Programming a GPS course?

[terrypin 0]

I'm a novice FSX user but am familiar with GPS. In the learning Centre under Autopilot I see this feature, which I'd like to use:10 - Nav/GPS switchThe Nav/GPS switch selects the navigation receiver (Nav 1 radio or GPS) that feeds the Nav 1 display and the autopilot.When the Nav/GPS switch is in the GPS position and the autopilot's Navigation mode is enabled, the autopilot will follow the programmed GPS course to each lateral waypoint in sequence. The GPS does not provide vertical guidance to the autopilot.But how do I create "...the programmed GPS course" please? I know how to create a GPX file in another program, but what then? How do I set it up in FSX?-- Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[Guest fsxmissionguy]

When you create a Flight Plan using the FSX Flight Planner, and you activate that flight plan, it is automatically programmed into the GPS by Flight Simulator.In fact, this is the only way I've ever programmed an entire flight plan, although I suspect you can do it manually.You can then use the NAV/GPS switch.Cheers,

[Guest PPSFA]

When you create a flighplan in FSX you can select the 'type', IFR, VFR, etc. One of the options is GPS direct. If you want to create a custom GPS flight plan specifically, set your dept and dest airports, then 'drag' the line bewtween them to any point you want. Regardless of what type plan you create, it will still show in the GPS in the sim.XP Pro SP2-FSX SP2AMD FX60-8800GTS-2 Gigs RAMFEX-GEX-UTUSA-FSGenesis-and a bunch of other stuffComputer optomized by www.fs-gs.com

[Guest triangle]

You can also head to the Garmin site and download the GPS trainers - they are a desktop equivelant of the GPS that can be used with the training manual to teach yourself everything about using the GPS.

[Highmike 68]

You can also hit the Direct To button on the Garmin which will put a magenta line on the moving map display, and which the autopilot will follow. You can type in your waypoint from the keyboard, but you'll have to position the cursor with the page navigation knobs. It's a bit different between the 500 and the 295, but a little experimentation will show you the way. You can enter airports and any VOR, so you don't even need to use the Flight Planner to get the autopilot to follow the GPS.Mike.

[terrypin 0]

Thanks all, much appreciate those helpful replies. Lots of studying and experimenting now needed!One point I just didn't follow was Mike's "You can also hit the Direct To button on the Garmin..." What is 'the Garmin' in this context? As Triangle suggested I went "... to the Garmin site" to "...download the GPS trainers" but haven't yet found whatever these are. Am I in the right place here?http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us/intheair/Are there any beginners tutorials on this sort of stuff, or is it a matter of getting stuck in and learning it all from scratch?-- Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[Guest JeanLuc_]

And actually you can fly the GNS WAAS in FS with near 100% functions of the real GNS WAAS with the Reality XP GNS WAAS.I can't find a link for the avsim main page with the press release, so here it is:http://www.simforums.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=26449Make sure to check the forum though, an open beta build (update) is about to be released this morning as well.Hope this helps!

[n4gix 4,947]

>I'm a novice FSX user but am familiar with GPS. In the>learning Centre under Autopilot I see this feature, which I'd>like to use:>>10 - Nav/GPS switch>The Nav/GPS switch selects the navigation receiver (Nav 1>radio or GPS) that feeds the Nav 1 display and the autopilot.Terry, you've received a lot of good -albeit sometimes ambiguous- information so far. I would like to commend you though for actually being one of the few who's ever admitted even looking at the Learning Center... ;)I would also like to point out that there's a very comprehensive manual for the "default G500 GPS" in the Learning Center as well. You can find it via the Index in the Learning Center. BTW, you can load the Learning Center directly if you wish without having FSX running. Look in your FSX folder for this file:..Uireslc01.htmThe G500 manual for FSX is found here:..FSWebLearningCenterNavigationUsingTheGPS.htm

[LAdamson 240]

>One point I just didn't follow was Mike's "You can also hit>the Direct To button on the Garmin..." What is 'the>Garmin' in this context? As Triangle suggested I went "...>to the Garmin site" to "...download the GPS trainers" but>haven't yet found whatever these are. Am I in the right place>here?>http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us/intheair/>Garmin is the brand name, and this site will get you to the simulators. Click on the aviation units, then the model. It will have an option for simulator trainers, if available.L.Adamson

