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Need Advice from an Old Pro on Instrument Approaches!


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Have I mentioned there's no manual for MSFS, at least not one that actually gives you any info on how to fly the planes? (Rhetorical question.)

 

Anyway, I am trying to up my skills to the next level, which I do by blundering around with buttons on the panel while I'm on AP. So I was in the King Air, flying a GPS route from KDEN to Jackson Hole (KJAC). Nearing KJAC, I decided to fiddle with the settings in the right-hand screen, and pushed "PRO." This produced the display I attach here. This looked like the screens I've seen in YouTube instructional videos for the CJ4, a hopeful sign. So I clicked on "Load and Activate." My King Air then left the GPS route, but did not follow the path traced by those waypoints. Instead, it went to 315, heading for nothing -- at least not KJAC. I then changed my CDI to VOR1. No effect.

 

So I deactivated the autopilot and started to fly the approach pattern on the screen. Being a polite sort, I contacted the KJAC tower, but they told me to "Fly left traffic, Runway 21" -- in other words, land to the south, directly opposite the approach on my screen.

 

Is the AP supposed to follow the approach generated by the panel? If so, how can I get it to do that? And how does the plane generate an approach path without checking with the tower?

 

Thanks all.

King Air panel.jpg

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Have I mentioned there's no manual for MSFS, at least not one that actually gives you any info on how to fly the planes? (Rhetorical question.)

 

Anyway, I am trying to up my skills to the next level, which I do by blundering around with buttons on the panel while I'm on AP. So I was in the King Air, flying a GPS route from KDEN to Jackson Hole (KJAC). Nearing KJAC, I decided to fiddle with the settings in the right-hand screen, and pushed "PRO." This produced the display I attach here. This looked like the screens I've seen in YouTube instructional videos for the CJ4, a hopeful sign. So I clicked on "Load and Activate." My King Air then left the GPS route, but did not follow the path traced by those waypoints. Instead, it went to 315, heading for nothing -- at least not KJAC. I then changed my CDI to VOR1. No effect.

 

So I deactivated the autopilot and started to fly the approach pattern on the screen. Being a polite sort, I contacted the KJAC tower, but they told me to "Fly left traffic, Runway 21" -- in other words, land to the south, directly opposite the approach on my screen.

 

Is the AP supposed to follow the approach generated by the panel? If so, how can I get it to do that? And how does the plane generate an approach path without checking with the tower?

 

Thanks all.

 

I'm no expert, but I've had problems activating a procedure if the current waypoint is the landing airport. I thought that might be your problem so I recreated your flight. GPS direct from KDEN to KJAC. Flew on autopilot and just after passing KSAA I activated the procedure for VOR 1 Approach to KJAC. The magenta line started where I activated it and it's taking my to the first point on the approach EBACA. It continued to fly the approach correctly to the airport. to KJAC VOR1.JPG

 

I do notice from your pic that the Autopilot was not on NAV mode. It says ROL, instead of GPS. Did you purposely do that when it started to go haywire, or is that what caused it to go haywire? Your GPS says it's taking you to EBACA, but it won't do it if the AP says ROL.

 

Hope that helps.

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I'm no expert, but I've had problems activating a procedure if the current waypoint is the landing airport. I thought that might be your problem so I recreated your flight. GPS direct from KDEN to KJAC. Flew on autopilot and just after passing KSAA I activated the procedure for VOR 1 Approach to KJAC. The magenta line started where I activated it and it's taking my to the first point on the approach EBACA. It continued to fly the approach correctly to the airport. [ATTACH=CONFIG]226491[/ATTACH]

 

I do notice from your pic that the Autopilot was not on NAV mode. It says ROL, instead of GPS. Did you purposely do that when it started to go haywire, or is that what caused it to go haywire? Your GPS says it's taking you to EBACA, but it won't do it if the AP says ROL.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

Thanks. I've been away. I'll get right on it, mañana.

Edited by Mac6737
typo
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