I've been working my way through the FSX lessons with Rod, and I've done pretty much all the units on the Beechcraft Baron. But I still have some questions.1. Is there a GPS/NAV toggle that will let me choose which navigational device is used by the NAV arrow in the heading indicator?2. There's a second NAV dial, lower-left, but I can't get it to do anything. Also, it has two indicators, a yellow and a green. One is the OBS, the other is the vector to the target?3. How does one fly to a NDB? It seems that I can tune the ALR unit to find an NDB, but how then do I put the beacon on one of my NAV displays so I can fly toward it?4. How can I figure out which runways are long enough for me to land on? Rod mentions that "calculations" are required, but he doesn't explain how I should do those, nor does the Learning Center. I know that fuel and other load weight is a factor, but I don't know how to compute it.5. Rod didn't say much about how and when to thin the mixture. I've read you should thin while taxiing; true? Then full rich for takeoff. At what altitude should one thin it, and how much? We thin until the EGT (exhuast gas temp) gauge hits the top, or do we want that gauge to go down? Very confused about this.6. Any reason to use the "pilot heat" switch, heh? I assume it's just a heater in real life? I've been in a few small craft, but never flown one.7. Rod explained cowl flaps and propellor pitch pretty well, but I'm still not entirely sure I have it all. For taxi: closed cowl flaps, prop lever all the way forward? For takeoff, open cowl flaps, prop lever still all the way forward? For climbing, same? For cruise, close cowl flaps, decrease manifold pressure (throttle), then pull back on prop lever? For descent, keep cowl flaps closed, keep prop lever back so it doesn't spin too fast? For final approach, cowl flaps closed, prop lever full forward in case you need to power up fast on a missed approach? And in general, keep the "prop on top" -- that lever "ahead" of the throttle lever. Do I have that stuff right?8. Is it me, or is harder to see out the windows of this thing than the Cessna 172? I have much more trouble flying a pattern around an airfield, as I keep losing visual on the airfield. I especially have trouble seeing out the front if the nose is pointed up at all; I have to scrunch far forward with my TrackIR to see anything at all. It's especially a problem on final approach, when we want the nose up a bit to help us glide down slowly, don't we? 9. In another thread, someone asked about oscillation while in flight. I too wish there were more of this. Even on a 747, the ride is sometimes kinda bumpy, but it rarely seems this way in FSX, even when windy and with realism sliders maxed. Not really a question; just wondering if I'm missing a way to induce more of this.Many thanks!

