porky_pig

Unwillingness to learn? :huh: I work 60+ hours a week, and I have a grand total of 6 hours in the A-10 since I bought it last year. Im not exactly pressed for time per se, but if Im ever going to learn how to do this, its by following procedures learned in the training videos..not because I dont want to read 600+ pages of manuals, but simply because I dont have that kind of time to do so. If someone can point out my faults albeit in a friendly, courteous manner, then I am definitely all ears. The very last thing I want nor need is someone to "RTFM", because that is unprofessional, dont you think? I could have sworn at one point that this very forum was meant to "help" those who need it. This isnt help, this is a slugfest. Did I mention that I am still learning procedures for the Ka-50? The Huey? How about that Mustang?

The only case Ive ever cracked (unairworthy) was a heading indicator, in which it was indeed gyroscopic. If the HSI isnt gyroscopic, then I get it now. :thumbup: So in the end, what exactly controls the autopilot axises on this particular aircraft? You are absolutely right, I dont understand. Ive never been a big fan of fancy avionics, and the most advanced thing Ive ever done on an aircraft was an engine hang. If I have come out abrasive or whatever, its because Im unlearning something, and Im getting old. So I just ask to bear with me, and I apologize if thats how I come off.

Ive been trying to tie in my findings, and nobody so far has given me into any insight of what is wrong with my thinking here. So bear with me... heading gyro. The one located directly between the knees IIRC. The same one every civil aircraft has. Has an airplane pointing in the direction you are currently headed. It measures the pitch angle, right? So in this case, the CICU controls everything? All of these systems I am talking about are tied in to autopilot functions on simple aircraft. My logic here is that if they are the same instrument, then they perform the exact same function on all other aircraft. I am merely trying to find out the why part of how I am able to take off combat ready (sans gps guided munitions) without a nav ground alignment. I fully understand that mil and civ aircraft are different...but the more things change, the more they stay the same.

No shit? Really? Im overf*ckingwhelmed. Most track driven vehicles Ive ever used had 2 levers to control the brakes on the tracks. But you knew this. And still I dont care. No, your point is to troll, and Im not exactly sure as to why you have to be a goddamn forum flamer. Here is a few questions Ive asked, which have gone unanswered, especially by you. Does the gyro control the yaw axis autopilot? Does the attitude indicator control the pitch and yaw autopilot axis? Does the pitot static system control the barometric altitude/airspeed autopilot? These are simple yes or no questions, and all Ive wanted/needed are a simple yes or no answer. You, in your brilliant mind, decided to go off on your own little tangent (and for some reason or other moved onto tanks). If you have anything to contribute other than your stupid bullshit and attitude, then say it. Otherwise bug out. Thanks. God damn.

Yes, actually the post Eddie contributed with his checklist. Could have been studying it had it not been for the rest of the stupid bullshit thrown in by everyone else. Embraer? Pretty sure you got the idea what I was talking about. Like Ive stated a few times, Ive been out of that field for years now. Does it really matter anyways? And yet nobody has given me a straight yes or no answer to my questions. Great idea. Now if I could only get the other people who act like they are the shit to back off.

Goes forward, backward, up hills, down hills, stops, goes...so whats your point? According to your logic, just because it has a gun means its impossible to drive it like a car. Thats arrogant and pure bullshit, matter of fact. And FYI, no they dont have steering wheels. Mostly referencing my M9 ACE days.

No, I came in here with an answer, and it turned out to be the incorrect answer. I got 1 person offering somewhat decent advice, and 10 other people chiming in with an attitude like they fly the real damn thing on a daily basis. FML. Its a wonder why Ive avoided this place for the last 9 years.

The checklist I used came straight from the training mission, whats so difficult to understand about that? Thats the point Ive been trying to make these past few posts...if it doesnt work, then Id like to know the how and why first...preferably the why before the how. First part of troubleshooting is to recognize there is a problem, right?

Im here to learn, and Im taking it all in stride. What is not needed is the arrogant bullshit you are presenting to me. The Cessna has a gyro, the A-10 has a gyro. The Cessnas have an Attidude Indicator with the windshield crank hanging out in the air stream, the A-10 has an AI with a windshield crank hanging out of the air stream as well. I am merely pointing out the fact that there are a lot of civilian aircraft that share the same instruments, and if you cant take that for what it is -A REFERENCE ONLY- then you should get your head examined. They perform the exact same functions with blatantly obvious exceptions. I understand that, and what I dont understand is what I am asking here right now. But thanks for the smartass comment.

Where did I say it was ok to takeoff without a prealigned EGI with GPS guided munitions?

Id have expected to at least pay for an AFM update...this is better than welcome news!

But they all do the same job at the end of the day. My last track was very close to the aircraft startup training mission. If the training mission is wrong, then it needs to be revised. The mission is to get the aircraft in the air, right? This is merely a starting point, as its merely a starting point for me. Triple redundancy, right? These instruments actually perform the same function in civil aviation . My point is that these instruments are minimum equipment list for the autopilot to function, and it works. If there is a better procedure, Id like to know about it, which is why Im asking. My way works. My way is not perfect. There is always a better way, thats my logic.

There are several types of aircraft that use the TF34 engines the A-10 carries. You take the gun out of the A-10, what do you have? An S-3 Viking? Sikhorsky S72? Any number of Bombardier aircraft? They all use a gyroscope, pitot tube, static ports, angle of attack indicator, and a few other instruments that the A-10A/C carries.

