X-Plane manual

Navigation Instruments

Open the King-Air B200 in the General Aviation folder if you are not already in that plane.

Lets take a look at a popular general-purpose navigation instrument, the Horizontal Situation Indicator, or HSI. The horizontal situation indicator is below the artificial horizon. The gyrocompass part of this instrument is obviously your heading, but notice the yellow arrow (with line) on this instrument. This is the Omni-Bearing Selector (OBS). It is a course deviation indicator for a VOR or ILS.

Put in english, the yellow arrow points to or from the radial that you have selected to fly from a VOR, or ground-reference station. The little knob on the lower-left of the HSI is the OBS selector knob. Use that knob to adjust the radial to the VOR that you want to fly. Click on the left or right part of the OBS selector to decrease / increase the OBS.

Now the next question is, "Ok, so the little yellow knob decide what radial I will be on to or from a VOR, but how do I decide which VOR the HSI is taking me to or from?". To answer that question, you dial the frequency of the VOR you want to fly to or from into one of the two NAV radios you have on board. Most planes have 2 nav radios, with an HSI connected to either or both of them. In the Mooney it is connected to Nav 2... the lower of the 2 Nav frequencies in the radio stack.

So, in summary: Dial the frequency of a VOR you want to fly to (the VOR's are the little hexagons on the maps in the "Output" menu), then twiddle the little yellow knob to select the radial you want to fly to (or from) the VOR, and then fly until the line between the two little yellow pointers is centered and you will be on the radial.

The small orange arrow on the HSI is the heading-select pointer. This is the heading the autopilot will fly when the "heading-select" (HDG SEL) button on the autopilot in the radio stack is pressed.

A simplified version of the HSI is the VOR. This just shows the deflection of the aircraft from the radial you have dialed in, without rotating the little needles as you dial in the OBS (or radial) you want to fly. Note the little round knob on the VOR gauge. This is the OBS selector for the VOR, which is hooked up to Nav 1 in the radio stack. Remember that the frequency on the left of the radio stack is used for communications, the frequency on the right is used for navigation. Click on the left or right part of a OBS selector to decrease / increase the OBS.

The VOR and HSI also have glideslope indicators (horizontal lines) for the ILS. While you keep the little pointers centered to be on course on the radial you have selected to a VOR, you keep the horizontal pointers centered to maintain your VERTICAL course on the ILS as you follow it down to the airport.

Remember that VOR's and HSI's that we just discussed also work for ILS's, which are beams that guide you down to the airport with two big differences: ILS's provide vertical guidance as will as horizontal guidance, and ILS's will always keep you on the SAME radial to have the pointer centered, no matter what you dial into the OBS. This is because the course to the runway has been carefully plotted and aligned with the runway, and the FAA does not want you coming at it from just any direction.

Marker Beacon & Audio Selector Panel
Look at the top of the radio stack. The blue, yellow, and white squares are marker beacon indicators. They will flash when you pass over outer, middle, or inner markers during an ILS approach. The buttons to the right are the audio selectors. They select what radios go to the speakers, and are only used for the Nav radios and the ADF in current versions of X-Plane. To hear and test a VOR, dial the VOR frequency into the NAV2 (bottom) radio, then hit the "NAV2" button in the audio selector panel: you should hear the morse code for the VOR if the VOR is in range. The same can be done for a Nav1 VOR on airplanes that have a VOR for Nav1 radio instead of a GPS (global positioning system or satellite navigation), and it can also be used for the ADF. DME
The next instrument down is the distance-measuring equipment. This instrument gives the distance, speed, and time to a VOR. Like a real DME, this one takes a little while to give an accurate answer. The two buttons to the right of the display select which Nav radio you want to get the distance to. N1 gets the distance to the VOR selected in the top Nav radio, N2 gets the distance to the VOR selected in the bottom Nav radio.

Nav and Com Radios
The next two boxes down are the Nav/Com radios. Com frequencies are on the left, Nav frequencies on the right. Frequencies for Nav 1 are on top, frequencies for Nav 2 on the bottom. You'll be advised by ATC which frequencies to use for communications (press Enter/Return key to activate ATC). Click on the selector knob to change the frequency.

Transponder
The transponder code your plane should send out is given by ATC and must be set in the transponder by turning the knobs. The code can vary during a flight. After setting ("squawking") the code you can cause your plane to light up on radar by pressing the ID button. The blinking reply light indicates ATC's radar is tracking you. Set the transponder to 1200 if you are not talking to ATC. Click on the selector knob to change each digit.

