Learning To Fly With Flight Simulator

Learning to Fly with Flight Simulator
by John Rafferty
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction

Chapter 1. Basic Flight Training
Flight 1. Departure, En Route, and Arrival Procedures
Phase 1: Airplane Familiarization
Phase 2: Runway Logic and Taxiing
Phase 3: Takeoff and Climb
Phase 4: Cruising En Route
Phase 5: Setting Up for an Approach
Phase 6: Approach and Landing
Flight 2. Solo Training Assignment
Flight 3. Solo Training Assignment (II)

Chapter 2. Building Your Aviation Skills
Flight 4. Standard Rate Turns
Flight 5. Airport Traffic Patterns
Flight 6. Introduction to Radio Navigation
Flight 7. Short-Field Takeoff and VOR Interpretation
Flight 8. Stalls and Engine Failures
Flight 9. Using a Flight Plan
Flight 10. Flight-Planning Assignment
Flight 11. Short-Field Landings
Flight 12. Using VOR Checkpoints En Route

Chapter 3. Developing Precision
Flight 13. Precision Landings
Flight 14. Using Multiple-VOR Checkpoints
Flight 15. Flying the Victor Airways
Flight 16. Automatic Direction Finding

Chapter 4. IFR: Going the Professional Way
Flight 17. Shooting the ILS
Flight 18. An ILS with a Procedure Turn
Flight 19. VOR Approach (I)
Flight 20. VOR Approach (II)
Flight 21. VOR/DME Approach
Flight 22. VOR Approach with a DME Arc
Flight 23. NDB Approach
Flight 24. NDB Approach with a Procedure Turn
Flight 25. The Localizer Back Course
Flight 26. IFR in Wind and Weather

Chapter 5. Airport Approaches

Appendices
A. Reality Mode
B. Quick Reference to Principal Controls
C. Mouse and Menus on 68000 Versions
D. Suggested Reading

Index
About the Author

COMPUTE! Publications, Inc.
A Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. Company
Greensboro, North Carolina
Copyright 1987, John Rafferty. All rights reserved.
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Sections 107 and
108 of the United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is
unlawful.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4
ISBN 0-87455-115-3
The author and publisher have made every effort in the preparation of this book to insure the
accuracy of the programs and information. However, the information and programs in this book
are sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author nor COMPUTE!
Publications, Inc. will be liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly,
indirectly, incidentally, or consequentially by the programs or information in this book.
The opinions expressed in this book are solely those of the author and are not necessarily those
of COMPUTE! Publications, Inc.
COMPUTE! Publications, Inc., Post Office Box 5406, Greensboro, NC 27403, (919) 275-9809,
is part of ABC Consumer Magazines, Inc., one of the ABC Publishing Companies, and is not
associated with any manufacturer of personal computers. Amiga is a trademark of Commodore-
Amiga, Inc. Atari and Atari ST are trademarks of Atari Corporation. IBM PC is a trademark of
International Business Machines, Inc. Macintosh is is a trademark of MacIntosh Laboratory,
licensed to Apple Computer, Inc.
Flight Simulator is produced by Microsoft Corporation and copyright 1984 and 1986 by Bruce
A. Artwick. Flight Simulator II is produced by SubLOGIC Corporation and copyright 1984 and
1986 by Bruce A. Artwick.

Foreword
You're flying in a cloudless sky. Pay attention to your instrumentsthe elevator drifts during
flight, the gyro frequently has to be reset with the magnetic compass, and the altimeter fluctuates
with the barometric pressure. When it gets dark, you'll have to turn on the instrument panel
lights. And if you aren't careful during takeoff, you may get stuck in mud or snow.
Learning to Fly with Flight Simulator will help you through the rough spots of Microsoft's Flight
Simulator and SUBLogic's Flight Simualtor II, the popular personal computer flight simulators.
The Reality Mode is so real, you'll think you're actually flying. Be thankful you have an
experienced pilot at your sidethe narrator and author of this bookguiding you through the
imaginary airways.
Your instructor, John Rafferty, is an instrument-rated pilot who has flown across the country
countless times in single-engine planes. He begins with the basics in Learning to Fly with Flight
Simulator, so if you've never flown the simulator before, you won't be left on the ground, trying
to figure out what to do. Whether you fly the Cessna, Piper, or Learjet, you'll learn how to do
everything necessary to successfully take off, navigate, fly, and land. You'll also learn to use
official government approach charts, execute precision landings, navigate with the NAV radios,
react to in-flight emergencies, prepare and execute authentic flight plans, and do much, much
more.
As you learn, you'll fly 26 simulated training flights, following the official aeronautical charts
provided for each flight and gaining experience flying in various less-than-perfect conditions,
where clouds and wind make flight real. You'll fly air traffic patterns used by commercial pilots
and will use standard approaches and landings.
By the time you complete the simulations in Learning to Fly with Flight Simulator, you'll have
enough experience to chart your own flights and explore the boundaries of the simulator for
yourself.
Strap yourself in, pay close attention to the instrument panel, and get ready to soar.
Preface
I was introduced to SubLOGIC's Flight Simulator II more or less against my will, for it was my
sonnot Iwho initially chose the program.
Not that I had anything against SubLOGIC, or against flying. I'd never even heard of SubLOGIC
at the time, and, as for flyingwell, then as now, I just loved it. My first professional experience
with planes was as an FAA-licensed aircraft mechanic, and I made my first solo flight over 30
years ago. I hold an instrument rating, and I've flown single-engine airplanes the entire length
and width of the United Statesso it was hardly aviation per se that I was opposed to.
Rather, I'd heard that Flight Simulator II wasn't just another computer, but rather a real-life
simulation. I therefore suspected that the program would be difficult to use, especially for my
son, a young teenager, who was just getting started with his first computer. Convinced that I was
right, I argued persistently for several weeks in the effort to get that point across. It's an
expensive package, I explained, so let's divert those funds to something you'll really enjoy.
But it was to no avail. We finally ended up spending the moneyto prove, of course, that I was
rightwhich of course I was, for just a day or so later the Flight Simulator II disk was out of
use.
Then, in a moment of weakness, I tried the program and was totally stunned by what I found.
The simulated airplane was really well equipped, and the panel just glittered with electronic
goodies. It had all the neat avionics equipment you'd find in the most expensive single-engine
airplane; in fact it had most of what you'd find in a commercial jet. Could all this stuff actually
work? And work realistically?
My flight bag was soon out of the closet; I spread my aeronautical charts and approach plates out
before me, and, from that point on, my joy and amazement kept climbing to new and unexpected
heights.
The airplane felt pretty testy at first, to tell you the unvarnished truth. Takeoffs and landings
were tricky, and I crashed more times than I care to admit; I even found it difficult to establish
straight-and-level flight. But before too long I stumbled on the trick: If I simply handled the
simulator as I would an airplane in actual flightsurpriseit handled like a dream.
Even better, everything else about the program was just as realisticmore realistic than I could
ever have hoped. The miniature world that Bruce Artwick had put inside the computer was an
unbelievably accurate replica of the real world over which I had so often flown.
Why Bother Driving to the Airport?
I found that the runways and taxi strips were laid out in the program exactly as they are in the
real world. I found I could use official aeronautical charts to navigate accurately from place to
place and that I could tune the navigational (NAV) radios and the automatic direction finder in
the cockpit to the very same beacons and transmitters on the ground that I'd used on actual
flights, using the same frequencies, and with the very same results. I could even use my
government-published charts to execute the authorized instrument approaches to specific airport
runways.
The battle for time on my son's computer was on, and whenever he wasn't home I'd be in his
room with a flight plan on my lap as I soared above the clouds, switching frequencies, scanning
the needles, scratching out a dead-reckoning estimate from time to time as I cruised en route to
some familiar (or sometimes not-so-familiar) airport. The simulator was an absolute joy, and it
didn't use a single drop of avgas.
I've always found flyingespecially instrument flyingto be the most satisfying and
exhilarating of experiences (at least when you do it right). But the pleasures and excitement of
truly realistic flight have only been available to few of usat least until now. Now it seems that
almost everyone has a computer, and, with Flight Simulator and Flight Simulator II, the world of
flying is open to those who want to try it.
This was just too marvelous to hide. I thought of the scores of computerists like my sonthose
who had tried Flight Simulator II only to set it aside before even scratching the surface of its true
potentialand my course was set. The joy and satisfaction of truly realistic flying was
something I simply had to share.
The result, of course, is the present book; I sincerely hope you'll enjoy it.
John Rafferty
Phoenix, 1986
Introduction
This book deals with aviation realism. Its purpose is to bring you a truly authentic experience of
modern aviation, using any version of Flight Simulator (from Microsoft) or Flight Simulator II
(from SubLOGIC).
Both student and licensed pilots should find the book helpful. It assumes no prior aviation
knowledge or experience, however. It starts out with the basics, and then leads you along in easy
steps through the same authentic procedures that are used on a daily basis on commercial flights.
The Software
Bruce Artwick's Flight Simulator software is among the most commercially successful programs
ever written for the personal computer. The program's potential for realistic flight is so extensive,
in fact, that its virtues are difficult to describe.
However, largely because of that realism, many people find the program difficult to use, and it's
a safe bet that very few of those who have used the program have even begun to appreciate its
true potential. There's actually very little that an airline captain does on the average commercial
flight that you can't do on the simulator in the very same waybut you do have to learn the
ropes.
Learning to Fly
Learning to Fly with Flight Simulator will teach you those ropes in easy-to-follow steps.
Through a sequence of hands-on flights, you'll be led gradually from taxi and takeoff through all
the conventional procedures, all the way to the execution of sophisticated instrument approaches.
In the process you'll learn to
fly the airplane smoothly
use your instruments with confidence
prepare and use a flight plan
fly the victor airways
land from a standard pattern
execute short-field takeoffs and landings
navigate with the NAV radioswhether you're above the clouds or in them
handle stalls and engine failures, and do quite a bit more
And most importantly, you'll find that flying the simulator in a professional manner is satisfying,
exhilarating, and fun.
The book is divided into five chapters, which start with the basics and progress gradually to more
advanced flying procedures.
Chapter 1. All the fundamentals in a single flight are covered. After completing that flight you'll
be able to find your way around any airport, take off smoothly, cruise easily en route, and then
approach an airport and land in the proper manner.
Chapter 2. Building on the basic skills you learned in the first chapter, now you'll learn to make
standard rate turns, to land from a standard traffic pattern, to handle short-field situations and in-
flight emergencies, and to prepare and execute a flight plan. Plus, you'll begin using your
navigational (NAV) radios to find your way from point to point without having to see the
ground. At the end of this series, you'll be able to lay out and then efficiently execute a totally
realistic flight plan between any two airports you choose.
Chapter 3. You'll add to your expertise by learning precision landings, by making more
sophisticated use of your NAV radios and automatic direction finder, and by flying the victor
airways.
Chapter 4. Now you move on to truly professional procedures: For each flight in this sequence,
you'll use the published approach chart for your destination airport, and you'll use the very same
en route and arrival procedures that are used on a daily basis by commercial airlines. Then, on
the chapter's final flight, you'll deal with varying winds aloft, fly through varying cloud
conditions, be routed by Air Traffic Control to an alternate airport, and be directed to fly the
prescribed holding pattern over that airport before you're finally cleared to descend into the
clouds and execute the published instrument approach.
Chapter 5. The use of prescribed approaches to individual airport runways is an important
element in realistic flight, but charts for these approaches are not provided as part of the flight
simulator package. These charts are published by the Department of Commerce and are available
to anyone by annual subscription, but for recreational use their cost (of hundreds of dollars)
would be prohibitive.
For that reason, Part 5 provides a large collection of these charts, which you can use to plan and
execute truly authentic flights on your own. The collection includes nearly all the instrument
approaches published by the government for all of the airports available on the program.
Finally, the Appendices describe the use of the program's Realistic Mode and provide both a
brief reference to the keyboard controls on different Flight Simulator versions and an overview
of the use of the mouse and menus on machines that use the 68000 chip (Amiga, Atari and
Macintosh). A list of suggested reading and an index are also provided.
Using This Book
This book belongs to you, so you're free to use it any way you choose. However, you'll find that
most of the flights build upon skills that were developed on previous trips; for that reason, you'll
probably get the most from the book if you take the flights in the order in which they appear.
Most flights begin with a briefing, which explains everything you need to know before departure.
This is generally followed by a previewa brief overview of the tripto give you an idea of
what's involved. The set-up parameters are then provided, to put the airplane in position at the
appropriate airport; the initial NAV radio settings are also given here, when they apply.
Then, after loading the program and entering the setup parameters, you can go ahead and taxi;
from there on you'll follow the step-by-step instructions that are provided in "From the Right-
Hand Seat," a section that simulates the role of an on-board instructor during the flight.
You're encouraged to use the save function for your particular version of the program frequently,
storing the current flight parameters in memory for easy return (by resetting the program) should
you wish to repeat a segment of the flight. Also, feel free to pause program execution at any
time, to stop and think, or to look something up.
The IBM PC Version. Both Microsoft Flight Simulator for the IBM and Flight Simulator II for
other computers were written by Bruce Artwick and are virtually identical. The IBM version
does not provide ADF equipment, however, so IBM users may want to skip Flights 16, 23 and
24, which deal with ADF. The IBM version also provides retractable landing gear, and the
airplane trims out a little differently in flight, so these minor differences are mentioned in the text
where appropriate. Note also that many of the airports and some of the VOR facilities that are
referred to in this book are not actually shown on the charts that come with the IBM-version
disk, but you'll find that those facilities are nevertheless available in the program.
The Amiga, Atari, and Macintosh version. These versions of Flight Simulator II are also
essentially the same as other versions of the program, but they have a few unique characteristics.
Like the IBM version, these also provide retractable landing gear, and the airplane trims out a
little differently in flight, so these small variations are indicated in the text where they apply. In
addition, the 68000 versions can be flown entirely with the mouse, as outlined in Appendix C.
Well, that should do it. Let's go flying.

