waypoints vs. steerpoints

[Major SNAFU]

Hi all,

 

I am struggling a bit in the mission editor. I created a mission to relocate and recon a small village in the mountains, following a river, etc., etc.

 

However, when in mission I am getting caught up on a misunderstanding between waypoints and steerpoints.

 

What I currently understand is this:

 

Each point you click in the editor is a waypoint.

 

The ABRIS can only hold 6 waypoints at a time.

 

The currently selected waypoint is *the* steerpoint that the caret in the HUD will indicate.

 

So here is my problem:

 

I have 8 way points in my mission, including t/o and landing.

 

I fly to and past my first waypoint (which is steerpoint 2) and I think is waypoint 1 in the ABRIS - but I get confused on this as well. Do they both start at zero?

 

Anyway, noticed that the ABRIS didn't seem to be matching up with the caret in the HUD. So I went into auto-hover to do some checking. Now, when I select different waypoints with the ABRIS pad, the steering caret updates to the correct position (I planed out the way points to very different angles to assist in confirming this).

 

BUT, the ETA, etc. information in the ABRIS doesn't change when I select the different waypoints. All ETAs and distance to waypoint remain exactly the same regardless of what waypoint I select.

 

I re-read the ABRIS section of the manual, but I am missing something rather basic I fear and I am quite stuck.

 

Also, the graphical representation on the XTE on the ABRIS display (any mode) nor the deviation in desired altitude seem to update either. The later I proved by hovering and then rising up and down in a vertical column to check to see if there was a response.

 

Lastly, the green line in the ABRIS always points from ownship to the t/o point regardless of what I select.

 

Can some kind soul please point out what I am missing?

 

Thanks,

 

SNAFU

[AlphaOneSix]

I odn't know what the limitation is on waypoints in the ABRIS, its certainly more than 6. The PVI-800 can only store 6 waypoints, though.

 

WHen yu make waypoints in the editor, the ABRIS will list waypoint number 1 as your starting position, i.e. your starting airfield. Therefore, as far as the ABRIS is concerned, the first waypoint to which you will travel is actually waypoint number 2. On the PVI-800, you have two airfield points, the first one being your starting airfield, and the second one being your nding airfield (if it differs from your starting airfield, if you will start and end at the same airfield, you will only have one airfield point). This means that according to the PVI-800, the firat waypoint to which you will travel is waypoint number 1. This can be a little confusing, and essentially means that waypoints 1-6 in the PVI will be the same as waypoints 2-7 on the ABRIS.

 

You change waypoints manually in the ABRIS by hitting the "SUSP" button on the ABRIS. If you only switch waypoints by selecting a new waypoint on the PVI, then nothing changes on the ABRIS, and it continues to point to its current waypoint. If you overfly a waypoint, both the ABRIS and PVI will advance ot the next waypoint.

 

It looks to me like you are not using the "SUSP" key on the ABRIS to advance the ABRIS waypoints, which you will need to do if you manually switch waypoints using the PVI.

 

The ABRIS is completely independent of every other aircraft system with the exception of the datalink. The ABRIS and the PVI-800 do not talk to each other at all.

[Major SNAFU]

I odn't know what the limitation is on waypoints in the ABRIS, its certainly more than 6. The PVI-800 can only store 6 waypoints, though.

 

WHen yu make waypoints in the editor, the ABRIS will list waypoint number 1 as your starting position, i.e. your starting airfield. Therefore, as far as the ABRIS is concerned, the first waypoint to which you will travel is actually waypoint number 2. On the PVI-800, you have two airfield points, the first one being your starting airfield, and the second one being your nding airfield (if it differs from your starting airfield, if you will start and end at the same airfield, you will only have one airfield point). This means that according to the PVI-800, the firat waypoint to which you will travel is waypoint number 1. This can be a little confusing, and essentially means that waypoints 1-6 in the PVI will be the same as waypoints 2-7 on the ABRIS.

 

You change waypoints manually in the ABRIS by hitting the "SUSP" button on the ABRIS. If you only switch waypoints by selecting a new waypoint on the PVI, then nothing changes on the ABRIS, and it continues to point to its current waypoint. If you overfly a waypoint, both the ABRIS and PVI will advance ot the next waypoint.

 

It looks to me like you are not using the "SUSP" key on the ABRIS to advance the ABRIS waypoints, which you will need to do if you manually switch waypoints using the PVI.

 

The ABRIS is completely independent of every other aircraft system with the exception of the datalink. The ABRIS and the PVI-800 do not talk to each other at all.

 

 

Many, many thanks. I find the ABRIS and PVI-800 confusing coming from Falcon 4's avionics. Just a matter of practice. If I recall, you can set the tolerance for how close you need to overfly a waypoint to have them both "auto-advance"?

 

So what is the more realistic way of preparing a mission where the number of way points will exceed what the PVI-800 can hold?

 

Do you hover at the last point and then input the next set of way points in the PVI? (edit - I think I have the PVI-800 and ABRIS confused again, don't I) Or is that too un-realistic compared to real-world operations?

 

The reason I ask is that I could have used a good many more points in the mountain terrain. I took a wrong turn following a valley and got spent quite some time flying around until I figured out where I had gone wrong. If I had put a few more way points in, I could have quickly switched to the next one and been clued into where I needed to turn.

 

BTW: Flying through the valleys in this sim is nearly a game unto itself. I spent quite a bit of time flying around in the mountains and seeing how close I could follow the terrain once I gave up on the ABRIS issue for a while.

Edited April 14, 2010 by Major SNAFU

[zdXu]

you can set the tolerance for how close you need to overfly a waypoint to have them both "auto-advance"?

Only the tolerance of the ABRIS is effected if you change the setting in the ABRIS.

 

Do you hover at the last point and then input the next set of way points in the PVI? (edit - I think I have the PVI-800 and ABRIS confused again, don't I) Or is that too un-realistic compared to real-world operations?

To do it during the flight is IMO more realistic. The PVI-800 is holding his last hight and his last course if you switch to the "Enter-mod" of the PVI-800.

 

 

The ABRIS gives you not the benefit of the automatic Route-mode but it gives you the deviation of your actual course in 100 meter-steps, the misleading in hight of yur actual waypoint-leg etc. etc.

The Route-mode in the PVI-800 has also some disadvantages in precise stable level-flight. And in a combat-situation, where some meters more or less can decide about life and death, is the pvi-800 not the appropriate choice.