Custom CDU Approach w/ Zero Vis ILS

[xgibbousx]

Hey Everyone,

 

I've made my first DCS A-10C training video available on YouTube in two parts:

 

Part 1:

 

Part 2:

 

The video demonstrates advanced CDU programming, custom CDU approach / flight plan setup and execution, instrument cloud flight, and a challenging zero visibility ILS landing.

 

The video is unedited, unscripted, with all mistakes / thought processes included, and mediocre audio quality. I've added annotations to help explain what's going on. Make sure to watch it in HD.

 

Hope you find the training video interesting.

[Harzach]

Nice! Subscribed and rep inbound. Always happy to see a new CDU tutorial - so much to know about it!

 

It might be worth it to take another pass at a "clean" version, but sometimes it's good to see things as they are thought through.

[Username455]

that was awesome!

 

now, what would you do if the runway was inland and you couldn't see the terrain? how do you avoid mountains hehe :)

[XarBat]

Might want to mention that the airfield waypoint is not always on the center of the runway; at some airports you might fly yourself directly into a building if you use the airfield waypoint.

[cichlidfan]

Might want to mention that the airfield waypoint is not always on the center of the runway; at some airports you might fly yourself directly into a building if you use the airfield waypoint.

 

Good point. I remember the first time I was on approach and noticed all the black marks on the 'taxiway' next to the 'runway' I was headed for!! :D

[xgibbousx]

that was awesome!

 

now, what would you do if the runway was inland and you couldn't see the terrain? how do you avoid mountains hehe :)

 

In that kind of fog, you'd really have to know the area you are flying in and have a good pre-planned approach in mind with a focus on minimum altitudes. It would be advisable to setup the approach such that none of it is occuring around mountains shown on the TAD.

[xgibbousx]

Might want to mention that the airfield waypoint is not always on the center of the runway; at some airports you might fly yourself directly into a building if you use the airfield waypoint.

 

Agreed. Your ultimate alignment indicator should be the localizer needle with the waypoint box only being used as a rough reference to the direction of the airport. In my case, the waypoint box was pointing straight down the runway.

[Smokin Hole]

I make a markpoint when I position for takeoff. That way I know exactly where the end of the runway is. It beats searching for the ILS freq.

[cichlidfan]

I make a markpoint when I position for takeoff. That way I know exactly where the end of the runway is. It beats searching for the ILS freq.

 

As long as nobody blew up your runway while you were gone! :P

[Cibit]

that was awesome!

 

now, what would you do if the runway was inland and you couldn't see the terrain? how do you avoid mountains hehe :)

 

I have yet to watch these vids but am looking forward to them. The best thing about this SIM is you can always learn something new.

 

Avoiding terrain in bad weather is something I do by looking at the TAD in its various aspects and plan my ascent accordingly, its a lot easier than it sounds:thumbup:

[redfish]

Excellent.

[Username455]

I have yet to watch these vids but am looking forward to them. The best thing about this SIM is you can always learn something new.

 

Avoiding terrain in bad weather is something I do by looking at the TAD in its various aspects and plan my ascent accordingly, its a lot easier than it sounds:thumbup:

 

I guess I just need to better familiarize myself with the TAD. I can't really tell elevation from looking at it. I was messing around with a generated mission with low clouds and enemy tanks.. Didnt take long before I crashed while trying to target them haha. I was mainly enjoying the awesome scenery above the cloud layer but couldnt come back down

[Fish]

Avoiding terrain in bad weather is something I do by looking at the TAD in its various aspects and plan my ascent accordingly, its a lot easier than it sounds:thumbup:

 

Hey Cibit,

Just had a quick look at the airbases in DCS, and with the exceptions below, you could assume a 10mile MSA for all the rest. So even in bad weather, you can come down to 2000ft AGL inside the 10 mile threshold, and this should give you enough wriggle room to set up for ILS. You should pick up a 3deg glide slope at about 7 miles at that altitude. On most you might even have 1500ft MSL at 10miles, and you would pick up GS at about 5.5 miles.

 

:)

 

Nalchik 24 and Batumi 30 won't meet the 10 mile MSA rule. (but if wind permitting, you could use the alternate approach to them.)

 

See glideslope intercept altitudes here

Edited August 2, 2011 by Fish

[effte]

Hey Cibit,

See glideslope intercept altitudes here

 

That spreadsheet is bugged. It would appear to be using imperial miles rather than nautical miles, and even then it is not quite on the mark.

 

Edit: Ditto for the meters/miles conversions. It is using 1600 meters per mile, when it is 1852 meters per nautical mile.

 

320 ft/nm is the calculation you need to make.

Edited August 2, 2011 by effte

[Cibit]

That is very useful stuff and even if the information is using eroneous data it should be better than looking for spot hights on a moving map:)

 

Cheers Gerry hope to see you flying soon;)

[effte]

Rechecking the spread sheet, it appears that anyone can save changes made. Interesting, that google spreadsheets thingamojing.

 

Anyway, it would appear that the spreadsheet is no longer bugged as the changes I thought I made locally appear to have been saved globally... perhaps some kind of access control would be a good idea. If I can screw it up at will without knowing it, who knows what someone more knowledgeable in screwing things up can do? :D

 

Cheers,

Fred

[xgibbousx]

Hey Cibit,

Just had a quick look at the airbases in DCS, and with the exceptions below, you could assume a 10mile MSA for all the rest. So even in bad weather, you can come down to 2000ft AGL inside the 10 mile threshold, and this should give you enough wriggle room to set up for ILS. You should pick up a 3deg glide slope at about 7 miles at that altitude. On most you might even have 1500ft MSL at 10miles, and you would pick up GS at about 5.5 miles.

 

:)

 

Nalchik 24 and Batumi 30 won't meet the 10 mile MSA rule. (but if wind permitting, you could use the alternate approach to them.)

 

See glideslope intercept altitudes here

 

Awesome information. Thanks for doing that research.