FSX:SE is new to me. ?

[GBJim]

FSX:SE is new to me, and I am trying to fly the F-18 on auto pilot. On the panel, where are the Altitude Set and Hold controls ? And also, the GPS engage switch ?

 

Thank you.

 

 

Jim

[mrzippy]

Just guessing since I don't have Acceleration.....on the MFD display screen??

 

[PhantomTweak]

I know how odd it seems for me to weigh in on an F-18 topic, but here goes...:p

 

First, The easy question. You can switch from GPS to NAV, and back naturally, on the HSI screen of any of the three MFD's. Look up at the top of the HSI screen, and there's a soft button that says GPS. Press the associated button on the outside of the MFD, and it will be navigating on the GPS system. The softbutton will then switch to NAV. To switch back to using the regular NAV system, press the associated button again.

 

To see what AP modes are active, switch an MFD of your choice to ALC. Select Menu, down at the bottom, and select the ALC button, bottom right softbutton. The AP Master switch is on the UFC, the row of button on the bottom, far right. The button that brings up the AP mode choices is at the far left. Press it, and the UFS will present a volumn of selections on it's right side for you to choose from. To choose altitude hold, press the button beside the one that says BALT. If you're below 5000' AGL, you can use the RALT choice to hold the altitude above the surface.

When the F-18 was first developed for Accelertation, sadly, the RALT selection didn't work as designed It holds the current altitude, but it doesn't do terrain following, like you'd think. Essentially, it's just another BALT switch.

There's no setting the altitude before hand. All the selections for the AP are only a "Hold current" type thing. If you select BALT, you will hold current altitude. HSEL holds current heading.

 

If you want the plane to follow a flight plan in the GPS, select the CPL button. It will follow the GPS if it's selected on an HSI screen, or the NAV1 frequency (only 1 NAV radio available anyway) if NAV is chosen.

There is also an "autothrottle" system, but in the original F-18 it doesn't work very well. SHFT+R will activate it. If you're at cruise with the gear and flaps up, it will hold the current airspeed. If you're in Power Approach mode, IE: Gear and flaps full down, plane slowed to approach speed, it will hold the proper AOA for the planes weight. At least it's supposed to. The default F-18's doesn't work worth a darn, though. Moving the throttle manually to above 90%, or below 10%, will disengage it.

 

Having gone through all that, though, if you want a better, more detailed, explanation, try reading THIS THREAD over on the FS Dream Team's FSX Blue Angels' forum. It explains all this in great detail.

 

May I make a suggestion, though? Forget the default F-18. It was well done, for it's time, but the team that designed it went on to upgrade it incredibly. They are currently on the v18.3. I very strongly suggest registering on their forum, it's free and easy, much like my ex-wife :D :( . Then, go to the first post in THIS THREAD, and download and install their version. The F/A-18C v18.3.

You'll never look back.

 

Also, download AICarriers.NET, and vLSO, from the same forum. Notice that's not the original AICarriers.exe that uses the JAVA programming, but AICarriers.NET from Orion Lau. It uses the .NET Framework programming system, and it works a lot better. Especially in FSX:SE and the various P3D incarnations. It uses a lot less in the way of computer resources, and doesn't seem to have the problem with staying on after the sim is shut down, if launched automatically with the EXE.XML file.

Each has their own thread. I suggest starting out with the Nimitz and Ike V2 package from the library here to use in AICarriers.NET for carrier ops. Traps aboard, launches, you name it.

Beware, the AI LSO's in vLSO are really grumpy, and very hard to please. I think they hate me personally, but I can't prove it. :rolleyes:

 

Hope my babbling helps a little...

Pat☺

[GBJim]

Thanks guys; I will give all of these things a try. It will probably take a little while before I get it all sorted out, but it looks very promising. :)

 

 

Jim