simple vert managed issue

[pkofman 4]

In the a340 what does it mean if I cannot get the white dot to show up when I push ( left mouse click) the alt button. I have the fms programmed but it will not engage to fly the v- profile. I must be missing something very simple. I program the fms and when flying push the knob , the v/s is dashed but the alt has no white dot. So therefore I always am flying it manually, sometime the little white dot will flash beside the alt and thats it.. thanksPeter KCF-MMZToronto Ontario CanadaPMDG 747,737and 747F

[scoob 18]

at which point(s) in the flight profile are you attempting to enter managed vertical guidence mode??ground?rotation?inital climb?acceleration altitude?etc...--

[pkofman 4]

see below>at which point(s) in the flight profile are you attempting to>enter managed vertical guidence mode?>>?groundnot on the ground>?rotationnot sure>?inital climbbasically i set an altitude above the fms altitude , hit the button and then the little white dot should appear, but it does not. In reading the manual I thought that it would engage and follow the profile in the fms until the first descent point at which point you would enter an altitude lower than the fms alt and it would automatically follow the D path>?acceleration altitude>?etc...>>--

[scoob 18]

regardless if the light appears, when you enter the new alt, and then left click, does the Abus climb/decend to the new altitude? --

[pkofman 4]

>regardless if the light appears, when you enter the new alt,>and then left click, does the Abus climb/decend to the new>altitude? >>--Yes but not the one in the fms, the alt I set in the display. Peter KCF-MMZToronto Ontario CanadaPMDG 747,737and 747F

[scoob 18]

so the aircraft is climbing and decending under MCDU control ...?the Abus will follow ('priority') the altitude in the FCU over that of the FL set in the MCDU.the altitude set in the FCU (with a left click) should be displayed in the MCDU's PROG page (LSK 1L). if not ... enter the new altitude in the MCDU and see what happens.post an update.--

[pkofman 4]

>so the aircraft is climbing and decending under MCDU controlNO IT SEEMS TO FOLLOW IT IF THE DOT IS THERE AND I DONT PUSH THE ALT BUTTON NO MATTER WHATEVER IS SET THERE AND IGNORES THE CONSTRAINT>...? I WOULDHAVE THOUGHTI COULD JUST SET THE FIX ALT AND ENSURE THE ALT ON THE FCU WAS HIGHER ON THE CLIMB ABD IT WOULD FOLLOW THE PROFILE , ( SAME BUT OPPOSITE ON DESCENT)>>the Abus will follow ('priority') the altitude in the FCU over>that of the FL set in the MCDU.WHAT ALT SHOULD BE ON THE FCU IF YOU WANT THE PLANE TO FLY A VERT PROFILE DEFINED IN THE MCDU>>the altitude set in the FCU (with a left click) should be>displayed in the MCDU's PROG page (LSK 1L). THAT WORKS AND THE ACTUAL ALT SHOWS AT THE CURRENT FIX if not ... enter>the new altitude in the MCDU and see what happens.>>post an update.>>-- A BIT CONFUSED!!

[scoob 18]

peter:please don't scream (aka, ALL CAPS). :-(>>so the aircraft is climbing and decending under MCDU control>>NO IT SEEMS TO FOLLOW IT IF THE DOT IS THERE AND I DONT PUSH>THE ALT BUTTON NO MATTER WHATEVER IS SET THERE AND IGNORES THE>CONSTRAINT...? I WOULDHAVE THOUGHTI COULD JUST SET THE FIX ALT AND>ENSURE THE ALT ON THE FCU WAS HIGHER ON THE CLIMB ABD IT WOULD>FOLLOW THE PROFILE , ( SAME BUT OPPOSITE ON DESCENT)you need to set the altitude you wish the Abus to 'stop' in decent and climb in the FCU. (see below as this thought continues.)>>the Abus will follow ('priority') the altitude in the FCU>>over that of the FL set in the MCDU.>>WHAT ALT SHOULD BE ON THE FCU IF YOU WANT THE PLANE TO FLY A>VERT PROFILE DEFINED IN THE MCDUthat of the altitude restraint. example:you are doing a climb to FL330 directly after takeoff. there are three restrains in the climb (as defined in the MCDU on the flighplan) - CONS1, 9000'; CONS2, 12000'; CONS3, FL270.to have the Abus perform the climb you will first set the altitude in the FCU for 9000. when the Abus has captured this altitude (will be noted at the top of the PFD) you can then increase the altitude in the FCU to 12000, press the altitude button (left click) once you have passed the waypoint CONS1. the aircraft will again climb to the next constraint, CONS2. etc.the same holds true for decent.i'll say this another way: the restraints set in the flightplan will define the flight path. until you tell the Abus 'its OK' it will not fly the vertical course. BUT, the Abus is a 'teenager', if given a foot will go a mile. so you must always define the latitude of its movements. thus, you must mirror the restraints listed in the MCDU in the FCU or the Abus will climb directly the altitude listed in the FCU.>-- A BIT CONFUSED!!i hope the above assists. give it a shot. ask questions as necessary.--

