Hey guys, sorry if I am posting this in the wrong forum, still kind of a newb to this stuff.

I've been pretty much exclusively flying the cessna 172 and have learned about most of everything on that planes instrument panel and how to get around when flying it form airport to airport so I have decided to take the next step and move up to a more modern plane and chose the Piaggio P.180 Avanti  that is also included as one of the included planes in x-plane 10.

 

But I am struggling with figuring out how the navigational instruments work on it. I did figure out how to control the autopilot and I can also click the "direct to" on the gps panel (or whatever it is) but I can't figure out how to read anything in regards to the heading so it is basically useless to me at the moment.. I have been using google to try and find some kind of tutorials on understanding newer modern instruments but have not had much luck. I have found a lot on the basic older style instruments and the basic garmin that is in the cessna but thats about it.

 

This is a link that shows the type of instruments I am talking about that are in the avanti:  http://asn-xp.aerosoft.com/?page_id=2481

 

Could someone point me in the right direction? I really want to understand this plane inside and out and I think it is a good one to learn first before moving onto the heavy metal planes that are full of all kinds of instruments.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Tavis

 

 

The instruments in that plane (pretty well done imho - some issues but I try to look past them), are all simply variations of the basic cessna.

 

I strongly suggest a primer in navigation, here's an excellent link

 

http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/

 

To get started check out VOR approaches/navigation and ILS approaches.

 

Then I googled EHSI (electronic horizontal situation indicator) and used an image search...  here's a generalized image

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGum62m06LI/T8IMBxH3D7I/AAAAAAAAA_4/7zJDndm_7DQ/s1600/EHSI-03.jpg

 

Basically the main green pointer (green in the Piaggio yellow in this above example) is the NAV1/VOR1 frequency (usually tuned to a VOR or ILS/localizer), and by selecting radial (OBS knob) you can view where your plane is in relation to the VOR station.  When the center line is aligned with the outsides you are either pointing directly AT or AWAY from the station. (assuming your heading is aligned with the front or tail of the line)

Thanks, I'll review. I understand most of the navigation stuff that your first links about. I just don't understand the new school equipment.

Maybe if someone can tell me what the devices are called or their model names I can search for the manuals and figure out how to operate them that way.

 

Here is a snapshot of the 3 I am having trouble with. The main issue I am having now is if I click the Direct To button and enter an airport, I cannot find the heading value so I can set my bearing right and either fly in that direction manually or have the autopilot take me in the right direction. I have figured out how to work the autopilot already and I can set my bearing and tell the autopilot to follow the heading. I just can't get the gps to give me the value :

 

 

If you want to be even more up-to-date , there is a nice freeware variant of this plane with a "glass" cockpit:

 

 

 

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=18239

 

It's the default plane with an upgraded 3D cockpit. All the nice liveries available for the Avanti work with this one, too.

Thanks I think I ran across that, or maybe another like it.

I am also looking for some good 'Heavy Metal' aircraft. the stock Boeing 747 has a pretty bad cockpit compared to this one.

And you can't get the Yoke out of the way to see the insturments.

And what's up with the B777-200 in the extra aircraft section? theres no 3D cockpit and it gets all whacked out when you rotate your view around.

Thanks I think I ran across that, or maybe another like it.

I am also looking for some good 'Heavy Metal' aircraft. the stock Boeing 747 has a pretty bad cockpit compared to this one.

And you can't get the Yoke out of the way to see the insturments.

And what's up with the B777-200 in the extra aircraft section? theres no 3D cockpit and it gets all whacked out when you rotate your view around.

 

Forget the "extra aircraft" section, these are just there because they have ever been.

 

You really want to buy some good addon aircraft.

 

For airliners, check out the FlightFactor 777 and 757, the FlyJSim 727, the JARdesign A320neo, or the freeware 737 (although still only with 2D panel).

Forget the "extra aircraft" section, these are just there because they have ever been.

 

You really want to buy some good addon aircraft.

 

For airliners, check out the FlightFactor 777 and 757, the FlyJSim 727, the JARdesign A320neo, or the freeware 737 (although still only with 2D panel).

Well I kindof jumped the gun and bout the FlyJSim 727 not thinking it through that it is a 1960's plane with older instrumentation. And it is so detail that my computer can't handle it and my framerate drops down to less that 8fps.

 

I'm after the newer computer controlled / GPS aircraft and learning how to use those instruments. This is a cool plane though and they did a great job. Same plane my grandpa flew. But unfortunately I can't use it with my system.

 

I hate to keep throwing money at this until I get what will work for me..

The stock FMS is crap. But doesn't the FMS say the DTK (direct track) to your waypoint? I'm not on the sim but it should say DTK or give a bearing to the station.

Right, I was just about to reply to your post...I  think my confusion was that maybe the avanti  doesn't have a GPS..

If you look at the pic I posted, I thought the keypad thing (I hate not know the right terminology...getting there..) on the bottom where you punch in the airport code was everything, the radios for VOR etc. which tell the display above it (the display with the green/blue arrows etc) where your radial is..  But I thought the display in the center of the cockpit (where one of  my red lines is pointing too) was the waypoints/gps info.

 

So far I haven't been able to find the tracking number to set my bearing too.. On the garmin in the cessna, you get everything shown on this ones keypad display in addition to the tracking for your bearing, as you can see this one is showing the DIS, ETE, but no TRK.

 

this attachment is larger if you click on it:

 

The bottom one is the FMS. I believe the older Avanti's came with a Universal UNS-1K or some variant.

The one on the left is called an EHSI, and I believe it's a Collins EFIS-85/86 or something similar.

The one on the right is/should be a multifunctional display, part of this Collins EFIS 85/86 avionics suite. It is probably able to show a moving map, weather radar, terrain etc etc.

 

I can't tell you how to use them, I barely fly in X-Plane, but maybe you can find some info based on these names.

Well I kindof jumped the gun and bout the FlyJSim 727 not thinking it through that it is a 1960's plane with older instrumentation. And it is so detail that my computer can't handle it and my framerate drops down to less that 8fps.

 

Oh, sorry then for mentioning the 727 -- it's just one of the best airliners available

 

Regarding the framerate, I think you might have framerate problems with other aircraft then as well.

 

Except, maybe, your X-Plane rendering settings are not optimal for your computer. If you post a screenshot of your settings dialog, maybe we can make sure you get better framerates.

Oh, sorry then for mentioning the 727 -- it's just one of the best airliners available

 

Regarding the framerate, I think you might have framerate problems with other aircraft then as well.

 

Except, maybe, your X-Plane rendering settings are not optimal for your computer. If you post a screenshot of your settings dialog, maybe we can make sure you get better framerates.

Actually it seems ok now. Something else must have been bogging it down. Maybe it was the texture memory.

I've been figuring out how to use the FMS, Multifunction display, and HSI on the Avanti.

So "fix" waypoints are for GPS only right? I don't see any other way these could work since it is LAT/LONG points not he map. So when you program in a flight plan it is using a combination of the GPS and Radio and using the waypoints AND VORs?