Another question please.

[fscof_king_air]

Please help me understand what is the correct way to do the steps when working the radios.


1. I thought there was cat I, II and III. I thought cat III was the airliners where in the real world the polit was not allowed to touch the controlls unless a dis-function took place with in the radios.




Now in the lessons areea I read the following:



Using an Autopilot


Getting a helping hand
Related Links
Aircraft Information
Using the GPS
Navigation




What is an Autopilot?

An autopilot (from "automatic pilot"), is a device that can automatically control an aircraft's motion about one or more of its three axes (pitch, yaw, and roll), via input from a human pilot pushing buttons and turning knobs, or via navigational equipment sensing signals from navigation aids on the ground.

What Can an Autopilot Do?


King KwikTip

Learn how to get quick autopilot assistance.



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In Flight Simulator, the Cessna aircraft and the Beechcraft Baron 58 are equipped with autopilots that can:

Hold the wings level so that the airplane does not turn.
Maintain the aircraft's current pitch attitude.
Maintain a selected heading.
Maintain a selected altitude.
Maintain a selected rate of climb or descent.
Follow a VOR radial.
Track a localizer or localizer back course.
Track the localizer and glide slope of an Instrument Landing System (ILS).
Track a GPS course.
The GPS does not provide vertical guidance to the autopilot.



Additionally, the Beechcraft King Air 350, Bombardier Learjet 45, and all of the Boeing jets in Flight Simulator are equipped with automatic flight control systems that include an autopilot, an autothrottle (jets only), and a flight director. These systems can:

Maintain a selected speed (indicated air speed or Mach number).
Eliminate unwanted aircraft yaw.
Help a pilot to manually fly the aircraft exactly as the autopilot would.
DC–3 and Vega Autopilots

The autopilots on the Douglas DC–3 and Vega panels can:

Maintain the aircraft's current pitch attitude.
Maintain a selected heading.
These autopilots operate differently from the other autopilots in Flight Simulator. To learn more, see the Douglas DC–3 and Vega Flight Notes.


Some of the add-on aircraft and panels for Flight Simulator provide even more autopilot functionality, and model advanced features like:

Flight management computers (FMCs).
VNav (vertical navigation).
LNav (lateral navigation).
Flight Level Change.
Control Wheel Steering.
Autoland.
Why Would I Want to Use an Autopilot?

There are some pilots who view using an autopilot as a crutch (as in, "Real pilots don't need autopilots!"), but they're missing out, because used properly an autopilot can substantially reduce your workload…especially when flying under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). You can let the autopilot handle some of the grunt work (like maintaining heading and altitude) while you concentrate on more safety-oriented concerns (like navigating, looking for traffic, and communicating).

Reducing your workload by using an autopilot will also help you feel less tired at the end of a long flight. There's nothing more dangerous during the approach and landing phases of a flight (especially a bumpy IFR flight in the clouds) than a pilot who's mentally and physically exhausted from simply flying the airplane.

The Two Most Important Rules

When two pilots (for example, a flight instructor and a student) are taking turns controlling an airplane, they make it very clear who has control at any given moment. When one pilot hands over control to the other, he says, "You have the airplane." As the second pilot takes control, he may respond, "I have the airplane." In this way, they avoid a dangerous situation where both pilots are controlling the airplane (or no pilots are controlling the airplane).

Using an autopilot is no different. The two most important rules to remember when using a two- or three-axis autopilot like the ones modeled in the Flight Simulator aircraft are:

When the autopilot is off, you control the airplane.
When the autopilot is on, the autopilot controls the airplane, and you monitor and control the autopilot.
Staying in the Loop

Never ask the autopilot to do something you can't (or wouldn't) do yourself. For example, no good pilot would be able to make a 120-degree turn and intercept a localizer while flying at 300 knots less than a mile from the localizer; neither would an autopilot. Keep your expectations realistic. If you make things easy for the autopilot, the autopilot will make things easy for you.

That said, just because the autopilot is on doesn't mean you should take a nap. The great thing about using an autopilot is that it frees up some of your attention to do other important tasks. So instead of staring blankly out the window, get to work:

Maintain situational awareness. Even when the autopilot is controlling the aircraft, as the pilot in command, you're still ultimately responsible. Don't rely on the autopilot to take you to your destination. If you know where you are at all times and the autopilot fails, you can easily take over.
Monitor which autopilot functions are engaged. Talk to yourself, if it helps. For example, you might say, "The autopilot is engaged. Altitude hold mode is engaged and we're climbing to 7,000 feet MSL. Heading hold is engaged and holding heading 260 degrees, which is our ATC-assigned heading to intercept the 290 degree course from the Seattle VOR."
Make sure the autopilot is doing what you want it to. If something seems wrong, if the autopilot seems to be malfunctioning, don't hesitate to disengage it: click the autopilot master switch, or press Z. Note that doing so does not disengage the autothrottle (available on Flight Simulator jets), which is a separate system. To disengage the autothrottle, click the autothrottle switch (see below), or press SHIFT+R).
Monitor the engine instruments. Use some of your extra attention to check on the engine. Confirm desired power settings, and check on fuel usage.
Other Tips

There's a lot to remember about using autopilots. Here are some key points to keep in mind as you fly:

Don't attempt to manually control the aircraft with the joystick while the autopilot is turned on. If, for example, you select Altitude Hold mode and then try to hand-fly the airplane, the autopilot will compensate by running the trim. This situation can lead to several problems in the real world, especially if you're flying in the clouds. For example, upon disengaging the autopilot, you could find that the autopilot had run the trim all the way nose up or nose down and have a very hard time maintaining control of the airplane, or the autopilot could disengage itself after hitting the trim limits. You might assume that the autopilot is still on, release the controls to unfold a chart, or tune the radios, and enter a spiral, stall, or other unpleasant condition before you figured out what was going on.
Always disengage the autopilot before landing. None of the autopilots in Flight Simulator are equipped with autoland capabilities. Always disengage the autopilot and autothrottles during the final approach, at least by decision height (DH).
Always "fly the airplane" first and foremost. If you're fiddling with the autopilot and something doesn't make sense, don't fixate on the problem. Fly the airplane (manually if necessary), and come back to the problem as your time and attention permit.
Don't lose your manual flying skills. Autopilots make your job easier, but if you always use one, you may forget how to fly by hand. Hand-fly every now and then to keep your skills sharp.



I am confussed as what is possible in fs9 and whats not. Yes I can read the lesson but stay unsure as we all see the post that are placed in the relation of the cat I, II, and III in relation to using the auto polit for auto landing (or say the cat III landings).

I usually sim fly in a turpo prop and like to work the radios and nav that way and love the rockie mountians and the challanges that they present. Also I like to mess with the BC (Back Crs) mode.


I guess I am unsure what is like the real world and whats is not. This is really true with the radios auto polit buttons as well as say the King Air. I read the King Air that come with the software was not realistic in its flight behavior.



Most everyone has been real helpful and I appreciate all the help. I hope one day I can help back. Have a great Friday and "keep the shinney side up".


Thanks.











System:
p-4@2.8 HTT

1 gig ram

1st v-card ATI 9800 pro @ 128

2nd v_card ATI 9000 pro @ 128

Hard Drives = 120 and secondary is 40.

Hard ware=
PFC Cirrus II, external radio stack, pedals

[timjohns]

You question isn't that clear to me, and it's mixed with a load of rubbish that's been copied from FS.

If you are asking about ILS, then there are several different catagories, differing in their precision, the most precise being CAT IIIc which is used for autoland. This can be done in FS, although not that easily with the default planes.

Hope this helps.