The charts provided in the figures throughout the book are not precisely to scale, and are not
meant for use in actual aviation. Also, please note that, though the official approach plates
which are provided in Part 5 are authentic, by the time this book is published some frequencies,
navigational fixes or other details may have been changed, so charts may not be considered
current for use in actual aviation.

CHAPTER 1
Basic Flight Training
FLIGHT 1
Departure, En Route, and Arrival Procedures
New York/Kennedy I nternational to Bridgeport
The flight simulator is easiest to flyand you'll find it most enjoyable to flywhen you fly it in
an authentic way. This is an airplane simulation, not an arcade game, so try to remember that it
doesn't require any muscle.
Instead, learn to fly it as an airline captain would: Decide what you want the airplane to do;
convey those instructions with just your fingertips; and then relax and let the airplane do the
work. Use your head, not your muscles.
Handled properly, the simulator airplane will respond with astonishing realism, and it will
provide a surprisingly authentic experience of modern aviation. Just learn a few basic, realistic
procedures, and the simulator will behave realistically in response.
This first flight, therefore, will guide you through all those basic procedures. You'll first become
familiar with the main items on your panel; then you'll develop some runway logic; and then
you'll learn how to pilot the airplane smoothly and easily from one airport to another.
The flight isn't difficult, but it does lay some important groundwork. Therefore, even if you
already have some experience on the simulator, I think you'll find this trip to be worth your
while.
General Briefing
The flight is divided into a series of separate phases, to keep things simple. Each phase is
important, and dealing with each phase separately allows you to tackle things one small step at a
time, to get you off to a good start.
You can still complete all the phases of this first flight in a single sitting if you wishjust move
directly from one phase to the next. Your progress will be faster, however, and your flying will
be more enjoyable later on, if you make sure you've mastered the procedures of each phase
before you move on to the next one.
A good approach is to read the material for one phase, execute that phase, then pause program
execution temporarily while you read up on the next phase before going on. If you SAVE the
current flight parameters just before beginning each phase, then you can easily reset the
simulator and repeat that phase if you'd like some additional practice.
Preview
Glance at your New York and Boston Area chart, and locate Kennedy International Airport. It's
down near the lower left corner, on the New York end of Long Island. Sikorsky Memorial, at
Bridgeport, is about 45 miles to the northeastacross Long Island Sound on the Connecticut
shore. Our flight path is shown in Figure 1-1.
If you have an ordinary road map or a standard atlas handy, you might want to refer to it, so you
can locate physical features along the route.
You'll be cleared for departure on Kennedy's Runway 31 Left, so you'll be taking off to the
northwest. The tower will instruct you to maintain that initial runway heading as they hand you
off to Kennedy Departure Control. Kennedy departure will then clear you to continue your climb
to 1800 feet.
As you level off at 1800, we'll be headed toward the East River and the foot of Manhattan Island.
In response to the controller's instructions, you'll then turn right to parallel the river going north.
As you pass La Guardia Airport, you'll be instructed to turn right again, onto the course that will
take you first over the Whitestone and Throggs Neck Bridges, then up along the North Shore of
Long Island, with Long Island Sound just to the left of your flight path. Then, Kennedy
Departure will hand you off to Westchester Approach Control.
You'll continue along the North Shore until Sikorsky Memorial Airport comes into view on the
far side of Long Island Sound, at which point Westchester Approach will instruct you to turn left
toward the airport. You'll start across the Sound, receive a handoff to Bridgeport Tower, and then
be cleared for a straight-in final approach to Sikorsky's Runway 6.
Set-Up Parameters
Call up the simulator Edit Page now, and enter the following parameters to put us on the ramp at
Kennedy International. Note that you can always enter zero for the altitude to put the airplane on
the ground; the correct airport elevation will then be set automatically. (On 68000 machines,
select Position Set from the NAV menu, and then enter the parameters. On those versions you
cannot specify a heading; instead, after the parameters load you'll have to add a little power, then
turn the airplane to the indicated heading as it starts to move forward.)
Set-Up for Kennedy
North: 17027
East: 21066
Altitude: 0
Heading: 310
Leave all the other parameters at their original default settings, including User Mode 0. (On the
68000, from the Sim menu, leave Auto Coord selected, then select Realism and click on the
Gyro Drift and Barom Drift options to turn those options off.)
After new position parameters load, always be sure to check that all the parameters were loaded
correctly. Sometimes they weren't, so you have to go back and enter them again.
If the setup is correct, then use the Save function to store the new settings right away. (On the
68000, select Save and Name from the Situation menu and enter a filename.) In the unlikely
event of a mishap, these parameters will load automatically, saving you the trouble of entering
them again. Also, if at any point you decide you'd rather start over again, you can simply reset
the simulator; these parameters will load. (On the 68000, reset by selecting Recall from the
Situation menu and entering the filename you used above.)
During the flight, keep the book open and handy. Feel free to pause execution of the program
temporarily from time to time to consult the instructions. (On the 68000, click on Pause from the
Simulator menu.)
And, of course, I'll be in the right-hand seat to coach you along the way.
Phase 1: Airplane Familiarization
We're on the ramp at Kennedy, with the engine running. First, let's take a look at the primary
controls and the principle instruments on your paneljust enough to get you started.
Briefing
We'll be considering the following:
type of airplane
engine RPM and tachometer
airspeed indicator
compasses
control yoke, or stick
altimeter
The Airplane. The original Microsoft Flight Simulator for IBM PC and PC Jr. simulates a
Cessna 182 Skylane. Flight Simulator II from SubLOGIC simulates a Piper Archer, but the
68000 versions of Flight Simulator II for Amiga, Atari and Macintosh also simulate the Cessna.
The two airplanes are similar in most relevant respects, except that the Cessna's wings are on top
while the Piper's are on the bottom. Both provide virtually all the standard instruments,
equipment, and avionics options that one would expect to find on the real thingeverything you
need for truly sophisticated, totally authentic aviation. The IBM version does not provide ADF
equipment, but you can still do just about everything an airline captain does in getting an
airplane from one airport to anotherand you can do it in the very same way.
Figure 1-1. New York/Kennedy I nternational to Bridgeport

