I was about to buy a Black Square Bonanza and happened to run across something in the user's manual.  It says you have to turn the AP with the heading bug to keep the CDI centered.  What is this all about?  Every add-on I've had in previous sims using the RXP 530/430 and 750 drove the CDI needle and you just had to bug-up the heading like any other aircraft on AP.  Using the HDG bug was simply a formality in case the AP kicks off.  What are they talking about here?  The TDS won't slave to the CDI and turn the needle in NAV mode??  You shouldn't have to do anything in NAV mode but monitor. 

 

Quote

NOTE: Unfortunately, it is not possible to drive the stock MSFS autopilot system with a custom
navigation source without implementing a whole new autopilot (to the best of my knowledge). It
is recommended that you simply steer the autopilot via the heading bug with reference to the
RNAV course deviation shown on the CDI.

 

That's probably something leftover from the first iteration

The GTN will most definitely providing course guidance to the HSI and Autopilot.

I think what you're thinking of though is an electronic HSI which has its course or OBS synced to the DTK on the GTN.  in the Bonanza (real world) you would manually turn the analog hsi's course and set it to your DTK on the GTN.

There is also an option to do this automatically like we had with rxp in the fsx days.

Oh good.  I was worried, lol.  I don't mind realism, but that paragraph was worded very odd.

Thanks! 😃

That paragraph is about the VOR RNAV system rather than the GPS or standard NAV radios.

So I'm having good flights with the Bonanza and TDS, but I still can't seem to activate the CDI with the GTN flight plan.  The needle aligns but it doesn't turn to each DTK.  I have to dial the OBS in manually.  It appears as if all is setup properly for that to activate the CDI.  It follows the FP just fine, but having the course needle not move is weird.

It's a fun little plane to fly though. I can make excellent landings with it and hand-flying is nice.

11 minutes ago, Orlaam said:

It follows the FP just fine, but having the course needle not move is weird.

That is how the real plane operates, but there is a setting in the TDS GTN ini file..

[GTN750.1]
DigitalFuelComputer=1
AirData=1
Link.HSI=1
Auto.CRS=1

Okay, I've just never seen that.  I don't recall an add-on from way back to the Flight One days making you turn the OBS in NAV mode.  If that's normal then maybe I'll leave it alone.

Edited April 17, 20233 yr by Orlaam

3 minutes ago, Orlaam said:

Okay, I've just never seen that.  I don't recall an add-on from way way to the Flight One days making you turn the OBS in NAV mode.  If that's normal then maybe I'll leave it alone.

I have it set to "auto" to save myself the trouble... but this setting was present both in the F1 and RXP gauges..

1 minute ago, Bert Pieke said:

I have it set to "auto" to save myself the trouble... but this setting was present both in the F1 and RXP gauges..

Yeah it's not something I'm used to seeing.  Even in the ForeFlight app, the CDI moves over each waypoint to the next track.

I also need to figure out the altitude mode.  Every time I engage the AP the unit sets it as a ALT HOLD and I end up having to redial the desired ALT.  Usually the AP is the easy part. 😄

15 minutes ago, Orlaam said:

Yeah it's not something I'm used to seeing.  Even in the ForeFlight app, the CDI moves over each waypoint to the next track.

But think of it....  it's an analog instrument...  nothing automatically turns the CDI needle.  Your hand is what turns the OBS or HDG bug in the real aircraft.

Foreflight is just a digital display so it will automatically sync with the DTK - same with with newer glass cockpits  -the Garmin G5's we have on the Beech do the same.  (We have a GNS430 instead of a GTN though).

Everything we used in FSX etc had a setting to do that - just an ease of use thing in flightsim.... people got used to it but it's just a "sim-ism," not how the real analog one works.

As for the AP the one in the Baron in my pic is the same as the Bonanza.  Dial an alitude you're climbing to, press ARM and also engage a lateral mode and you should get FD bars to popup.  Then press the AP master to engage the servos.

If you want to change altitudes just dial a new altitude and press ARM - then push (pull) the little knob to the right to change vertical speed.  As long as ARM is selected the AP will climb or descend to the selected altitude.

Disregard the GTN in this pic as mine isn't working because I have a super duper experimental build 😉

BaronAP by Ryan Butterworth, on Flickr

 

23 minutes ago, Orlaam said:

I also need to figure out the altitude mode.  Every time I engage the AP the unit sets it as a ALT HOLD and I end up having to redial the desired ALT.  Usually the AP is the easy part. 😄

The altitude selector has a VS button.

My standard practice has always been to select an altitude (e.g, 10,500 feet) and turn the FD on before takeoff.  Then when I'm climbing I turn the AP on.  No true mode have been selected, unless ALT just arms with the FD.  Seems to operate a little different than I'm used to lately.  I had the A2A Bonanza and it would just allow you to arm the ALT, but you had to start pushing the trim buttons once you engaged the AP or it wouldn't climb.  I had the RealAir Duke, and it was very easy.  I've never had an autopilot I couldn't figure out, lol.  Maybe I need to ARM the panel as you circled there before engaging the AP, cause engaging it seems to put it into ALT HOLD regardless of the preset altitude.  As Bert mentions, I did find out quickly that I can dial a V/S in, but I don't think it should default to trying to level out in a climb just cause you're engaging the AP.  It doesn't default to HDG or NAV unless you actually push them.  I just need to figure out the logic.  The A2A Comanche, and even the Bonzana, had some quirky older implementations that I wasn't sure of the first few times I used them.

If you push the VS arm button while in FD mode, with altitude and VSI dialed in, engaging the AP should work as you stated.  MSFS currently has a bug in the default autopilot which can interfere with correct VS engagement, so keep an eye on autopilot behavior... I have seen runaway trim conditions that required manual intervention.

https://community.justflight.com/topic/4553/baron-bonanza-kas297b-vs-eng

It is not bullet proof at present.. 😉

Edited April 18, 20233 yr by Bert Pieke

On 4/17/2023 at 4:10 PM, Bert Pieke said:

That is how the real plane operates, but there is a setting in the TDS GTN ini file..

[GTN750.1]
DigitalFuelComputer=1
AirData=1
Link.HSI=1
Auto.CRS=1

Thanks Bert I never knew this.  I have been just doing the real world thingee.