User Guide

Flight Simulator
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Microsoft
Once the localizer needle is centered, apply a small correction for wind. Try a 1-, 5-, or 10-degree
wind correction angle (WCA) based on your best estimate of the winds. With the WCA established,
watch the localizer needle. If it returns to center you know that the best WCA is some angle between
the current WCA and the localizer direction.
For instance, upon intercepting the localizer at Portland, you fly 279 degrees. In a few seconds, the
localizer needle begins moving to the left. You fly a heading 10 degrees to the left of 279 degrees (an
IA of 269 degrees) to reintercept the needle. When the needle re-centers, you apply a 5-degree WCA
to the left of 279 degrees (274 degrees). If this WCA works, the needle will stay centered. If not,
repeat the process using smaller heading changes to re-center the needle. This technique is called
bracketing, and it’s the technique all professional pilots use (with slight modification) to center VOR
and localizer needles.
Practicing this technique is sure to save you embarrassment during later
flights. The last thing you want is the localizer needle banging against
the instrument case. That’s when the passengers start asking those
annoying little questions like, “Hey, what’s that clicking noise? You got
your blinker on, Bud? Is that a time bomb, or what?”
A Few Important Secrets
Now you have the basic idea about how ILS approaches are flown. So here’s what the pros know.
First, the most important instruments to radial scan are the HI and the VSI. It’s not necessary to radial
scan the airspeed indicator and the ILS display every time. In fact, you might limit your radial scan of
the airspeed indicator to, perhaps, once for every 10 radial scans of HI and VSI. You can also reduce
your radial scan of the ILS display to once every three scans of the HI and VSI. Of course, you want
to take in the altimeter, MP gauge, and other assorted instruments on occasion, as time permits.
Once you’ve found a heading and a descent rate that allows you to track the ILS, you must fly those
values precisely until you have a reason to change them. I do mean precisely. Good instrument pilots
can hold a heading to a single degree and a descent rate to within plus or minus 25 FPM. Honest!
But this does take a lot of practice.
In turbulence, it’s easy to have your heading and VSI indication bouncing all around. In these
situations, it’s best to fly averages. Do this by relying more on the AI for pitch and bank control. Find
the pitch that allows for the approximate desired descent rate. Fly this pitch and keep the wings level
on the AI.
Additionally, it’s sometimes necessary to make small but jerky motions on the joystick when flying a
simulator. Unlike the actual airplane, you can’t sense a change in pressure on the flight controls. This
prevents you from anticipating a change in attitude. Additionally, airplanes have rudders that help
fine-tune the airplane’s directional control. If you don’t have rudder pedals or a joystick with rudder
control, small jerky motions on the joystick are sometimes necessary to keep the airplane at precise
attitudes.