australia, joined Jul 2004, 1424 posts, RR: 3 Reply 3, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 8047 times:
I just learned how to do this:, I can help
1) When you begin your descent When the approach controller tells you which runway your going to land on (or when you chose yours), pull up the MAP (not the GPS one) Find the airport, and the appropriate runway Follow the runway's glideslope (the green arrow thing) and find the ILS marker (a pink "wedge" or circle in the green beam)
Click on it to get the ILS freq.
Input it on your NAV1 radio, to standby
When you get really close to the airport (20 miles), switch the standby NAV frequency to your active one and hit the ID button
Push the approach button on your panel (near the backcourse/heading button
Make sure you are in NAV mode (as opposed to GPS), and check your autopilot settings, the approach button sometimes turns off the alt, hold button, etc.
You will hear beeping, and when it intercepts the glideslope, the plane will turn to line up with the center of the runway
The plane will also follow the glideslope for you, and bring it down at the right interval
BRAVO7E7 From United States, joined Jul 2004, 1840 posts, RR: 35 Reply 4, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 8030 times:
Thanks UA772IAD. I just have a few questions:
When you get really close to the airport (20 miles), switch the standby NAV frequency to your active one and hit the ID button
What is the ID button?
Make sure you are in NAV mode (as opposed to GPS), and check your autopilot settings, the approach button sometimes turns off the alt, hold button, etc.
Where exactly is the NAV on the default boeing 737 panel
When the approach controller tells you which runway your going to land on (or when you chose yours), pull up the MAP (not the GPS one)
Find the airport, and the appropriate runway
I can't find this.
THanks a lot.
"To find fault is easy: To do better may be difficult." -Plutarch
FlyMIA From United States, joined Jun 2001, 3852 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 8011 times:
Okay or you can do a GPS landing if the weather is good. Once you get the clearance for the approach from the approach or Center controller open your GPS press PROC I think than select approach and chose which one you want, press it and than press activate. Put the NAV/GPS switch to GPS and put the NAV hold function on the autopilot on. Now the AP will fly you straight to the runway. It only controls heading not speed or altitude. But it is great when the weather is okay.
"It was just four of us on the flight deck, trying to do our job" (Captain Al Haynes)
N754AN From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 7991 times:
FlyMIA,
I have been doing that for a number of months now and it has proved to be very useful for landing...
BUT......!
At some airports it throws you off the runway heading just before you touchdown.
Say for example you are landing on Runway 27L at Heathrow (just an example).. you got the 2 points of final... i.e: FI27L, then RW27L, after you pass the RW27L point it navigates to the next beacon point, and at some airports the next point is not the same heading as the runway and it causes the plane to turn off and you end up messing up big time and being very frustrated!
What I do now to ensure that doesnt happen is check the beacon points when on approach. If the next one after the RW point is not the same heading as the runway, I turn off the NAV button just before I get to the RW point and use the heading on the autopilot (CTS reading) to get me to ground.
UA772IAD From Australia, joined Jul 2004, 1424 posts, RR: 3 Reply 7, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 7903 times:
N754AN: I agree, SYD (YSSY) is a bust too!
Bravo:
The ID button activates the radio frequency, and basically tells the ILS that your tapping into it. It's located between the two round buttons (under the screen that shows the ACTIVE and STANDBY radio frequency), it's simply a square switch that illuminates and says 'ID' when you press it,
The NAV/GPS is actually a toggle switch (my mistake) on the top of the 737 panel. (Not the top top where the light switches are, but the top of the main panel) It's located just to the left of the F/D (flight director) switch, the layout looks like this
___________________________________________
NAV/GPS | F/D A/T(autothrottle) A/P (autopilot)
________|___________________________________
The map button is also located on the top part of the main panel (not the overhead part). It's located in the cluster, or row of buttons to the left of the NAV/GPS switch. It's the third one in from the left. (It's symbol is an axis with a circle in it). It's next to the radio stack button (has the little radio tower on it).
I hope this helps!
Bully707 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 7835 times:
Hi there...!!!
One thing.... The ID button activates the radio frequency, and basically tells the ILS that your tapping into it. It's located between the two round buttons (under the screen that shows the ACTIVE and STANDBY radio frequency), it's simply a square switch that illuminates and says 'ID' when you press it,
The "ID" button only lets you hear the identification morse-code of the VOR, ILS etc.....you do not transmit anything when depressing the "ID" button.