Not for use in navigation.
Engine RPM. Toward the right side of the panel, you'll find a digital readout labeled RPM
(Revolutions Per Minute). The engine is now idling, so the readout now says 650rpm.
Advance the throttle slightly nowby one notch (press F4 once on the IBM PC). The RPM will
increase to about 850 as the airplane begins to move slowly ahead.
Note the vertical indicator to the right of center on the panel; this shows you where the throttle is
set. It's especially handy when you want to advance or retard the throttle all the way.
Reduce the power again and apply the brakes. Notice that it takes a moment or two before the
engine comes all the way back down to 650rpm.
Airspeed Indicator. The instrument at the top left side of the panel, with readings from 0 to 160
(0 to 200 on the 68000) ???in reality, the gyro will drift over time, and should periodically be
reset to the heading shown by the magnetic compass when that compass is at rest. (On the 68000,
just click on the Gyro Compass knob.)
The upper readout is now 310. That means your present heading is three one zero degrees, by
standard aviation practice. It is not referred to as three ten or three one oh. Use of the correct
pronunciation reduces the chances of miscommunication between the pilot and Air Traffic
Control.
The lower digital readout on the gyro compass is the reciprocal headingthe compass heading
in the opposite direction, 180 from the actual heading. (There's no reciprocal readout on the
IBM version.) Since your actual heading is now 310, the reciprocal is 310 minus 180, or 130.
Most of the time you'll just ignore this reciprocal readout, but it can be very handy at times, as
you'll see on a later flight.
To visualize compass headings: Picture the airplane in your mind as if it were sitting on a giant
compass rose, with you looking down on it.
Unless you're already familiar with compass headings, it will help you if you take a moment
right now, use a scrap of paper, and make a quick sketch for yourself. Draw a circle, make the
top of the sketch north, and mark it 000. East is to the right, 090; south is the bottom, 180; and
west is to the left, 270.
Thus, your present heading of 310 is between 270 and 000, or roughly northwest. Complete the
thought by sketching a small airplane at the center of your compass rose, with its heading at
310.
Now, whenever you have to think about compass headings, just mentally picture this sketch.
Visualize the airplane's heading as you did above, and you shouldn't have any trouble with your
heading.
The Control Yoke or Stick. The Yoke refers to the control column that's found on some
airplanes, which serves the same function as the stick on other aircraft. The keystrokes for the
yoke controls and the use of the 68000 mouse for these controls are summarized in Appendices
B and C. To keep things simple, in the discussions I'll usually just refer to the yoke position as
the position of the stick.
Elevator. If you pull back on the stick, you raise the elevatorthe horizontal control
surface on the tailand this causes the nose to rise. Conversely, pushing forward on the
stick lowers the elevator, causing the nose to fall.
Ailerons. Turning or pushing the stick to one side or the other moves the ailerons, the
horizontal control surfaces on the wings. In the air, the ailerons cause the wings to bank
to one side or the other, causing the airplane to begin to turn. Right stick (or right
aileron), for example, banks the wings to the right and causes the airplane to begin a right
turn.
Coordinated Rudder. On most conventional aircraft, you use the rudder pedals along with
the ailerons to make coordinated turns, but in auto-coordination mode on the simulator,
the rudder and ailerons are coordinated automatically. Some actual airplanes also use this
kind of coordinated control, however, so using this mode is not unrealistic.
Nose Wheel Steering. When you're on the ground, the rudder control also turns the nose
wheel, for taxiing. In auto-coordination mode, of course, the rudder is controlled by left
or right stick.
Control Position Indicators. A set of slots near the center of the panel shows the position
of the elevator, aileron, and rudder. First, move the stick right and left and watch the
horizontal indicators respondyou're in auto-coordination mode, so both the aileron and
rudder indicator move together.
Now move the stick forward and back, as you would to lower or raise the nose in flight. Watch
the pointer closely as it moves up and down along the vertical slotthe indicator jumps in
distinct, individual notches as you move the stick, about three such jumps from one tick mark on
the indicator to the next. For instructional purposes, I'll refer to notches and tick marks by those
terms.
Altimeter. The altimeter is the third instrument from the left in the top row. It has two hands,
like a clock, with readings from 0 to 9.
The small hand on the altimeter indicates thousands of feet; the big hand indicates hundreds.
Picture the small hand between 0 and 1 and the big hand at 7your altitude is 700 feet. Now
picture the small hand between 3 and 4 with the big hand still at 7your altitude is 3700.
(There's also an indicator on the rim of the instrument for 10,000-foot increments.)
Be aware that the altimeter is basically a barometer. When set to the current atmospheric
pressure (which is given to you by the control tower), it indicates distance above sea levelnot
distance above the ground. The reading looks like zero at present, because at Kennedy your
distance above sea level is a mere 10 feet.
However, when you're sitting on the ground at most airports, the altimeter reading will be well
above zero. It's especially important to be aware of this when you're coming in to landyou
have to know the airport's elevation (as given on your charts) in order to interpret the altimeter
correctly.
During flight, therefore, your distance above the ground is the altimeter reading at that point
minus the elevation of the ground above sea level at that point. Seemingly minor arithmetic
errors in this respect have often turned out to be fatal.
But this will be enough to get you flying, so let's move on to the next phase.
Phase 2: Runway Logic and Taxiing
You have completed your routine walk-around check of the aircraft, have ceremoniously kicked
the left-hand tire before climbing aboard, and now are ready to taxi.
But before you start to move, you first have to figure out where you are and where you're
supposed to go. This is easy, however, if you can use your gyro compassand if you understand
how airport runways are numbered.
Briefing
Runway Numbers. The number of any runway indicates that runway's compass heading. Just
add a zero to the end of the runway number, and you know which way it runs.
If a runway is identified as Runway 31, for example, that means you'd have a compass heading
of (approximately) 310 while landing on or taking off from that runway.
When used in the opposite direction, the same strip of concrete will be called Runway 13. That
is, 310 minus 180 equals 130 (or 31 minus 18 equals 13).
Similarly, Runway 4 would have a compass heading of about 040 (zero four zero degrees), and
when used in the opposite direction the same physical strip of concrete would be referred to as
Runway 22, with a heading of 220 (two two zero degrees).
Airport Diagram. Now get the overhead radar view on the screen and zoom in or out as
required to put it into perspective (on the 68000, from the NAV menu select Map Display and
then Zoom.). Then turn to Chapter 5, the Airport Approach section, where you'll find the official
Airport Diagram for John F. Kennedy International. The airports appear alphabetically by
location, so you'll find it under New York. Notice that the simulator's portrayal of the airport
runway and taxistrip layout is surprisingly accurate.
Runway Layout. From the chatter on the COM radio, it seems likely that we'll be taking off on
Runway 31 Left. This implies that there are two parallel runways with the number 31Runway
31R and Runway 31L. Our present heading is 310, so we must be sitting parallel to the two
parallel runways in question. Runway 31 Left has to be the one parallel to us on the left, while 31
Right is over on the other side of the airport.
Taxiing. To taxi in a professional manner, you'll first increase power enough to get the aircraft
rolling, then ease back on the throttle and let the airplane coast at an appropriate speed; taxi
patiently, and use the time to check your panel and prepare yourself mentally for the departure.
Note that the nose wheel steering will be a little sluggish as you taxi; you'll have to think ahead
and move the stick a little bit in advance.
Final Checks. When you've been cleared to take off from a specified runway, you'll taxi out, line
up perfectly with the centerline stripe, then do as the airline captains usually do and stop for your
final checks:
Check the compasses. (Are you on the right runway?)
Check that controls are centered and (later on) that flaps are up.
Make a mental note of the altimeter reading.
Check the digital clock and write down the time.
From the Right-Hand Seat
This is a controlled field with a 24-hour operating control tower, so before you taxi you need to
call Ground Control and find out where to go.
Let's go through all the prescribed procedures. Be on your toes, because the controller has no
time to spare: His transmissions will be clear, but they'll be crisp and very rapid.

Pilot: Kennedy Ground, Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Kennedy go ahead.
Pilot: Ground, Four Six Fox for Bridgeport, ready to taxi.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot cleared to taxi for Runway Three One Left hold short of the active.
Pilot: Four Six Foxtrot thank you.
Hmmm. Now what?
Taxiing for Takeoff. You will take off on 31 Left, so you need to make a U-turn from here and
taxi back to get in position at the start of the runway; hold short of the runway, as directed, which
means stop and wait for clearance before taxiing out into position for takeoff.
So, add a touch of power and begin to taxi forward, then throttle back and coast. With the aircraft
moving slowly ahead, hold the stick to the left to make a 180 U-turn.
When you've completed the U-turn and are parallel to the runway again, turn slightly right or left
as required until your gyro compass indicates 130, then note that now the reciprocal readout is
310.
Turn right again, so as to enter the taxi strip that leads into Runway 31, and be prepared to stop.
(It's usually desirable to begin your takeoff roll from the threshold at the start of the runway, but
this is a busy airport and this runway is more than two miles long, so you can accept the
controller's instructions and start from the taxi-strip intersection.) Unless you did so while
taxiing, you now complete your engine run-up, while waiting for takeoff clearance.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot contact Kennedy Tower on one one niner point one. So
long.
Pilot: Four Six Fox.
We've received our hand-off to the tower, so you switch frequencies now and let them know
you're alive.

Pilot: Kennedy Tower, Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Kennedy cleared for takeoff Runway Three One Left.
Visibility fifteen. Altimeter three zero point two zero. Wind three zero zero
degrees at three. Caution wake turbulence.
The visibility is fifteen miles, the altimeter settingwhich is the barometric pressureis 30.20,
the wind is 3 knots from heading 300, almost from straight ahead, and we're told to be careful
about possible turbulent gusts from heavy aircraft in the vicinity.
Pre-Takeoff. You're cleared for takeoff, which means the runway now belongs to youso take
your time.
Add a touch of power, taxi onto the runway, and turn right. Cut the power again, and begin to
apply the brakes as you line up in the center of the runway and stop. (When the runway has a
white centerline stripe, line up directly on that centerline.)
The runway heading of 310, as we determined from the runway number 31, is only
approximate: In this case, a heading of about 315 rather than 310 will get you pointed straight
down the center.
When you're lined up correctly, complete your final checks:
Check the compass heading; reset the gyro.
Get controls centered and flaps up.
Note the altimeter reading.
Write down the time.
Now you're ready to go.
Phase 3: Takeoff and Climb
Many of the problems experienced by beginners are the result of improper takeoff. If you race
down the runway and just jerk the airplane abruptly into the air, you'll probably have trouble
and the trouble will still be with you when you try to level off.
Briefing
First, learn to just sit back and relax: Let your fingertips convey your instructions, and let the
airplane do the work. Properly executed, the takeoff and climb are simplicity itself, and a climb
at the proper rate will allow you to level off smoothly at your destination altitude, without the
roller coaster effects that make flying the simulator a headache instead of a joy.
Takeoff. When you're ready to go, first advance the throttle slightly to start your roll, and, when
you're lined up correctly, give it full power (F2 on the IBM PC). The tachometer will increase to
about 2450rpm. Monitor the airspeed, and, at about 60 knots, raise the nose slightlynudge the
stick back gently. Try just two little notches of up elevator, referring to the vertical slot indicator
on the panel.
When you raise the elevator, the airplane will rotate; you'll notice the nose lift slightly. You'll
still be on the ground, however, so be patient. The airplane will continue down the runway,
gathering speed, and, when it's ready, it will just fly itself into the air.
When you leave the runway, your immediate concern will be to put some distance between you
and the ground as quickly as you can. Then you'll want to establish a proper rate of climb. For
this purpose, there's another instrument on the panel that you'll find to be your closest friend.
Vertical Speed Indicator. The vertical speed (or rate of climb) indicator is the round instrument
just below the altimeter, at the bottom center of the panel.
When the needle points directly left, to the nine o'clock position where the instrument reads 0,
the airplane is neither climbing nor descending.
If it points up and to the left, to the numeral 5, the airplane is climbing at 500 feet per minute
(500fpm). Pointing up to the numeral 10 indicates a climb at 1000fpm, while pointing down to 5
indicates you're descending at 500fpm, and so on. The vertical speed indicator is more sensitive
than the altimeterit shows a climb or descent first; the altimeter follows.
Climb. Standard procedure is to climb and descend at 500fpm. Therefore, you'll first climb a few
hundred feet above the airport; then you should begin to gradually throttle back until the vertical
speed indicator needle settles on 500fpmpointing up steadily to the numeral 5. About 2250rpm
will usually do it.
(On the IBM, after lift-off immediately raise the gearpress G; then you'll also need to begin to
slowly lower the nose as you reduce the engine RPM. You'll get a 500fpm climb at 100 knots
and 2000rpm if the elevator is centered in the indicator slot.)
(On 68000 machines, immediately after lift-off raise the gear by clicking on the panel indicator.
Then throttle back at once to around 2300rpm, and begin to gradually ease forward on the stick
(lower the nose) to reduce the rate of climb. Continue to throttle back, to about 2000rpm, and to
ease forward on the stickgraduallyuntil the elevator indicator is one full tick mark below
center. This takes patience, but you'll end up with a 500fpm climb and an airspeed of about 120
knots at 2000rpm.)
Takeoff. After writing down the time, advance the throttle slightly; get the airplane rolling
straight down the strip; then give it full power (F2 on the PC). At about 60 knots, up elevator
(stick back)but just slightly (two notches). Let the airplane fly itself off the ground.
(On the IBM and 68000immediately raise the landing gear.)
Climb. When 300 feet or so above the ground, throttle back slightly. A tap or two on the throttle
key should do it.
Give the engine a moment to respond, then glance at your rate of climb. Reduce the power a little
further, now. With the stick position set to two notches of up elevator, you'll usually get a
500fpm climb at just about 2250rpm.
(On the IBM: Lower the nose, gradually. Try getting the elevator centered and reaching
2000rpm, which will give a 500fpm climb at about 100 knots).
(On the 68000: Power back to 2000rpm; gradually begin to lower the nose; and continue
lowering it so as to end up with the elevator indicator one tick mark below center for a 500fpm
climb at 120 knots.)
ATC: Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot maintain heading three one zero degrees. Contact Kennedy
Departure on one twenty-one point one. Good day.
Pilot: Four Six Foxtrot, so long.
You've been handed off to Kennedy Departure, so you'd now switch frequencies and see what
they have in mind for us. They know we're going to Bridgeport, so you can expect them to route
us around to the right and up along the East River.

