im new to this

[X56SB]

ok so i have picked my flight plan. it is one airport to another. my aircraft is the an124. how do i get it so it will take off hold the course to the other airport and land all by its self with out me doing anything excabt cheaking and making sure everything is right. thanks for the help

[raptor619]

im new and i would say AUTO piloT!!!!! . wheres that darn greycat. here kitty kitty kitty we need help lol.

[Daz]

ur a very lazy pilot lol

u can use autopilot whilst in the air but for takeoff or landing you would have to have some input

[tsunami_KNUW]

Auto landing?! Landing is the best part of flying! Well that's my opinion but FS doesn't come w/ an autoland. There is an approach hold switch that brings you over the runway but you have to set the bird down yourself. Just go to you GPS, and hit PROC. Then click "Select Approach, then "Activate". I'm sure someone else could give you more detailed directions since I rarely use it.

As for staying on course to the next airport you can click the NAV hold switch that will put you right on the line and bring you to your next destination. Good Luck!  8)

[X56SB]

on nav hold how do u pick which destion your goign to?

[tsunami_KNUW]

Well if you already have your flight plan set then there should be a purple line on your GPS that goes to your next destination. The NAV button just follows it  ;)

[Spiers]

Does this Nav switch Make your plane fly you right way up and level? Also do i have to turn to switch off to go on approach or can i set the approach and the nav at the same time? So the plane reaches its waypoit pink line thing then turns to go on final approach. This may apply to some airports only. The turning that is. I only have a keyboard and flying isnt fun with a keyboard so ill put auto pilot on until i get a joystick.

[Sterk]

steelx-so...can I ask what do you need it for?
Just to look at flying aircraft?So what's the point to have flight sim if you are not going to fly it?

[MadDriver]

If you have already filled out the Flight Planner, then all you need to do is put your altitude in the autopilot... then take off, switch from NAV to GPS, then turn on the autopilot and his the NAV button... that will follow the liine on the GPS all the way to your destination.

[tsunami_KNUW]

Does this Nav switch Make your plane fly you right way up and level? Also do i have to turn to switch off to go on approach or can i set the approach and the nav at the same time? So the plane reaches its waypoit pink line thing then turns to go on final approach. This may apply to some airports only. The turning that is. I only have a keyboard and flying isnt fun with a keyboard so ill put auto pilot on until i get a joystick.

No to hold your altitude you need to select an altitude then turn on the ALT Hold Switch.
And on approaches you need to torn the NAV switch off to turn the Approach Switch on.

[X56SB]

thanks. i just wanted to sometime sit back and injoy the view. also what speed do u need to get the an124 to left? i can get it but it seems to take a long time. how can i get it to lift off faster?

[MattNW]

thanks. i just wanted to sometime sit back and injoy the view. also what speed do u need to get the an124 to left? i can get it but it seems to take a long time. how can i get it to lift off faster?

Every airplane will take a certain amount of runway to lift off. The only exceptions are VTOL (Vetical Take Off and Landing) aircraft like helicopters. All others will need some room depending on their size, cargo/passenger load and fuel.

If it's taking way to long to lift off then you can reduce the fuel load or the weight of the aircraft. You can also dial in some nose up trim before take off and/or add a notch or two of flaps.

I'd suggest getting familiar with some of the flight lessons. They are there to help you get started and can be quite useful. Learn how to fly the small airplanes first and work your way up to the larger ones.

[X56SB]

which ones will help me fly the an124?

[Graycat8524]

Heya folks,

Sorry I couldn't get to you sooner, however, I just got home from work.

As Tsunami said there is not a true Autoland feature in FS 2004.  I'd also like to agree with Tsunami about landing being the best part of flying!!  Normally I will approach ILS keeping my airspeed so that my nose will be about 3 deg. to 5 deg. up.  Anywhere from 400' to 1000' above the runway threshold (depends on visibility) I will disengage the autopilot and land the airplane manually.

It's my understanding that there are some payware aircraft (like the PMDG 737 for example) which do have an autoland feature.  One thing to mention is that the learning curve on some payware aircraft may be quite high.  Use at your own risk.  

My suggestion is the same as MattNW's.  Spend some time (about a week or longer) with the FS 2004 flight lessons.  This will teach you the principles of flight, VFR, ATC, ILS, etc.  The flight lessons will better prepare you for flying the "Big Iron" like the AN-124.  Be aware, however, that the FS 2004 flight lessons (at least until you graduate to the Airline Transport Section) cover only General Light Aircraft.  The best way to learn is to "step up" in different aircraft going from smaller to bigger.  That way you get a "feel" for the flight characteristics of each aircraft.  If you perform all of the flight lessons in a Cessna 172 then suddenly "jump" into the cockpit of an AN-124 you're going to be flying it like it was a General Light Aircraft.  They're completely different birds with totally different flight characteristics.