[terrypin 0]

>>I'm a novice FSX user but am familiar with GPS. In the>>learning Centre under Autopilot I see this feature, which>I'd>>like to use:>>>>10 - Nav/GPS switch>>The Nav/GPS switch selects the navigation receiver (Nav 1>>radio or GPS) that feeds the Nav 1 display and the>autopilot.>>Terry, you've received a lot of good -albeit sometimes>ambiguous- information so far. I would like to commend you>though for actually being one of the few who's ever admitted>even looking at the Learning Center... ;)>>I would also like to point out that there's a very>comprehensive manual for the "default G500 GPS" in the>Learning Center as well. You can find it via the Index in the>Learning Center. BTW, you can load the Learning Center>directly if you wish without having FSX running. Look in your>FSX folder for this file:>>..Uireslc01.htm>>The G500 manual for FSX is found here:>>..FSWebLearningCenterNavigationUsingTheGPS.htmThanks a lot Bill. That direct method of opening the Learning Center is very handy. (Although oddly it doesn't appear to like being used in Firefox. For example, the A,B, C ... Z links on the index page don't work, yet they do if I use IE. Only trivial - I can scroll down instead - but puzzling.)Just been browsing the GPS > Using section of the Learning Center, and must say it's pretty daunting! I'm going to have to use the Flight Planner, to follow a fixed route consisting of a set of waypoints. But apparently I must enter a Departure Airport as a first step. Is there any way around that? Typically I wouldn't be starting from an airport, but from the start of a planned walk/hike. So I want to enter a series of waypoints W1, W2, W3 etc (with W1 not one of the FSX built-in airports). Can I alternatively somehow add a new airport at a location (W1) of my choosing, and then use that as my departure point?-- Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[n4gix 4,947]

Unfortunately Terry, the answer is no. You must have a valid ICAO (airport) as the start/end of any flightplan. You can use the "Map" to drag the line anywhere you like and lat/lon will define the waypoints inbetween.Alternatively, you can open a basic flightplan in notepad.exe and manually add the specific waypoint data directly, provided you know how to convert the lat/lon data into the format FS uses.

[terrypin 0]

Thanks Bill, that's given me an alternative solution! I can of course make the flight plan: Airport - W1 - W2 - W3 - etc. The airport could be any, but obviously it would make sense to choose the closest one to W1, the start of my walk. The scenery I want to view will then start when my plane reaches W1. Seems obvious now ;) So much for the concept. I still have a lot of studying before I can actually make such a plan in practice! BTW, is there a ready made flight plan anywhere in the FSX folders that I can examine? Editing a copy of that in the way you suggest, by entering my own waypoints, would seem a sound way to tackle it initially.-- Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[Guest Shalomar]

Here is a flight plan for an underpowered aircraft to get to Lukla, the closest airport to Mount Everest. I have done this flight in the Trike and a piston powered heli. This goes out of the way a bit, but you can stay at 7500 feet safely till you have to *climb* to pattern altitude of 10,000 for Lukla.If you do this flight in the 172 then about every 2,000 feet you climb pull out the mixture knob till the engine coughs then ease it back in a tad. Leave the mixture lean for the landing, (do *not* set it to full rich) or the engine may die.I have to remnind you that This stuff is *much* easier to pick up in a shared cockpit. The people I fly with don't make fun of newbies, anyone who will won't be in my session for long...Have fun!!!Best Regards, Donald T.:-wavehttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/190021.txt

[Guest triangle]

Go here for the trainer downloads - I should have not been so lazy and should have posted this before but was in a rush to get to the other side of Australia for work ;-)http://www8.garmin.com/include/SimulatorPopup.htmlTriangle

[terrypin 0]

Thanks Donald. In which FSX folder should I save the TXT file please? Do I have to change its extension to .XML?(At this stage I can personally hardly bear to watch my attempts to fly. My 999 mph slewing is coming along well though!) ;) -- Terry, East Grinstead, UK