Look Ma, no hands!

[Corsair015]

As a request from Paughco, I am going to write a small tutorial on how to use the ILS system in the Bonanza.

NOTE: This is not a real procedure, or realistic in a real world sense, this is just what I do when I play around. I have not yet even begun to learn real world instrument flying!

I normally use a flight plan loaded into the GPS, and set autopilot to follow route.

For this example, lets say I am going from NZTG (Tauranga) to NZHN (Hamilton).
First I would make up the flight plan (any way you do this should work), then start up, taxi and take off. Once in a nice steady climb, activate the Flight Director (The FD button in the autopilot stack) and autopilot. For the next step make sure you have the NAV/GPS switch set to GPS.
Set and arm the altitude hold to the desired altitude, and click the NAV button in the autopilot stack. The plane should now be flying the route.

When you are a fair distance away, start descending so that you don't have to dive to get to the ILS if you have been distracted by Youtube videos (Me? Nooooooooooo...........)

To set up the approach, go into the GPS settings (click on the GPS and bring up the 2D panel) and click PROC and select SELECT APPROACH? If you are doing this without a GPS flight plan, find the airport in the GPS and set a direct waypoint to it, you should be able to select an approach now.
Then choose the approach for the active runway (make sure it says ILS) click enter and then choose VECTORS, then click LOAD (not ACTIVATE)
Go to HDG autopilot mode when relatively close to the airport (3-5NM) and go to the GPS and click PROC again and activate VECTORS TO FINAL.

Before going any further, use the large GPS scroll wheel to get to the WPT page, and then when on that page, use the small scroll wheel to scroll to go to the APT page, and click the scroll wheel to bring up the cursor and use the large one to scroll down to the runway you are going to use. The Nav1 frequency should be next to it (to put it in automatically, click enter when it is selected, or you can put it in manually) Make sure you get the right one, and that it is put into the standby NAV1 slot. The ILS frequency for runway 36L at NZHN is 108.90.
Now put the HID's course selector to the selected runway's heading.


On the GPS you will see a long line coming from the landing path from that runway, fly the airplane using heading control to a place above it and heading towards it. Activate NAV mode again. You should be at about 2700-2500FT by now descending at about 500-700FPM (to capture the Glide Slope from underneath).
Now switch the NAV1 frequency to ACTIVE, and turn the NAV1 IDENT to on, push in both the white buttons for the NAV1 SPEAKER and PHONE in the top stack. It should now start beeping at intervals of about 20 seconds

Once on the purple approach line on the GPS, switch the GPS/NAV switch to NAV. The autopilot is now lining up with the runway. Just as you are entering the Glide Slope (you will see this on the GPS as a green arrow thing, you should be about 2000FT by now) activate the Approach Hold on the autopilot. It should now be trying to line up and get in the glide slope. When you have entered the Glide Slope, GS will be illuminated on the autopilot light panel (or whatever you call it).
Sometimes the autopilot trim has a hard time keeping up with the FD (really slow), so if you see it lagging, help it along with some pilot applied trim, or by quickly cycling the CWS button on the yoke

At about 100-50FT, disconnected the autopilot so that you may land SMOOTHLY (the autopilot has no idea of the meaning of the words "transition" "flare" or "soft")

That is about it. This is how I do it, and it has always worked for me. Happy ILS hunting!

[Oracle427]

A few issues with this approach, pun intended. You could do it this way to play around, but it had no connection to reality unless you are actually being vectored into final by a controller. A great strength of the sim is flying full approaches by hand especially with the ultra realistic A2A aircraft and avionics.

If you activate vectors to final and fly by your own vectors in IMC, how do you know that you will avoid terrain or obstacles?

The appropriate approach plate should be located and used so that you may fly a full approach by crossing the intersections at the appropriate altitude. This ensures that you will clear terrain and obstacles. When loading a procedure, load the transition fix closest to your point of arrival from enroute. This would simulate landing at some airport after a radio failure while IFR and in IMC.

The altitudes you have listed sort of work for a sea level airport with no nearby terrain. There is no hard rule here, so you have to use an appropriate approach plate for the airport.

There is an appropriate height to make a decision to land and on an ILS that is typically around 200 feet above the height of the threshold. Again, this info would be found on the chart. You will need to transition to a visual landing at that point on these types of aircraft, or immediately go missed if you don't have the runway environment in sight.

Why not take advantage of one of the greatest strengths of the sim and hand fly the approach? Ignore that autopilot and use your skill to manage aircraft configuration and performance to safely arrive at the runway! ILS != use autopilot.

While tracking the localizer and glideslope, don't chase the needles, but instead manage trends. promptly apply small corrections to arrest trends, by changing heading, pitch or power and then taking out corrections as required.

Don't descend until the glideslope has been intercepted. You are reducing your obstacle clearance if you descend while under the glideslope. Not a hard and fast rule, but you will generally intercept the glideslope somewhere around 2000 AGL.