Wow, that's a lot of questions. Anyway, here goes...1. Is there a GPS/NAV toggle that will let me choose which navigational device is used by the NAV arrow in the heading indicator?On the default FSX aeroplanes, the toggle switch engages either the (somewhat simplified ) ability for the GPS to follow your FS flight plan, or to have it follow the heading you have selected. In both cases when using the autopilot's heading hold or nav hold function. The toggle switch for NAV/GPS on the default FSX Baron is located on the right side of the electrical switch panel, near the lever on the end of that panel.2. There's a second NAV dial, lower-left, but I can't get it to do anything. Also, it has two indicators, a yellow and a green. One is the OBS, the other is the vector to the target?On many aircraft with two navigation instrument gauges fitted, one gauge will be simply a gauge to allow you to track nav aids, the other will usually do that but also offer cues to fly an ILS approach. You need two nav aids to cross reference your position in IMC, which is why you have two nav radios. However on the default baron, what you are seeing in the lower left of the panel is a dual-needle RMI (radio magnetic indicator). As the name suggests, a dual-needle RMI can show two things at once, usually either ADF and VOR1 or ADF and VOR2, so it can be used to cross reference signals, it does not display specific ILS info, that will be on the other gauge.3. How does one fly to a NDB? It seems that I can tune the ALR unit to find an NDB, but how then do I put the beacon on one of my NAV displays so I can fly toward it?Tuning to NDBs, unlike tuning to VORs, will display a needle which simply points to the beacon's direction, so you put the needle at the 12 o'clock position and then you will be heading straight for it. VOR's on the other hand, display how to steer for a particular course either inbound or outbound from VOR (i.e. any one of 360 radials emanting from the VOR's location), and you will usually also get range information, since most VORs in FSX are in fact VOR/DMEs. NDBs simply tell you which way it is to get to the NDB's location, with no other information, although experienced pilots can sometimes take a (very rough) guess at the range based on the strength of an NDB's signal. 4. How can I figure out which runways are long enough for me to land on? Rod mentions that "calculations" are required, but he doesn't explain how I should do those, nor does the Learning Center. I know that fuel and other load weight is a factor, but I don't know how to compute it.In the real world, you would probably consult a chart or aerodrome guide book, but in the absence of a chart, you can open the map and click on an airport, and that will tell you things such as the ILS frequencies, runway lengths and surface. Aircraft handbooks which are usually situated in a glove box or door pouch unless someone has snaffled them, have charts at the back which allow one to compute take off distances and take off distances for obstacle clearance at fifty feet at various weights and air temperatures and stuff like that. Some of this info can be gained in FSX (for example you will notice that the pointer moves down on the little picture of the aeroplane as you change the payload, you can count back how many marks it goes and divide that by the total to get the GoG percentage, since the full range is equal to 100 percent, i.e. you typically want it up near 20 percent or so), but you will do better with the proper pilot's operating manual. A quick search online will find one, some will be free pdfs and others genuine ones that you can buy.5. Rod didn't say much about how and when to thin the mixture. I've read you should thin while taxiing; true? Then full rich for takeoff. At what altitude should one thin it, and how much? We thin until the EGT (exhuast gas temp) gauge hits the top, or do we want that gauge to go down? Very confused about this.Thinning the mixture is a relatively simple concept. As you climb, the air gets thinner, so when you are high up, there will be too much fuel going through the carburettor and this will swamp the cylinders and reduce combustion, thus you lose power, so you lean off (thin down) the mixture as you climb. Increased temperatures also thin the air, so on warm days you will need to thin things off sooner. However, there is also the fact that the fuel which is drawn into your cylinders does actually help to cool things down just before it ignites, so leaning off too much, in addition to meaning there is too little fuel in the mixture, can also cause the engine temperature to go up. Thus you use your judgement, and the cylinder head temp gauges, exhaust gas temp gauges, and in real life often your ears too, since the engine note can offer some guidance as well. So there is no single 'one size fits all' rule for when and how much to thin off the mixture, because air density differs every day owing to different weather as well as the actual height above sea level where your aerodrome is (this is known as the density altitude), i.e. you could be sat on the ground at Mexico City and you would have to lean off the mixture for take off, since you would effectively already be at about 8,000 feet above sea level, where the air is considerably thinner.6. Any reason to use the "pilot heat" switch, heh? I assume it's just a heater in real life? I've been in a few small craft, but never flown one.You are misreading that, it is the PITOT heat switch (pronounced pete-oh). The pitot tube is a little antenna-like thing usually located on either the nose or wingtip of an aeroplane which has a spring loaded buffer in it that gets pushed back by air going into the tube, go faster and the spring gets pushed back more. This is connected to the airspeed gauge in your cockpit. The switch you are seeing heats the pitot tube's head to prevent it being blocked by ice, which would mean your airspeed indicator would fail, since that gauge works off reading the pressure of incoming air into the pitot tube and compares it to the pressure of still air detected at a hole on the side of your aeroplane with a barometer device in it, which is called the static port. Turn pitot heat on in rain or icing conditions, or when you get up high in clouds, where the temperature can be above freezing. As an emergency back up if the pitot is frozen, you can use the GPS info to gauge your speed, and if you were really desperate and had no GPS signal either, you could use the distance counter to a VOR to make a rough guess at your speed, and if you were really, really desperate, you can usually judge your speed quite well by the noise of the air going past the canopy in real life, although probably not in FS.7. Rod explained cowl flaps and propellor pitch pretty well, but I'm still not entirely sure I have it all. For taxi: closed cowl flaps, prop lever all the way forward? For takeoff, open cowl flaps, prop lever still all the way forward? For climbing, same? For cruise, close cowl flaps, decrease manifold pressure (throttle), then pull back on prop lever? For descent, keep cowl flaps closed, keep prop lever back so it doesn't spin too fast? For final approach, cowl flaps closed, prop lever full forward in case you need to power up fast on a missed approach? And in general, keep the "prop on top" -- that lever "ahead" of the throttle lever. Do I have that stuff right?Yup, you have that pretty much right. Basically, you use the cowl flaps to keep the operating temperatures of the engine correct, but there are some caveats to this. On a descent, you want the temperatures to come down slowly, so simply chopping the throttle is not a good idea, as if the engine cools down too fast, it can cause what is known as 'shock cooling', which is where the metal contracts too fast when cooling down. This can cause things like warped cylinder heads and cracked cooling fins, and in extreme cases, it could make the engine sieze up. Any of these things are not only dangerous, but also bloody expensive to get fixed! so it is often advisable to keep the cowl flaps closed when throttled back on a descent in order to let the engine cool down a bit slower. Opening the cowl flaps will let things stay cool, which is why you want them open on take off, because you need the oncoming air to help cool things down when you have suddenly increased the rpm by opening the throttle for take off.Prop pitch is like the gears on a car in many ways. So you can have the prop put out a lot of power, which uses more fuel but is what you want for take off etc, or you can have the prop put out more economical power for cruising, which uses less fuel. This is like dropping a gear down and flooring the accelerator to overtake someone on a motorway, or lightly pressing the pedal when cruising along in fourth or fifth gear. However, the prop pitch can also be used as an aerodynamic brake when on a descent. Some aircraft would never get off the ground unless they were in fine pitch.8. Is it me, or is harder to see out the windows of this thing than the Cessna 172? I have much more trouble flying a pattern around an airfield, as I keep losing visual on the airfield. I especially have trouble seeing out the front if the nose is pointed up at all; I have to scrunch far forward with my TrackIR to see anything at all. It's especially a problem on final approach, when we want the nose up a bit to help us glide down slowly, don't we?This is one of the things a PC sim is not ideal at portraying, although you are correct. The Cessna's high wing means it will always be easier to stay in a good position on the landing circuit, because you can see the airstrip on your turns much more easily, whereas in a low winged twin, all you can see for much of the time is a big wing and an engine cowling. You can keep the power on in a descent and use the flaps and drag from the gear to brake your descent, which should mean your nose is not pitched up too much. If your nose is so high on a final approach that you cannot see the runway, you are almost certainly going too slow.9. In another thread, someone asked about oscillation while in flight. I too wish there were more of this. Even on a 747, the ride is sometimes kinda bumpy, but it rarely seems this way in FSX, even when windy and with realism sliders maxed. Not really a question; just wondering if I'm missing a way to induce more of this.This is again something which FSX does not do well, especially on the glider, where it goes arrow-like into turns. Gliders normally need a good bootful of rudder to do that because they are not being pulled into the turn by a propeller, but even then most aircraft will oscillate a bit, especially at lower speeds. Add-ons such as Track IR, EZDOK and Accu-Feel can improve that a little bit.Hope all that helps a bit - Al

