Autopilot - Help!

[logjam]

That beeping BTW is the morse code identifier, to make sure you are not locked into the wrong ILS. This will ensure you don't land at Van Nuys instead of LAX. Once you have locked on, you can switch it off. Now as far as Auto landing is concerned, from this humble person DON'T! Better to follow the ILS localis(z)er and stay a little above the glidepath. Practise your approaches intercepting the glidepath at 5 miles out. You will need to monitor your groundspeed as well as your airspeed. To avoid stalling a good trick is to use flaps at the recommended speeds keeping power on and reserving full flaps until you are 30 ft above the threshold. Air brakes can be used if you have them. Make sure that you don't flare too much or you'll tail strike in some and reverse thrust in those that have it. Use braking when your groundspeed is down below 80. Then take off reverse thrust passing 60 and full braking then. Notice my logo says every landing is a good one? Well every landing you can walk away from is a GREAT one.

[Saitek]

Ok! Thanks very much all.
That's really helped and should keep me going till I'm back with me next question!

Ben

[Chris_F]

A note about Back Course (BC, B/C).  (My knowledge is fuzzy on this, I may be doing it wrong) This is what you use when you're headed AWAY from a VOR.  If you approach a VOR from the north you're on the 0deg radial.  When you pass over the VOR you're on the 180 radial.  If the plane's nose turns to the left the autopilot has to correct to the right when it hits the 179deg radial, but it doesn't know whether you're headed toward the VOR or away so it won't know whether to turn right or left.  The BC button tells it you're heading away from the VOR so it knows to turn right.

[Nexus]

Chris_F, your knowledge on Backcourse is not just fuzzy, it's flat out wrong  ;)

The backcourse is used exclusively on ILS approaches that has a mirror image of the LOC for the reciprocal runway.  :)

[beefhole]

YES! I had thought that for a while, just wasn't sure.  So if say, runway 27R has no ILS but 9L does, and you're on final for 27R, you would tune 9L ILS and hit B/C.  Is that right?

[commoner]

Yup....you got it there beefhole...set up for 9L but approach into 27R with BC selected............NOT forgetting that the Glideslope indicator won't be working............commoner

[Saitek]

Yeah I found I needed to use it yesterday.... what is the difference between NAV and APP? I've been experimenting and I'm nearly there, but I couldn't tell the diference.

[commoner]

Saitek.....(with AP on)  APPR causes the aicraft to recognize and lock onto the Localiser when on an ILS Approach. commoner

...the NAV button is used wth the GPS system. If you have an active course to another airport say in the GPS and have the NAV/GPS SWITCH on GPS then the NAV button will cause your aircraft to follow that course.

[Nexus]

Nav is used when you want to track a selected VOR course aswell...

[commoner]

Nexus...you are right of course..with the NAV/GPS switch on NAV then the NAV button will allow the aircraft follow the tuned VOR automatically..forgot that bit..sorry Saitek  :-[

[Saitek]

I'll try it out again on my flights again today...