You also don't need to keep listening to the ILD identifier on your nav radio. The procedure to keep listening is normal for an NDB. Once you initially identify the ILS by its Morse code identifier, you may silence it.

Finally keep in mind that not all ILS approaches have fixes that can by flown solely by the pilot or just with a VOR head with a glideslope. Some approaches require radar vectoring, others require DME. Many will require a course reversal, but NONE require GPS or autopilot. :p~

Try the added challenge!

I will qualify the above by saying that the FAA publishes the US approach plates for free on the web. I do not know if this is the same for all countries. If the plates are but available for your region, then I guess a little imagination is in order.

[BrettT]

Just as a reference, Skyvector has all the US approach charts as well. It is easy and convenient and a decent flight planning tool as well

[KotatehFox]

wait...aircraft have autopilot? interesting...

[scottb613]

Hi Folks,

Just FYI if you live and fly North America - if you have a tablet - FltPlan GO has a full free EFB that is the only source of free georeferenced approach plates and taxi diagrams I know of - connects to flight sim - makes flying published approaches a breeze... Garmin just bought them - so then FREE ride may be coming to an end - at least in my mind...

https://flttrack.fltplan.com/FltPlanInf ... vices.html






Regards,
Scott

[Paughco]

Corsair: Thank you for posting your procedure. I'll give it a try! Sometimes I hand fly ILS approaches, and sometimes I let "Otto-pilot" fly them for me. I like to know how to do both. It's all good.

Thank you
ATB

[Corsair015]

A few issues with this approach, pun intended. You could do it this way to play around, but it had no connection to reality unless you are actually being vectored into final by a controller. A great strength of the sim is flying full approaches by hand especially with the ultra realistic A2A aircraft and avionics.

Thanks for the Info! I am not even a real pilot yet, so I have no knowledge of any procedures or such, so I fly as realistically as I can from what I read or watch.
I will try to get more realistic as time goes on.


Thanks for giving me more insight on how it is done in the real world

[Corsair015]

Corsair: Thank you for posting your procedure. I'll give it a try! Sometimes I hand fly ILS approaches, and sometimes I let "Otto-pilot" fly them for me. I like to know how to do both. It's all good.

ATB

You are welcome! Try to adapt the info from Oracle427 to what I have put here to get a more realistic procedure, or just do what I do for a bit of fun

[Paughco]

This YouTube video by SIM CFI has a lot of good info on IFR flying, including an IFR approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqTHSRV ... 82BzdiVe4l. There are links to other useful SIM CFI videos on IFR topics on the side bar.

[Edited 1237 - 26 Sep 18]
Played around with the autopilot on a short flight today, from Idaho Falls to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Idaho Falls is at about 4,500 feet MSL and Jackson Hole is at about 6,500 feet MSL. Needed around 11,500 for terrain clearance on the way over the mountains. I flew a dog leg to the East over to Palisades Reservoir, then followed the 188 radial (008 deg magnetic inbound) to the JAC omni. After taking off and establishing a cruise climb (full throttle and 2,500 rpm, gradually leaning for altitude), I turned on the FD and engaged heading hold on the autopilot. I used the trim rocker to keep climb rate around 600 fpm. Here is a cool thing I found out (yeah, I know it's in the manual, but I had to experience it to be sure I read it right): I set 11,500 feet on the altitude selector and pressed the "arm" button. The altitude hold activated at 11,500 and the airplane leveled off all by itself! I had the JAC omni tuned tuned, and set the OBS for 008 degrees. As the CDI needle came off of full scale I started turning the heading bug so that we intercepted the 188 radial on an inbound course and then listened to the KJAC ATIS, then contacted the tower. We got a clearance for right downwind to Rwy 19. I disengaged altitude hold, pulled the throttle back to 15 inches, and set the vertical trim rocker for a 1,000 fpm descent. Then I set 7,500 feet on the altitude selector and pressed the arm button. We built up a bit of speed, right to the beginning of the yellow arc. Altitude hold engaged at 4,500 feet, and after we slowed down I shut off the autopilot and lowered the gear, then put in 10 degrees flaps. Turned onto base, then onto final, and a bit more flap. Full flaps, and a nice, stable approach.

I do need to work on slowing down my final landing approach speed. The number that is burned into my brain is 90, when it should be 70. I was thinking that the Bonanza sure does land a lot slower than the Comanche, until I looked at the manuals for both aircraft and realized that the final approach speed for the Comanche is 90 mph, which is 78 knots. The manual for the Bonanza calls for 70 knots. Doesn't hurt to come in a little hot, unless you are trying to land on a shorter runway, then you need to have that speed nailed. Also, I see on the Landing Distance table on page 85 of the Bonanza manual has a list of recommended speeds at 50 feet on the final approach, and 70 knots is the highest recommended speed, for an aircraft weight of 3,400 lb, and it goes all the way down to 59 knots for an aircraft weight of 2,400 lb. More reason to be familiar with the loadout of your aircraft for a particular flight.

Bonanzas and caffeine - what a combination!

Seeya
ATB

Seeya
ATB