CDI Glideslope Not Working

[andy a 17]

Hello Rob,

Again I must apologise for the delay in replying to you. My Wife was unexpectedly taken into hospital today with a respiratory infection, which meant I did not arrive back home until 3 hours ago.

To try and relax somewhat after a harrowing day, I took to the skies in the DC-6, but have so far failed to get the aircraft to become established on the Flight Plan, in the GPS mode. I am using the auto pilot procedure as per the PMDG Tutorial #1, but as soon as I set the AP Mode selector to LOCALIZER, the Gyro Pilot switches off and an alarm bell rings....I'm not very good at this I fear.

I hope you enjoyed your time in Scotland.

Kind regards

Andy

[rmeier 473]

Hello Andy!

First off, I hope your wife is feeling better!

Secondly, no need to apologize for the time delay on replies...we're at a 6 hour time zone difference. (I'm originally from Vancouver, BC, but I've been living close to KMSY for the last 9 years.) 

Back to the DC-6...to be honest, I've never flown the tutorial flight myself...my bad...I watched a lot of Youtube videos when I first started flying the "6". Initially, I always flew with the AFE...when I started to learn the aircraft without the AFE, I have to admit, I failed several engines due to my own incompetence! The POH (Lockheed Mard\Prepar3D v4\PMDG\PMDG DC-6\Flight Manuals\) is a very helpful document...I actually printed out several portions of those documents (and engine tables) to keep in a handy three binder (with plastic insert pages).

It doesn't seem like the issue is with your F1GTN. I'm making a guess here, but, it may be that your aircraft is out of trim when you engage the autopilot (that's a guess on my part!).

Since I normally fly the DC-6 out of smaller airports, I tend to have a lot more liberty with departure procedures. (If I depart from a controlled airport with a SID procedure, I usually opt to handfly the SID before I engage the A/P...my preference.

I was wondering if you could try a simpler procedure to get the hang of the A/P functions first?

Normally, I will fly directly straight out, get to about 140-150 knots speed and before I engage the autopilot, I'll center the yoke with the (large) hand trim wheel for a climb of about 500 fpm. When the aircraft appears to hold a steady climb without pulling/pushing on the yoke, I'll engage the A/P, first by turning (up) the gyro pilot switch on the pedestal (p 77 of the POH) and then engaging the autopilot master switch (p 78 of the POH). Now the aircraft should be flying in autopilot with the 3 position switch on gyropilot (far left). Make small adjustments to the smaller (autopilot) trim wheel to maintain your rate of climb as the speed increases.

Assuming your F!GTN is already in GPS mode (confirmed on the GPS/VOR/LOC/GS indicator - p 35 of the POH). Looking at the Map Display on your F1GTN, you can now make heading adjustments settings using the turn knob on the autopilot (p 77 of the POH). Slowly turn into the direction of your flight plan leg (I'll usually count the number of movements I make on the turn knob.) If the aircraft is flying well on the autopilot in gyro pilot mode, you'll want to turn the aircraft in a direction that will intercept the corresponding leg of your flight plan. When you're on an intercept with the flight plan leg, you can level off the turn knob by returning it back to the center position (the reason I count the number of adjustments I make). I normally make adjustments of about 6 - 12 on the turn knob depending oh how much I need to maneuver to an intercept.

Once on an intercept, and still with a reasonable climb speed, you can switch the autopilot select switch to "localizer". The aircraft should now follow your flight path. (One caution, confirm the active leg on the F1GTN...you'll be able to tell by the next waypoint displayed on the Map Display.) With practice, you'll be able to apply the "localizer" switch by following the position of the "pointer" on the GPS/VOR/LOC/GS indicator. As the vertical bar (tracking) approaches the center, you can then switch to localizer without unnecessary bouncing of the wings...your passengers will appreciate the smoother flight!

I hope these tips help you out Andy...the DC-6 is a fun aircraft to fly...the F1GTN gives it a margin of "comfort flying" in low visibility conditions!!!

There are many people here to help you...feel free to ask!

BTW...my time in Scotland left me with a life long taste for Walkers Shortbread and Highlands Single Malt...no, I don't have them together!!!

