Sim Flight Training: PPL: Part 5.1 of 7

[SubZer0]

Does the sim use an ADF with a fixed compass card or is it a rotatable compass card?  Or is it just an RMI?  I haven't used it in a long time, and I'm not anywhere near FS right now so I can't check.

Also, with the RMI, you can tune it to either NDBs or VORs, can't you?  Or is it just NDBs?  I've never actually used one, but it seems like if you could tune it to a VOR and have a CDI for the same VOR, it would be too easy almost.  But now I'm just talking about a HSI, aren't I?  I think it's too late and I'm just confusing myself now...

I think I just re-invented the wheel and sliced bread.  

Some planes in the sim use the RMI. I know the KingAir is one of them for sure; I forgot the other. It also has a fixed compass card. Some others, like the Cessna, have ADFs with a rotatable compass card and no RMI.

I believe RMIs can be tuned to both NDBs and VORs, as long as the VOR being used is in Nav-2. There is an earlier post in this thread that clears that up, refer to that in case I'm wrong.

[Brett_Henderson]

[quote]Does the sim use an ADF with a fixed compass card or is it a rotatable compass card?

[Brett_Henderson]

Some planes in the sim use the RMI. I know the KingAir is one of them for sure; I forgot the other. It also has a fixed compass card. Some others, like the Cessna, have ADFs with a rotatable compass card and no RMI.

I believe RMIs can be tuned to both NDBs and VORs, as long as the VOR being used is in Nav-2. There is an earlier post in this thread that clears that up, refer to that in case I'm wrong.

The KingAir and the Baron have RMIs.. both with slaved compass cards (that's what makes them RMIs)..

Quick note on HSIs..

[Mobius]

Yeah, can you tell that the question where you had to determine your position with two RMI needles was the one I spent the most time on on the IR written?  Oh well, I passed and learned a bit of a lesson.

But most important of all .. HOW 'BOUT THEM PACKERS !  :D 8-)

Go da' Packers.

[Brett_Henderson]

I'm going to move on to Part 6 so we can get to the checkrides

[AA]

Just thought I would jump in here with a little tip that might be helpful. I like to set the compass card on the ADF to 360. That way, it is easier to read how many degrees of deflection you have on the ADF. This makes it very easy to make wind corrections especially if you have a tough time visualising the ADF needle on the DG, and it makes it easier to turn onto a specific course to or from the NDB.

For example, say you are flying the same NDB approach that Brett used earlier. You fly outbound on the 095 course for 2 minutes and turn left to 050. Then, fly out for one minute and turn to 230. Now, Instead of trying to superimpose the ADF needle onto the DG you can just wait until the ADF needle is deflected to the right 45*, and you turn to 275 to track the NDB inbound. This 45* deflection is really easy to see if the compass card is set to 360.

I hope this tip helps out some people that may have trouble with NDB flying. I know that I used to always set the compass card to my heading, but my instructor told me to try just setting the card to 360 and it has made flying NDBs so much easier.

[Brett_Henderson]

I think I'll try that (real flying too)(although NDB navigation is a dying art...

[AA]

NDB navigation is a dying art...

This is very true. I have been learning to fly for a little over a year now at a university flight school. None of the new Warriors that they bought have ADFs in them, and none of the instructors teach how to really fly using NDBs. Luckily, I got one of the few really experienced instructors for my instrument training who knows the value of knowing how to fly NDBs.

On a side note, speaking of university flight programs, most of these programs are very good at turning out a large number of pilots, but they don't turn out many aviators. These programs are good at getting you the ratings and flight time you need to start flying with an airline, and for the most part, they do it cheaply, but sometimes it seems like their only goal is to get as many students through the program as possible. This isn't to say that university flight programs are not a good way to learn to fly, but instead, I am trying to encourage anyone that does go into one of these programs to try flying some hours with a very experienced instructor. This may mean even going outside of your flight school to do it, but just try to. A lot of times, you can learn more from a CFI with 20 years in 1 hour than you will in 5 hours with a CFI at a university who is just trying to build their hours before they move onto an airline.

[beaky]

Just thought I would jump in here with a little tip that might be helpful. I like to set the compass card on the ADF to 360. That way, it is easier to read how many degrees of deflection you have on the ADF. This makes it very easy to make wind corrections especially if you have a tough time visualising the ADF needle on the DG, and it makes it easier to turn onto a specific course to or from the NDB.

For example, say you are flying the same NDB approach that Brett used earlier. You fly outbound on the 095 course for 2 minutes and turn left to 050. Then, fly out for one minute and turn to 230. Now, Instead of trying to superimpose the ADF needle onto the DG you can just wait until the ADF needle is deflected to the right 45*, and you turn to 275 to track the NDB inbound. This 45* deflection is really easy to see if the compass card is set to 360.

I hope this tip helps out some people that may have trouble with NDB flying. I know that I used to always set the compass card to my heading, but my instructor told me to try just setting the card to 360 and it has made flying NDBs so much easier.  

Yeah, that's the "cheat" I learned; works pretty well.
But you still have to deal with wind, either way... that's why I have almost always used NDBs in RL (VFR) not for homing but for position fixes. Very handy when there's only one VOR station (or none) in range.

[Brett_Henderson]

Yeah, that's the "cheat" I learned; works pretty well.
But you still have to deal with wind, either way... that's why I have almost always used NDBs in RL (VFR) not for homing but for position fixes. Very handy when there's only one VOR station (or none) in range.

Even at the height of their popularity;  when the stations were well maintained, and radio guys new how to finesse that extra bit of accuracy out of the ADF receiver/antennas.. they were still pretty rough, accuracy wise.  BUT they always did make great fix references (see my avatar text), and could help you avoid BIG targets (like airspace), in the days before GPS.

I wish MSFS would build some innacuracy and inconsistency into NDB use 8-)

[Brett_Henderson]

** Bump  ( see thread:  "Putting it all together" ) **