Questions about Autopilot of FSX trial version.

[Happy Man 0]

Hello, Dudes!I'm trying to use Autopilot of Bombardier CRJ700 in FSX trial. I want to take-off and land this plane using autopilot. Now questions are below.1- First I select the departure and destination airport and get their rout. Rout shows on GPS clearly. Now how much Altitude and speed of autopilot should be set so that plane would be able to take-off well. On my observed Altitude and Speed, plane doesn't fly and its tale usually struck runway. So what these two should be?2- Second on air, I press the Approach and Heading button so that the plane would be able to go to the right rout. Sometimes, when I click on both, I find plane goes some where else. Sometime, by clicking only on approach, it gets the right direction and sometimes, clicking only heading, it gets right direction and sometimes, by clicking both, plane gets itself right route to the destination airport. So I don't know what I only have to do so that plane would be gone to the right route.3- Sometimes, plane gets right route but it goes over the destination runway instead of landing by autopilot there.So please give me some guidance to hold a plane fully by autopilot. I hope for the best answer.You can see my cockpit Autopilot view in this image.http://imageshack.us...700cockpit.png/Regards,Happy Man.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

Suggest you go to the FSX Learning Center and study the basics of IFR flight.re 1, you should take off manually, not on autopilotre 2, to follow the Flightplan, you use the NAV function of the autopilotre 3, landing involves setting the correct ILS frequency in the NAV radio and using the autopilot APR function

[Happy Man 0]

Thanks Bert Pieke for your answer:Another Question: I'm unable to find frequency and heading table in FSX Demo:You know (As you told me), for auto land a plane, we need to put the frequency and heading of destination runway to radio and Autopilot penal. My first question is that has Microsoft include the Airports and their Frequencies in Demo version?Second is that if included, then where? Can you tell me the way to reach at that table in FSX Demo?Third, if not included, then I request everyone to please give me that table manually so that I would be able to land a plane well.When I go to Flight planner, no table has given there. When I go to maps, no tables has been given there too.Please help me.Regards,

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

If you click on an airport on the FSX map, you should get the information,like the picture below..

[Happy Man 0]

Hello, Bert!I still have problems: You can see below what I does usually:1- First I go to Flight Planner and select Departure (TKPK) and Destination (COCO) Airports: As shown in image belowhttp://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/flightplanner.png/2- Then I go to Find Routes: As shown in image in Red Line (Route):http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/214/routeso.png/3- Then I click Departure Airport (TKPK) Runway Facility Info: But It doesn't show the info as you showed me in your reply: It has only frequency given but not the Heading: So how can I give heading info to Autopilot?http://imageshack.us...cilityinfo.png/4- Now same I click on Destination Airport (COCO) Runway Facility: It has neither Frequency nor Heading. Can you tell me its reason?http://imageshack.us...cilityinfo.png/Please solve my problem. I'll be grateful to you. Please tell me step by step if I'm going wrong. Please remember I'm using FSX Demo Version.Regards,Happy.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

I do not have the FS demo version, but it is the same in the full version, I believe.

These airports do not have ILS landing systems, so you cannot use the autopilot for the landing.

The runways, however each have a number (like 12 and 30) which would mean 120 and 300 degrees heading,

respectively.

If you would like your autopilot to fly the flightplan for you, you set it to NAV and it will take the course

from the flightplan, you do not have to provide it to the autopilot. Make sure that the NAV/GPS switch

in the panel is set to GPS.

What airplane are you flying?

BTW.. if you are serious about learning to fly (which it appears you are) you

should get the full FSX version and start reading some good books on instrument

procedures..

Try:

http://www.faa.gov/l...lying_handbook/

and read Chapter 10 (as well as the other chapters..)

[Happy Man 0]

Thank you Bert for helping me a lot.I'll now study Chapter 10 of the book you have provided me.I'm trying fly Bombardier CRJ700 plane. Here at URL behind you can see its cockpit view.http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/39/crj700cockpit.png/Now I'll try more to play and if I still felt some problems, I would contact you.Best Regards,Happy.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

OK.. but make sure to switch your NAV source to GPS if you want it to steer your autopilot(ie follow the FSX flightplan). Your picture shows it set to NAV.See my attached picture!