[pkofman 4]

>peter:>>please don't scream (aka, ALL CAPS). :-(>>>>so the aircraft is climbing and decending under MCDU>control>>>>NO IT SEEMS TO FOLLOW IT IF THE DOT IS THERE AND I DONT PUSH>>THE ALT BUTTON NO MATTER WHATEVER IS SET THERE AND IGNORES>THE>>CONSTRAINT...? I WOULDHAVE THOUGHTI COULD JUST SET THE FIX>ALT AND>>ENSURE THE ALT ON THE FCU WAS HIGHER ON THE CLIMB ABD IT>WOULD>>FOLLOW THE PROFILE , ( SAME BUT OPPOSITE ON DESCENT)>>you need to set the altitude you wish the Abus to 'stop' in>decent and climb in the FCU. (see below as this thought>continues.)>>>>the Abus will follow ('priority') the altitude in the FCU>>>over that of the FL set in the MCDU.>>>>WHAT ALT SHOULD BE ON THE FCU IF YOU WANT THE PLANE TO FLY A>>VERT PROFILE DEFINED IN THE MCDU>>that of the altitude restraint. example:>>you are doing a climb to FL330 directly after takeoff. there>are three restrains in the climb (as defined in the MCDU on>the flighplan) - CONS1, 9000'; CONS2, 12000'; CONS3, FL270.>>to have the Abus perform the climb you will first set the>altitude in the FCU for 9000. when the Abus has captured this>altitude (will be noted at the top of the PFD) you can then>increase the altitude in the FCU to 12000, press the altitude>button (left click) once you have passed the waypoint CONS1. >the aircraft will again climb to the next constraint, CONS2. >etc.>>the same holds true for decent.>>i'll say this another way: the restraints set in the>flightplan will define the flight path. until you tell the>Abus 'its OK' it will not fly the vertical course. BUT, the>Abus is a 'teenager', if given a foot will go a mile. so you>must always define the latitude of its movements. thus, you>must mirror the restraints listed in the MCDU in the FCU or>the Abus will climb directly the altitude listed in the FCU.>>>-- A BIT CONFUSED!!>>i hope the above assists. give it a shot. ask questions as>necessary.>>--Sorry for the caps. It was meant to differentiate my comments not to be nasty in any way.Perhaps its better to change font or something like thatThank you for such a detailed response.Given that I have teenagers I understand the analogy, it made me chuckleI want to compare this product to pmdg for a sec, In that program the 737 747 you can set the fms flight plan profile and then on the equivalent FCU you would just put the alt at some alt higher than the flight plan alt in the fms ( read MCDU) , hit the vnav button and it would fly according to the constraints listed in the plan, this would be the same on a descent as long as the fcu was lower than the constraint in the mcdu. If however you set the fcu on the pmdg at a alt given say by atc it will not fly lower than that alt.So is that possible in the airbus or do you have to continually have to grant authority to the fcu in concert with the programmed mdcu.If the answer to that is yes. then I understand what is going on. Next question ( a340)last night while flying an approach into kennedy I was lined up on the ils , everything looked good, I hit the ils button , initiate the approach phase and hit the apr button and nothing happened, it would not light up or engage.I could not engage the ap, ils or anything in this phase. I went back and confirmed the apr phase and all was ok. In you experience what would the reason be for that. Thank you so much for your advice..Regards peterQuestionPeter KCF-MMZToronto Ontario CanadaPMDG 747,737and 747F

[scoob 18]

