Hi, all, newbie here. just a few questions about FMC, and GPS and ILSok, so this is what I understand so far. The FMC is basically the autopilot. So this flies the plane. Then I use ILS to land the plane. Now can somebody sort this out for me. Back in the day when they did not have gps, what did they use, did they also use ILS. Today they use GPS and ILS ( or is there a newer technology for the glide slope etc)So when do you which system. Sorry if this is very basic I'm trying to learn. also are there any good tutorials out there. thanks.

Most FMC's can automatically tune in the ILS frequency when you select your approach runway. GPS is also another approach. ILS was the main one before that, and before that I believe it was NBD/VOR approaches where you just tune in the frequency like an ILS but it was less precise and didn't give a glideslope guidance like an ILS radio does.

I recommend starting with the Learning Center, right inside of FSX.Also try the tutorials within FSX, and start simple - try the default C172.Navigation tutorials can be found here(near the bottom of the page):http://stoenworks.com/Aviation%20home%20page.htmlMaps and charts can be found here (for USA flying):http://skyvector.com/http://aeronav.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=aeronav/applications/d_tpp

ok, thanks I will read all the info.

ok, so this is what I understand so far. The FMC is basically the autopilot. So this flies the plane. Then I use ILS to land the plane. Now can somebody sort this out for me. Back in the day when they did not have gps, what did they use, did they also use ILS. Today they use GPS and ILS ( or is there a newer technology for the glide slope etc)So when do you which system.

Two things to separate in instrument flying are: en-route navigation and approach/landing.Historically, you would navigate en-route, using land-based navigational aids (NDB and VORs) and switch to theagain land-based approach/landing guidance system, called ILS.Recently, GPS based navigation is offering an alternative: en-route navigation via GPS based waypointsand approach and landing via GPS based high accuracy lateral and vertical guidance.You can also use a hybrid, combining en-route GPS based navigation with ILS landing guidance,which is very common in today's IFR flying.Over time, it is expected that land-based systems will gradually disappear and possibly onlyGPS based navigation remain. (Mainly because of cost considerations..)Since the industry is right in the middle of this change, don't be surprised to be confused by it all :(

Hi, all, newbie here. just a few questions about FMC, and GPS and ILSok, so this is what I understand so far. The FMC is basically the autopilot. So this flies the plane. Then I use ILS to land the plane. Now can somebody sort this out for me. Back in the day when they did not have gps, what did they use, did they also use ILS. Today they use GPS and ILS ( or is there a newer technology for the glide slope etc)So when do you which system. Sorry if this is very basic I'm trying to learn. also are there any good tutorials out there. thanks.

I guess I would say the FMC is not an autopilot; rather it is a aid which can provide info the autopilot can use. From a navigation standpoint, I think it would be correct to say that the FMC takes various inputs and uses them to compute aircraft position and velocity data. That could be from an "air data system" for various aircraft parameters, and navigation data from an inertial nav unit, GPS or VOR/DME. Since the FMC determines where you are (position) and where you are going (velocity) it was natural to take the various data (intersections, radials, airport locations, etc) and encode it into a database which could be displayed to the pilot. With this data in hand, it is convenient to take a traditional flight plan, and manage/display in 3d. With the 3d flight plan, it is possible to provide enhanced inputs to the autopilot. Of course, the question of accuracy is always in front of us. In the approach/landing phase of flight it is very important, as in this phase we tend to be close to terrain or obstructions. The various aviation authorities determine which systems are considered more accurate, and provide appropriate guidance based on the system used. Typically, more precise systems allow for lower descent without visual contact with the ground or landing area.I guess it can be said you can't make any definitive statements about the FMC, you have to look at what the aircraft and its systems are certified for.scott s..

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