[Happy Man 0]

Hello, My Dear Bert!Now I'm going to ask you the final questions.I'm so so crazy about airplanes. Even this is not my job or business but I love airplanes and I usually think that I cannot become pilot but I can complete my hobby on FSX. So if I become able to take-off and land a plane using autopilot only then I'll feel so so much happiness.1- I've not joy stick, it's little expansive for me. So I want an autopilot should take-off my plane. So what Altitude and Speed I should give to autopilot on start, so that I would be able to take-off the plane in a very good and smooth way. 2- After taking-off plane manually using keyboard or mouse, I feel that it doesn't follow the direction of destination airport. As you can see when we plan a route in FSX then a red line becomes between Destination and Departure Airport and I want Autopilot itself own fly my plane on that thick red line and follow that route only instead of going anywhere else. So please tell me how can I do that?3- You told me that if Runway name is 12 then its heading would be 120 and if it's 16L then what would be its heading? and when we use heading? How far away of destination runway we use heading?4- I set the standby frequency of CRJ700 but it doesn't exceed more then 117.99 etc, I mean it doesn't go to 118.something. When I click on 117 then frequency goes to107 back instead of going to 118. So can you tell me its reason? OR tell me any method to set the standby frequency in CRJ 700 using photo.5- Last question is that when we use approach, heading and frequency? I mean near Destination runway or start from Departure Runway? OR in the mid of travel?I hope you'll not mind my way of asking questions on questions. I'm grateful to you because you've helped me a lot in this forum.Best Regards,Happy.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

Hi there Happy,Taking off with the autopilot is a big NO-NO in the real world.. so I would not recommend tryingit in the simulator. If you have no joystick, you'll have to get really good at using the keyboard -it can be done, trust me, I've done it in the distant past.The CRJ is a nice plane but quite a lot of plane to start with, so maybe starting with the Cessna 172would be easier, until you feel more comfortable with controlling the plane.re 2.. you need to set the NAV source to GPS, as I said in an earlier post, and turn on the autopilot to NAV.Then the GPS will steer the autopilot along the red line.re 3. always add a zero to the runway designation (the L simply means the left runway, there is likely a 16Ras well)re 4. you have two radios, a COM radio and a NAV radio. The COM radio is for radio communicationsand the NAV radio is for navigation. Read about them in the FAA Instrument book.re 5. when you are about 50 miles or so out, you start setting up for the descent and landing.This depends on your airspeed, altitude etcJust take it one step at a time, that is the way to learn!

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

Just an illustration: CRJ flying on autopilot, following a GPS course (FSX flightplan).AP set to 6000 ft altitude, 200 kts speed, and NAV active (with nav source set to GPS).

[Happy Man 0]

Hello, Bert!Problem again. All is going well except Frequency of CRJ700. Actually, every airport has greater than 117.something frequency (For example 118.something and greater than this) but CRJ700's Frequency doesn't exceeded than 117.something on NAV1 and NAV2 too (As I told you on previous that when I press the button on 117.300 then it goes back to 107.something instead of going to 118). So how can I land the airplane if frequency doesn't meet exact requirements. So tell me anything so that I would be able to autoland airplane.When I align with the route and come very near to the runway then I switch back to NAV from GPS and push the approach button and reduce the speed up to 150 knots and turn off the Altitude button. Also I don't use Heading because it leads my plane to take away from my actual route and I don't know when and where to use this. Is this a right way?

[sargeski 16]

Happy Man, As Bert has already pointed out, the airports included in the demo DO NOT have ILS systems in place. You need an ILS system in order to perform an autoland utilizing the autopilot. The two frequecies that are available at Princess Juliana are for voice communications. Approach is on 128.95 and the Tower is 118.7. Again these frequecies are for voice communications only!If you want to land at Princess Juliana you will need to perform a manual landing.Regards,Bob

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

When I align with the route and come very near to the runway then I switch back to NAV from GPS and push the approach button and reduce the speed up to 150 knots and turn off the Altitude button. Also I don't use Heading because it leads my plane to take away from my actual route and I don't know when and where to use this. Is this a right way?

For an ILS landing, you would reduce your altitude to about 2000 feet above ground, set the ILS frequency in the NAV1 radio,switch the Nav source from GPS to NAV and hit the APR button. You leave the ALT function active. When the aircraft intercepts theILS glideslope, it will turn off ALT and follow the glideslope down.HDG is used when you want the autopilot to fly in a certain direction, as an alternative to the NAV setting.You can switch from NAV to HDG enroute whenever you want to dial in a new NAV fequency as an example.Also right after takeoff you might use heading hold to fly in the runway direction for a while while climbing.In that case you would set the heading bug to the runway heading before takeoff.

[Happy Man 0]

Hello, Bert!You have done a great job for me. You've proved yourself a good teacher here. I've fully understand the Autopilot of FSX now. No doubt I'm unable to Auto land a plane so far but this is my error which is I couldn't purchase full FSX software. I'm fully aware now that Microsoft hasn't given Frequencies and many other important functions in FSX Demo. Microsoft always do these types of mad and stupid things. They should have been given one Airport frequency. Once again I would say You have done a tremendous job for me. I'm grateful to you.Warm Regards,Happy.