NGX - FMC = ?

[Javiz 104]

Hello,

 

I understand it may well sound as blasphemy here and for that i am very sorry but i couldn't find a satisfactory answer in the forum here nore in the manuals so i take my chances... :Nail Biting:

 

So here goes ( cough, cough...)

 

I'd like to fly the NGX via an FSX IFR flightplan under 'FSX ATC rules', i.e. without the FMC ( maybe only program fuel and weight ) only using the AP. No SID's or STAR's, LNAV or VNAV. Just old fashioned VOR to VOR and follow ATC instructions.

 

I managed to hold a Heading and Speed, get up to a certain Altitude via V/S and hold it via Alt/Hld. Even pick up the ILS via APR during Base Leg. But i can't seem to get it to follow the Glide Slope... ?

 

My question is can it be done in the first place and if so what do i do wrong when APR will pick up the Localizer but not the Glide Slope... ?

 

Any hints/tips very much appreciated !

 

( might there be a small tutorial on how to fly the NGX on AP only without the FMC ?...)

 

cheers,

jan

[Fabri91 0]

You'll need to learn how to operate the FMC at least to input your flightplan, which isn't automatically loaded. Try to fly the tutorial, it might seem overwhelming at first, but it's very doable and understandable! :)

 

Cheers,

Fabrizio

[kevinh 409]

Yes it can be done. For altitude changes I'd recommend using Level Change. Using V/S mode is less realistic and more work over larger altitude changes. Just dial in the altitude you want and select the LVL CHG mode. The aircraft will climb or descend at the current IAS. You can also select the IAS/Mach you want to fly at with this mode. Make sure autothrottle switch is ARMed. Engines automatically go to climb thrust if the selected altitude is higher than current, or idle if lower than current.

 

To get the ILS glideslope to work you will need to let the FMC know what the destination runway is. The "quick and dirty" way to do this, without entering a full flight plan, is as follows (note LSK means Line Select Key and refers to the keys on either side of the FMC CDU screen):

 

1. On the FMC CDU select RTE key then enter origin and destination airport ICAO codes. Key the origin airport ICAO code first then click the LSK next to ORIGIN, then key in the destination code and enter using the LSK next to DEST.

2. Select DEP/ARR index page form the FMC CDU keyboard.

3. Select the top left LSK (<DEP) then choose the departure runway (you don't have to do this, but it will enable the FMC to compute V1, Vr and V2 for you)

4. If you entered the departure runway select INDEX (bottom left LSK) to get back to the DEP/ARR index.

5. Select the LSK next to the Destination airport ARR> (second top right).

6. Use the righthand side LSK to select the ILS runway you plan to land on. You may need to use NEXT PAGE/PREV PAGE to find it.

7. Select RTE page again (or select the ROUTE prompt by the bottom right LSK)

8. Select ACTIVATE (bottom right LSK)

9. The EXEC key will light up and you should press it to execute. This lets the system know you intend to follow the glideslope.

 

It looks like a complex procedure but it's actually very quick and intuitive.

 

Note, if ATC gives you a different ILS runway, go back throught the DEP/ARR index page and select the new ILS runway (step 5 onwards). If you change destination airport en-route you will have to re-enter the departure airport to enable entry of a new destination.

 

As you thought, you will need to at least enter the aircraft weight on the PERF INIT page. Just click the LSK next to ZFW twice, once to put the computed value in the scratchpad and once to insert it. Fuel weight is automatically entered. You should now be good to go to fly using traditional VOR navigation and follow ATC instructions.

 

However learning to use the FMC flight plan is the way to go long term. It really isn't that difficult. You can enter the FSX IFR flightplan using data given in the kneepad navlog page.

[davierosoft 13]

FMC can be completely disregarded, you only need to put your N1 limit, Vspeeds and weight, and they can be put without FMC through the knobs on the main panel.

The 737 is a plane that doesn't need FMC to fly.

You can still use most of the AP/AT functions not related to the FMC computation.

You can still do an autoland without FMC.

[Javiz 104]

Thanks very much, gents, very helpfull ! B)

 

I've been thru the process of learning to program the FMC atleast twice ( 767 and 737, got the great Sim&Checkride book by Mike Ray), just that i found if you don't actually practise it frequently you tend to forget the procedures quite quickly. No problem to take the fresh-up course but i just don't like to fly without ATC and, subsequently, find a 747 taking off in opposite direction of the runway i am supposed to land on... FSX ATC may be far from realistic but atleast it sounds good. Tried RC too but i just can't get used to the robotic voices. Kills the immersion quite a bit in my simbook.

 

Fabrizio, i didn't try to file an FSX Flightplan with the NGX yet so i was a little worried there, but i just did and got IFR clearance right away. Seems like the FSX Flightplan IS actually loaded without a programmed FMC...

 

Kevin, now that's what i call i small tutorial ! Thank you so much, made my day !

