Cheating the ILS

[[email protected][_1_]]

Hello,

The other day, I was flyng the ILS into Stockton CA. Just for yuks,
I set the GPS
( GNS430 ) to the approach - with the warning that it was for
situational awareness
and entertainment only :). Naturally, the indicator was set to
VOR/LOC.

Sliding down the approach, I had the bright idea to select the NAV
page with
all the numbers - rather than the map page. With the needle centered,
I turned
the airplane so that the ground track number matched the DTK ( desired
track ) number. And then just read the reference heading off the DG.

Using the ground track # off the GPS was much faster than the usual
experimentation. I was easily able to keep the localizer needle in the
donut all the way down.

- Jerry Kaidor ( )

[Sam Spade]

wrote:

> Hello,
>
> The other day, I was flyng the ILS into Stockton CA. Just for yuks,
> I set the GPS
> ( GNS430 ) to the approach - with the warning that it was for
> situational awareness
> and entertainment only :). Naturally, the indicator was set to
> VOR/LOC.
>
> Sliding down the approach, I had the bright idea to select the NAV
> page with
> all the numbers - rather than the map page. With the needle centered,
> I turned
> the airplane so that the ground track number matched the DTK ( desired
> track ) number. And then just read the reference heading off the DG.
>
> Using the ground track # off the GPS was much faster than the usual
> experimentation. I was easily able to keep the localizer needle in the
> donut all the way down.
>
> - Jerry Kaidor ( )
>
That isn't cheating, so long as you have the raw data displayed.

[[email protected]]

Yeah, this isn't cheating, it's using the tools available to you. On
the main map screen, the 430 doesn't show your ground track (the TRK
field), but the fields on that screen are configurable (something like
"menu -> change data fields"). I always swap out the ground speed field
(which I'm only occasionally interested in, and can get from another
screen) with the TRK field, which I'm pretty much always interested in.


It takes the workload out of determining a heading that gets you your
wind correction. This "is nice", because this typically changes as you
descend.
-harry

[John Kirksey]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello,
>
> The other day, I was flyng the ILS into Stockton CA. Just for yuks,
> I set the GPS
> ( GNS430 ) to the approach - with the warning that it was for
> situational awareness
> and entertainment only :). Naturally, the indicator was set to
> VOR/LOC.
>
> Sliding down the approach, I had the bright idea to select the NAV
> page with
> all the numbers - rather than the map page. With the needle centered,
> I turned
> the airplane so that the ground track number matched the DTK ( desired
> track ) number. And then just read the reference heading off the DG.
>
> Using the ground track # off the GPS was much faster than the usual
> experimentation. I was easily able to keep the localizer needle in the
> donut all the way down.
>
> - Jerry Kaidor ( )
>

I hope it's not cheating, because that trick made partial panel approaches
real easy on my checkride ;)

John K.
PP-ASEL-IA (newly minted)

[Bill Zaleski]

On Sat, 02 Sep 2006 13:52:43 GMT, "John Kirksey"
> wrote:

>
> wrote in message
ups.com...
>> Hello,
>>
>> The other day, I was flyng the ILS into Stockton CA. Just for yuks,
>> I set the GPS
>> ( GNS430 ) to the approach - with the warning that it was for
>> situational awareness
>> and entertainment only :). Naturally, the indicator was set to
>> VOR/LOC.
>>
>> Sliding down the approach, I had the bright idea to select the NAV
>> page with
>> all the numbers - rather than the map page. With the needle centered,
>> I turned
>> the airplane so that the ground track number matched the DTK ( desired
>> track ) number. And then just read the reference heading off the DG.
>>
>> Using the ground track # off the GPS was much faster than the usual
>> experimentation. I was easily able to keep the localizer needle in the
>> donut all the way down.
>>
>> - Jerry Kaidor ( )
>>
>
>I hope it's not cheating, because that trick made partial panel approaches
>real easy on my checkride ;)
>
>John K.
>PP-ASEL-IA (newly minted)
>

If you select "track angle error" as a field, you don't have to look
at both numbers (Desired track and Track)

[[email protected][_1_]]

John Kirksey wrote:

> >
>
> I hope it's not cheating, because that trick made partial panel approaches
> real easy on my checkride ;)
>
*** I guess the reason I think of it as "cheating" is - what happens
if the magic
box dies in the clouds? Better be able to do the job with the old
equipment....

- Jerry Kaidor

[[email protected]]

On 3 Sep 2006 08:00:09 -0700, " > wrote:

>John Kirksey wrote:
>
>> >
>>
>> I hope it's not cheating, because that trick made partial panel approaches
>> real easy on my checkride ;)
>>
>*** I guess the reason I think of it as "cheating" is - what happens
>if the magic
>box dies in the clouds? Better be able to do the job with the old
>equipment....
>
> - Jerry Kaidor

Some time ago I had to make a PAR approach to an airfield. Normally I
would expect to use the AI & VSI for primary navigation but I found I
was using the DI almost exclusively. I was being given instructions in
the form of left/right of track and above/below glideslope. Following
the DI numbers and making very minor VSI adjustments gave an easy
approach with minimal error.

I've done a similar flight using the GPS when VFR and found using the
numbers very easy, even my wife, who's not a pilot, made a very good
job of keeping heading.