trainfreek92 Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Hey all, Im very new and a beginner to flying big commercial airliners (Usually fly light aircrafts). This is probably a very simple question but after take off how do I make my plane follow the flightplan I have put in. The second pilot does stuff after take off but doesn't switch which ever switch it is for me to follow the pink line. very confused. Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill10 Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 What Airbus aircraft are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainfreek92 Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 What Airbus aircraft are you using? Aerosoft Airbus A318. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptCaveman Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 click on the autopilot buttons to activate them. Ie turn the dial to your intended course and click it. Autopilot will now fly that course. Same for altitude adjustment. Throttle requries auto-throttle engaged before it will click in. its the button marked AT on the autopilot. Press AT first, then turn the dial to the speed you want and again click the button. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainfreek92 Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 click on the autopilot buttons to activate them. Ie turn the dial to your intended course and click it. Autopilot will now fly that course. Same for altitude adjustment. Throttle requries auto-throttle engaged before it will click in. its the button marked AT on the autopilot. Press AT first, then turn the dial to the speed you want and again click the button. Oh I see. H ow do I know what course I should be doing? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evm Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 No offense, but you could do the tutorial flight in the documentation "Vol6-StepByStep". It will answer most of your questions... Frooglesim's videos on youtube about the AXE are good info too (the same procedures apply to your 318). I assume you keyed in the flightplan correctly and you have set up the performance data in the left MCDU. The autopilot is controlled by the FCU (Airbus-ese for MCP) - the top middle part of the dashboard. There you see the speed, heading and altitude windows, plus several buttons, like A/THR and AP1/AP2 When you enter the runway, you click on the turning knobs that change the settings in the speed and heading windows so both show only "dash-dash-dash-dot" (and no numbers), you turn the knob for the altitude window and key in your initial altitude you got from atc, then click on that as well, so it shows "number-dot". The "dot"s mean, that these parameters are "managed", that they are controlled by the flight computers as you set up in the left MCDU. So before takeoff you have to see "dash - dot, dash - dot, number-dot", AP1/AP2 both off. You turn on A/THR , and you advance the throttles until you hear first one, then the second click. At about 400 to 1000 feet you engage AP1 - and reduce the throttles one click to the climb setting. After that you are hands-off. You only have to adjust the altitude as advised by ATC until you reach cruise. At TOD descent is initiated by turning down the altitude to the final approach fix or whichever waypoint marks the approach (or 100 feet for "all-the-way-down") and clicking on the turning knob once again. If the FCU panel settings do not engage like I described, then there is something wrong in the left MCDU. Oh. and don't forget to check your route for discontinuities (you will recognize it when you see one) and set departure and arrival procedures if available. The autopilot may get into trouble (not engage at all) if for example your plan forces it to do a 180 after takeoff to get on your route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill10 Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 nuitkati gave you the best answer. Do the tutorial flight. After a few flights you'll get the hang of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL-9000 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 You turn on A/THR , and you advance the throttles until you hear first one, then the second click. At about 400 to 1000 feet you engage AP1 - and reduce the throttles one click to the climb setting Just a couple of pointers for you: You shouldn't manually engage autothrust on take-off. Autothrust is designed to be engaged automatically when you select take-off thrust. So you don't need to touch the Autothrust button, you just need to put the thrust levers forward into the FLX or TOGA gates. Autopilot can be engaged at anywhere above 100ft (or 5 seconds after take-off, whichever is later). Thrust levers should be reduced to the Climb detent at Thrust Reduction altitude. In Europe this is at 1000ft above the airport elevation. The aerosoft, and many other, addons have this defaulted to 1500ft, which should be manually changed by you. So for instance at Gatwick it will show 1700/1700 and 1700 for Thrust reduction, acceleration and EO acceleration respectively. These should all be changed to 1200. Thrust levers should be reduced at this point, which will be notified you by a change in FMA, a flashing white LVR CLB message in your PFD. (P.S they are thrust levers, not throttles - jet engines do not have throttles. A throttle is a valve which adjusts the flow of air into the carburettor in order to refine the fuel/air mixture entering the cylinders. Jet engines have no carb, and instead the fuel/air mixture in the combustion chamber is refined using the compressor (N2) and the fuel injectors - not a throttle in sight). Hope I've helped clarify some things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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