Flight Plans the INS and AFCS
Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:36 pm
Hi,
I recently purchased the F-4E Phantom II. I have read a great deal of the F-4E PDF (including the PDFs from MilViz) and watched a few videos available on the Internet but I'm having issues learning/using the INS and AFCS. It may be I'm expecting it to do something that it's not modeled to do so I'm hoping the folks at MilViz can clear up some things for me.
1) I realize I'm dealing with an INS system geared to LAT/LON inputs. I found some information on loading a "target" (destination) LAT/LON into the NAV panel (rear cockpit), I presume this is similar to a single leg flight plan? Then I tried to learn more about loading a multi-leg flight plan. I found and watched several online videos, one showed the user creating a flight plan using PLAN-G (which I use periodically) but my primary flight planner is the Aivlasoft EFB. I presume if you can use PLAN-G there should be no problems using another flight planner as long as the flight plan is recognized by the sim? I confirmed this when I loaded a flight plan using my Aivlasoft EFB and during a test flight watched the HSI indicator provide proper tracking information when the NAV COMP was selected. I had problems on various test flights loading the flight plan because I believe you must do certain things in a specific sequence (this is vague and the HOW-TO unclear), such as when to load the flight plan into the simulator compared to when you load the F-4 aircraft. Maybe someone could provide more specific details on this.
2) This brings forth the next question. When I engaged (coupled) the AFCS to the NAV COMP it would not automatically keep the aircraft on the planned flight path? My aircraft strayed from the planned flight path if I did not manually fly it. Per information from the PDFs and videos I presume the TGT2 selection on the NAV panel (rear cockpit) is supposed to provide the loaded flight plan data to the AFCS? So, correct my understanding if it is flawed, I should use the TGT1 setting if I want the AFCS to use the LAT/LON entered directly into the NAV panel as a single "target" (destination) LAT/LON. I should use the TGT2 setting if I want the AFCS to use the flight plan loaded into the simulator by a program such as PLAN-G or the Aivlasoft EFB? Can someone explain in more detail what each position of this switch is doing, such as the RESET position (???) because I can not find any further information on it. If the AFCS does not automatically track the loaded flight plan then does this mean I must always manually fly the aircraft using the HSI indications for navigation while coupled to the NAV COMP?
3) Must the a) Auto Present Position Update and b) Auto Steerpoint Sequence in the MilViz Configuration Manager be checked for the INS to automatically track a loaded flight plan? If these are not checked then my understanding is that I must manually load the "present" (starting) position into the INS before the flight and manually sequence the steerpoints (how this is done I have no clue, I could not find information on this). It's great that we have a choice to have these taken care of, but if I do not check these then can someone explain the HOW-TO?
Thanks for any help,
Hawk
I recently purchased the F-4E Phantom II. I have read a great deal of the F-4E PDF (including the PDFs from MilViz) and watched a few videos available on the Internet but I'm having issues learning/using the INS and AFCS. It may be I'm expecting it to do something that it's not modeled to do so I'm hoping the folks at MilViz can clear up some things for me.
1) I realize I'm dealing with an INS system geared to LAT/LON inputs. I found some information on loading a "target" (destination) LAT/LON into the NAV panel (rear cockpit), I presume this is similar to a single leg flight plan? Then I tried to learn more about loading a multi-leg flight plan. I found and watched several online videos, one showed the user creating a flight plan using PLAN-G (which I use periodically) but my primary flight planner is the Aivlasoft EFB. I presume if you can use PLAN-G there should be no problems using another flight planner as long as the flight plan is recognized by the sim? I confirmed this when I loaded a flight plan using my Aivlasoft EFB and during a test flight watched the HSI indicator provide proper tracking information when the NAV COMP was selected. I had problems on various test flights loading the flight plan because I believe you must do certain things in a specific sequence (this is vague and the HOW-TO unclear), such as when to load the flight plan into the simulator compared to when you load the F-4 aircraft. Maybe someone could provide more specific details on this.
2) This brings forth the next question. When I engaged (coupled) the AFCS to the NAV COMP it would not automatically keep the aircraft on the planned flight path? My aircraft strayed from the planned flight path if I did not manually fly it. Per information from the PDFs and videos I presume the TGT2 selection on the NAV panel (rear cockpit) is supposed to provide the loaded flight plan data to the AFCS? So, correct my understanding if it is flawed, I should use the TGT1 setting if I want the AFCS to use the LAT/LON entered directly into the NAV panel as a single "target" (destination) LAT/LON. I should use the TGT2 setting if I want the AFCS to use the flight plan loaded into the simulator by a program such as PLAN-G or the Aivlasoft EFB? Can someone explain in more detail what each position of this switch is doing, such as the RESET position (???) because I can not find any further information on it. If the AFCS does not automatically track the loaded flight plan then does this mean I must always manually fly the aircraft using the HSI indications for navigation while coupled to the NAV COMP?
3) Must the a) Auto Present Position Update and b) Auto Steerpoint Sequence in the MilViz Configuration Manager be checked for the INS to automatically track a loaded flight plan? If these are not checked then my understanding is that I must manually load the "present" (starting) position into the INS before the flight and manually sequence the steerpoints (how this is done I have no clue, I could not find information on this). It's great that we have a choice to have these taken care of, but if I do not check these then can someone explain the HOW-TO?
Thanks for any help,
Hawk