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Flight director&FPV
- Thread starter p92
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PhantomPholly
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I think this has come up before - you may wish to search the forum.
Most folks feel that a FD is inferior to HITS, both in information conveyed and in intuitive use.
Most folks feel that a FD is inferior to HITS, both in information conveyed and in intuitive use.
Bear in mind that there's a difference between a FD and FPV. The FD tells you where to set aircraft pitch and roll, and the FPV tells you where the aircraft is actually going.
One example of FPV use would be in a windshear, microburst, or terrain proximity event where aircraft climb angle performance is critical, can be viewed in real time.
One example of FPV use would be in a windshear, microburst, or terrain proximity event where aircraft climb angle performance is critical, can be viewed in real time.
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We do expect to have FP and FD on the SyView. In fact, if you look at the screen shots, FP is already on there.
FD technically requires an AP to be in the system (or the code for it). We can't tell you what to do with the airplane until we have a way for you to tell us where you want it to go.
FD technically requires an AP to be in the system (or the code for it). We can't tell you what to do with the airplane until we have a way for you to tell us where you want it to go.
PhantomPholly
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FD technically requires an AP to be in the system (or the code for it). We can't tell you what to do with the airplane until we have a way for you to tell us where you want it to go.
Not sure what you mean by this - the F-4 Phantom had a Flight Director (steering needles - center the needles to "get on course") for ILS and a couple of INS functions, but had no autopilot. Why would you need an Autopilot active to give on-screen steering instructions to the pilot?
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A flight director, at least the one we're talking about and would implement, needs to know what to tell you to do with the airplane. The modern notion of a flight director is that the symbology shows you exactly how much to bank and pitch the airplane to do what the autopilot would do if it were flying the airplane. This bascially requires that the autopilot code be working even if it's not controlling the airplane.
Are the "flight director" needles that you're referring to just representations of the CDI and GS overlaid on the attitude? That's not what is generally considered to be a "flight director" these days, though our current generation does have this feature already, and SkyView will have that capability too.
Are the "flight director" needles that you're referring to just representations of the CDI and GS overlaid on the attitude? That's not what is generally considered to be a "flight director" these days, though our current generation does have this feature already, and SkyView will have that capability too.
PhantomPholly
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Well, my answer is in two parts.
These days I'm thinking in terms of my own GPS, a Garmin GNS 480. This unit supplies ARINC steering "consumable" by an autopilot, which effectively gives you a proportional steering signal that could be displayed as an FD. I believe other units such as the 430/530 will also, at least in GPS mode, provide such steering instructions.
In the old days I can't really tell you exactly what the F4 FD was telling you. It may have been supplemented by the inertial nav system when flying an ILS; all I know is if you used the needles it did a pretty good job of keeping you on course and glide slope. It also functioned in certain bombing modes, notably loft (always a favorite, hurling bombs 2-3 miles away!).
Anyway back to your product - if the GPS already gives ARINC steering commands, can't that simply be converted to a visual steering indication? If you delay a turn, the bank directed would be steeper, etc., up to bank limits?
I know the TT simply follows steering commands from another source. I don't know if your AP does the same, or if it interprets it some other way - but even if it does, it ought to be possible to display external steering data irrespective of your AP.
These days I'm thinking in terms of my own GPS, a Garmin GNS 480. This unit supplies ARINC steering "consumable" by an autopilot, which effectively gives you a proportional steering signal that could be displayed as an FD. I believe other units such as the 430/530 will also, at least in GPS mode, provide such steering instructions.
In the old days I can't really tell you exactly what the F4 FD was telling you. It may have been supplemented by the inertial nav system when flying an ILS; all I know is if you used the needles it did a pretty good job of keeping you on course and glide slope. It also functioned in certain bombing modes, notably loft (always a favorite, hurling bombs 2-3 miles away!).
Anyway back to your product - if the GPS already gives ARINC steering commands, can't that simply be converted to a visual steering indication? If you delay a turn, the bank directed would be steeper, etc., up to bank limits?
I know the TT simply follows steering commands from another source. I don't know if your AP does the same, or if it interprets it some other way - but even if it does, it ought to be possible to display external steering data irrespective of your AP.
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Yes, we could do that, but it would be a FD*. In other words, a FD with huge caveats.
With that system, you can't tell it to fly to a heading or an altitude and have it guide you there. You can't have it help you if you are on a VOR or ILS. The only time it helps you is if you have a 480 or 430W and you are on a GPS flight plan or approach, because that's the only time those units output GPS Steering.
That's probably too limited of a market for us to implement by itself. When we do it, it will be a flight director, no asterisk. If the AP can fly it, so can the FD.
With that system, you can't tell it to fly to a heading or an altitude and have it guide you there. You can't have it help you if you are on a VOR or ILS. The only time it helps you is if you have a 480 or 430W and you are on a GPS flight plan or approach, because that's the only time those units output GPS Steering.
That's probably too limited of a market for us to implement by itself. When we do it, it will be a flight director, no asterisk. If the AP can fly it, so can the FD.