Autopilot
The three buttons under the "HDNG bar" are as follows:

HDG SEL fly the heading selected by the orange arrow on the
HSI. Adjust the orange arrow with a knob on the HSI.
NAV 1 fly the VOR/ILS selected on Nav 1 (or GPS module)
NAV 2 fly the VOR/ILS selected on Nav 2 (HSI left button)

The three buttons under the "ALT bar" are as follows:
ALT HLD hold the altitude selected in the glareshield.
VVI HLD hold the vertical velocity selected in the glareshield.
NAV 2 fly the ILS glideslope selected on Nav 2
Note: a glideslope for the ILS must be available

The button under the "AS bar" is as follows:
AS HLD auto-throttle to maintain the airspeed selected in the
glareshield.

GPS - Global Positioning Satellite system
Open the Glasair-II in the ?Homebuilts? folder. ("File:Open Aircraft" in X-Plane, then navigate out a level from the "General Aviation:Cessna" folder over to the "Homebuilt:Glasair" folder. Notice that in the Glasair, a GPS replaces the Nav1 radio. The 3 buttons labeled APT, VOR, and NDB select whether you want to fly to an airport, VOR, or NDB. After making the appropriate selection, dial the identifiers with the digit and scroll knobs. As usual, click on the knobs to proceed. Once you have dialed in your destination you can fly to it using the GPS. You get a CDI (course-deflection indicator; the dot between the three | lines), which works just like the horizontal deflection on a VOR to help you fly to your destination. In our above example Lyon Satolas-France is centered and straight on course.

DIGIT moves the cursor across the GPS-selection display
SCROLL when pressed at top or bottom scrolls up or down
the list or characters and names

ADF - Automatic Direction Finder
Get back in the Cessna to use an ADF. The needle of the Automatic Direction Finder will simply point at whatever radio station the ADF is tuned to. Notice the three knobs under the ADF indicator. These select the ADF frequency. The ADF compass rose can be slaved to the compass in Plane-Maker. Click on the upper part of the knob to increase the frequency. Click on the lower part to decrease the frequency.

(next section)