Pilot: Kennedy Departure, Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Kennedy climb and maintain eighteen hundred. Heading
three one zero degrees.
Phase 4: Cruising En Route
We're now climbing toward 1800 feet, at a steady 500fpm on a heading of 310. The twin-
towered World Trade Center is up ahead, at the tip of Manhattan Island.
Briefing
Leveling Off. As you approach 1800 feet, level off by gradually reducing powernothing else.
Begin to throttle back at 1700 feet, and continue to gradually reduce power to 1950rpm. You'll
end up in straight and level flight at 1800 feet with a cruising airspeed of 120 knots. You can get
a tad more speed if you wish, but 120 knots works out well.
(On the IBM: Try leaving the power at 2000rpm, but slowly lower the nose to just below center
on the vertical indicator.)
(On the 68000: Try 1900rpm with the elevator still one notch below center, for an airspeed of
around 130 knots.)
Maintaining Altitude. The airplane will occasionally drift from your assigned altitude. Try
correcting this with engine power alone. The less you fiddle with the elevator, the better.
Just increase or decrease rpm slightly, until the assigned altitude is restored. And start now to
make it a habit to always remain within 50 feet of an assigned altitude.
Turns to an Assigned Heading. When Air Traffic Control gives you instructions to make a
turn, they'll give you a specific new heading to turn to.
Keep your turns very shallow and gradual for now; we'll work on standard turns later on. Bank
the wings very gently, then monitor the gyro compass as the airplane comes around toward the
new heading.
While turning, nudge the stick to the side again from time to time to maintain the bank, if
necessary. In shallow banks the airplane has a built-in tendency to level off again by itself.
Start to roll out about 5 early, so that you don't over-shoot the heading.
Leveling Off. At 1700 feet, reduce power slightly, then reduce it further so as to be at 1950rpm
as the airplane levels off at 1800 feet.
(On the IBM: Maintain 2000rpm and just lower the nose slightly.)
(On the 68000: Try 1900rpm for cruise.)
Cruise. The airplane will cruise at 120 knots with 1950rpm when it's trimmed the way you had it
at lift-offtwo notches of up elevator.
(On the IBM: Position the elevator just below center on the indicator, with around 2000rpm.)
(On the 68000: You want 1900rpm with the elevator one notch below center, for about 130
knots.)
You're approaching the East River now, so you can expect a call from the controller.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot turn right. Heading zero four five degrees.
Turn to 045. Bank the wings gently to the right with the stick, and let the airplane come around
gradually in a shallow right turn. Monitor the gyro compass. At about 040, use the stick to begin
to roll out gently, so as to end up straight and level on a heading of 045.
If you missed, make very shallow turns until you have 045 precisely.
Turn to 080. The two crossed runways of La Guardia field have now come into view just to the
right of your course, with the upper reaches of the East River crossing in front, where it runs out
to the right and up into Long Island Sound.
Now, as you come up alongside La Guardia, you can expect another heading change from the
controller.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot turn right. Heading zero eight zero degrees.
Bank again gently to the right, and roll out on 080 on the nose.
This course will take you out over the Whitestone and Throggs Neck Bridges, out of the New
York Terminal Control Area (TCA), and up over the North Shore of the Island, with Long Island
Sound just below on the left.
Make changes in altitude with engine power alone.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot climb and maintain two thousand five hundred.
For reasons unknown, the controller has given us a new altitude. Simply add some throttle to
increase the engine RPM, adjust it gradually for a 500fpm climb, then reduce power again as
2500 feet is reached.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot descend and maintain eighteen hundred.
Sometimes it seems like the controller is just trying to be annoying. Of course, you have a right
to ask him the reason for the altitude changes, but he undoubtedly has one, so there's no point in
making a fuss.
Reduce power; descend at 500fpm; then at 1900 feet add power again so as to level off at 1800
with a cruising RPM.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Contact Westchester Approach Control on one twenty-six
point niner-five good day.
Pilot: Four Six Foxtrot, so long.
Pilot: Westchester Approach, Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Westchester maintain eighteen hundred heading zero eight zero degrees.
Expect straight-in final to Bridgeport.
Pilot: Four Six Foxtrot.
Locating the Airport. You're now passing over the inlets and coves along the North Shore of
the Island.
About 18 minutes (flying time) after departure, you'll pass over Glen Cove, and then there will
be one last narrow point of land jutting out ahead before you start out over open water.
At 20 minutes out, you should be passing over that last narrow point, and right about then
Sikorsky should pop into view, just to the left of your course, over on the Connecticut side of the
Sound. It will come into view suddenly, as a short white strip there on far shoreline. At that
point, be ready for a left turn toward the airport.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot turn left heading zero six zero degrees.
Turn left gently to 060, which should put the airport dead ahead.
Phase 5: Setting Up for an Approach
This procedure is tricky, but it's the key to successful landings: Get the airplane set up properly
in advance, and the approach and landing will be a snap. In fact, when properly set up for the
approach, the airplane will virtually land itself.
Briefing
There are several distinct steps in the setup procedure:
Reduce power (the nose position will begin to fall off).
Keep the nose up to maintain altitude (airspeed will fall).
At 100 knots, lower flaps 10 (the nose will rise).
Stabilize the position of the nose.
Adjust power as required, to maintain altitude.
(On both the IBM and 68000, put landing gear down; stabilize the nose.)
Reduce Power. First, ease back on the throttle, gradually reducing power to around 1650rpm.
(On the 68000: Try 1350rpm.)
Keep the Nose Up. When you power back, the nose of the airplane will begin to drop, or fall off
(the horizon line starts moving up on the windshield). As it begins to fall, start nudging back on
the stick to keep it up, so as to maintain altitude as your airspeed bleeds off.
This may cause the nose to rise too much, so you'll have to nudge the stick down again, to keep it
from getting away from you. A quick succession of several up-and-down nudges will usually do
the trick. (On the 68000: Just keep easing back gradually on the stick, to prevent any descent.)
You want the nose stable and just slightly raised, so that your altitude is maintained while the
airspeed begins to fall. The horizon line will be just a hair lower on the windshield than it was in
normal cruise. Keeping an eye on the vertical speed indicator will help you prevent any loss of
altitude.
Lowering the Flaps. At 100 knots lower flaps 10. One touch of the designated key will do it.
(A second tap of the key will give you 20, and a third, 30. But 10 is adequate in most
circumstances.) Note the small vertical slot toward the top right of the panel indicates the flap
position.
(On the IBM PC: Press F3 for 10 flaps, F5 for 20, and F7 for 30.)
(On the 68000: Click on the second dot of the flap indicator for 10.)
Controlling the Nose. Lowering the flaps changes the airplane's trim. As the flaps come down,
the nose will tend to rise, so you'll have to nudge the stick a few times again to keep the
airplane's attitude under control.
(On the 68000: At this point, ease foreward on the stick to keep the nose down, then promptly
increase power back to 1900rpm.)
Maintain Altitude. Once you have the nose under controlslightly raised and stabilizeduse
changes in engine RPM to adjust and maintain your altitude.
About 1650rpm should keep you straight and level. (On the IBM: Try around 2000rpm; on the
68000 try 1900rpm.)
When properly executed, you'll end up straight and level at about 95 knots with 10 flaps and the
engine at about 1650rpm. (On the IBM: You'll end up at 90 knots and 2000rpm. On the 68000:
You'll end up at 90 knots and 1900rpm.)
Landing GearIBM and 68000. Make it a practice to drop the landing gear as part of this set-
up procedure so you won't forget to do it later on.
IBM. On the IBM, lowering the gear will change the trim, so you have to stabilize the
nose again. But airspeed will not be affected much. Try to end up at 2000rpm with gear
and flaps down, giving an airspeed of about 90 knots.
68000. Dropping the gear will cause the nose to fall off, but it also will create
considerable drag. Ease back on the stick to keep the nose up, and end up with the
elevator slide just a hair below center at 1900rpm, which will give you an airspeed of
about 70 knots. This is a bit slow on a long approach, however. So, after you get the hang
of things, you may want to leave the gear up until you're actually on final approach to the
runway. This is up to you; the problem is that if you wait until later to lower the gear,
sooner or later you'll forget to lower it, and you'll come in on your belly.
The procedure is a little tricky, but your landings will be immensely easier and smoother if you
nail down the setup procedure right here and now.
We've turned left to 060, and we're now headed out across the Sound toward the airport. First,
save the current flight parameters, so that you can come back to this point and practice. Then,
gradually throttle back, and follow the sequence of procedures discussed above.
Phase 6: Approach and Landing
Once you're straight and level at 95 knots with 10 flaps, the rest is a piece of cake.
Briefing
Beginning the Descent. From this altitude, you'll want to start your 500fpm descent from about
five miles out.
Later on you'll be able to determine your distance from the airport very easily and reliably, but
for now you'll have to guess. From this altitude, however, you'll be just about five miles from the
airport when the direction of the runway first becomes distinct on the computer screen.
At that point, simply ease backgraduallyon the power. Then monitor the vertical speed
indicator, and reduce the RPM just enough to establish a steady 500fpm descent. (In actual
practice, the carburetor heat is turned on before throttling back, to prevent it from icing at low
RPM. I usually don't bother to turn on the carburetor heat on the simulator, but you can do so if
you wish. Remember to turn it off again, however, if you return to cruise RPM, since the warm
intake air reduces power.)
Adjusting the Glide. As you approach your destination runway, look ahead at the runway
thresholdthe point where the pavement begins. If you're headed directly for that touch-down
point, then that point will remain at the exact same spot on the windshield.
If the touch-down spot is slowly creeping up on the wind-shield, however, it means your present
glide path will cause you to touch down short of the runway. To prevent this, add a little engine
power to extend the glide.
If the touch-down spot is moving down on the wind-shield, then your present glide path will
cause you to over-shoot the runway threshold. To prevent overshooting, reduce the power to
adjust your glide accordingly.
Keep an eye on the position of that touch-down point on the airplane's windshield, and adjust the
throttle as necessary to keep the spot steady.
Make shallow, gentle turns now, to get the airplane lined up with the runway. The sooner you get
lined up the better, but be patient and keep the turns shallow. Your airspeed will be low, so
aerodynamic stalls will be much more threatening, and the controls will be somewhat mushy and
difficult to handle.
Glance at the altimeter from time to time, to determine how far you are above the ground.
Increase power if you're coming down short of the runwayuse full power if you need itbut
power back a bit if you seem too high.
If you're very high, you can lower the flaps further, to 20, which will give you a steeper angle of
descent, but be sure to control the nose if you do this.
Landing. If you execute a proper approach, the airplane will almost fly itself right onto the
pavement.
As the airplane is just about to touch down, ease back on the power and raise the nose very
slightly. This is called the flare, and it does take some practice to get the feel, but you'll have
very little trouble with it if the approach itself is executed properly.
Keep an eye on the altimeterit will help you determine when the airplane is just about to touch
down. At Bridgeport, the airplane will touch down when the altimeter reads 22 feet. This is the
airport elevation; it's shown on aviation charts (and on some of the Flight Simulator charts) just
below the airport name. On Flight Simulator charts, the airport elevation is generally given in the
table listing the airports.
Be careful of over-controlling. You have to be quick and decisivebut gentlein handling the
elevator control at this point. Just nudge the stick up or down as required to keep the nose
slightly up and under control. Gentle up or down nudges are the key. Don't raise the nose too
much, however, or your airspeed will fall off, you'll hear the stall-warning horn, and.
When you touch down, cut the power; center the controls; and raise the flaps. You may hear the
stall-warning horn, but that's OK if you're no longer airborne. Slow down with the brakes, and
turn off the runway.
Approach.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot contact Bridgeport Tower on one two zero point niner see
ya.
Pilot: Four Six Foxtrot so long.
Pilot: Bridgeport Tower, Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.
ATC: Piper Four Six Foxtrot cleared for straight-in final approach to Runway Six. Visibility
twenty-five. Altimeter three zero point two zero. Wind zero six five degrees at four report on
final.
The airport should be directly ahead; make gentle turns, if necessary, to point the airplane
directly at it.
When the airport runway configuration is distinct, ease back on the power, and gradually adjust
the RPM for a 500fpm descent.

