Free Flight Question

[viridans]

hi, i'm new to the forum and to flight simulator x. i was wondering if it is possible to change the type of aircraft you use for the missions. second, when i create a free flight, none of the navigation markers show up on the navigation monitor and so i have no idea how to fly to where i want to go. and if i do make it there somehow, the dme marker doesn't show up to let me know how i am lined up to the landing strip. is there a way to set waypoints and have them show up as red lines like it does in the missions? and how do i tune into the ils system of an airport?

[darkstar10]

#1 - you cant change planes on missions

#2 - try IFR. on the free flight screen, select "create flight plan" i believe and then select the airport to depart from and the airport to arrive at. then from there select altitude and gps i bleieve and it will automatically set the course for you. then the magical voice in the sky will tell you to turn when and how much and they should line you up for your landing when it comes down to it

[viridans]

i set it up like you said... and i did get the voice telling me to turn to align myself... but then it died... i ended up way out of my flight plan. this sucks because i've done all the missions and now i would like to set up my own flights. i lived in st. martin for 8 years, and i watched the air france widebody land and take off every day. and i also saw the air transat heavy take off and land. i want to do that. after taking the YYZ to SXM flight so many times, i want to experience that as a pilot. i try to set it up and i end up somewhere else, no guidance...

can someone please help me with this? thanks

[Brett_Henderson]

Hi Viridans,

If you create the flight plan, it will load into the GPS and if it's an IFR flight plan, ATC will give you altitudes and headings. Even if it's a VFR flight plan, you can slave the auto-pilot to follow the flight plan, and all you have to do is dial in altitudes and airspeeds. When you near the airport, you can even use the GPS to select your approach and the auto-pilot will follow that too (unless there's an unusually sharp turn) and again... all you have to do is control altitude and airspeed (use flaps accordingly and lower the gear).. and just turn the auto-pilot off for the flare and touchdown.

There are a few steps that need to be learned to do this:

-dial in your desired/appropriate altitude/airspeed
-engage the auto-pilot after take off
-select 'GPS' on the NAV/GPS selector
-activate the 'NAV' function on the auto-pilot

Then you can just sit back and watch.......

... but you said the key words..

i want to experience that as a pilot

Hop in the old C172 and practice practice practice, navigating. Plan your flights yourself (all aspects; time/distance, fuel burn, wind, weather, etc.).  Learn VOR/NDB/ILS use until it's second nature (leave the GPS off). Work your way up to the jets and then use the GPS because you want to (not because you have to), but still plan the flights yourself. If you do use the built-in flight planner; study that flight so you "could if you had to" fly it manually. And even as you are flying by GPS/auto-pilot, back it all up and confirm you position periodically by VOR/NDB.

If there is one aspect to simming (I think there are many) that you could apply tomorrow, in a real plane... it's navigation  :)

[viridans]

thanks for the help. that seems to work out well. the only problem that i'm having now is with the final approach. i'm used to having the runway bar- is it DME?- in the instrument panel to help me line up the runway from far. but i don't have that when i'm flying IFR and when i get close to the runway i'm off and then it's last minute heroics to either land or crash... lol. can someone tell me how to get that runway alignment bar? thanks.

[Moach]

DME - Distance Measurement Equipment

ILS - instrumental Landing Sytem -

[viridans]

thank you. i will try that out. i looked into the DME and i found that the system design is very clever. it basically sends out two frequency pulses from a set point and the on board computer distinguishes which of these pulses is stronger- and directs you accordingly. when the pulses are equal, you are lined up with the runway.

i learn something new everyday... and i love it.

[viridans]

i'm sorry, to add to this question, i was wondering if i can start a flight in the air. i would like to practice my approach to a certain airport and i was wondering if there is a way to do it without having to take off and fly into that airspace. thanks

[loomex]

Some airports do not have an ILS. I do not believe Princess Julianna IAP has an ILS for its runway.

[viridans]

in the caribbean landing mission there is a green marker that shows you when you are lined up with the runway.

[Moach]

you can easily see which runways have ILS by opening the map (or GPS, for that matter) and zooming in on the airport, runways with ILS have green arrows pointing towards them