Open the King-Air B200 in the General Aviation folder if you are not already in that plane. Lets take a look at a popular general-purpose navigation instrument, the Horizontal Situation Indicator, or HSI. The horizontal situation indicator is below the artificial horizon. The gyrocompass part of this instrument is obviously your heading, but notice the yellow arrow (with line) on this instrument. This is the Omni-Bearing Selector (OBS). It is a course deviation indicator for a VOR or ILS. Put in english, the yellow arrow points to or from the radial that you have selected to fly from a VOR, or ground-reference station. The little knob on the lower-left of the HSI is the OBS selector knob. Use that knob to adjust the radial to the VOR that you want to fly. Click on the left or right part of the OBS selector to decrease / increase the OBS. Now the next question is, "Ok, so the little yellow knob decide what radial I will be on to or from a VOR, but how do I decide which VOR the HSI is taking me to or from?". To answer that question, you dial the frequency of the VOR you want to fly to or from into one of the two NAV radios you have on board. Most planes have 2 nav radios, with an HSI connected to either or both of them. In the Mooney it is connected to Nav 2... the lower of the 2 Nav frequencies in the radio stack. So, in summary: Dial the frequency of a VOR you want to fly to (the VOR's are the little hexagons on the maps in the "Output" menu), then twiddle the little yellow knob to select the radial you want to fly to (or from) the VOR, and then fly until the line between the two little yellow pointers is centered and you will be on the radial. The small orange arrow on the HSI is the heading-select pointer. This is the heading the autopilot will fly when the "heading-select" (HDG SEL) button on the autopilot in the radio stack is pressed. A simplified version of the HSI is the VOR. This just shows the deflection of the aircraft from the radial you have dialed in, without rotating the little needles as you dial in the OBS (or radial) you want to fly. Note the little round knob on the VOR gauge. This is the OBS selector for the VOR, which is hooked up to Nav 1 in the radio stack. Remember that the frequency on the left of the radio stack is used for communications, the frequency on the right is used for navigation. Click on the left or right part of a OBS selector to decrease / increase the OBS. The VOR and HSI also have glideslope indicators (horizontal lines) for the ILS. While you keep the little pointers centered to be on course on the radial you have selected to a VOR, you keep the horizontal pointers centered to maintain your VERTICAL course on the ILS as you follow it down to the airport. Remember that VOR's and HSI's that we just discussed also work for ILS's, which are beams that guide you down to the airport with two big differences: ILS's provide vertical guidance as will as horizontal guidance, and ILS's will always keep you on the SAME radial to have the pointer centered, no matter what you dial into the OBS. This is because the course to the runway has been carefully plotted and aligned with the runway, and the FAA does not want you coming at it from just any direction. Marker Beacon & Audio Selector Panel Look at the top of the radio stack. The blue, yellow, and white squares are marker beacon indicators. They will flash when you pass over outer, middle, or inner markers during an ILS approach. The buttons to the right are the audio selectors. They select what radios go to the speakers, and are only used for the Nav radios and the ADF in current versions of X-Plane. To hear and test a VOR, dial the VOR frequency into the NAV2 (bottom) radio, then hit the "NAV2" button in the audio selector panel: you should hear the morse code for the VOR if the VOR is in range. The same can be done for a Nav1 VOR on airplanes that have a VOR for Nav1 radio instead of a GPS (global positioning system or satellite navigation), and it can also be used for the ADF.		DME The next instrument down is the distance-measuring equipment. This instrument gives the distance, speed, and time to a VOR. Like a real DME, this one takes a little while to give an accurate answer. The two buttons to the right of the display select which Nav radio you want to get the distance to. N1 gets the distance to the VOR selected in the top Nav radio, N2 gets the distance to the VOR selected in the bottom Nav radio. Nav and Com Radios The next two boxes down are the Nav/Com radios. Com frequencies are on the left, Nav frequencies on the right. Frequencies for Nav 1 are on top, frequencies for Nav 2 on the bottom. You'll be advised by ATC which frequencies to use for communications (press Enter/Return key to activate ATC). Click on the selector knob to change the frequency. Transponder The transponder code your plane should send out is given by ATC and must be set in the transponder by turning the knobs. The code can vary during a flight. After setting ("squawking") the code you can cause your plane to light up on radar by pressing the ID button. The blinking reply light indicates ATC's radar is tracking you. Set the transponder to 1200 if you are not talking to ATC. Click on the selector knob to change each digit. Autopilot The three buttons under the "HDNG bar" are as follows: HDG SEL fly the heading selected by the orange arrow on the HSI. Adjust the orange arrow with a knob on the HSI. NAV 1 fly the VOR/ILS selected on Nav 1 (or GPS module) NAV 2 fly the VOR/ILS selected on Nav 2 (HSI left button) The three buttons under the "ALT bar" are as follows: ALT HLD hold the altitude selected in the glareshield. VVI HLD hold the vertical velocity selected in the glareshield. NAV 2 fly the ILS glideslope selected on Nav 2 Note: a glideslope for the ILS must be available The button under the "AS bar" is as follows: AS HLD auto-throttle to maintain the airspeed selected in the glareshield. GPS - Global Positioning Satellite system Open the Glasair-II in the ?Homebuilts? folder. ("File:Open Aircraft" in X-Plane, then navigate out a level from the "General Aviation:Cessna" folder over to the "Homebuilt:Glasair" folder. Notice that in the Glasair, a GPS replaces the Nav1 radio. The 3 buttons labeled APT, VOR, and NDB select whether you want to fly to an airport, VOR, or NDB. After making the appropriate selection, dial the identifiers with the digit and scroll knobs. As usual, click on the knobs to proceed. Once you have dialed in your destination you can fly to it using the GPS. You get a CDI (course-deflection indicator; the dot between the three \| lines), which works just like the horizontal deflection on a VOR to help you fly to your destination. In our above example Lyon Satolas-France is centered and straight on course. DIGIT moves the cursor across the GPS-selection display SCROLL when pressed at top or bottom scrolls up or down the list or characters and names ADF - Automatic Direction Finder Get back in the Cessna to use an ADF. The needle of the Automatic Direction Finder will simply point at whatever radio station the ADF is tuned to. Notice the three knobs under the ADF indicator. These select the ADF frequency. The ADF compass rose can be slaved to the compass in Plane-Maker. Click on the upper part of the knob to increase the frequency. Click on the lower part to decrease the frequency.