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Gauge to line up runway


johnbla

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Hi guys,

I'm new to here. I was wondering if anyone knows of a gauge that could help me line up my designated runway, say from about 10 or so miles out. I fly mainly VFR and I have trouble lining up the runway as I only see it at the last moment.

 

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

John

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If your runway has an ILS, you can use it to line up to the runway. dial the ILS frequency in the nav1 then do a keyboard shortcut CTRL-O, make sure the autopilot is on. This will line you up to the runway without doing a full ILS approach.
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mqytn

 

Many thanks for your reply. However I fly mostly VFR into smallish airports and they often don't have ILS. I was hoping that there might be a small gauge that would show me the bearing and distance to a point about 10 miles from the runway, so that all you had to do was to fly to that point until you were about half a mile out and then you just had to turn into the runway heading and you would be lined up.

 

I guess I could put in a point on a flight plan, but I fly with ASN and I don't know which runway is the active.

 

I am sure it would be a simple gauge to programme, but I have zero coding skills.

 

Oh well, I will keep looking.

 

John

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Try looking up SALS V9 https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?do=copyright&fid=101555

here in the library. It is exactly the thing you're looking for, and about as hard to install as butter on toast.

Give it a shot, you might like it :)

Pat☺

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

Had a thought...then there was the smell of something burning, and sparks, and then a big fire, and then the lights went out! I guess I better not do that again!

Sgt, USMC, 10 years proud service, Inactive reserve now :D

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mqytn

Many thanks for your reply. However I fly mostly VFR into smallish airports and they often don't have ILS. I was hoping that there might be a small gauge that would show me the bearing and distance to a point about 10 miles from the runway, so that all you had to do was to fly to that point until you were about half a mile out and then you just had to turn into the runway heading and you would be lined up.

John

 

ILS Guidance to Anywhere on earth.

A few months back I created a "Mark Position" instrument , it is a Pop Up window.

It enables you to capture your aircraft's current position either on the ground or when airborne.

It Captures and saves current :

-Lat/Long

-Precise Heading

-Ground Elevation

 

From that it displays as text and Graphics:

-Bearing

-Distance in nm or in ft if 10,000' or less

-Glideslope

-Height above that point

All are relative to that "Mark Position".

It calculates the circuit width or offset to the axis created by the captured Heading.

-it has several Memory buttons

It displays:

-a Bearing arrow

-a Captured Heading (Mark Heading) arrow

-ILS style 'Glideslope' and 'LOC' the usual ILS guidance Deviation Bars together with

ILS proximity guidance mini bars.

You can:

-set the usual 3.00 degree Glideslope or any angle (handy for dive bombing)

 

This instrument allows you to input a Runway length from 0' to 10,000' ,

the 0' being handy for Helicopter use , you then can save both ends of your

Runway , and thus conduct full precision ILS approaches to either end of

your Runway.

 

The above capabilities are not restricted to Runways , they can equally be applied

to paddocks, roads, top of hardened buildings/skyscrapers , rivers , lakes or sea,

of course you would need floatplanes for the water.

 

While it was originally created for military jet applications , it is probably more handy

for GA aircraft , crop dusters , fire fighting aircraft , float planes, helicopters or Harriers.

 

LIMITATION

It's limitation is that you must be accurately aligned Heading wise and be over

the position that you wish to capture/save (ie; touchdown position).

 

I have not uploaded this instrument , but if it is of interest to you it is

available at the following Link.

- scroll to the very end click on the "attached file" 'MkPosXand9update.zip' and download and install ( it works in both FS9 and FSX ) .

 

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/mark-position-final-version-full-code.430467/

 

 

Cheers

Karol

Some screenshots of instrument and it's use in circuit work.

 

MP1.jpg

 

The ILS bars can be switched on by clicking centre of crosshairs if desired.

The Arrow indications in the shot allow you to precisely align and fly each of the

4 legs of a rectangular circuit , you are informed of both circuit height and width.

The Glideslope angle readout enables you to anticipate when to turn from

Downwind onto Base, as it's value approaches 3.00 degrees turn , then on Base

when it reads 3.00 degrees commence descent maintaining that value.

MP2.jpg

 

ILS Deviation bars selected on , and Arrow pointers selected off, both can

be selected on at the same time if desired.

MP6.jpg

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How do you install the Mark Position into FSX, or a particular aircraft in FSX?

 

In that zip you will find "Panel" click on that and read it.

 

Do the following :

1. Copy the folder titled MARK" , then paste that into the panel folder of the

aircraft into which you want to install the gauge.

