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I managed to tune in an NDB/ADF, finally.

I am not sure how to use the "Flux gate compass", it has a knob on the lower left, but nothing seems to change when I turn it.

I also noticed that I cannot switch NAV frequencies (the pushbutton does not work), so I cannot chenge the NAV frequency. Perhaps this is SP1 related?

Finally, how would I use the "ILS" instument, or pilots localiser indicator. Is this a real ILS indicator?

Sorry, 5 questions a day, I know, but it seems not to be covered in the manual.

Regards,
Michael.

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Nobody criticized the pilot for making that slow roll. American fighter pilots are supposed to have enough steam in their breeches to try something out of the book once in a while. The fact that he didn't make it was his own business.

OK, I just read that the flux gate problem has already been covered and may or may not be SP1 related. Sorry for the redundancy.
There remains the problem that I cannot change NAV frequencies. Anyone else experienced this?

edit:spelling

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Nobody criticized the pilot for making that slow roll. American fighter pilots are supposed to have enough steam in their breeches to try something out of the book once in a while. The fact that he didn't make it was his own business.

Back to basics here, you have to enter your number in the right hand side then make sure you hit the “switch” button to exchange your stand-by into the active.

If that isn’t it, ????

that isn't it.

Thank you,

Michael.

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Nobody criticized the pilot for making that slow roll. American fighter pilots are supposed to have enough steam in their breeches to try something out of the book once in a while. The fact that he didn't make it was his own business.

Guys, I tend to remove the VOR navigation from B17 (Flux Gate comapss I mean) . This isn't historically correct and casues problems to some of you.

regards
ROB

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A2A Simulations Inc.

You have to tune in the runway's ILS frequency using the NAV radio.

regards
ROB

_________________
A2A Simulations Inc.

Thanks Rob. Would this feature be historically correct?
I am just curious, no meant as a criticsim. I mean, since the instrument is there, it must have worked somehow, but not on an ILS in ourdays, I guess.

Michael.

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Nobody criticized the pilot for making that slow roll. American fighter pilots are supposed to have enough steam in their breeches to try something out of the book once in a while. The fact that he didn't make it was his own business.

During WWII we preferred GCA(Ground Controlled Approach) for several reasons . For awhile , after WWII we used either GCA OR ILS , whichever was available. .

The Airline pilots preferred ILS because they didn't like anyone on the ground telling them what to do .

Thank you for the comment.
Can you elaborate? I am wondering how a GCA was like those days, I bet they did not use radar to call you in, am I right ?

And, if this would not be too much, can you comment on the flux compass?

Regards,
Michael

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Nobody criticized the pilot for making that slow roll. American fighter pilots are supposed to have enough steam in their breeches to try something out of the book once in a while. The fact that he didn't make it was his own business.

Pilots using Ground Controlled Approach were guided vocally by an operator on the ground, using radar to place the plane at the final approach point, then down the glide path to touchdown on the runway.

The pilot ws advised of headings to fly to bring him to the final approach glide path,including small corrections to the previous headings given.

He was advised when to start his descent, then advised of when he was above or below the glide path, as well as given course corrections to keep him aligned with the runway..

The ADVICE (not orders) was given in a standardized manner easily understood , and followed by the pilot at his discretion.

Though GCA could guide you right down to the runway, normally, the pilot took over and landed visually when he had the runway in sight.


The flux gate compass had a remotely located sensing element that sensed the magnetic lines of force of the earth. This sensing element was located on the aircraft as remotely as possible from other sources of magnetic fields caused by electrical wiring or metallic attraction on the plane and the directional signal was sent to the dials located at the pilot's, navigator's and radar operator's work stations.

The double arrow on the dial, which was set by the knob on the instument, was to provide an easily read reference to the desired heading to be set into the instrument .

If the instrument pointer was aligned within the double arrow you were on the deired heading. You could tell at a glance if you were off course and by how much, and which direction to turn, to realign the pointer within the double needlle.

In summary then ... The flux gate compass was a remote reading compass , less affected by local magnetic forces, thus had less deviation error.

It was also less affected by attitude of the plane than were compass needles floating in "spirits", thus had no turning error, and was more easily interpreted by those who used it.

Thank you so much!
I am suprised to learn that radar was correct enough already to talk you in.
So if I got it right, the flux gate compass provided the same info as the gyro compass in ourdays, just by different means?
Thank you for sharing this, I really apreciate you taking the time!

Sincerely
Michael.

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Nobody criticized the pilot for making that slow roll. American fighter pilots are supposed to have enough steam in their breeches to try something out of the book once in a while. The fact that he didn't make it was his own business.

Not quite right ... The gyro compasses in the aircraft of WWII (and possibly to this day) are not magnetic or North seeking instruments.

Instead they are e set by reference to the magnetic float compasses or the flux gate and their dial (bezel) is stabilized in the preset condition by a gyroscope.

As a plane turns. the numbers on the gyrocompass cylinder are stabilized by the gyro so that it does not turn with the nose of the plane. Instead the reference marker , which is attached to the plane, turns around the stabilized dial, this showing the degree of heading change.

Since external forces exerted on a gyroscope cause it to precess , gyrocompass readings must be compared to magnetic compass readings periodically , and the "gyro drift" corrected by resetting the gyro compass.

Additionally, thr gyro compass does not suffer from unreliable readings due to rapid or confusing changes of variation as occur in polar regions.

Novigators who flew in polar regions set their Gyro compass to a predetermined reading prior to entering the high latitudes , using that arbitrary reference rather than North.

They used that reference to maintain their desired track , giving all headings in reference to that baseline rather than true north..

Planes that flew in polar regions first calibrated their Gyro compasses to determine the precessession rate of change of the navigator's
compass and the navigator periodically reset his gyrocompass to correct for that predicted rate of change, then had the other users reset to match his reading, during the flight..


Like all gyroscopes, outside forces exerted on them causes them to precesso ( move at right angles to the force exerted upon them) so they must be reset periodically.

I'm probably showing my ignorance here, but I can't seem to find the avionics on/off switch in either the virtual or 2D cockpits. I thought that perhaps I could turn on and off the communication and nav radios by using the radio button in the 2D cockpits, but they remain de-energized no matter where I click. I did figure out how to turn on and tune the NDB radio, but the remaining nav/comm instruments have me stumped. Can anyone help me with this?

The Avionics on/of switch is located on the roof panel, Co-pilot side.

regards
ROB

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A2A Simulations Inc.

Sorry A/C for the long delay, I thought I would be subscribed to the thread, but I wasn´t. I am a real world pilot myself and have some knowledge about the gyro compass, what I meant was that you would use the flux gate like the gyro (apart from regular resetting due to precession). Just in terms of reading the instrument...
Thank you again for your lecture. I could read all night on. The stuff about the polar flights is most interesting.

Sorry for redundancy, but thank you again

Michael

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Nobody criticized the pilot for making that slow roll. American fighter pilots are supposed to have enough steam in their breeches to try something out of the book once in a while. The fact that he didn't make it was his own business.