Gosh I hope I'm not messing this up with something else.
UA772IAD From Australia, joined Jul 2004, 1424 posts, RR: 3 Reply 9, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 7683 times:
So wait, Bully, your saying you can actually put in the ILS frequency (in your active Nav radio part, of course), and the plane will actually fly the ILS, without that annyoing beeping?
Ftrguy From United States, joined Aug 2003, 347 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 7555 times:
UA772IAD:
You don't need to do anything with the ID button for it to fly the ILS. Unless you are a super geek, don't even use it. In the real world it is meant to correctly identify the station you are listening to. You might listen to it once to confirm the correct station and then turn it off, if you even listen to it at all.
FTRGUY's Basic Steps to fly an ILS.
1. Get the Frequency and Course from the Map page (not GPS map).
2. Put the Frequency in the NAV 1 and the Course in the CRS box in the autopilot controls. (The course just helps me to orient myself better. I also put it in NAV 2 just for kicks)
3. Turn Autopilot ON.
4. Make sure NAV is selected and not GPS.
5. Make sure APP is selected.
6. When glideslope and localizer are intercepted, the Autopilot will fly it almost to touchdown.
FTRGUY's Advanced Steps to fly an ILS
1. Do all of the above except #6.
2. A good pilot will know where he is at all times. If you can't figure it out with the GPS and the MAP page, stop here and don't worry about reading the rest.
3. Draw an imaginary centerline that extends from your intended landing runway about 20 miles. (This is done in your head)
4. Position yourself so that you intersect that extended centerline by about 30 degrees off. Example. If your final runway heading is 090, fly 120 if coming from the northwest or 060 if coming from the southwest. Try to be on the localizer no later than 10 miles.
4. Set this Heading using the HDG function on the autopilot.
5. Altitude-Try to be 2000ft AGL (Above Ground Level) no later than 8 miles out. You should intersect the glideslope somewhere between 8 and 6.5 miles, depending on actual height above ground. Once again use the autopilot and set the appropriate altitude in the ALT box and make sure it is selected.
6. When the autopilot starts tracking either glideslope or localizer, the ALT light or the HDG light will go out on the autopilot. If they are still on, the autopilot is not flying that portion of the ILS.
This is meant as a general approach and works just about anywhere. If you intercept the glideslope with too much of an angle, the autopilot will swerve all the way down and never line you up properly. It just can't handle big angles unless you are way far out.
As far as altitude goes you can intercept it anywhere. There is a general rule in aviation that with a 3 degree glideslope (which most are), you lose 300 ft per mile. So at 5 miles, you will intercept the glideslope at 1500ft or so. 6 miles 1800ft. This is also a general rule when shooting a Visual Approach when there are no glideslope indications.
Hope this helps,
FTRGUY
Naval Aviator and Flightsim Guru
NAV20 From Australia, joined exactly 6 years ago today! , 7183 posts, RR: 41 Reply 11, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 7445 times:
No-one seems to have mentioned the dials?
BRAVO, you'll see a big dial on the panel marked Nav1. When you get the runway heading, set the long arrow on the dial to that heading.
When the system picks up the ILS beam, you'll see a shorter line as well. Say you're headed for runway 24, which means a heading of 240 degrees - the display will look a bit like this:
----
----------> 240
The shorter line is the course to the runway relative to your present position. Set the 'Heading Hold' to a diagonal course which will intercept the shorter line, and press 'APP' as well.
The ILS system will intercept the course for you, and line you up with the runway - you will see the shorter line move until it joins the longer one, so that the display looks like this.
-------------> 240
You are now on the runway line. The 'HDG' light will have gone out.
Either side of the Attitude Indicator dial you will see more markers indicating the glidepath. At first they will be high up - as you approach the glidepath they will get lower. When they reach the centrepoint, you are on the glidepath and the aeroplane will start down. You'll know that the system has 'captured' the glidepath because the 'Altitude Hold' light will go out.
If that doesn't come clear, ask again. But first, read up the subject in the Learning Centre - it's not perfect, but it's well illustrated and, combined with what people have told you on here, it should make a lot of things clearer for you.
"Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards.." - Leonardo da Vinci
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