GTN 750 and P3D5.2

[bullfox]

I bought the Reality GTN 750 and to my frustration I have not been able to set up a flight plan using the P3D flight planner and load it directly into the 750. Does anyone know if there is a way to do this?

[MkIV Hvd]

There is no way to do that as the GTN flightplan uses a completely different format than the standard MS flightplans. You can generate a flightplan on Simbrief to load directly into the GTN, but I find that more often than not, it will call out a waypoint that's a duplicate in the world, so it will not activate the flightplan until removed/fixed. I just enter my waypoints manually.

Cheers,
Rob

[bullfox]

Thanks Rob. I was afraid that might be the case.

[Paughco]

I have a RXP GTN 650 and a 750, and here's how I load flight plans, using Little Nav Map (LNV):

First off, notice that your RXP GTN comes with a couple built-in flight plans. Where are they? Check out "C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Trainers\Databases\." There they are, in the subfolder FPLN.

Check out page 9 of the Reality XP GTN User's Manual. It has a procedure for designating a folder for where you want to stash your flight plans, and a way to fool the GTN into using that. Seems like anytime something happens it forgets, so I just use the original folder, "C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Trainers\Databases\FPLN."

Hopefully you use LNV for planning your flights. It's free and it's good. I'll assume that you have LNV. You'll want to click on "File, Multiexport Flight Plan Options. There are many options. You only need two. All the options are sorted by the column "Category," then the column "Usage." The first one you want is category "Garmin, Usage "Reality XP GTN 750/650 Touch." You need to make sure that shows the export path "C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Trainers\Databases\FPLN." Do wahtever it takes to get that in there. Then, make sure that you check the little "Enable/Export now" box in the left column.

Next, cruise down to the category "Simulator" category, and make sure that you are saving .pln files where you want them for your flight sim program. Make sure the box is checked.

Once you get that figured out, you'll be able to set up a flight plan on LNV, and when you select save with the icon that shows two little arrows diving into a hard drive (it says "Multiexport flight plan into several formats") that flight plan will be saved into your GTN directory.

After you start your airplane, and get your avionics going, after your GTN starts, you'll have to import the saved flight plan into the flight plans on your GTN.

I typed all of this pretty quickly, and now I have to go out and start the barby. But at least you know that it works. You can create flight plans on LNV, and save them into your GTN.

Seeya
ATB

[GaryRR]

I bought the Reality GTN 750 and to my frustration I have not been able to set up a flight plan using the P3D flight planner and load it directly into the 750. Does anyone know if there is a way to do this?

Part of the realism is entering the plan yourself. Real world pilots have to. Just mark your way points when you set your plan in sim for ATC and then punch them into your GTN. A lot easier than the virtual or real cursor dials on GNS units.

[bullfox]

I am gradually learning how to use the 750. So far I can load the flight plan and use the loaded plan, however I still have not learned how to get it to properly handle an ILS approach.

[Paughco]

Try watching this Garmin YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrWtdWIy0aM&t=526s. The RXP GTN works just about the same as the real Garmin unit. It took me a while to figure out when to select "Approach" on the autopilot, and when (or if) I had to click the CDI button.

Pick out a nice airport with an ILS and try it, over and over until you get the procedure down. Make sure that the ILS frequency is in the active NAV frequency window on your GTN. Select "Approach" on your autopilot as soon as your CDI needle "sees" the localizer. Your airplane should intercept the localizer and fly along until the glideslope needle moves to the center, and hopefully your airplane will begin to descend to keep the needles lined up.

Watch that video, and read the Reality XP GTN manual. The RXP GTN has a menu that allows you to set it so that the CDI button switches from "GPS" to "VNAV" automatically, at the correct moment in your approach.

Hope this helps.

Seeya
ATB

[bullfox]

Thanks for the tips. I got the ILS approach working. Did a beautiful ILS approach into KMFR Ry 14, my home town airport. However, the IFR ATC tried to fly me into a mountain before I got into the approach. That's the second time that's happened to me with P3D IFR flights so now I am very cautious about reducing altitude while in IFR.

[Paughco]

Yeah - I once had the nice ATC lady direct me into some mountains while flying the Connie full of passengers on an instrument approach into Juneau, AK. Helps to have the terrain feature turned on in the GTN so you can avoid that sort of thing.

I enjoy learning how to operate that GTN. Feels great when the GTN 650 in my Civ Mustang captures the glideslope. Each of my A2A aircraft have different autopilot features. The Bonanza seems to work the best for instrument approaches. I use the generic autopilot in the Connie and the B-17 rather than the old Sperry, and they both work pretty well on ILS approaches.

