Just an unsolicited Testimonial

[jport1 10]

I was flying a 4 hour long domestic flight from KDTW to KSLC and had a near flawless flight all the way up to the STAR (SPANE5) and was coming down the arrival perfectly, FS2 was precise, no ATC and all my GF equipment and CDU hardware was working flawlessly (when you have many variables "lots of addon hardware" , Murphy likes to play from time to time . . .LOL). Well I was just having the FS2 FO take the MCP off LNAV and asked for "heading select" and settled in at 11000ft and 210 knots, and suddenly ATC pops up on TWR in Salt Lake, 'no problem" I think and then . . . . . suddenly my monitors (yes all of them on the Matrox box) go to comlete "snow", tried a few work arounds to recover and to no avail. Wow, I think, there goes a nice long Vatsim flight down the tubes. Then I think, hmmmm. . . . let's see if I can completely fly this approach blind (CATIIIc and worse, no instruments) with the use of my FS2 FO. I ping the TWR (who was on text only, "when it rains it pours" and asked for private chat to inform him that I was blind and while the airport conditions were VFR, I would be flying without monitors and wanted to request an full ILS" which he of course grants, however it keeps "raining" and he drops off line. So now I am completely blind, no out-the cockpit-window view and no-instrument-panel . . . ok "not losing this flight. I am going to fly this completely with the assistance of the FS2 FO. Since I had the FO switch to "heading select" some minutes before, I doubted that I was anywhere near the LNAV course but knew it was off to my right somewhere, but probably a little late to try to pick it back up. So here we go, I think . . . I can still read my hardware (GF MCP and GF stacks) so I instruct the FO to make a right turn to 010 when I am out 16+NM and set the VS down to 8000ft which should bring me in under the GS at that distance. We start reducing airspeeed, slowly bringing in the flaps on schedule and continue the turn to come in within 30 degrees of the RW heading (at least I hope) and . . . . wait . . . for him to call localizer alive and instruct him to "arm localizer" which he quickly accomodates. Now, . . . I can watch the range and wait for the GS capture and have him continue to slow the AC down and bring in flaps. Then I hear him call "Glide Slope alive"; instruct him to lower the gear and set flaps 15 which he does on queue. So here is where the LVLD does her magic, we bring the speed back to Vref + 5 with 30 degrees of flaps, listen for the sound of the "Autoland 2", ok that's good and now I hear his final "50ft above" and give him the "landing" call and let the LVLD use full autoland and gently bring the AC onto the RW. Well needless to say, had no idea of where to exit the RW, but pulled in the reverse thrusters, listened for his speed calls and brought her to a stop, probably on the RW, had him run the cleanup, disconnected from Vatsim and . . . well . . . Thanked Bryan for an awesome product!!Joe

[byork 2,259]

I was flying a 4 hour long domestic flight from KDTW to KSLC and had a near flawless flight all the way up to the STAR (SPANE5) and was coming down the arrival perfectly, FS2 was precise, no ATC and all my GF equipment and CDU hardware was working flawlessly (when you have many variables "lots of addon hardware" , Murphy likes to play from time to time . . .LOL). Well I was just having the FS2 FO take the MCP off LNAV and asked for "heading select" and settled in at 11000ft and 210 knots, and suddenly ATC pops up on TWR in Salt Lake, 'no problem" I think and then . . . . . suddenly my monitors (yes all of them on the Matrox box) go to comlete "snow", tried a few work arounds to recover and to no avail. Wow, I think, there goes a nice long Vatsim flight down the tubes. Then I think, hmmmm. . . . let's see if I can completely fly this approach blind (CATIIIc and worse, no instruments) with the use of my FS2 FO. I ping the TWR (who was on text only, "when it rains it pours" and asked for private chat to inform him that I was blind and while the airport conditions were VFR, I would be flying without monitors and wanted to request an full ILS" which he of course grants, however it keeps "raining" and he drops off line. So now I am completely blind, no out-the cockpit-window view and no-instrument-panel . . . ok "not losing this flight. I am going to fly this completely with the assistance of the FS2 FO. Since I had the FO switch to "heading select" some minutes before, I doubted that I was anywhere near the LNAV course but knew it was off to my right somewhere, but probably a little late to try to pick it back up. So here we go, I think . . . I can still read my hardware (GF MCP and GF stacks) so I instruct the FO to make a right turn to 010 when I am out 16+NM and set the VS down to 8000ft which should bring me in under the GS at that distance. We start reducing airspeeed, slowly bringing in the flaps on schedule and continue the turn to come in within 30 degrees of the RW heading (at least I hope) and . . . . wait . . . for him to call localizer alive and instruct him to "arm localizer" which he quickly accomodates. Now, . . . I can watch the range and wait for the GS capture and have him continue to slow the AC down and bring in flaps. Then I hear him call "Glide Slope alive"; instruct him to lower the gear and set flaps 15 which he does on queue. So here is where the LVLD does her magic, we bring the speed back to Vref + 5 with 30 degrees of flaps, listen for the sound of the "Autoland 2", ok that's good and now I hear his final "50ft above" and give him the "landing" call and let the LVLD use full autoland and gently bring the AC onto the RW. Well needless to say, had no idea of where to exit the RW, but pulled in the reverse thrusters, listened for his speed calls and brought her to a stop, probably on the RW, had him run the cleanup, disconnected from Vatsim and . . . well . . . Thanked Bryan for an awesome product!!Joe

Cheers!