Pilot: Bridgeport Tower, Four Six Foxtrot on final.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot OK.
Adjusting the Glide. Make gentle turns to line the airplane up with the runway.
If the runway threshold is moving up on the screen, add some power.
If the threshold is moving down, reduce power.
If you're much too high, lower another 10 of flaps, and control the nose as the airplane's trim
changes.
Monitor the altimeter. Again, this airport's elevation is just 22 feet.
Landing. When about to touch down, ease back on the power, and keep the nose up slightly.
Pray if you want to.
On the ground, cut power; center the controls; raise the flaps; slow down with the brakes; and
turn off the runway to the left.
Post-Flight Briefing
The problem areas on this flight are getting set up for the approach and judging your glide to the
runway. Let's consider some common causes of these troubles.
Setting Up for the Approach. The main problem here, usually, is controlling the attitude of the
airplanethe position of the nose relative to the horizonwhen the RPM is reduced prior to
lowering the flaps. This simply takes some practice. The main trick on the simulator is to
respond quickly, with gentle up-and-down nudges on the stick, keeping the nose up slightly.
Under-Shooting the Runway. If you found yourself coming down short of the runway, you
should have made the correction with increased power aloneeven using full throttle
(temporarily) if that was what it took.
If you instead started pulling back on the stick at that pointtrying to raise the nose in order to
stretch the glide, you probably got into trouble. Without added power, stretching a glide is one
aeronautical trick that doesn't work, as countless unhappy pilots have learned.
Raising the nose without changing the power causes the airplane to lose airspeed, which in turn
only increases the rate of descent, so that it touches down even further from the runway than if
you hadn't done anything at all. In fact, if you tried to stretch the glide, it's likely that you got too
slow to maintain adequate lift, at which point you probably heard the stall-warning horn. And an
aerodynamic stall at such a low altitude is invariably followed by a rather embarrassing landing.
Over-Shooting the Runway. Similarly, if you found yourself too high as you came in over the
runway threshold, you should have corrected by reducing power (while keeping the nose from
falling too much, by means of gentle nudges on the stick).
If you lowered the nose in order to touch down sooner, you increased your airspeed (you put the
airplane into a dive), making it more difficult to touch down without damaging the aircraft; the
simulator, like any other airplane, is not very forgiving of really hard landings.
Incidentally, Runway 6 at Sikorsky is 150 feet wide and 4677 feet long. It's desirable to touch
down right on the centerline stripe at the very threshold (right on the numbers, as they say,
referring to the large white identification numerals that you'll find on the threshold of most
runways). But even if you came in a bit high, you still had nearly a mile of concrete stretching
out ahead of you. A Boeing 747 might need that much runway to stop, but you could afford to
cheat a bit if you found it necessary. In fact, the general aviation facilities (and the coffee shop)
are on the left, way down at the far end of Runway 6; so in this case it would have been quite
defensible to fly well down the runway and not actually touch down until you were near the
endto save the time of taxiing nearly a mile.
In any event, if you really were too high as you came in over the runway threshold, a proper
procedure is to lower another 10 of flaps. With 20 of flaps, the airplane descends at a steeper
angle, thereby shortening your glide. You can even go to 30 flaps if you have to, but be careful
to control the nose. (We'll work on full-flap landings a bit later on.)
Missing the Pavement. If your glide path was OK except that you were not quite lined up with
the runway, then you could have touched down on the grass. In this respect, the simulator is quite
forgivingand if anyone happened to be looking you could have just lied and told them you did
it on purpose.
A personal note: I took my first flying lessons at Peter O'Knight Airport, on Davis Island in
Tampa, Florida, in 1955. My instructor was Mark Brann, one of the early aviation pioneers.
When he was young, he bought a damaged airplane, repaired it, and taught himself how to fly.
What's relevant here is that when Mark began teaching me how to land, he taught me to come in
parallel to the runway pavement but to intentionally land beside it, on the grassbecause
landing on the grass saves wear and tear on the airplane's tires.
FLIGHT 2
Solo Training Assignment
Bridgeport to J FK
This flight will give you a chance to try out what you've learned so far, so you can be sure you
have things really nailed down. It's the return trip to JFK, by the same route we took coming up.
Since you're already familiar with the territory, you'll do this one on your own.
Flight Plan. You'll soon be using a simple but effective flight-plan form for your cross-country
flights, but for this one a narrative overview will be adequate. There's also a brief summary at the
end, for quick reference during the flight.
The following set-up parameters will put you on the ramp at Sikorsky Memorial in Bridgeport, if
you aren't already there.
Set-Up for Bridgeport:
North: 17287
East: 21250
Altitude: 0
Heading: 240
You should now be on the ramp facing southwest, parallel to Runway 24, which will be about a
hundred yards to your left. Note that Runway 24 is the same strip of concrete as Runway 6 (the
one we just landed on); it's just going in the opposite direction. (That is, 240 minus 180 = 60.)
Taxi forward, turn left, continue out onto the runway, and turn right to a heading of 243, then
stop on the centerline. (A heading of 243 rather than 240 should line you up with the centerline
stripe.)
Runway 24 will therefore give you an initial heading of 243roughly southwest.
During your climb, turn left slightly, to 240. This will take you across the Sound on the same
path you took coming in. (Remember to visualize the airplane sitting on a compass rose, as an
aid in keeping things straight.)
Establish your 500fpm climb, then level off at 1800 feet as you cross the Sound.
When you start coming in over the North Shore of Long Island, turn right to heading 260. (You
came up along the shoreline on 080, so now you'll return along that leg on the reciprocal of that
heading, which is 080 + 180, or 260.)
Your 260 heading will take you back over the Long Island ends of the Throggs Neck and
Whitestone Bridges, and you'll see La Guardia Field just beyond.
Fly over La Guardia, turning left as you pass it, so you'll fly over Queens parallel to the East
River and Manhattan Island. On the last flight, your heading on this leg of the flight was 045, so
your return heading is 225 (045 + 180).
After turning at La Guardia, get the airplane set up for the approach.
Then use your radar (overhead) view intermittently, to locate Kennedy International and to make
a left turn that will line you up with the same runway you departed on. That was Runway 31
Left; now you're using it in the opposite direction, so it's referred to as Runway 13 Right (310 -
180 = 130). Therefore, your inbound heading to the airport will be 130.
Start your descent to the airport right after you make that last turn.
Have a good flight.
En Route Summary, Flight 2
Depart on Runway 24, initial heading 243.
Climb on heading 240.
Level off at 1800 feet.
At North Shore, turn right heading 260.
On passing La Guardia, turn left heading 225.
After turning at La Guardia, set up for the approach:
Reduce power
Keep the nose up as airspeed bleeds off
At 100 knots, lower 10 degree flaps
Stabilize nose (slightly raised)
Adjust power to maintain altitude (1650-1750)
(On the IBM and 68000gear down)
Use radar view to locate airport and runway.
Turn left heading 130, toward airport.
After turning to 130, throttle back to begin descent.
Use power and very shallow turns to adjust glide path.
FLIGHT 3
Solo Training Assignment (II)
Seattle-Tacoma to Snohomish and Return
This is a pleasant, short hop of only 28 miles, with a route that's almost a perfect straight line
from one runway to the other. The navigation involved is therefore negligible, so the flight is
perfect for practicing the basics. The one-way trip will take about 15 minutes, and after landing
at Snohomish you'll turn around and return to Seattle Tacoma.
Enter the following set-up parameters to get started.
Set-Up for Seattle-Tacoma
North: 21338
East: 6582
Altitude: 0
Heading: 130
These parameters will put you on the ramp at Seattle-Tacoma International (Henry M. Jackson),
with the airplane parked near the fuel pumps.
Departure. As shown by the Seattle Area Chart, Seattle-Tacoma has only two runways, which
are parallel and close together. You'll depart from Runway 34 Right, so you need only taxi
ahead, turn slightly, and then follow the taxi strip to the end, where you'll need to make a 180
turn onto the runway.
You could turn onto the runway earlier, but it's good practice to begin your takeoff roll right at
the runway thresholdgive yourself as much real estate as you can.
En Route. Runway 34 Right will give you a departure heading of 340. Maintain that initial
heading and climb to 2500 feet; then level off.
Boeing Field is directly ahead. Interstate 5 passes just to the right of the field, to the east, then
crosses your flight path and continues along on your left.
Setting Up For the Approach. As you approach Snohomish, Interstate 5 turns back to the east
again, so you'll cross over it a second time, as it continues off to your right. That's your
checkpoint for your set-up procedure. Have the airplane all set up before you reach that point.
Descent and Landing. As you cross the highway, throttle back and begin your descent. The
airport should be clearly visible by now, directly ahead.
When the runway direction becomes distinct, line the airplane up for the final approach. You'll
have to turn right a bit, then left again to get lined up; keep the banks shallow, and be patient as
the airplane comes around.
You're landing on Runway 34, so your inbound heading on final approach will be just about
340.
The field elevation at Snohomish is 603 feet. Locate 603 feet on the altimeter dial and fix that
point firmly in your mind; then monitor the altimeter as you approach the runway threshold.
Return Flight. After landing at Snohomish, taxi down to the end of runway 34 and turn around;
then get into position for takeoff there at the end. This is now Runway 16, so your departure
heading will be around 160. (Did you remember to raise the flaps and center the controls?)
Maintain that heading of 160 on the way back, and then use your radar view to locate the airport
and Runway 16 Left.
CHAPTER 2
Building Your Aviation Skills
FLIGHT 4
Standard Rate Turns
Long I sland/MacArthur Field
By now you've noticed that turns can be very tricky. On the preceeding flights, you kept your
turns very shallow; but, if you managed to get into a relatively steep turn at one time or another,
you probably found the airplane somewhat difficult to control.
But flying won't be as much fun as it could be if you're always handling the airplane like a kid on
his first bikeafraid to bank it sideways a bit for fear of tipping over. So, on this flight we'll
work on turns.
In addition, you'll need to be able to make standard rate turns in order to land properly from a
traffic pattern.
You'll just climb up over the South Shore of Long Island where it'll be safe to practice. That way
you'll be able to focus all your attention on the maneuvers themselveswithout having to worry
about where you're going. Soon, you'll be wheeling the airplane around like a pro.
Briefing
Standard Rate Turns. At any given airspeed, the steeper you bank the wings, the quicker the
airplane will turn. A standard rate turn is a turn in which the angle of bank is such that a 360
circle would take exactly two minutes. For that reason, it's also referred to as a two-minute turn.
How steeply do you bank the wings to make a standard rate turn? That depends on your airspeed,
but there's an instrument on your panel that saves you from having to guess.
The Turn Coordinator. The round-faced instrument in the lower left corner of the instrument
cluster is the turn coordinator. It shows the rear view of a miniature airplane. When you bank the
simulator's wings during flight, the wings on the miniature airplane also bank, showing the rate
at which you're turning.
To turn at the standard rate, you'll bank the airplane's wings so that the wings on the turn
coordinator are lined up with the tick mark on the edge of the instrumentthe tick mark labeled
L for a left turn, or the one labeled R for a right turn. If you keep the airplane banked so that the
wings on the turn coordinator stay aligned with the tick mark, you'll be turning at this standard
rate.
At lower speeds you'll use shallower turns, but they'll still be standard rate turns if the indicator
is aligned with the tick mark.
Making a Standard-Rate Turn. You can think of a standard rate turn as consisting of five
separate steps. Here are the steps to make a standard rate turn to the left:
Bank the wings to the leftgraduallywhile keeping an eye on the turn coordinator.
The turn coordinator responds a bit slowly, so take your time as you establish a bank at
which the indicator's wings are lined up with the tick mark.
Nudge back on the stick (up elevator), to maintain altitude.
With the wings banked this steeply, they lose some of their lift. As a result, when you
start into the turn, the nose will begin to fall off, and the vertical speed indicator will
reveal that you're beginning to descend. Therefore, to prevent a loss of altitude, you'll
need to nudge the stick back slightly.
Monitor the horizon and the vertical speed indicator, and use up-and-down nudges on the
stick to prevent either a climb or a descent.
The elevator has a tendency toward over-control, so you'll have to use up-and-down
nudges on the stick (as you do while setting up for an approach) to prevent either a climb
or a descent. Also, glance at the altimeter from time to time, as a check: You want to
maintain your altitude throughout the turn.
Maintain the correct bank by nudging the stick to the left periodically, as required.
As the airplane turns, it will tend to level off some by itself, so you also have to nudge the
stick left periodically in order to maintain the correct angle of bank.
Begin to roll out of the turn 10- to 15-degrees beforereaching your final heading.
Know in advance the heading you wish to turn to, and start the roll-out early enough to
end up right on that heading.
Thus, as you turn, in addition to watching the position of the horizon, you'll glance back and
forth between the turn coordinator and the vertical speed indicator, with an occasional glance at
the altimeter as well.
Set-Up Parameters. Enter the following set-up parameters to get started.
Set-Up for MacArthur Field:
North: 17131
East: 21275
Altitude: 0
Heading: 240
These settings will put you on the ramp at Islip/MacArthur Field, with a heading of 240, facing
parallel to Runway 24. (This of course is also Runway 6, in the opposite direction.)
You'll be departing on Runway 6 this time, so taxi ahead, then make a 180 turn to the left, onto
the runway threshold.
Departure and Climb. Your departure heading from Runway 6 will be 059. Complete your
takeoff procedures; climb to 400 feet above the airport (499 feet on the altimeter); and establish a
500fpm climb.
As you climb away from the field, start a shallow turn to the right, to heading 180. That will
take you toward the South Shore of the Island, with the Atlantic Ocean beyond.
Continue climbing, to 3000 feet; for practice maneuvers it's desirable to put a little distance
between the airplane and the ground.
You're still climbing as you approach the shore. Begin a shallow right turn now, so as to fly right
above the beach. Your heading will be about 280. Level off when you reach 3000 feet.
The Practice Area. The shoreline is straight for a while, and ahead there's a small, blunt point
jutting out into the ocean. Beyond the point the shoreline is straight again, and that straight
section of shoreline just beyond the point is where you're going. Highway 27 will be visible in
the distance, with Republic Field over to the right.
As you cross the base of the point, turn right slightly, and fly directly over the next straight
stretch of shore. Take up a heading of 270. On that heading, the shoreline will appear as an
almost (but not quite) perfectly-vertical line down the center of the windshield.
Practice 360s. Let's do a full-circle, 360 turn to the left, out over the ocean. First, tap the key to
save the current flight parameters; should you lose control and crash, the simulator will put you
right back at this point so you can try it again.
Gradually bank the wings left, aligning the wings on the turn coordinator with the L tick
mark.
Nudge back on the stick, to maintain altitude.
Control the nose with gentle up-and-down nudges on the stick, as required, while you
monitor the vertical speed indicator and the horizon.
Maintain the proper bank with leftward nudges on the stick, while monitoring the turn
coordinator.
Begin to roll out gradually when your heading comes around to about 255, so you'll end
up straight and level at your initial heading of 270.
About a 10- to 15-degree lead on the roll-out should work out right, depending on how quickly
you do it, which really is a matter of developing your own style.
Further Practice. You have the general idea, so now try a few more 360s, including some to the
right.
Then, starting from a heading of 270, do a standard rate, 90 right turn, to heading 000, which
will take you inland. Try to time your roll-out so that you hit 000 on the nose.
Now do a 180 left turn, which will take you back toward the shore. Finally, turn left again to
090, which will take you back up along the shore the way you came.
If you still feel up to it, you might try doing a figure eight around that pointbut I'll leave that
up to you.
Descent and Approach to the Airport. As you return up along the coast, get the airplane set up
for the approach, and begin your descent.
You have quite a bit of altitude to lose before you land, so do another 360, to circle around while
you descend. For this one, try doing it at the shallower half-standard ratewith the wings on the
turn coordinator only half-way to the tick mark.
Descend to 900 feet and level off while still well away from the airport. Make some additional
turns, if necessary, to get down to 900 feet.
Now use your overhead radar view to locate the field, and head directly for it. Your heading will
be somewhere around 030.
Landing. For now, do a straight-in approach and land on Runway 6, the one you took off from.
Your inbound heading on final will therefore be 060. Try judging for yourself when to start the
descent.
Then, on the next flight, you'll come back here to MacArthur and work on landings from the
standard pattern.
Figure 2-1. Vicinity of MacArthur Field

