Vertical path indicator and flying a course to a fix

[Ralgh 43]

First is there any kind of a vertical path indicator (in the PSS sim or the real A320) that will tell you where you are in relation to the path? I am familiar with the Boeings which have a path indicator that looks like a glideslope indicator. On a similar note I don't see anything to indicate where I will reach an altitude in climb or descent. The Boeings have a green arc and the Fokker 100 has a blue arc. This is separate from the FMC computed TOC. I am sure the A320 has this feature but I don't see it in the sim. Am I missing something or is it just no modeled?How do I set it up so I can fly a specific course to a fix? I looked in the manual but either I missed it or it is not there. The specific situation I want to do this in is when I start getting vectored to the approach. I want to clear out any part of the route I haven't flown and have a path set up on the inbound course to the first fix on the approach. I fly a 737 for a living and that is what we do when being vectored for the approach. I used to fly the Fokker 100 which had a very similar FMS but I can't remember what we did to set this up. Thanks.

[Guest vrandar]

On the Airbus for this you have to work with the Flight Director on and can set the FCU to be in either Heading V/S mode or Track FPA (Flight Path Angle) mode by the switch on the FCU above the two autopilot switches. In track FPA mode you can dial in your flight path angle into the FCU and should then watch the "bird" on the PFD which will tell you where you are in relation to the flight path angle you have set. No, Airbuses don't have those arcs on the ND.To fly direct to a fix go to the MCDU and press the DIR key. Then you can either a) type in the fix into the scratchpad and press line select key 1L to enter it into the MCDU, or :( you can pick the LSK next to the fix if it was previously in the flight plan and this will put it into the DIR TO box at LSK1L. Providing you are in managed heading (i.e you have pressed - left clicked - the heading knob on the FCU to put it into managed mode showing .--- for the heading in the FCU) the aircraft will fly direct to the fix. Rob Elliott, EGPE InvernessPSS Airbus Support andAirbus Fleet Training Captain, British Airways Virtual airbus@speedbirdonline.co.ukhttp://www.speedbirdonline.co.uk/airbus.htmlhttp://www.bavirtual.co.uk

[Ralgh 43]

Going direct is not what I want to do. An example is suppose I am on a 220 heading. I want to fly a 270 course to an intersection on my right. What I want to do is be able to fly straight until I intecept that 270 course and then fly inbound to the fix on that course. I went back into my F100 manual to see if that would give me an answer. In that you press the DIR TO button and it brings up a page almost identical to the A320. The only difference is that there is a place to make an entry at the R1 LSK. It allows you to enter (fix)/(inbound course). I don't see this on the Airbus so I guess it doesn't have it or it was not modeled. I was able to find the answer to one of my questions on page 13 of the systems manual. In addition to the arc I was looking for the Descent Path Indicator that is next the the altitude tape. I must have forgotten about that when I read the manual. I discovered it when I was flying. It shows up a lot better in the 3D cockpit and I hadn't been using that until this last flight. I have only done 4 flights so far so I am still figuring things out.

[Guest vrandar]

Ah I see. You should either go to selected heading (right clcik is equivalent to pulling the knob = selected mode) and turn manually as you approach the 270 (with ROSE VOR) on your ND so you can see what's happening. Or you could put in a PBD fix (Place/Bearing/Distance) fix as the next waypoint on the MCDU, fly to that then fly inbound to the VOR. The full functionality of te real world Airbus has not been modelled here, and indeed tracking an inbound on a real world Airbus is tricky as well.Yes the descent path indicator on the PFD is there and works well when you start a managed descent. I must have misinterprested your questions (well, it was a Sunday when the Chardonnay starts to flow!)Rob Elliott, EGPE InvernessPSS Airbus Support andAirbus Fleet Training Captain, British Airways Virtual airbus@speedbirdonline.co.ukhttp://www.speedbirdonline.co.uk/airbus.htmlhttp://www.bavirtual.co.uk

[Ralgh 43]

No you understood the question (I guess that means another glass wouldn't be at all bad :)). It was just a two part question. As far as the intercepting the course inbound it really isn't a big deal becaue I usually only do this when intecepting an approach. I can intercept the localizer just as well. I was trying to make it as similar the way we fly at my job to ease the transistion to a new plane. I don't know the Airbus so I come up with a lot of questions about whether the real Airbus works this way or is it just the way PSS modeled it. I am an airplane systems junkie so I probably over think it. You would think after spending all my work days flying I wouldn't want to do it on my computer but I am hooked.