Need help with dials

[Maulkin]

I noticed on the Attitude Direction Indicator (ADI), and the Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) on the Russian aircraft have these red lights on them:

 

 

and I have searched the 1.1 docs and even the 1.0 docs to figure out what the red lights mean but have been unsuccessful. Can anyone tell me what they mean?

[Guest IguanaKing]

Those red lights are not actually lights at all. They are flags and should NOT be present if the instrument is powered up and operating properly. I think the graphics team drew them in from photos of static aircraft and hadn't actually been in a flying aircraft. I get the same chuckle when I see that the background of the HSI card in the A-10 doesn't move in the game. Just ignore them. ;)

[VapoR]

Actually in the 25 and 25T the red flags mean that no navigation mode is selected. So basically when you hit 1 to cycle nav modes, it will go in this order: None, Enroute, Return, ILS

[Maulkin]

Actually in the 25 and 25T the red flags mean that no navigation mode is selected. So basically when you hit 1 to cycle nav modes, it will go in this order: None, Enroute, Return, ILS

 

Which one? The top one or the bottom one?

 

I have done some further testing and noted that the upper one seems to be linked to radar somehow. If I am in BVR mode in an Su-27 and I toggle the radar on and off the upper red lights seem to blink, 'on' indicating radar is off, but what that has to do with an ADI I have no idea.

[Guest IguanaKing]

Actually in the 25 and 25T the red flags mean that no navigation mode is selected. So basically when you hit 1 to cycle nav modes, it will go in this order: None, Enroute, Return, ILS

 

Yes, in the game that's how it works. IRL, however, its a little more complicated than that. ;)

[Ironhand]

Hi Maulkin,

 

Concerning the red flags on the ADI: The left one means that ‘pitch steering’ is unreliable; the right that ‘bank steering’ is unreliable. So, as VapoR indicated, if you are in Pilot mode (the mode in which no Nav data is displayed) those two windows will be flagged. But they will also flag anytime Navigation is disengaged -- for instance your observation that they appear when you enter the BVR A2A mode. In BVR mode (as well as VS mode), navigational data is no longer being fed to the ADI.

 

Concerning the red flags on the HSI: These are tied to the Landing submode and indicate whether or not you have caught the ILS system at the return airbase. Normally they will both clear at the same time. A cleared left flag means that you have picked up the glideslope (I) beam. A cleared the right flag means that you have intercepted the localizer (K) beam. (Hopefully I don't have those reversed--it's been awhile.)

 

Rich

[Guest IguanaKing]

The flags pulling out of view is just an indication of the required signal surpassing a certain threshhold...it is not an indication of having intercepted anything. The LOC and GS needles should also move left and up when the system is in a close-range flagged condition. ;) This is one of our most important tests on NAVs and related equipment...if the system fails this test, it can kill people.

[Maulkin]

But they will also flag anytime Navigation is disengaged -- for instance your observation that they appear when you enter the BVR A2A mode.

 

Why is the flag cleared (ie red lights on ADI go out) when I go into BVR mode and turn on the radar (default 'I' key)?

 

Thanks for the great responses fellas! :)

[Guest IguanaKing]

The radar should not have any effect on your ADI flags. Granted, the radar DOES use information from the pickoffs in the attitude gyro in order to know how to point its plate, but the gyro flags are not affected by whether or not the radar is radiating.