User Guide

Learning To Fly with Rod Machado
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Just make sure to adjust the throttle to a little less than 10 inches of MP for a 90 knot descent. Once
established, click off APR and fly it yourself. Using the autopilot this way is like having me on board
(in electronic spirit, that is). Here you go.
1. Click Ctrl+; to reset the simulation.
2. Press P to activate the simulation.
3. Readjust power to 14 inches of MP until intercepting the glideslope.
4. Click the autopilot’s ALT and HDG modes to turn them off.
5. Fly the ILS.
If you’re having trouble tracking the localizer, look at the runway ahead of you and visually align
yourself with it. Observe how easy it is to fly a constant heading when looking at an actual
runway. Why is it easier? Because you get pitch, bank and alignment information in one “over-
the-nose” picture. When you can’t look outside, it takes a developed instrument scan to acquire
the same information from three different instruments: the AI, the HI, and the ILS display,
respectively.
6. Click Ctrl+; and fly the approach over and over as many times as you desire.
I know this is fun, but you must remember to stop on occasion and consume nourishment. Also,
remember if you have a family, they need your attention, too. If a moving van pulls up in front of your
house, it’s an early warning sign that you’re spending too much time flying ILS approaches.
Perhaps you’re wondering what it’s like to fly an ILS in the clouds? From the Flights menu, click
Select Flight, and choose Tutorial 15, Situation 3. This approach takes you down to decision
height in heavy clouds under reduced visibility. Give it a try.
What is it like to fly a similar approach under moderate wind conditions? From the Flights menu,
click Select Flight, and choose Tutorial 15, Situation 4. This approach takes you down to decision
height in heavy clouds under reduced visibility in moderate wind conditions. You’ll need to apply a
wind correction angle to track the localizer. Remember, if you have difficulty, simply click on the
autopilot’s APR mode and it will re-establish you on the approach. Give it a try.
ILS Approaches with Charts
What makes the ILS approach more useful than a VOR approach is that it takes you directly to the
runway and sets you up for a landing from a comfortably low altitude. The VOR (and other
approaches) just takes you over the airport, sometimes at hundreds of feet above the runway. This, of
course, makes it more difficult to transition from the instrument approach to the actual landing. The
localizer portion of the ILS is much more sensitive than the VOR course. By sensitive I don’t mean it