Al - wow, thank you for that comprehensive answer! I feel embarrassed I asked so many questions, but I'm very glad I did, because I certainly was confused about a couple of things (like that PITOT heater!). Your point about landing speed leaves me with only one follow-up question:

If your nose is so high on a final approach that you cannot see the runway, you are almost certainly going too slow.

I think I'm going too slow! My landings hardly use up any of the runway, heh. I come in at 75-80 knots or slower in the Beechcraft, with the nose pointing up to slow me down. I use full flaps and gear to slow me, and of course I cut the power (while keeping the prop lever all the way forward). But with the nose up, I'm really having trouble seeing where I'm going, and sometimes I miss the runway. What is the optimal speed on final approach for this aircraft?Incidentally, I learned something interesting about damage modeling in FSX. I was practicing traffic patterns and landings at Naracoorte Airfield in South Australia. (I've been doing a tour of ORBX Australia, which is really fun.) I landed off the runway more than once, and at one point I must have damaged my elevators, because after that I could barely take off -- the elevators wouldn't move (though the trim tabs would). I thought that was kinda cool. Erm, not sure how I would've noticed had I not peeked at the exterior of the plane with the exterior-view option.OK, I lied: that reminds me of one other set of questions. It seems elevator trim tabs have a "full up" and "full down" position, with increments in between. I have a trim wheel on my yoke, but I can never "feel" when the tab is full up (or full down). I guess one has to look at the virtual cockpit trim tab to know for sure? Also, I never seem to use my aileron trim; should I switch it to rudder trim?Thanks again for your terrific responses. I'm learning a lot here.

You may be too low on the approach, that would also make it difficult to see, and there is a temptation to raise the nose to 'stretch the glide' when getting too low (not normally a good idea incidentally, as you will drop even quicker). Final approach speed varies with weight and conditions, such as crosswind component, gusts and wind gradient, but the Baron is not a Cessna trainer, it is a much bigger twin with a more speed-efficient wing and more inertia, so you should be coming in with more speed, as if the wind gradient kicks in, it will not accelerate as quick as a lighter aeroplane and you will lose height. Add 20 knots to your approach speed, that's nearer the mark for a Baron.FS will not really let you feel the trim like you do in a real aircraft, since on a real aircraft, the elevator trim deflects the elevator control surface, and so the yoke or stick moves back or forward a little from its neutral position because it is connected to the elevator of course. But regardless of that, if you are correctly trimmed, you will know it, because you will be able to fly 'hands off'. Aileron or rudder trim, like elevator trim, should be used if you need it. Rudder trim and possibly some aileron trim would be needed if you lost an engine though, and you would have to be careful about which way you made any turns in that scenario.Trimming a real aeroplane incidentally, is much easier to do than it is in FSX, because in real life on an actual aeroplane you can simply hold the stick in the correct position needed to fly level, then adjust the trim to a point where when you loosen your hold on the control, the control does not move its position back to neutral, unlike on a spring loaded PC joystick, which won't give you that kind of feedback, so trimming is very intuitive in real life. Anyone who flies for real will tell you that flying a real aeroplane is a lot easier than flying a desktop PC sim is, although of course it is much more serious business as well, which is where flight sims are better, since you can cheerfully crash in a sim and it won't matter at all. The strong point of flight sims, is that they are excellent at portraying IFR flight and teaching you how the instruments work.Al

Thanks! I'll try landing the Baron at a faster speed. And I'm working on the IFR lessons as we speak. :)