FLIGHT 5
Airport Traffic Patterns
Standard rate turns should still be fresh in your mind, so now is a good time to start putting them
to useby making landings from a standard airport traffic pattern. We'll use MacArthur again,
since you're now familiar with that field.
The flight itself will be a very short one, because you'll never leave the airport pattern; however,
you'll be repeating the procedure a number of times.
This is an excellent type of practice, and you'll find it particularly satisfyingexhiliarating, in
factwhen you get it right. It will take a few tries, but stick with it and you'll find it worth your
while.
Briefing
Airport Traffic Patterns. The standard airport traffic pattern is a left-hand race-track pattern, as
shown in Figure 2-2. At some airports, a right-hand pattern may be used, to keep traffic away
from a residential area or an obstruction, but left-hand turns are the norm.
This standard pattern is always used where there's no operating control towerand is commonly
used even when the airport has an operating tower, but the tower will often give clearances that
differ from the pattern. On the other hand, the standard pattern is rarely used when you're
arriving on an instrument approach. In that case, you follow the published approach procedure,
as we'll discuss later on.
Standard-Pattern Departure. As shown by figure 2-2, on a standard departure you begin your
climb, then begin a left-hand turn, and then turn right to leave the pattern. It's not unusual,
however, to just climb out straight ahead.
Standard-Pattern Arrival. Always enter an airport traffic pattern near the start of the
downwind leg, as shown in the figure 2-2. And always get down to traffic-pattern altitude and
level off before you actually enter the pattern. Traffic pattern altitude is ordinarily 800 feet above
the airport elevation. At MacArthur, therefore, where the field elevation is 99 feet, traffic pattern
altitude is 899 feet (900 feet, for practical purposes).
Flying the Pattern. On this flight, you'll remain in the traffic pattern from takeoff to landing.
Takeoff. Climb directly to traffic pattern altitude, and level off at normal cruise.
First Turn. Without delay, start a standard rate turn to the left, and come around 90 onto
the crosswind leg.
Second Turn. Without delay, start another 90 left turn and roll out on the downwind leg,
parallel to the runway.
Downwind. On the downwind leg, you have ample time to slow down and set up for the
approach in the usual way. Pass the end of the runway; then continue on for a distance of
about half the runway's length.
You might want to use the left window view from time to time on the downwind leg, so
that you can see the runway as you parallel it. (On the 68000: Open the second 3-D
window; select the left-side view; and leave the window open at the left of the screen.)
Third Turn. Make another 90, standard rate turn to the left, onto the base leg. On this
turn your airspeed is lower than it was before, so the degree of bank for a standard rate
turn will now be shallower than before.
Base Leg. When you roll out on the base leg, reduce power and begin a standard 500fpm
descent.
Final. On establishing a descent, turn left 90 again, rolling out on the runway heading.
Use engine power and gentle banks to adjust your glidepath to the runway.
Don't hesitate to use the overhead radar view from time to time during the procedure, to keep
track of your position.
Touch-and-Go Landings. To simply touch and go, as soon as you're down, add full power,
center the controls and raise the flaps, and then take off normally once again. This saves the time
of taxiing around, but you have to work quickly, and the procedure is generally frowned upon in
actual practice for safety reasons.
These settings will put us on the ramp with a heading of 060, facing parallel to Runway 24.
Taxi ahead, then make a 180 turn to the left and onto the runway threshold.
North: 17135
East: 21282
Altitude: 0
Heading: 60
You don't need me aboard to coach youjust use the brief reference list below, and go ahead
and get some solo practice.
Departure. Heading 240. (Try 241 on the runway.)
Climb directly to 900 feet.
Level off and establish normal cruise.
First Turn. Without delay, turn left to 150.
Second Turn. Without delay, turn left to 060.
Downwind. Set up for approach.
Maintain 900 feet.
Continue past runway about its length.
Third Turn. Turn left to 330.
Base Leg. Reduce power, establish 500fpm descent.
Final. Turn left to 240.
Figure 2-2. Standard Airport Traffic Pattern

FLIGHT 6
Introduction to Radio Navigation
Danbury Municipal to J FK
On this flight we'll start something very different, something I think you'll find exciting.
You'll depart from Danbury Municipal Airport and fly 47 miles to Kennedy International, but
instead of finding your way by means of visual references on the ground, as you've done up until
now, you'll use your NAV-1 radio. The needle on that radio receiver will guide you all the way
from Danbury to Runway 22 Right at Kennedy.
Then, as you approach the airport, there will be an interesting surprise in store but more on
that later on.
Briefing
The NAV Receivers. Just to the right of center on your panel are two large devices, one above
the other. These are your NAV-1 and NAV-2 receiversNAV-1 is the one on the top.
Technically, these are very high frequency omni-directional range receivers. Commonly, they are
referred to as VOR receivers. Fortunately, you'll find that it's easier to use them than it is to
remember the technical name.
VOR Radials. For now, all you need to know is that there's a VOR radio transmitter on the field
at Kennedy, and it sends out a narrow radio beam that happens to be lined up almost perfectly
with Kennedy's Runway 22 Right.
The station also sends out 359 other beams, each in a slightly different direction, but right now
you're only concerned with this particular 220 beam. We'll refer to that beam as the 220 radial
of the Kennedy VOR, or simply Kennedy R-220.
The Needle. If you tune your NAV-1 receiver to the frequency of the Kennedy VOR, and if you
then set its the omni bearing selector on to bearing 220, its vertical needle will tell you where the
220 radial is.
But that's enough for now. Let's get off the ground so you can see it work for yourself. You'll
find our flight path shown in Figure 2-3.
You're on the ramp at Danbury, with a heading of 350, parallel to Runway 17on which you'll
depart. Taxi ahead, make a 180 degree turn onto the runway, and stop with a heading of 170.
Set-Up for Danbury:
North: 17361
East: 21119
Altitude: 0
Heading: 350
Tuning NAV-1. Determine the keys for selecting the NAV-1 frequency and omni bearing on
your version of the program. (On the 68000: Click on the display numerals with the mouse.) The
frequency is shown by a digital readout on the panel, just to the right of the receiver; and the
omni bearing is shown at the top of the instrument's oval window. Go ahead now, and set NAV-1
up as indicated.
NAV-1 Frequency: 115.90
Bearing: 220
Needle Position. Notice that the vertical needle on NAV-1 is now sitting over against the left
side of the oval window. This tells you that the Kennedy 220 radial is somewhere off to your
left.
After takeoff, the needle will begin to move toward the center of the window, telling you that
we're getting closer to the radial. Then, when the needle is centered, it means you're right on the
radial. Turn to the right, to heading 220, and follow the radial directly to Kennedy International.
The DME. One of the handiest avionic options on your panel is your DME (Distance Measuring
Equipment). Just below the top right corner of the panel, there's a digital DME readout, which
should now be displaying a number around 48.
The DME is connected to NAV-1, and since NAV-1 is now tuned to the Kennedy VOR, the
DME readout tells you that you're 48 nautical miles from that station.
Departure. When you're ready, take off and begin your climb on the runway heading, about
170.
When you've established a 500fpm climb, turn right slightly to heading 180, and then continue
your climb to 2000 feet and level off.
The needle will begin to move shortly after takeoff, but it won't reach center until after you level
off.
Intercepting the Radial. When the needle is just about centeredwhen it's just a bare half-
needle width from centerstart a gentle, half-standard turn to the right, to heading 220.
If you timed it perfectly, you rolled out onto the 220 heading just as the needle got to the center
position.
Course Adjustments. However, if you're now on a 220 heading but the needle is off-center,
you have to make an adjustment. When you're almost, but not quite, on the radial like this, a 10
intercept angle will usually do the trick. Again, use shallow turns.
If the needle is to the right of center, meaning the radial is to your right, turn right 10, to 230.
Hold that intercept heading until the needle is centered, and then turn left again to 220, to fly
along the radial toward the station.
If the needle is to the left of center, turn left 10, to heading 210; hold 210 until the needle is
centered, then turn right to 220.
Practice Interceptions. Once you have the needle centered and are on a heading of 220, turn
away from the radial, and then turn to intercept it again, for practice.
First, save the parameters.
Move to the right of the radial. from your present heading of 220, turn right to 240.
Hold 240 for two minutes, then turn left to 220 again. The needle is now a little left of
center: You're flying parallel to the radial, which is somewhere off to your left.
Return to the radial. Visualize the airplane and the radial as if you were looking down on
it from above. Decide on an intercept angle of 10. Now, determine what heading will
bring you back toward that radial at a 10 angle, and turn to that heading and hold it until
the needle is just about centered; then turn right to 220 once again.
Move left of the radial and returning. Now repeat the same exercise by turning away from
the radial to the left instead of the right, and then come back and intercept it.
Re-establish your course and altitude. Keep an eye on the DME readout. Before you're 15
miles from the airport, quit practicing and establish a heading of 220 with the needle
centered, at an altitude of 2000 feet exactly.
Hmmm. Looks like the weather is starting to deteriorate.
Weather Change. Fifteen miles from the airport, stop what you're doing, call up the Edit Page,
and toggle down to the Cloud settings. (On the 68000: Use the Enviro menu.) Then enter the
following parameters.
Cloud Layer 1 Tops: 1400
Cloud Layer 1 Bottoms: 1000
Return to normal flight, and note that a layer of clouds has now moved in beneath you, so you're
VFR on top. That is, you're still flying under visual flight rules, because you're above the clouds
and in the clear, so you can see what's around you. However, we can't legally fly into the clouds
without an IFR clearance.
Requesting an IFR Clearance. An IFR clearance (referring to instrument flight rules, as
opposed to visual flight rules) is a legal contract between the pilot and Air Traffic Control: The
pilot, who must hold an instrument rating, agrees to fly a certain route at specified altitudes, and
Air Traffic Control agrees to protect that specified airspace for the pilotkeeping it clear of
other aircraft.
So, at this point you have to either turn back or get an IFR clearance to descend through the
clouds to Kennedy. Since I'm instrument-rated and we're instrument equipped, do the latter: Tune
your communications radio to Kennedy Approach Control, and give them a call.