>Thank you for such a detailed response.Given that I have>teenagers I understand the analogy, it made me chucklei worked with teenagers for 20 years ...>Next question ( a340)>>last night while flying an approach into kennedy I was lined>up on the ils , everything looked good, I hit the ils button ,>initiate the approach phase and hit the apr button and nothing>happened, it would not light up or engage.>>I could not engage the ap, ils or anything in this phase. I>went back and confirmed the apr phase and all was ok. In you>experience what would the reason be for that. did you enter the ILS freq into the MCDU FREQ page (manual tuning) or was the ILS tuned 'auto' (you entered the rwy/ILS by way of the fightplan menu)?--

[pkofman 4]

>>Thank you for such a detailed response.Given that I have>>teenagers I understand the analogy, it made me chuckle>>i worked with teenagers for 20 years ...>>>Next question ( a340)>>>>last night while flying an approach into kennedy I was lined>>up on the ils , everything looked good, I hit the ils button>,>>initiate the approach phase and hit the apr button and>nothing>>happened, it would not light up or engage.>>>>I could not engage the ap, ils or anything in this phase. I>>went back and confirmed the apr phase and all was ok. In you>>experience what would the reason be for that. >>did you enter the ILS freq into the MCDU FREQ page (manual>tuning) or was the ILS tuned 'auto' (you entered the rwy/ILS>by way of the fightplan menu)?>>-->Good morningActually I did the followingdetermined approachex ; ils25r for airportentered that in the mdcu by right or left clicking the lsk beside the arrival airport ( generic example)and selected the approachthen checked the paper approach plate for the runway( note sometimes the front course on the approach plate is different from the ils course within the pss arinc cycle)? which to use?but then I also input the ils frq into the nav 1 and nav 2 and input the ils front course into the nav rad pageNote: I tried it first without any of this and simply selected the approach with the runway and engaged the approach phase , but nothing happened in either caseSo I sort of tried it both ways and no luck, the ils light worked but the vor tracking did not light up, and appr light would not light upI did however see the ils freq info show up on the screen, and I think the glide slope triangle showed up but i could not engage.Peter

[scoob 18]

>Actually I did the following>>determined approach>ex ; ils25r for airport>entered that in the mdcu by right or left clicking the lsk>beside the arrival airport ( generic example)>and selected the approachyou have this correct>then checked the paper approach plate for the runway>( note sometimes the front course on the approach plate is>different from the ils course within the pss arinc cycle)?>which to use?i fly the plate. see below>but then I also input the ils frq into the nav 1 and nav 2 and>input the ils front course into the nav rad pagePSS's Abus you cannot enter any freq info for ILS approach. if done the aircraft will not allow APR to engage, or it will ignor the approach (kinda' wonder off). yes, it seems to work sometimes (back when i was learning the Abus i saw this behavior). the procedure below works for me.*program MCDU for the rwy when assigned by ATC*push ILS button (next to the flight director button); all this does is show ILS info on the PFD*fly the approach, and when getting ready for ILS confirm that freq in PFD is correct.*push LOC button*once on the beam (below GS) press APR*activate APPR on MCDU (be sure to have entered the airport pressure)the above works for me. it took me some time to 'trust' the Abus on this as i had been in the habit of tuning ILS freq in the DF737 back in FS7 ... needed to 'unlearn' a behavior and trust the MCDU.>>Note: I tried it first without any of this and simply selected>the approach with the runway and engaged the approach phase ,>but nothing happened in either case>>So I sort of tried it both ways and no luck, the ils light>worked but the vor tracking did not light up, and appr light>would not light up>>I did however see the ils freq info show up on the screen, and>I think the glide slope triangle showed up but i could not>engage.you are correct, if you manually the information will show in the PFD (if you push the ILS f/d button); and in the ND (if in ILS mode). the Abus will not follow unless 'it tunes things' ... like a teenager, only do it if she/he can do it all ;-)you can search the forum about the ILS capture topic. lots of discussion as it 'catches' lots of folks.give the above a try. report back.--

[pkofman 4]

