On my return to X-Plane, finding it very frustrating executing a basic flight plan. Especially when adding an approach. As a programmer I feel I’m relatively good at following instructions. So why do I “program” destinations into the GNS 530 and the plane ignores them? Even when I literately follow a YT video step by step. Using the same airports and approach? Also I find it mind numbing when every video feels the need to explain how to ridiculously enter each letter of the airport ID into the 530. Isn’t one letter enough? Use the outer dial to advance the next position and the inner dial to find the next letter. OK…got it! No we have to sit and watch them clumsily go to each letter, and frequently going past the letter only to have to turn the dial in the other direction to go back to the right letter. Also if you’re on the letter A and need to get Z how about going in the opposite directions past 10 numbers instead of forwards past 25 letters? Just enter 1 freaking letter then use the magic of editing to show the others already entered. Also how about using a freaking mouse pointer big enough to be seen by a human eye. Frequently I hear something like “next press this” and I have no idea where THIS is.
Not to single out one video, but for example a video starts explaining entering airport codes at 3:40 and ends at 7:27. We get to watch him enter Five waypoints/destinations. Now in this clip he does something that seems wrong to me…but it (now I get to use one of my least favorite phrases) “works for him”. And that is setting your vertical climb rate before you take off. As I said the video continues and he successfully takes off. But for me my plane immediately pitches upwards (as I would expect) and now I can’t even see the runway. So in my little brain it makes sense to take off first, then set vertical speed. Also I noticed he never mentioned using the 530 CDI button to make sure it’s on GPS mode. His already was…mine wasn’t! Ok no ones perfect, except all the comments are like “great tutorial” or “awesome tutorial”. You could say this tutorial is 4 years old but as recent as a year ago the comments are the same. This is an X-Plane 11 tutorial and it’s still the current version. Am I the only person needing to learn how to use or a refresh?
Also no explanation of the extra things listed AFTER the approach runway has been set, as seen below. I wanted to get to RW10. WTH is (1200), JOT and hold listed after that…with no explanation?
OK I found out what was wrong. And it’s not the video. It’s the X-Plane 11 version number. Very importantly they changed the Autopilot. His older version he “activated” with the AP button…in the air. There is no AP button on the newer version.
Also you are generally told (although not in this particular video) to point the heading bug in the general direction of the runway. However that isn’t the direction of the approach. Which seems to make the plane not fly on the magenta line. If I activate the approach it’s totally loses it’s bearings unless I now set the heading bug to the direction of the approach. So am I now supposed to manually change the heading bug to point in the direction of every waypoint? That defeats the purpose of a flight plan and certainly sounds ridiculous. The heading bug is not even mentioned in the above video. Why should a aviation GPS be much harder than entering waypoints then hitting NAV? I can take different routes to a ground address on my phone and it can figure out a new route. And there are finite routes you can take on the ground, you can’t fly straight to point B from point A like you can in the air. I mean should an expensive aviation GPS be harder to use than the GPS on your phone?
I’ve done this crap before and it wasn’t that hard. I’ve even created flight plans with many waypoints to zig zag through mountains in Innsbruck, Austria [LOWI]. It was very cool watching the plane hit the waypoint then change course. WTH happened to my brain?