Pilot: Kennedy Approach, Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Kennedy go ahead.
Pilot: Kennedy, Four Six Foxtrot 15 miles northeast of JFK on heading two two zero degrees at
2000; we're VFR on top, landing at Kennedy Request IFR clearancewe're instrument-rated
and instrument-equipped.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot stand by one.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot squawk two zero four zero.
Your airplane is equipped with a radar transponder, which is required for IFR flight. Just below
the DME readout is another four-digit readout, the transponder code. Your manual tells you how
to set those four digits. The transponder allows the controller to make a positive identification of
the airplane on his radar scope, so that he doesn't get different planes confused, and it also gives
him an automatic indication of the airplane's altitude. The code is usually set at 1200 for VFR
flight, but change it to 2040, as directed.

ATC: Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot. Kennedy Approach. We have you
twelve miles northeast of the airport. Maintain two thousand. Heading two two
zero degrees. Expect VOR approach Kennedy Runway Twenty-Two Right.
Contact Kennedy Tower on one one niner point one. So long.
Pilot: Four Six Foxtrot. Thank you. So long.
We have our clearance, so go ahead and contact the tower: They'll know who we are, because
we've been handed off to them by Approach Control.

Pilot: Kennedy Tower. Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Kennedy. You're cleared for VOR approach. Runway
Twenty-Two Right. Altimeter three zero point one zero. Wind two one zero
degrees at five.
Now what?
The Instrument Approach. you've been cleared for the VOR approach to Runway 22R, so the
tower will give you no further instructions. At this point you're on our own. Pull out your volume
of published instrument approach charts; find the VOR approach for Kennedy 22R; and execute
the procedure shown there.
I have that approach plate here on my lap now, so I'll prompt you along the way. In any event,
this one's a pretty simple procedure.
Have the airplane set up for the approachstraight and level at 90 to 95 knots with 10 flaps
(and gear down on the retractables)before you're within 10 miles DME of the airport. Be at
exactly 2000 feet, on a heading of exactly 220, with the NAV-1 needle perfectly centered.
SAVE the parameters.
At exactly 7 miles DME, reduce power and establish a standard 500fpm descent. That's
500fpm exactly.
Keep the NAV-1 needle centered with gentle turns, as required. We're close to the station
now, so the radial is getting very narrow: A 5 intercept angle will work out well to make
adjustments.
Keep the descent at exactly 500fpm.
Final Approach and Landing. Kennedy has a Runway 22 Left as well as a 22 Right. As you
break into the clear you'll see 22 Left way over at the extreme left edge of the airport. Your
runway, 22R, is closer to the center of the field. It will be lost in the large white rectangle at first,
but will gradually become distinct as you get closer.
Keep the needle centered until you can make out the runway, and then abandon the needle and
adjust your glide path visually as required.
Figure 2-3. Danbury Municipal to J FK

FLIGHT 7
Short-Field Takeoff and VOR Interpretation
Catalina I sland to Van Nuys
On this flight you'll use a short-field technique to take off from the private runway on Catalina.
You'll then track a VOR radial inbound to Van Nuys Airport, and along the way you'll do some
experimenting that will make you more adept with your NAV receivers. The path of the flight is
shown in Figure 2-4.
Briefing
Short-Field Takeoff. When the runway is very short, a slightly different takeoff procedure is
used. Drop 20 flaps before you start the takeoff roll; when you begin the roll, let the airspeed
increase to about 80 knots, and then use a bit more up-elevator than you use ordinarily. This will
cause the airplane to leap more rapidly into the air, and will give you a steeper initial climb, so
you'll clear obstructions such as trees and power lines at the end of the field.
Then, after clearing the obstruction, you can raise the flaps and establish a standard rate of climb
in the normal way.
VOR Locations. Take a look at your Los Angeles Area chart. At a number of places, you'll
notice a VOR compass rosea circle about an inch in diameter, with compass bearings marked
around the perimeter and a small hexagon at the center. On the Flight Simulator chartsas well
as on official aeronautical chartsthis symbol is used to mark the locations of VOR transmitters.
Each such compass rose also has a box nearby giving the name of the VOR station and its
frequency.
The VOR we'll use on this flight is Van Nuys The compass rose for that station has been omitted
on the chart (for clarity), but the box with the name and frequency is there, just a bit north of Los
Angeles. There's another VOR at Los Angeles International, and you'll be tuning NAV-2 to that
one just as a reference, while NAV-1 will be tuned to Van Nuys.
There are two potential sources of confusion in the use of VORs, but let's get into the air so you
can try things out for yourself.
Set-Up for Catalina:
North: 15149
East: 5744
Altitude: 0
Heading: 280
Catalina has only one runway (4 and 22). You'll use Runway 4, to take off to the northeast. Taxi
ahead and do a 180 to the right onto the threshold.
This runway is very short, so start your takeoff roll from the very beginning of the pavement.
First taxi into position and stop, with a heading of about 037; then tune both of the NAV
receivers as indicated.
NAV-1 Frequency: 113.10 (Van Nuys)
Bearing: 340
NAV-2 Frequency: 113.60 (Los Angeles)

Bearing: 340
Departure. Before you start to roll, note the airport elevation. It's 1600 feet, with a sharp drop-
off to sea level right at the endsomething like an aircraft carrier, only with a longer drop.
When you're ready, lower 20 flaps, then accelerate to about 80 knots before rotating, as
described above. When airborne, raise the flaps and establish a normal rate of climb.
Initial Turn. When you've established a steady 500fpm climb, begin a shallow left turn to
heading 340.
The NAV Receiver Window. When you're straight and level at 3500, on a heading of 340, note
the indications in the NAV-1 window. (Just ignore NAV-2 until later on.) The omni bearing is
set to 340, and right now the needle is to the left. Therefore the Van Nuys 340 radial is to the
west of our present position.
The TO/FROM Flag. Notice that the flag in the window says TO, because the OBI is set to 340,
which at this point in the sky is the bearing TO the station.
Now, just for practice, make a 180 standard rate turn to the right. The gyro compass shows your
present heading as 340; the reciprocal readout is 160, so turn right to heading 160. Remember
to keep the nose from falling while you turn, to maintain the proper bank, and to try to roll out
right on 160.
When you're straight and level on heading 160 (with altitude still at 3500), note the flag in the
NAV-1 window. You're now headed away from the station, but the flag still reads TO rather than
FROM. This, again, is because the OBI is set to 340, which at this point in the sky is the bearing
TO the stationregardless of the aircraft's heading.
Now make another standard rate turn to the right, back to our original heading of 340.
Intercepting the Radial. You're far from the station now, so out here the 340 radial is pretty
wide. It's like a flashlight beam, spreading out as it gets farther away from its source. You're also
not too close to the radial itself, so a 30 interception angle should work out well.
Using half-standard turns, turn left 30, to heading 310; hold that heading until the needle is
almost centered; then turn right 30 to 340 again, to track the radial inbound.
Reverse Needle Responses. When your heading is 340 with the needle centered, toggle the
omni bearing selector for NAV-1 until the bearing shown is 160 instead of 340. The needle
will be centered again, but with the flag reading FROM instead of TO.
Now try a very useful experiment: Turn right to heading 010; fly away from the radial for two
minutes; then turn left onto heading 340 again. You are now flying parallel to the radial, which
is over on your left.
But look at NAV-1, where the needle is now on the right side of the window instead of on the
left. If you wanted to intercept the radial now, and if you turned the airplane in the direction
indicated by the needle as you ordinarily do, you'd turn to the right, and you'd be flying farther
away from the radial instead of toward it.
The reason, of course, is that we've selected the wrong bearing on the omni bearing selector. On
this particular spot in the sky, the inbound heading on this radial is 340, but the bearing now set
on NAV-1 is the outbound heading of 160, so the needle behaves in reverse. In effect, the NAV-
1 receiver thinks the airplane is going in the other direction (in which case the radial actually
would be to the right instead of the left, and the needle would then be reading correctly).
At one time or another, when you're trying to intercept a VOR radial you'll suddenly find that
something isn't rightthe needle just won't center, and in fact appears to be responding just the
opposite from how it should. When that happens, check your heading against the setting of the
omni bearing to be sure you haven't inadvertently selected the reciprocal. It will definitely
happen to you, eventually.
There are also certain situations that you'll encounter later on, such as the localizer back-course
instrument approach, when it's necessary to have the needle working in reverse in this way, and
you'll have to interpret it accordingly.
Now set the bearing to 340 again, get back on the radial, and resume your course of 340 while
tracking inbound.
Station Passage at Los Angeles. We should be approaching Los Angeles International Airport
nowour course takes us right over the field. Recall that NAV-2 is tuned to that station, and
keep an eye on the NAV-2 window as we come in right over the airport.
As we cross over the station, which will occur about 17 miles DME from Van Nuys, notice the
flag in the NAV-2 window as it changes from TO to OFF momentarily, and then changes to
FROM.
Approach to Van Nuys. Have the airplane set up for the approach before you're 12 miles DME
from the airport. Note that the field elevation is 799 feet.
We're in position for a straight-in landing on Runway 34 Left, but unfortunately the wind is
wrong and they're landing in the other direction, so you'll have to fly the standard pattern and
land to the south.
At nine miles DME, throttle back and begin a 500fpm descent.
Traffic pattern altitude is 799 + 800, or about 1600 feet. As you descend toward that altitude,
begin to add some power and level off right at 1600.
This is a good time to save the current parameters.
Landing from a Standard Pattern. As you approach the airport at 1600 feet, circle around to
the right, so you won't be heading into departing traffic. Enter the downwind leg with the airport
on your left, and fly along outside the right edge of the airport on a heading of 340.
The San Diego Freeway is visible just on your right now, and you want to fly a bit closer to that
highway than to the airport itself as you proceed downwind, to give yourself enough room for a
base leg. Use the overhead radar view as an aid.
Use standard rate turns now. For the base leg, turn to a heading of 250. The final approach to
Runway 16 Right will be on heading 160.
On the final approach, you'll hear a beep, and the beacon light at the upper right of the panel will
start to flash. This is a response to the marker beacon on the ground that's used for the ILS
approach to this runway. Ignore it for nowyou'll use it on a later flight.
Figure 2-4. Catalina to Van Nuys.