So I have yet to have anyone tell me why -besides the checklist- my way works. Ive posted a video of a poor startup (but combat ready in 5 minutes) and a track file of a good startup (and combat ready in 4 minutes). Im not baiting anybody here, but nobody has proven to me that my procedure doesnt work. There isnt a single reason why you dont start the A-10 just like any other jet aircraft. There isnt a single reason why you cant align by gyro prior to takeoff and bypass the ground nav alignment in the CDU. These are instruments that have been in use for years before GPS satellites came into service. Ive merely pointed out that you dont need to do a CDU alignment on the ground before taking off, so besides the fact that its in the checklist, Id like to know why my method doesnt work -but does-

There are several variants of the same airframe. The 147s have winglets, the 145s dont. The 141 has 3 aisles and its very cramped, while the 145s and 147s have more leg room. The 147 is the rich mans version of the 145. I used to work there before SkyWest bought them out.

When I was attending ExpressJets flight simulator in Houston a few years ago, they showed me the appropriate steps in their Embraer 141 simulator how to do an engine start. I started off working on these aircraft, and have done several ramp starts and taxis in these aircraft. I remember that the APU starts first, then the high tension ignition, then fuel, before the engines spool up. Both generators have to be running in sync at 400hz before you can kill the APU, but they shouldnt be turned on before engine start, and they have to be up and running so the FADEC can do its job. Ill admit its been a few years since Ive worked at ExpressJet, but its very similar to the C-130J simulator I tried out here at the Lockheed plant where I work at...except there are a few more generators on the C-130 than the E141. Like I said though, I want to know more about why they have to function so I have a better understanding of all this. Im working on getting a commercial pilots license by the time I leave Lockheed.

First, you started your generators before the engines were spooled. Not a killer, but they should be in sync after the engine is started up, before you kill the APU. Thats why your warning horn was going off. You are taking off unaligned, that is your problem. You are waiting on the ground nav to align itself. Im gonna post my track with me following my basic startup procedure. Take a look and see if this works for you... edit: I should warn you not to follow this procedure if -and only if- you have gps guided munitions like the GBU series and the WCMD CBU series. The AGM-65s are aligned the same way the A-10 is aligned, via gyros, but it wouldnt hurt to align them on the ground either. You can also do an inflight alignment if you do it this way, but it gets complicated like I showed you in this track. startup take 2.trk

I know it wasnt a perfect startup, I havent done a startup in this aircraft in a few months and Im going off of memory, so Im a bit rusty with it. But I still got the aircraft spooled up and ready for taxi/takeoff in 5 minutes...without a ground alignment. Then that makes it a bug, right?

The button located here, and the tag after the v= in the youtube link.

Yeah, upload a track file. Also, I should point out that I learned how to do this by creating my own checklist from doing the interactive training. I guess I should also ask if you have another switch assigned to the EAC and have the joystick set up to be synced with the cockpit on startup, because it may be causing a conflict.

Thats my experience, and yes I have worked on these aircraft (cessnas) before. In the vid I posted earlier, prove to me I did something wrong and that EAC wasnt switched on, and EGI wasnt activated. Correct me if I am wrong, but its the gyro that controls the yaw axis autopilot, right? The pitot tube and pitot static port control the elevation and the velocity and rate of climb? The attitude indicator controls the pitch and roll axises? Yes, I am being serious here. If I dont know, then I want to learn. Knowing how something works is not greater than knowing why it has to work.

The EAC is tied in with the attitude indicator (you have to uncage it first), the magnetic gyro (the compass on the center console), and the radar altitude and autopilot activation switches (the 4 switches on the left console outboard the left throttle). The attitude indicator must be uncaged first, and the aircrafts gyro compass at least aligned. All of the other switches should be in the forward position before taking off. This is because the EAC is a part of the autopilot system - it stabilizes your aircraft when you pull the trigger through its first stage before you fire your gun. This is why you dont need to be ground aligned. To go a bit further into this, the autopilot is not dependant on the GPS system for guidance. Its all controlled by the magnetic gyro, and its this magnetic gyro that controls the autopilot servos that make adjustments to the control surface cables and hydraulics. The aircraft has to know what attitude it is currently in, its approximate altitude, and roughly what direction it is headed in order for the autopilot to function correctly. To give you an idea of how ridiculously easy that sounds, even small aircraft like Cessna 172s have the same magnetic compass that wont allow autopilot to work if the instrument is dead.

Thats because you are doing a full on ground alignment, which takes 5 minutes to complete at a standstill. Im getting aligned on the ground by gyro only and do an inflight alignment unless I have GPS guided munitions...and to get that to work, you have to push the aircraft forward a hair. Takes about 4 minutes off of your startup to takeoff time doing it this way.

Straight from the training missions, thats how its done. The EAC is the left most 2 position switch underneath the left throttle. The EGI is located in front of the stick on the bottom center console. You flick the EAC and the RDR ALTM switch forward, click center takeoff trim, set your autopilot switches, and you continue with the BITS process. Once this is done, you push the aircraft forward which completes the alignment process, where you can finally press the EGI button. What you are referring to is a ground alignment, which you must do if you have GPS guided munitions with the JTRS alignment switch. I can post a video if need be... matter of fact, this is me starting this one up.

To activate the EAC, just push your aircraft forward just a little bit after you complete the BITS test. You cant click the EGI until you do this, and youll know you can click it when the magnetic compass gyro aligns itself.