Can anyone tell me what this button does?

https://ibb.co/hgX2dQ4

 

The red AL button with the down arrow?

 

I’ve been playing FSX for years, spent hundreds of hours in the default 737 and yet I’ve never noticed this button before.

 

It’s as seen in the picture but turns green if I press it, no obvious effect. It doesn’t appear in the VC view just in the 2D.

 

I use Active Sky and Rex.

 

If anyone can help please let me know what it does?! Thanks

Auto-Land?

 

Just a guess...

Pat☺

A good guess Pat! It's autoln21.zip for FS2004 here in the library. MAW80, you might need to download and re-install the gauge if the panel icon doesn't do anything.

MAW80 - What you could do, open your panel.cfg, find the coordinates for the ECU icon, and then search for an entry close to that (a few numbers less than the first entry for the ECU icon)! The entry may come closer to identifying it!

 

ie: ECU icon coordinate, 160,154,19,19 in this example, I would look for something a little less than the 160! These numbers are only for example, but it will be just less than the first number indicated for the ECU icon.

 

Good luck, I am anxious to know myself!

 

Rick :cool:

 

 

######## OOPS, sorry, I must have been typing when Tim responded, I guess we know now it is an Autoland function, never seen one before! #################

Edited October 22, 2019 by Downwind66

Right on, Tim!

 

FS2004 (ACOF) - FS2004 Panels FS2004 Autoland Gauge

[ Download | View ]

Name: autoln21.zip

Size: 202,817 Date: 04-30-2008 Downloads: 3,943

 

FS2004 Autoland Gauge version 2.1. Provides full hands-off autoland capability for all airliners. Simple installation. By Martyn Becker, adapted and amended from original XML programming by Nick Pike.

Many thanks all it is indeed the Autoland v21 from FS2004/FS9. I did indeed go poking around in the panel.cfg of the 164 liveries package for the default 737 and it was installed as part of that.

 

The confusion was that I’d spent a lot of time using the default white skin 737 hence why I hadn’t noticed this as it only appears on the repainted versions.

 

Not sure if it’s been tweaked to work with FSX as it was more CFIT than landing. I’d set up a decent landing configuration before intercepting the glide slope and activating, it reduced the speed applied the right flaps and lowered the gear but proceeded to throw the plane into the tarmac without flare far too aggressively.

 

I don’t know others opinion but it feels a bit like cheating anyway. Considering there’s already the ability to use ILS down to 1000ft and then take over manually, this just seems like it takes the fun out of the landing.

 

Many thanks for your replies.

In the file mrzippy gave, read the included readme.txt to see how to set up and use that gauge.

...but proceeded to throw the plane into the tarmac without flare far too aggressively.

 

Tut-tut! It didn't "throw" the plane down, it just made a good Navy landing in a plane not made to make Navy landings. 7-800 fpm descent rate, never, ever flare. Good Navy landing :cool: :rolleyes: :pilot:

 

Now YOU need to find a plane with an undercarriage made to take such landings.

 

Problem solved...

 

Seriously, you can, CAN mind you, use the ILS all the way to touchdown. You don't HAVE to, but you CAN. The ILS is only guidance. You can let the AP fly the plane on down the ILS beams, OR you can use the instruments to monitor the glideslope and localizer while you fly the plane. Putting down the flaps, gear, and so on, slowing down or speeding up as appropriate, etc, etc.

Alternatively, you can ignore the ILS system entirely, and use visual ques to fly the plane down to touchdown.

 

So, three possibilities. A lot depends on how YOU prefer to fly. If I can see the airport/boat, I prefer to fly the plane visually, overall, using the instruments to verify I'm doing it correctly. And, no, I usually am not, but I do what I can. If it's a CAT II or CAT III landing, I use the instruments a lot more, since all I can see outside is dark and clouds. :rolleyes:

 

Have fun!

Pat☺