Good luck with these tips, and I hope your wife is feeling better soon!

Regards, Rob

[andy a 17]

Hello Rob,

First of all, thank you for wishing my wife well...very thoughtful.

I made a bit of progress with the flight tonight. Your tutorial is the same procedure as I use, except I omit to trim for the climb. concentrating too much on heading adjustments instead. However I did trim on the flight tonight, and for the first time, switching to "localizer" did not switch off the Gyro Pilot, and the warning bell didn't ring. The aircraft then turned to a heading of 360 deg., almost a 180 turn away from the first Waypoint. My eye had caught mention of a 360 turn when I was reading one of the manuals, possibly POH. Therefore when I have a bit more time than I've had today, I will search through and find it.

What wonderful taste you have.... Walkers and Single Malt! The only time I have them together is on New Years Morning..just after the Bells!!

BTW..I've been enjoying You Tube videos of Tuba Skinny, playing great jazz in the French Quarter. They are great musicians, and not a sheet of music in sight!  I set up my Yamaha keyboard and play along with them..not whilst flying the DC -6 I hasten to add.

I'll let you know how I get on with the DC-6.

Kind regards

Andy

 

Edited April 12, 2019 by andy a

[rmeier 473]

Hello Andy!

Great news...progress is good!!! Looks like you solved what appeared to be an initial trim issue.

I was wondering if you could confirm that you're seeing the "GPS" logo (in green) on the GPS/VOR/LOC/GS indicator before you switch from Gyropilot to Localizer?

I came across the following YouTube video...at about the 6:00 min mark you'll see the green GPS indication on the LOC Indicator (it's kind of fuzzy in the video).

 

Although the video author is using the PMDG GPS, the principle is the same. He's initially hand flying the departure (likely a SID). I'd encourage you to follow the vertical bar on the GPS/VOR/LOC/GS Indicator as he attempts to follow the flight plan while hand flying. As the vertical bar approaches the center (apprx 13:00 min mark), he then switches the autopilot to localizer mode.

I'm just trying to confirm that you're seeing the "GPS" logo on the indicator...this will helps to confirm that there is no communication fault between the GPS/Autpilot.

Anyways, glad to hear that the autopilot engaged and stayed on this time!!!

I hadn't heard of Tuba Skinny before (I did view a couple of videos)...they have an almost Zydeco sound...very common down in the Quarter. I tend to prefer more classical jazz...I really enjoy Diana Krall's earlier music...before her husband's influence. I actually saw her live in concert many years ago in Cincinnati...it was a little surprising to see how painfully shy she was as a performer.

It's sounds like your on the right path with your "6".

Good luck and happy flying!

Regards, Rob

[andy a 17]

Hello Rob,

Thank you for the very interesting video. Until watching it, I had been using the trim on my Saitek Yoke, however it's better for fine tuning  with using the wheel on the DC-6.

The "GPS" logo on the GPS/VOR/LOC/GS is visible, but coloured Magenta.

I located the "mention of the 360 deg turn" that I spoke of in yesterday's post. Its on page 15 of the F1 TECH GTN SERIES GAUGES USER'S GUIDE. While I was reading that page, I decided to try an example which was mentioned, of creating/saving a Flight Plan on P3D v4, and then right click Source Toggle to P3D GPS..It worked!! DC-6 is now forrowing the plan on Auto Pilot. I have to manually create the Flight Plan on the GTN 650, as there is no provision to import from P3D at present.

I've learned a lot from you Rob. Thank you for your patience. Some of the aspects of flight simming can be quite a steep learning curve for me, but the PMDG jets will be a piece of cake after this.

I'll have to spend a bit of time now rehearsing for my next gig in 2 weeks. It's a monthly dance for Seniors, and I do a lot  of the numbers that Diane Krall sings..what a lovely voice she has BTW. I listen to her duets with Tony Bennett.  I must try playing/singing "Fly Me To The Moon" whilst flying the "6" 🙂

Good luck and Best Wishes. Many thanks Rob.

Kind regards

Andy