Carenado Beech 18 autopilot woes

[Adamski_NZ 967]

I'm enjoying the aircraft, but Is the autopilot in the Beechcraft Model 18 shonky or what???

At the moment, it doesn't work (at all) with my PMS50. Even with all my PMS50 addons disabled (I use the Linker), I'm finding it works sometimes, but sometimes not.

1) Altitude and Pitch modes work fine.

2) Heading mode works fine.

3) Following the GPS route via the GNS and corresponding mode selector (the one behind the mixture levers) works in VOR mode but doesn't seem to work consistently/reliably in NAV mode.

Obviously I'm not expecting full ILS/autoland functions (!!) but following a simple GPS route should work OK <??>.

Any hints, anyone?

BTW - I've followed the procedures in this video but still get varied results:

 

 

 

[Chock 17,769]

I've been using it with the hardware Logitech autopilot and it seems to work okay with that and will follow a GPS route. When I use that hardware AP, selecting NAV, ALT and VSI, the cockpit sim panel controls look like this, so that would be ROLL, ALT and PITCH selected with the AP mode up at the 12 o'clock position and 'GPS' showing on the GPS. It happily followed the SID from the airport along the magenta line with those selected, so I'd be inclined to try the VC switches in those positions:

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Chock

[Adamski_NZ 967]

Many thanks! That's how I had it set up. *However* - it works great when I do a runway start, but goes a bit weird (though not consistently repeatable) after a cold & dark start.

I'm thinking something isn't being properly initialised - though all *looks* OK at the time. Also - I think repeated re-selections of the various nav mode switch combinations just confuse the a/p even further.

I'm following a rather complex route out of NZQN to NZDN and it's followed it perfectly so far (from a runway start).

More testing follows!

Edited June 20, 2022 by Adamski_NZ

[Treetops45 1,083]

5 hours ago, Adamski_NZ said:

Many thanks! That's how I had it set up. *However* - it works great when I do a runway start, but goes a bit weird (though not consistently repeatable) after a cold & dark start.

I'm thinking something isn't being properly initialised - though all *looks* OK at the time.

I've found sometimes I need to turn a switch On & Off & ON again a couple of times for it to take.

Particularly for the NAV setting on the far right AP beige switch in Chock's screen shot.

For it to be following the Magenta line on my set up the Beige switch would need to be 2 clicks anti clockwise, ie pointing at NAV.

Also, I found that to get it to track the Magenta line I needed to turn on AP 1st, then NAV, & it is happier if the aircraft is sitting on or near the Magenta line when you instigate AP. If NAV doesn't take I turn the Beige switch back to 12 o'clock, then back to NAV again.

Once it takes it will follow zig zag flight plans.

Addendum: I should mention that in all my AP flying with the D-18 I have the Nav1 button ON. It is  [referring to Chock's pic above], in the top row of the beige  push button  'teeth' above the GPS unit.

The D-18 will also execute a nice ILS. I just flew out of KLAX Rwy 24R & came back ILS into to Rwy 07R, all on AP.

To get the ILS to work, once you are on AP & on NAV & ALT & have the ILS Rwy frequency set up, when  in the approach feathers you hit the CDI button to change GPS to VLOC on the GPS unit & you turn the beige rotary dial behind the mixture levers to LOC NORM.

The aircraft should follow the approach path down to the runway. You can tell if you have hooked on to the glideslope when the glideslope Test Button on the top left of the dashboard glows green.

ILS into KLAX Rwy 07R

T45

Edited June 20, 2022 by Treetops45