>>Actually I did the following>>>>determined approach>>ex ; ils25r for airport>>entered that in the mdcu by right or left clicking the lsk>>beside the arrival airport ( generic example)>>and selected the approach>>you have this correct>>>then checked the paper approach plate for the runway>>( note sometimes the front course on the approach plate is>>different from the ils course within the pss arinc cycle)?>>which to use?>>i fly the plate. see below>>>but then I also input the ils frq into the nav 1 and nav 2>and>>input the ils front course into the nav rad page>>PSS's Abus you cannot enter any freq info for ILS approach. >if done the aircraft will not allow APR to engage, or it will>ignor the approach (kinda' wonder off). yes, it seems to work>sometimes (back when i was learning the Abus i saw this>behavior). the procedure below works for me.>>*program MCDU for the rwy when assigned by ATC>*push ILS button (next to the flight director button); all>this does is show ILS info on the PFD>*fly the approach, and when getting ready for ILS confirm that>freq in PFD is correct.>*push LOC button>*once on the beam (below GS) press APR>*activate APPR on MCDU (be sure to have entered the airport>pressure)>>the above works for me. it took me some time to 'trust' the>Abus on this as i had been in the habit of tuning ILS freq in>the DF737 back in FS7 ... needed to 'unlearn' a behavior and>trust the MCDU.>>>>>Note: I tried it first without any of this and simply>selected>>the approach with the runway and engaged the approach phase>,>>but nothing happened in either case>>>>So I sort of tried it both ways and no luck, the ils light>>worked but the vor tracking did not light up, and appr light>>would not light up>>>>I did however see the ils freq info show up on the screen,>and>>I think the glide slope triangle showed up but i could not>>engage.>>you are correct, if you manually the information will show in>the PFD (if you push the ILS f/d button); and in the ND (if in>ILS mode). the Abus will not follow unless 'it tunes things'>... like a teenager, only do it if she/he can do it all ;-)>>you can search the forum about the ILS capture topic. lots of>discussion as it 'catches' lots of folks.>>give the above a try. report back.>>-->Thanks ,one more thing and then I'll leave you alone and try it tonight, On the mdcu I push the " confirm approach " or something like that. The thing is with the pss product is that there is no real confirmation button typical to other add ons such as pmdg or level d , with those products you have a definite confirmation because you need to push a button to sort of confirm and enter. That is intuitive but that feedback seems to be missing from the pss airbus. How do I really know if something is engaged? I ask this becuase you can go to the engage aproach phase and it says select approach phase , you could do it over and over .I would have thought that once selected that would be it. But I find that sort of odd.Peterthanks again. Peter K P.EngCF-MMZToronto Ontario CanadaPMDG 747,737and 747FLevel D 767PSS Airbus pro A340-300In reality, a Mooney 201 Pilot

[scoob 18]

peter:i don't have the Abus 'in front of me' at the moment. usually the MCDU shows a change having been made by: changing text color or changing the size of the font or filling a blank w/information (all depends on the screen being displayed). with the FCU the usual indiciation is the 'dot' and "---" displays.i've not flown the NG series, i fly the boeing classics and 200. cannot comment on the diff. between NGs and Abus. in my head i have different skills -- ABus skills and boeing skills. these aircraft don't fly or 'programmed' the same (this is in real world and how FS developers approach the sim).--

[pkofman 4]

>peter:>>i don't have the Abus 'in front of me' at the moment. usually>the MCDU shows a change having been made by: changing text>color or changing the size of the font or filling a blank>w/information (all depends on the screen being displayed). >with the FCU the usual indiciation is the 'dot' and>"---" displays.>>i've not flown the NG series, i fly the boeing classics and>200. cannot comment on the diff. between NGs and Abus. in my>head i have different skills -- ABus skills and boeing skills.> these aircraft don't fly or 'programmed' the same (this is in>real world and how FS developers approach the sim).>>--Thanks for all the help. The airbus is just seems to have a different approach and logic to the same process of flying. But it takes some getting used to. It is a given that I have never flown a jet (and certainly not a big passenger jet!) it is difficult for someone to determine how these issues regarding functionality are Computer programming simulation issues or how closely they emulate the real thing. Anyway I enjoy it all and part of the fun of flying the 3rd party add ons is the learning curve. So in that light I have another question for you and it will be simple for youOne the throttle it seems at though there are two detents for crz, One can choose either position, So what is the difference between the two and is it possible to choose some place on the throttles in between the two detents.? It seems odd that you would have a range of variability but not option to choose, ( I hope that makes sense). I never hear a change in engine noise when I choose either so it is hard to tell what is happening.PeterPeter K P.EngCF-MMZToronto Ontario CanadaPMDG 747,737and 747FLevel D 767PSS Airbus pro A340-300In reality, a Mooney 201 Pilot