What is wrong with this picture?

[HiFly 16]

While enroute at cruise level I encountered conflicting traffic and rather than waiting for TCAS RA I just thought to alter my course a few degrees to the right so I dialed in a divergence heading in the heading window and then PULLED the switch which should (by the FCOM) had taken me out of NAV and put me into HDG SEL and commanded the airplane to turn to the selected heading.  Well it turned all right, but in the OPPOSITE direction and right into traffic.  After taking manual control to avoid collision, I pressed NAV to have the aircraft resume the flight plan course which it did correctly.  Now alone again in the sky, I experimented with the HDG SEL again and each time I selected a heading, the aircraft responded by turning in the OPPOSITE direction.   In the following image yo will notice that the HDG SEL has 115 dialed in and the white heading line is point decidedly left of the current course and yet the plane is beginning a bank in the OPPOSITE direction!   And no, my control surfaces are not reversed!

 

 

[xxJohnxx 21]

Hi Craig,

 

You found another thing that makes the MD-11 so special. The aircraft will turn in the direction you turn the knob.

Example:

 

You fly heading 360 and you turn it to 040 clockwise, the aircraft will turn right. If you turn it counterclockwise, the aircraft will turn left.

 

You can see that on the ND. Do you see the doted line, beginning at the HDG mark at the 12 o'clock position? It goes all the way clockwise to the heading you selected.  The MD-11 will always turn in the direction that line shows.

 

Best regards,

 

Jonathan

[HiFly 16]

@ Jonathan:

 

    That is absolutely incredible!  I never noticed the dotted line on the circumference until you just pointed it out.  But I had the heading line in sync with the NAV hdg but apparently it had been rotated all the way around during the course of the flght.  Well now I know so I can be more observant.  Thanks again.  You seem to be the information guru on this simulation.  I am glad you monitor this forum regularly.  

[Nathan3219 113]

 

 

You fly heading 360 and you turn it to 040 clockwise, the aircraft will turn right. If you turn it counterclockwise, the aircraft will turn left.

 

I never knew this either. Thanks!

[eurowing 13]

you have to pull (you can also push) the knob first, THEN rotate to the heading. then you have to pull the knob again to start the turn.

[mburkhard 23]

you have to pull (you can also push) the knob first, THEN rotate to the heading. then you have to pull the knob again to start the turn.

PUSH the knob first, this is the safest option and will give you present heading - or track. Then rotate and pull.

 

Cheers,

Markus

[3-2-1-Now 126]

General rule for all functions:

 

* PUSH - HOLD what you have now

 

* PULL - FLY the selected SPD/HDG/ALT

 

Note that the only tricky one is SPEED. If you PULL, but due to config you can not fly that speed at the moment you pull it, it will command the fastest/slowest possible AT THAT MOMENT. If you are making a config change, it may be necessary to pull the knob a couple of times as e.g. the flaps/slats retract and the aircraft accelerates.

 

Also nice is the ghost speed bug on speed tape for present but not selected target. Empty magenta circle always displays (assuming FMS is capable) the current FMS ECON speed, so you always know what the FMS thinks, too.

 

MD on all their later aircraft (MD-80 upwards) did an outstanding job with the AFCS.

 

Best regards,

Robin.