 

Andrea, thanks much for your suggestion, i'll give that a go too !

 

 

cheers,

jan

[MartinBeauchemin 0]

There's always Vatsim!

[Javiz 104]

There's always Vatsim!

 

Sure!

 

But a couple times i've sat with a simfriend who is an avid Vatsim user and i wasn't too impressed with the performance of the controllers on these particular occasions. Happend not only once that HE had to inform them about the correct procedures to follow... ( he is a RW pilot ).

 

Probabely just a coincidence, i'm sure Vatsim has perfectly capable controllers too. And it certainly is not the reason i do not join Vatsim. I prefer to stick with default ATC because i'd like to fly where ever and whenever i want and it's always there. I know what to expect and how to deal with the sometimes odd instructions. :Whistle:

 

And i sure don't want to loose AI traffic. I use UT2 and am very happy with it.

 

cheers,

jan

[japascoe 98]

I vaguely recollect seeing a reference somewhere to needing to intercept the glide slope from below, but I could be wrong. Also although you can do an autoland without the FMC IRL I'm not sure if that holds true for the NGX since I think the NGX overrules the nav frequency you enter with what is in the FS database, so that might go wrong if you don't enter the landing runway in the FMC.

[iainsmith 9]

Tried RC too but i just can't get used to the robotic voices. Kills the immersion quite a bit in my simbook.

 

Don't know what version of RC you tried but in the latest version, 4.3, the voices are not at all robotic. I agree that in earlier versions they could be so described when the speech was stitched together one word at a time. Now, it is complete phrases or even sentences joined together and the result is very good I think.

 

Iain Smith

[pete_auau 1,163]

Sure!

 

But a couple times i've sat with a simfriend who is an avid Vatsim user and i wasn't too impressed with the performance of the controllers on these particular occasions. Happend not only once that HE had to inform them about the correct procedures to follow... ( he is a RW pilot ).

 

Probabely just a coincidence, i'm sure Vatsim has perfectly capable controllers too. And it certainly is not the reason i do not join Vatsim. I prefer to stick with default ATC because i'd like to fly where ever and whenever i want and it's always there. I know what to expect and how to deal with the sometimes odd instructions. :Whistle:

 

And i sure don't want to loose AI traffic. I use UT2 and am very happy with it.

 

cheers,

jan

anything is better than default atc

[Javiz 104]

I vaguely recollect seeing a reference somewhere to needing to intercept the glide slope from below, but I could be wrong.

 

You know, i vaguely remember that too... B) Haven't tried it yet, but i will. Seems a bit odd though...

 

Also although you can do an autoland without the FMC IRL I'm not sure if that holds true for the NGX since I think the NGX overrules the nav frequency you enter with what is in the FS database, so that might go wrong if you don't enter the landing runway in the FMC.

 

Well, approach and landing are the most fun parts of a flight, i sure don't want a computer to take that out of my hands.

[XPX64man 130]

Don't know what version of RC you tried but in the latest version, 4.3, the voices are not at all robotic. I agree that in earlier versions they could be so described when the speech was stitched together one word at a time. Now, it is complete phrases or even sentences joined together and the result is very good I think.

 

Iain Smith

 

The only thing that I don't like about RC4 is that the ATC sounds rude, which is not realistic because when I hear real ATC in videos and chatter, they seem very polite. Other than that I think RC4 is a very good program.

[Javiz 104]

Don't know what version of RC you tried but in the latest version, 4.3, the voices are not at all robotic. I agree that in earlier versions they could be so described when the speech was stitched together one word at a time. Now, it is complete phrases or even sentences joined together and the result is very good I think.

 

Iain Smith

 

Well, i viewed the 4 parts of a RC v4 test on youtube and i still think it sounds too robotic. F.i. where a call sign should sound like "One, Two, Three" in RC it still sounds like " One, TWO, three " , if you know what i mean... I do agree that it sounds much better than when i used RC a few years ago in FS9. I do know full well that RC is way more advanced than default ATC, can't even be compared, and that it is extremely difficult to make it sound 'human', certainly with all the different voice sets and all.

 

If only they'd make it sound more like coming from a radio/headphone and not so much like coming from somebody sitting next to you during a casual talk while enjoying a cuppa coffee... It's just too 'uncockpit like' for my taste.. Default ATC atleast got that right.

[Javiz 104]

anything is better than default atc

 

Good for you.

 

It sounds good, important to me.

[Spin737 102]

I vaguely recollect seeing a reference somewhere to needing to intercept the glide slope from below, but I could be wrong.

Not required. There's a basic IFR written test out there that would lead you to believe the wings will fall of if you do this, but it's just not the case. There's a slim chance you could get a false glideslope, but I've seen one in 25 years of flying and it was obvious right away. That's why you do cross checks with DME or OM or V/S or V/B or fix or radar etc.