USAF was using GCA

Dan

Are you talking PAR (Precision Approach Radar)?

AS can do 50' with autoland or HUD but 30' with both. Apparently some bean counters somewhere looked at the saves vs the cost and decided it's worth it. I suspect AS has a higher percent of saves than AA based on route structure so AA said the increased training and certification isn't worth it.

 

Having a hub in one of the handful of airports would certainly make the return on investment better.

Low minima has been around longer than the automation.... USAF was using GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) for near zero-zero approaches as early as the late-1950's.  I got to do a few a these to give controllers no-gyro approach practice when I was getting my instrument rating in a Piper Arrow at Offutt AFB. Lots of fun landing under the hood.

Try the 1940's. They were doing GCA to almost zero during the Berlin Airlift. Get a chance read "Daring Young Men" by Richard Reeves. An amazing time.

Dan

Are you talking PAR (Precision Approach Radar)?

Yes sir, the GCA facility usually included a PAR, an ASR and a controller trailer where there was always a cribbage game in progress until the bull horn announced an arrival.  Those PARs in the '40s were before servos were installed to the antennas and the controllers had to use ropes to set the beams, I think they were called the AN/MPN-1 (verified see Wikipedia search key "AN/MPN"  The system I was familiar with was the AN/MPN-13 during Viet Nam and cold war era, and a later version with electronically steerable beams that included the entire RAPCON.  I shipped one of those to Diego Garcia during Desert Storm, it filled a C-5A with equipment and people.  I forget the AN nomenclature for that one (AN/TPN-19 I think) by Raytheon.

Yes sir, the GCA facility usually included a PAR

Dan

 

In the winter of 1968 I remember listening to several PARs to RWY 36 (now 01) at KDCA. I can't remember if they were commercial, military, or FAA flights. But they were kind of scary just listening to them on a Novitech Pilot II radio. "Drifting right of centerline turn left to 357, 20 feet high, adjust descent rate, drifting left of centerline turn right 005, 10feet low, adjust descent rate." and so on and so on until the runway was in sight. The put a lot of trust and faith in the guy on the ground.

I did several PARs in Korea. The controllers were ROKAF and they did okay. We would break out, but I don't think it would have been pretty if it was down to the ground. Mostly it was hand-holding because KAL pilots don't do visual approaches unless it's a dire situation.

Try a no gyro GCA. Left of course, turn right , stop turn. On course, turn left ,stop turn. If I remember the standard rate of turn was 2 degrees per secound. Only gave these in traing, never in real IFR conditions thank goodness.

One of our virtual airline's checkpilots, a RL United employee and pilot in training, posted this configuration as being somewhat current:

 

Quote - "The config for our "new" airplanes. NOTE: PMDG is now "behind" our brand new planes. This is not 100% accurate to the real world planes due to MSFS limitations. Also, some of the callouts are marked as a 1 (yes) because that is a real-world PM (Pilot Monitoring) callout, however, I elected to use MSFS as my PM.

 

 

This is from the PMDG Operations Center, 737NGX, Aircraft Specific Settings, 737-800WL

*This is a work in progress...enjoy!"

 

0 = No

1 = Yes

 

[Displays]

Glass_PFD_ND=1

PFD_low_airspeed_alert=1

PFD_groundspeed_displayed=1

PFD_Vref_plus_20_bug=1

PFD_100knot_bug=0

PFD_rising_runway=1

PFD_split_axis_flight_director=1

PFD_pitch_limit_indicator_popup=1

PFD_radio_altitude_round_dial=0

PFD_angle_of_attack_dial=0

PFD_landing_altitude_bar=0

PFD_2500_height_alert=1

PFD_show_landing_flaps=0

EFISMAP_radio_altitude_round_dial=0

EFISMAP_80knot_bug=0

EFISMAP_flight_path_vector=0

ND_trackUp=1

ND_VOR_course_lines_displayed=1

ND_VerticalSituationDisplay=1

ND_RangeArcs=1

ND_TCAS_RangeRing=1

PFD_ND_NPS=1

Engines_SideBySideDisplay=0

Engines_ColorChangeInhibit_5minutes=0

Engines_ColorChangeInhibit_10minutes=0

Engines_LowOilQuantityInverseVideo=1

Engines_HighVibrationAlert=1

Engines_ShowRefN1=2

Engines_ShowOilQPercentage=1

Engines_ShowMaxContLines=0

Fuel_LowAlertBelow1000lbs=0

Fuel_TOTALDisplay=1

MFD_FlightControlSurfacesIndicator=0

MFD_BrakeTemperatureIndicator=0

[Engines]

Engines_DoubleDerate=0

[MCP]

MCPType=1

[AFS]

ThrottleATOverride=0

WingsLevelatTO=1

AllowGSCaptureBeforeLoc=0

AutotuneOBSinLOC=1

AP_EngageRealistic=1

RollOutEnabled=0

[FMS]

DefaultAccelHeight=800

DefaultReductionAlt=800

DefaultCutBackAlt=800

DefaultRestoreAlt=3000

DefaultTransAlt=18000

[GPWS]

GPWS_AltCallouts=1

GPWS_2500_RA=0

GPWS_2500=1

GPWS_1000=1 (PM Callout)

GPWS_500=1 (PM Callout)

GPWS_400=0

GPWS_300=0

GPWS_200=0

GPWS_100=0

GPWS_50=1

GPWS_40=1

GPWS_30=1

GPWS_20=1

GPWS_10=1

GPWS_MinimumsType=1 (PM Callout)

GPWS_AprMinimumsType=4 (PM Callout)

GPWS_WarnBankAngle=1

GPWS_TerrPeaksMode=1

GPWS_TerrUseCyan=0

GPWS_V1Callout=1 (PM Callout)

[TCAS]

TCAS_ShowAllTraffic=0

TCAS_FilterRange=40

TCAS_FilterSeparation=2800

[Airframe]

ShortFieldPackage=0 (mainly used on the -900ER)

FlightTestPackage=0

SteelBrakePackage=0 (Or use Carbon Brakes)

DualBatteryPackage=0

JumpSeat=0

Yoke CheckList L=0

Yoke CheckList R=0

ETOPS=1

DualCargoBottleSystem=1

SingleClassCabin=0

EyebrowWindows=0

SatcomAntenna=2

ISFDInstalled=1

HGSInstalled=0

HGS_AutoAIII=0

HGS_GSrefInPRI=0

[units]

MetricWeightUnits=0

I am not sure how to use these settings.   I pasted these values into the N76517.ini file for my -800WL United repaint.   But the aircraft is still loading up with the weird EFIS/MAP layout instead of MFD/ND like i think these settings should put in place.  Am I missing a step somewhere?

Sorry, I meant PFD/ND, not MFD/ND.  

Never mind - I figured it out!