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Yaw damper


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Just what it sounds like: It damps yaw excursions.

Particularly due to weather. All it takes are a couple degree vatiations in the wind, a small thermal, whatever, and the yaw can vary. Yaw damper reduces or eliminates them. It's like the autopilot's wing leveler feature. It works in yaw, rather than roll, though. makes it smoother for passengers, and keeps the AP from yawing the bird too greatly during wind shifts and so on.

It also reduces the rudder movement by use of the pedals, however, so it's normally a good idea to turn it off during landing evolutions, in case you need to crab due to crosswinds, unexpected wind shifts, and so on.

Does that answer your question?

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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Yes, that answers my question. I kinda figured that's what it was for and I always used it when I got up past 24 thousand or so or when there's been heavy turbulence and I rock back and forth.

 

Without creating another post I have another quick question: What does the flight director do? How would I use it to my benefit?

 

Thanks again!

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The flight director provides a guide to the pilot via the artificial horizon (an overlay on it) when the autopilot is disengaged. It displays the small airplane symbol in the attitude the pilot should fly to follow whatever nav path has been programmed, and the pilot can fly to match the normal attitude indicator to the overlay to fly the programmed path.

 

Larry N.

As Skylab would say:

Remember: Aviation is NOT an exact Science!

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I'm trying to understand. You said when the autopilot is off the flight director shows up? It seems it shows up in my Lear 45 in FSX as soon as I press AP. With that, does that mean I can use the flight director to help me on a glide slope?

 

In the case of the PMDG 737, I guess I could also use the flight director in manual flying to help with LNAV and VNAV manually?

 

Thanks!

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You said when the autopilot is off the flight director shows up?

 

That's not what I said. I said that it can guide the pilot when the autopilot is disengaged (meaning not controlling the airplane), not when it is off. I guess I wasn't real clear on the statement, but I said you can use it with the AP disengaged, but I didn't mention "showing up."

 

I don't know anything about your Lear or your 737, but some aircraft also have a separate switch to turn the flight director on, though the AP must be on also. And it should display its "commands" even when the AP is flying the aircraft, but it might be hard to see, depending on the display.

 

Edit: It occurs to me that perhaps I should have said that it uses the autopilot's electronics to manipulate its display, but without having to engage the AP's servos.

 

Larry N.

As Skylab would say:

Remember: Aviation is NOT an exact Science!

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