Autopilot Path?

[bunraku]

Hi.

 

Could someone just explain the difference between the AP Path and AP Alt/heading functions please?

 

Thanx

[Sabre-TLA]

Page 138 in the manual:

 

3. Autopilot Select Switch. Located along the right side of the panel is a three position switch that allows you to select the active autopilot mode. These autopilot modes form the Low Altitude Autopilot (LAAP) system. The three selections are:

 PATH (top position). This mode will attempt to keep the aircraft on its current flight path, represented by the total velocity vector symbol on the HUD. This mode will not engage with a bank angle greater than 10-degrees.

 ALT/HDG (middle position). This mode will attempt to maintain the barometric altitude and heading of the aircraft when the mode was activated. This mode will not engage with a bank angle greater than 10-degrees.

 ALT (down position). When this mode is engaged, the autopilot will attempt to maintain current bank angle and barometric altitude.

[Arcto10]

With regard to PATH position: I generally use this shortly after take off, I set the aircraft to a climb degree (nice and shallow, about 7 degrees) point the nose where I want to go and engage AP.

 

This gives me time to mull over might nav/collision lights, set counter measure profiles, configure weapons via the management stores etc.

 

Very handy.

 

The bottom switch, ALT is best used when scanning for targets. Get your desired scan area off the wing with your TGP, bank a few degrees on that wing and engage the autopilot. This will put you into a circular holding pattern. Just remember not to get tunnel vision....the amount of times I have become engrossed in my TGP only to hear a launch warning because I have drifted to far into enemy territory and subsequently get blown out of the sky used to be ridiculous!

[Belgeode]

Glad I found this. This makes a lot more sense to me now. For a moment I thought Path was more a steerpoint guidance, and was going to say it does not work for me.

 

Now I get it. (Spent too much time in the Frogfoot I guess I naturally assumed everything had that kind of autopilot).

[bunraku]

Thanks for replies!