2. Then modify the aircraft's 'Panel cfg' by adding the entries contained

in the above mentioned "Panel" draft .

 

See below :-

At the very top of your Panel cfg add the following line

[Window Titles]

WindowXX=Mark Position

 

 

 

//-----Add Icon line at end of existing 2D panel ----------

[WindowXX]

gaugeXX=MARK!MK_icon, 2,420,11,11 //----Icon switch----------This line can only be added to the older 2D or virtual cockpit

sections , it cannot be entered into the modern 3D style cocpits

 

//--------------------------------------------------------

 

1.The following is the entry for the Pop Up Window that displays this subject instrument.

2. If you are unable to install the above call up Icon , then you will have to call up the instrument window by keyboard - "Shift plus Number"

//---------MARK POSITION This is the new added Window----------------------

[WindowXX]

Background_color=0,0,0

size_mm=1024,768 //---For 4X3 monitor adjust for Widescreen---

window_size_ratio=1.000

position=1

visible=0

ident=1915 //-----For Icon included-----------

sizeable=1

zorder=95

window_size= 1.000, 1.000

window_pos= 0.000, 0.000

 

gauge00=MARK!MARK_TEST, 0,20,200,240

 

//--------------------------------------------------------

Note XX shown above represents the next sequential number for the section of the panel cfg concerned

 

For 16x9 widescreen monitors try size_mm=1366,768 instead of size_mm=1024,768

 

Cheers

Karol

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Glad that you got it installed.

It's like any ILS , it requires quite a bit of practice , and as always with them

they get more and more sensative the closer you get to the touchdown

point , basically you are getting funneled down to the pointy end of a cone.

 

Sorry about the brief notes , it's only a development instrument , so the notes

are a bit rough , it's rather hard to get across that what it is doing is

generating an imaginary runway at any location that you desire.

On a lake that instrument will guide you with absolute precision to exactly the same spot

with the same heading as many times as you wish to land there.

 

For helicopter use it will indicate distance to (1) one foot of you chosen spot ,

and the bearing arrow will indicate if it's left/right front/rear.

 

Regards the circuit width,

it is your current distance in nm from your Runway (Mark Heading) axis line .

For example , you may be distance 100nm away from your Mark Position , but

only 2.16nm offset from the axis line.

The " Cct Width 2.16 Left R " indicates,

that you are in the 'Left Rear" quadrant relative to the Mark Position.

If it was 'F' instead of 'R' , F = Front , it provides full situational awareness of

you current location relative to the Mark Position ( or generated runway ).

 

It was definitely a fun instrument to create .

 

Cheers

Karol

PS; please ignore the "Single Middle Click" , that only functions in the panel at the end of

the previous Link , what it does is force the Radar in mode 6 to the location of

the Mark Position so that the Radar depicts that location , it's a part of some expansions

that I have planned for this instrument.

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  • 3 months later...

My thanks to Mr Zippy for detecting the following error.

 

The Icon title is incorrect , my apologies to anyone using this instrument.

 

To fix the Icon title do the following :-

1. highlight and RIGHT click and copy the following,

 

MK_Icon

 

2. Open the "MARK" folder that you have.

3. left click on INS_Icon.

4. in the top blue bar , to the left you will see the word Organize , click on that.

a drop down dialogue box will appear.

click on Rename.

5. The INS_Icon will now have turned blue,

RIGHT click on that blue area and paste.

6.The Icon will now read correctly as MK_Icon .

 

7. you can exit the Mark folder , the Icon should now be visible in your panel .

 

Once again my apologies for any inconvenience that I might have caused.

 

Cheers

Karol

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  • 1 year later...

Back in the mists of time I had exactly the same problem, as I got closer to the runway it veered to one side or the other and my joystick control got wider and wilder until the inevitable happened.

 

Then I was told that in real life the windshield gets hit by bugs.

 

If you use an appropriately placed bug as a marker, line this up with the runway and follow it down.

 

The problem is simulating a bug on the windsheild. Unfortunately the links to my 2006 post have been removed from AN-other site, but from memory I created a small panel about 4 pixels square coloured blue and placed it in my eye line.

 

I toggled it on and off with a button or keyboard key press and I was instantly better, but certainly not perfect at getting my bird on the runway.

 

I hope the vague outline of a plan may help in a bit of practical work in panel design, but actually increase your enjoyment by getting the thing down!

 

You could always use a blob of paper cut from a postit note on your screen to see if it works for you before going further.

 

Bob

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