2 Timer - I'm a new guy so I was bound to mess up.

JeremyWM · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:06 am

Ok, so I messed up and I'm not really sure how to fix it. I went up in my Twin Otter for my very first flight from Vancouver to Kamloops yesterday. Everything went good, all though I had a hell of time with poor frame rates for some reason that I haven't figured out yet.

Made a good landing despite a 12 knot wind blowing almost directly at my back, parked, and shut-down. When I went back to FSACARS to file a PIREP, I wasn't really sure how to do it, so I went to the website and managed to file there directly. Then I did something a bit silly. I was messing around with learning FSACARS and I ended up filing again! Doh!

So me being the honest person that I am, I was wondering if there is anyway to delete a filed report, because there is currently two in my files and they are both from this same flight.

On another note, I wondering how to go about using a specific route in FSX. The pathetic flight planner built in doesn't give to option to add or subtract waypoints, VOR's, etc.... I was supposed to fly CYVR J486 LYTON YKA, but I couldn't figure out how to set it up. Even on Simroutes, I couldn't find this exact route. The closet route I could find was: CYVR V338 LYTON B10 YKA.

Well that's it for now. Thanks in advanced to all who read my post. I hope it wasn't too long.

CVA0014 · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:37 am

Welcome aboard Jeremy, I think screwing up flight plans is part of the initiation.

Don't worry, management will fix you up.

You can edit your flight path in FS-X, I do it all the time. To add a waypoint, just drag and drop that red line to where you want to go. To delete a waypoint, click it from the list at the right of the panel and then click on Delete Waypoint just under the list.

(I'm assuming you generated the flight plan and then clicked on the EDIT panel where you can see a map, your flight plan route and a whole mess of icons)

Or do you want to add waypoints that are not in FS-X's library?

cva3906 · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 2:00 am

Double pirep fixed! :cool:

JeremyWM · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 2:42 am

Wow I just posted like an hour ago and I already have 2 replies!

So I can edit the flight plan paths in FSX huh? I can't believe I've been flying in FSX for at least 3 years and I never knew that. I thought you could only choose between Navaids, high alt, low alt and such. Thanks for the update. :thumbsup:

I still wonder what the best way is to get the right route though. I'm not sure, but I don't think that the waypoint J486 is in FSX. I didn't see it in the default planner and I couldn't find a route with it on Simroutes either.

As I'm just bursting with questions, here's another one: Why is it that the end of my FSACARS log, it says UTC Jump: added one hour to log? That seems like a bad thing. I didn't use slew time or anything, so I'm not sure why it says that.

Thanks!

cva3906 · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:47 am

Actually, J486 is not a waypoint, it is an airway. Quite often, you will have intersections and waypoints till you hit an airway. Then as long as you are following the airway, the waypoints along that airway are not written down. It is presumed that if you are on that airway, you will pass by them anyway. Usually it will list the last waypoint as you join the airway and the last waypoint just as you leave the airway.

JeremyWM · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:43 am

Now I feel a bit dumb :oops:

. J for jet way, V for Victor airway. I knew that, I don't know what I was thinking. I am curious though, is it normal procedure to utilize a jet airway with an old bird like the DHC-6? The one I like to fly uses an old style radio stack with only the most basic functions. With this plane the only way I can fly the correct route is with the default GPS and the autopilot referencing the HDG and Alt only. I like to use the most authentic navigation techniques for whatever plane I'm in at the time so I usually try to stay away from the FSX GPS unit. I guess it makes sense though. In real life you would have to at least have a basic GPS unit to fly cargo deliveries or passengers in most places these days. Guess I should just suck it up and learn to use the modern radio stack that also comes with the Aerosoft Twin Otter. But, the sections for the modern radio takes up half the damn manual for the whole plane! :O

cva3906 · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:15 pm

As a rule each section of an airway will also correspond to a radial of a VOR. Most intersection will be found where two radials from different VORs intersect. So, it is possible to fly a planned route using just Nav radios. Pretty much all commercial traffic will fly a defined route using airways. Air traffic control likes to have all their aircraft exactly where they can find them and predict their paths. As well, if an aircraft is overdue at its destination, it helps to know there path when launching a search mission.

Rob Vanderkam · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:16 pm

I'm pretty sure that you can use either airways as long as you can fly the right altitude. One is for flights below 18,000' and one above. Your aircraft is missing a FMC/FMS (but see the threads talking about the free vasFMC that you can add on), but airways use VOR to VOR navigation for the most part. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. So you are free to not use GPS or an FMC and just use charts! :thumbsup:

CVA0102 · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 2:41 pm

I like flying using charts and instruments only. I try to stay away from using the GPS and hate using FMC. Why fly at all if you're using an FMC. The thing almost flies itselft. As far as I know there is no regulation in real world or virtual world that says you have to use your GPS.

JeremyWM · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:02 pm

Here here :thumbsup: That's why I love flying in the Twotter so much! Because I love to actually fly the thing as apposed to just letting an FMC do it all for me. Don't get wrong though. When I'm in the mood for a technical challenge, I'll fire up a 747 or the Md-11 and go through all steps from APU start-up, to calculating proper flaps settings and V-speeds, all the way to take-off. But there's nothing quite as thrilling as parsing approach plates for an obscure NDB frequency, while keeping up with ATC, and all the while trying to keep the plane from drifting off the radial or getting too fast. That's one thing I notice about the Otter. It's almost overpowered! It just about jumps off the runway and during landings you start to realize just how powerful and heavy it really is when your trying to keep the decent speed under control.

CVA0216 · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:55 pm

I still have no clue how to use an FMC

I also prefer to fly by NAV radio, not the GPS.

JeremyWM · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:18 pm

When I first got a plane that used an FMC, I thought that my brain might freeze every-time I tried to sit down to learn it. But once i got the feel for it, it's not so bad. The hardest thing to figure out at first is what all of the abbreviations mean; RTE, legs, blah blah blah. RTE is route and legs are each of the portions of the route you're flying between fixes. Then after that it's just getting used to how the interface works. Basically what you type in the key pad goes in at the bottom of each screen in what's called the scratch-pad. The you press one of the buttons abeam the data field that you're editing. For instance, under the the Perf Initialize (performance initialize) menu where you enter the current weights and fuel on-board, you might type 145.1 for your gross take-off weight on the scratch-pad and then press the top left hand button next to where it reads GR WT. Presto FMC. Well maybe it's not that easy :devil: It can be fun though. But I certainly would never give up classic NAV Aid flying! It's just too much fun to come down from flight level into a white-out of fog with only a couple of little dials pointing to a 50-year old radio tower to keep you from pancaking into a mountain side.

2 Timer - I'm a new guy so I was bound to mess up.

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