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(Thanks to Bob Weber for his contributions on this lesson) This lesson is geared towards those who have a basic understanding of FS and have made succesful flights in the Cessna using IFR. There have been many
questions about using and understanding the controls for the 737..It takes some getting use to but is actually easier in some ways than the Cessna. One question that is asked a lot is where or how do I
access the NAV2 gauge on the 737.. The answer is simple.. you don't. NAV 2 radio is fixed to the RMI indicator which is to the left of the HSI
gauge. The RMI indicator has 2 arrows. The yellow arrow points to the postition of the VOR you are flying to or from..It shows the deviation of the VOR
from your heading.. If it's pointing straight up, you're flying directly towards the VOR. If it's pointed to 180 degrees you're flying directly away from the VOR. I find this
gauge easier to use to figure my path to a VOR than the NAV radios in the Cessna. The green arrow shows your relative location to an NDB. So all your necessary
gauges are active on the display at once. Use the tab key to switch betwen some gauges and the radio stack.. The 737 is designed to be flown in autopilot mode. All your Autopilot functions can be
changed or accessed with the mouse. You can turn the plane by changing the HDG setting.(ie:) if your AP is on and the heading indicator is lit, changing the heading setting will turn the plane. The
HSI is your NAV1 gauge. It can be used for ILS landings or navigating to VOR's. It looks complicated but isn't.. here's a description of some of it's
functions. HSI elements and function. 1.
Heading Box. The top Center Box. It's a digital readout of the aircraft's current magnetic heading. 2. Compass Rose. The large white circle. It represents a compass with tick marks every 5 degrees and numbers every 30 degrees. The circle rotates with the
aircraft heading to provide a graphical indication of the current heading. 3.
Course Indicator. A pointer with double yellow lines. Large arrowhead on one end and a small arrowhead on the other. A graphical indication of the course setting displayed in the Course Window on the Autopilot Control panel. The pointer will rotate if you use your mouse to click on the Course Window value on the autopilot panel.
4.
Deviation Indicator. The movable center section of the Course Indicator showing your left/right displacement from the VOR or ILS-LOC signal. 5.
Deflection Scale. The series of white dots or index marks that provides a rough indication of the magnitude of the displacement indicated by the position of the Deviation Indicator. Full scale deflection (from one edge to the other edge) is 20 degrees for
VOR and 5 degrees for the LOC (LOC is 4 times more sensitive that VOR). 6.
To/From Pointer. The large white triangle under the Deviation Indicator that shows which end of the Course Indicator comes closest to pointing to the VOR
station. When the Deviation Indicator is aligned with the Course Indicator the To/From Pointer points to the VOR station. The pointer has no meaning when tuned to an ILS. 7.
Heading Bug. The red arrowhead outline that sets on the Compass Rose rim. It's a graphical representation of the current heading setting that is in the Heading Window on the Autopilot Control panel. The bug will move around the rim if you use your mouse to click on the Heading Window value.
8.
Station Frequency. The box in the lower left corner that shows the frequency that the NAV 1 radio head is tuned to. The area just to the left will display the letters ILS or
VOR, depending on the type of active nav aid tuned to. 9. OBS. The letters stand for OmniBearing Selector. A digital readout of the current setting in the Course Window on the Autopilot Control panel.
10. DME
Window. The box in the upper left corner that displays the DME slant range to the DME station. DME sites are co-located with some (but not all) VOR
and ILS stations. Slant range is the hypotenuse of the triangle whose other 2 sides are altitude and ground distance. 11.
Speed Window. (That's my name for this box.) This window displays a digital readout of the closing rate to the DME
site. The display requires about a minute of steady flight to give a stable reading and, since it is along the slant range vector, it is less than the ground speed. 12.
Inactive Indicator. (That's my name for this indicator). This is a large red X that is displayed in the center of the HSI when no active station is tuned in. 13. GS Indicator. This display only shows up when you have tuned to an active ILS
site that has a GS. The GS pointer is a yellow diamond on the far right side of the HSI
that shows relative position above or below the desired GS path (usually 3 degrees directed from a point about 1000 ft. down the runway threshold). Using the HSI as a VOR
display. Tune to an active VOR. Use the mouse to change the Course Window value. As you change the window's value the course pointer will rotate. Eventually the Deviation Indicator will align
with the Course Indicator and the To/From arrow will show which end of the Course Indicator is pointing TO the station. Change the Course Window value until the To/From arrow points to the large arrow end of
the Course Indicator and the Deviation Indicator is centered. The HSI now shows the Course/Heading to fly (if no wind) to the VOR site. Click the AP and NAV
boxes on the autopilot panel to automatically fly to the VOR site. If the aircraft heading hunts back and forth in autopilot/nav mode, click the YAW
box to engage the yaw damper. As you pass the VOR site the To/From pointer will switch to the small arrow end to show you are flying from the VOR station. The DME
minimum reading will equal your altitude above the terrain (in nm). The autopilot will let you continue on the same course but now you will be flying on e radial from the VOR site. Using the
HSI as an ILS display. Tune to an active ILS. The Deviation Indicator will show which side of the LOC
signal you are on. Set the Course Window on the autopilot panel to the runway heading so that the Deviation Indicator is more meaningful. Steer towards the needle to find the center of the LOC
signal, then turn to the runway heading. As you intercept the GS signal, the GS pointer will provide vertical guidance as described above. |