Seeya
ATB

[Oracle427]

If the approach is activated, and
You are flying the published approach, then
The 750 should automatically make the LOC the active frequency and change the CDI to VLOC upon intercepting the LOC.

Again the other two conditions need to be satisfied first.

The autopilot may still need to be manually armed for approach mode prior to intercepting the LOC. Integration with the autopilot varies by model

You should not wait to swap CDI until the needle comes alive when workload is high. I would expect a proper simulation to automatically change the CDI and frequency with the approach activated. That's one of the big benefits of these expensive units, lots of tools to relieve workload. This is also how a G430, G650 and G1000 work though the buttonology varies.

[GaryRR]

I would like to learn how to use my GTN, or GNS units for the virtual instrument RNAV approaches at non-ILS equipped airports. Important because that is how it must be done at my base field KSEG. That airport has business and med flights and must be available after dark but there is no funding for ILS system which they want.

[Oracle427]

You would set up and fly the approach just as with a ground based navigation aid.

Very generally speaking:
Verify and brief the approach plate
On the 750
Load the approach
Verify the correct approach and waypoints are loaded
Activate the approach
Fly the approach

If it is a non-precision approach, then you can fly it down to the appropriate non-precision minimums without vertical guidance
If it is a precision approach, then you can fly it down to the appropriate precision minimums with vertical guidance

LNAV is similar to a LOC approach with less precision. The course width doesn't narrow as you get closer.
LP is similar to a LOC approach in precision, the course narrows as you get closer.
LNAV+VNAV is a like a lower precision ILS, but the course doesn't narrow as you get closer.
LPV is a similar to an ILS with the course narrowing as you get closer.

Use of autopilot to fly the approach is a different matter and specific to the autopilot installation.

This does not consider WAAS and RAIM (not simulated), alternate minimums, alternates, limitations of the approaches, etc.

[GaryRR]

You would set up and fly the approach just as with a ground based navigation aid.

Very generally speaking:
Verify and brief the approach plate
On the 750
Load the approach
Verify the correct approach and waypoints are loaded
Activate the approach
Fly the approach

If it is a non-precision approach, then you can fly it down to the appropriate non-precision minimums without vertical guidance
If it is a precision approach, then you can fly it down to the appropriate precision minimums with vertical guidance

LNAV is similar to a LOC approach with less precision. The course width doesn't narrow as you get closer.
LP is similar to a LOC approach in precision, the course narrows as you get closer.
LNAV+VNAV is a like a lower precision ILS, but the course doesn't narrow as you get closer.
LPV is a similar to an ILS with the course narrowing as you get closer.

Use of autopilot to fly the approach is a different matter and specific to the autopilot installation.

This does not consider WAAS and RAIM (not simulated), alternate minimums, alternates, limitations of the approaches, etc.

Doesn't RXP tout both their GTN and GNS lines as WAAS capable or is that functionality sim limited?

[Oracle427]

The simulator acts as if all GPS units are WAAS equipped. The units are presenting the approaches that require WAAS on all GPS units.

On the non-WAAS units you would need to perform a RAIM check to ensure that there will be sufficient satellite coverage during the timeframe that you intend to fly the final approach leg of any GPS approach. (Based off memory)

On both types of units you would get alerted if there was a loss of sufficient navigation performance to fly or continue to fly he approach of already on it.

So what I meant to say is that the simulator does not simulate non-WAAS equipment, GPS satellite positions and failures.

[AKar]

Yes, effectively WAAS monitors for Wide Area system accuracy using ground based stations monitoring the GPS, and which send appropriate correction signals via dedicated satellites. This is mainly a North American thing. (In the Europe, there is a conceptually similar EGNOS system.)

RAIM on the other hand monitors the pseudo-range solutions of individual satellites as Received Autonomously. It then estimates the statistical accuracy of the navigation solution. As the solution the individual satellites are compared against is based on the solution provided by the remaining satellites, minus the one you are valuating, the accuracy of confidence is dependent of the number of satellites the receiver is able to monitor, and of their quality.

RAIM prediction is, in principle, and if I remember, taking account the almanac to predict the availability of the GPS constellation over a given location, and giving a prediction of the statistically confident navigation accuracy.

Regarding the simulations, as of today, the GPS simulations have mostly been a God's finger in what comes to pointing one's position on a map, and in real time. The peculiarities in what comes to utilizing the systems up to a pin-point accuracy at high confidence in real life are generally not simulated. The system is usually very precise, but can at times be somewhat 'fragile' as well, hence all the augmentation systems around.

But who I am to complain - even the issues with classic radio navaids are not mostly at all simulated!

-Esa