FLIGHT 8
Stalls and Engine Failures
All flight training programs include procedures for handling in-flight problems and emergencies.
In particular, at an early stage in their training, student pilots learn how to recover from stalls and
how to respond to an engine failure.
Such emergencies are easy enough to walk away from on a simulator, of course, but the
procedures for handling them are still worthy of your attention. They'll improve your sense of
confidence, and they'll also increase your sensitivity to the airplane and its controls.
Besides, the exercises are fun to do.
You'll take off from MacArthur Field and use the same general practice area as before. First,
you'll put the airplane into some intentional aerodynamic stalls, and then you'll simulate loss of
engine power and make an emergency power-off landing on the beach.
Briefing
The Nature of Stalls. In aviation, this term refers to aerodynamic stalls, which are quite
different from the kind of stalls most of us are accustomed to in connection with autos:
Aerodynamic stalls have nothing to do with the engine.
Rather, an aerodynamic stall is a situation in which the airplane loses its lift for one reason or
another and simply ceases to fly. In a way, it's almost as if the airplane suddenly changes from a
flying machine into a rock, and such a stall can even happen with the engine at maximum power,
as you'll soon see for yourself.
Causes of Stalls. Stalls result from inadequate lift, which is associated with too low an airspeed.
The airplane needs a certain forward speed in order for the wings to generate enough lift to keep
it up, and if it slows down to its critical stalling speed, it stops flying and begins to fall.
Turns reduce the wings' lift, so turns at low airspeed are a particular threat. Similarly, the
airplane will stall if you try to make it climb at too steep an angle.
Stall Characteristics. Different airplanes behave differently when they approach a stall. Some
stall very abruptly, with little warning; others may have one wing drop first, putting the airplane
into a spin, from which recovery can be difficult. Some airplanes will just sort of waffle in the air
for a while, making recovery relatively easy. Gentle, easily-corrected stall behavior is a desirable
characteristic in a the basic aerodynamic design of a conventional airplane.
Stall Recovery. When an airplane begins to stall, the stall-warning horn will sound, telling you
that a stall is imminent. You correct the situation by lowering the nose and increasing the engine
power, thus increasing the airplane's airspeed and getting it flying again.
Of course, if you're already very close to the ground, there's no room to lower the nose and
generate airspeed before you make an abrupt "unscheduled landing." This is why the expression
low and slow is synonymous with danger in aviation.
In any event, you'll find that the simulator airplane has excellent stall characteristics. When you
raise the nose way up, the airspeed will fall off rapidly; when the stall is about to occur, the
airplane will nose down by itself, with the wings level, so that in most cases recovery is
relatively easyoften automaticif you have enough room below you.
Power-Off Landing. If you lose engine power, the airplane will continue to flyas long as you
don't keep the nose too high and cause it to slow down and stall. If you establish a proper glide,
you can cover a considerable distance without any power at all.
On losing power, the nose will begin to fall off, and on this airplane you'll get a comfortable
power-off glide if you ease back on ths stickholding up the nosejust enough to establish an
airspeed of about 80 knots. Gliding at that airspeed will give you a rate of descent of about
1000fpm; thus, if you lost power at 3000 feet you could remain airborne for about three minutes.
With that particular airspeed and configuration, however, the airplane will usually land safely by
itself. In fact, actual airplanes have been known to do that.
North: 17131
East: 21275
Altitude: 0
Heading: 240
Departure. You're parallel to Runway 6. Taxi ahead; turn left 180 onto the runway; complete
your checks; and take off with a heading of 059. On the climb, turn right to 180, toward the
shore. Climb to 3000 feet and turn down along the shoreline on a heading of around 280.
When you're straight and level, save the flight parameters.
Departure Stalls. A dangerous type of stall is one that occurs during takeoff, because you're so
close to the ground; this is a major concern when flying on instruments.
To simulate such a stall, increase the throttle to full power. Then ease back on the stick to raise
the nose. Watch the vertical slide indicator as you do so, and ease back until the indicator slide
jumps up about five small increments.
The airplane will nose up, rapidly lose speed, then nose down and recover by itself. Leave the
elevator where it is, and and the simulator will repeat the process over and over again.
Return to normal cruise power, then repeat the exercise at normal cruising RPM. The response
will be the same, but the airplane will take longer to recover because of the lower power.
Power-Off Stalls. Throttle back all the way now, and try it againbut this time pull the stick
back all the way, until the vertical slide is at the top of the indicator.
After the parameters reset (ahem), go ahead and experiment a bit.
Power-Off Landing. Line the airplane up with the shoreline, and then throttle back all the way.
As the nose falls, gradually nudge the stick back, to establish a glide at 80 knots. You'll be in a
definite nose-down attitude, and your rate of descent will be about 1000fpm.
Aim for the beach, then sit back and let the airplane land itself. (On IBM and 68000 versions,
don't forget to drop the gear before you touch down).
Who says flying isn't easy?
FLIGHT 9
Using a Flight Plan
Martha's Vineyard to Boston/Logan International
A flight plan does more than just lay out the route you'll follow on a cross country trip. A proper
flight plan serves as an essential tool for use along the way, since it allows you to keep track of
your position.
In addition, it's enjoyable and satisfying to track your progress and keep updating your estimates
en route.
An effective flight plan need not be complicated, however, and you don't need a special printed
form. Such forms are readily available, but I've been doing fine for years using a plain 8 x 11
inch notepad, which I keep on a clipboard on my lap. You might want to do the same.
Preview
The path of flight is shown in Figure 2-5. You'll depart Martha's Vineyard to the northeast, cross
Nantucket Sound, and then intercept the Boston 334 radial and track it inbound. The route will
take you north across Cape Cod Bay, with Massachusetts on your left and the Cape out to your
right. You'll come in over the shoreline at Marshfield, and Logan International Airport will be
directly ahead.
Briefing
Initial Planning. Before starting on a cross country flight, first study the appropriate chart and
lay out your intended course.
Then, after you've established the course you'll fly, break the flight up into a series of separate
legs, so that each leg starts and ends with easily-identified checkpoints.
Legs and Checkpoints. The first leg of this flight is from the airport to the point at which you
intercept the Boston 334 radial; the first checkpoint, therefore, is the radial itself. The second
leg is from where you intercept the radial to where you cross the shoreline at Marshfield; the
shoreline, therefore, is checkpoint 2. The third leg is from the shoreline at Marshfield to Logan
International.
Dead Reckoning. As you proceed en route, keep track of your progress along each leg. When
you arrive at a given checkpoint, write down the time, and then figure about how long it will take
to the next checkpoint. This is called dead reckoning, and you'll find it quite easy to do.
Flight-Plan Format. The accompanying format for a simple but effective flight plan is shown as
it would look just before you take off. Let's examine each element of the plan.
Time Off. Your actual departure time, which you write down while on the runway when
you're ready to take off.
From and To. The starting and ending checkpoints for each leg of the flight.
Hdg. Your compass heading on each leg, as determined from the chart when you laid out
the course. (If there's a cross-wind, your actual heading will have to differ from the
heading you determine from the chart when setting up the flight plan; we'll assume no
wind for now; we'll deal with such crosswinds on a later flight.)
Alt. The altitude you plan to use on each leg.
NM. Nautical Milesthe distance between the checkpoints for each leg, which you
measure on the chart while planning the flight.
ETE. Estimated time en-route for each leg, in minutes. This is the distance along the leg
in nautical miles divided by the airspeed in nautical miles per minute.
At a cruising airspeed of 120 knots, the airspeed per minute is 120 nautical miles per hour (120
knots) divided by 60 (minutes per hour), or 2 nautical miles per minute. Thus, with your airspeed
of about 120 knots, a good estimate of the ETE is simply the distance along that leg divided by 2.
For example, the first leg of this flight is about 24 nautical miles, so the ETE is 24/2, or about 12
minutes.
ETA. Estimated time of arrival at the ending checkpoint for each leg. You fill this in
while en route. Simply add the ETE for the next leg to the actual time it is when you
begin that leg, and you have the ETA at the next checkpoint.
ATA. The actual time of arrival at a checkpoint, which you get from the digital clock.
Flight Plan
Martha's Vineyard to Boston Date ___/___/___
Time Off: ___:___
From To Hdg Alt NM ETE ETA ATA
M Vnyrd Boston R-334int 060 3000 24 12 : :
R-334int Marshfld 334 3000 29 15 : :
Mrshfld Logan 34 3000 25 13+5 : :
Outline of the Procedure. I'll be coaching you along the way, but here's a brief outline of what
you'll do at each step:
On the Runway: Write down actual time off.
On the Climb: Add 12 minutes (ETE for the first leg) to your time off, and you have your
ETA at checkpoint 1.
At Checkpoint 1: Write down time of arrival (ATA); then add 15 minutes (ETE for the
second leg) to that time to figure the ETA for checkpoint 2.
At Checkpoint 2: Write down time of arrival (ATA); then add 17 minutes (ETE for the
third leg) to that time to figure the ETA for Logan.
Note that an extra 5 minutes has been added to the final leg, to make a rough allowance for our
lower airspeed during the approach to the airport.
Set-Up for Martha's Vineyard:
North: 17489
East: 22042
Altitude: 0
Heading: 240
NAV-1: 112.7 (Boston), R-334
Departure. Take off on Runway 6, with a heading of about 055. (The morse code signal you
hear as you lift off is your receiver's response to the marker beacon for the ILS approach, which
you'll be using on a later flight.)
Turn right slightly, to 060, as you climb out over Nantucket Sound; level off at 3000 feet.
Hyannis, on the south shore at the base of the Cape, is small, so you won't recognize it from the
air, but it will be below you as you cross the shoreline. At that point you're still a few minutes
from the BOSTON 334 radial.
Checkpoint 1. When the NAV-1 needle is a half-needle width from center, write down the
timethe ATA at Checkpoint 1.
Then start a half-turn, standard rate, to the left, to 334. We're more than 50 miles from the
station, so the radial is wide here and the needle will move slowly.
If the needle is off-center when you roll out on 334, try just a 10 interception angle to get it
centered.
Preparing for Checkpoint 2. When you have things squared away, add 15 minutes (your ETE)
to the ATA you just wrote down for checkpoint one, and enter that time as your next ETA.
(That should be the Interstate 3 to Boston, ahead on the mainland now, near Plymouth; Boston is
directly ahead.)
Checkpoint 2. As we cross the shoreline at Marshfield, write down the ATA; then figure our
ETA at Logan.
The Approach. We're cleared for a straight-in approach to Runway 33. Be set up for the
approach before we're 10 miles DME from the airport, and begin the descent at 9 miles DME.
Keep the NAV-1 needle centered with 5 interception angles and shallow banks.
When the runway becomes distinct, forget the needle and line up visually for the landing. Note
that Logan also has a Runway 33 Right, but it's very short and is way down at the far end of the
airport. You won't even notice it from the air. Runway 33 Left, however, is 10,081 feetalmost
two miles long.
Figure 2-5. Martha's Vineyard to Boston/Logan

FLIGHT 10
Flight-Planning Assignment
Southbridge to Long I sland/McArthur
This flight is focused on using a flight plan; it will provide a good general review, but you'll do it
solo. You'll depart from Southbridge, Connecticut, will intercept the Madison 230 radial and
track it inbound while picking up checkpoints along the route.
You'll pass over the Madison VOR, and then will continue to track the same radial outbound
from the station as you cross Long Island Sound. When the airport is in sight, you'll descend to
traffic pattern altitude and will enter the pattern to land on runway 6.
Planning. The course and checkpoints are shown in Figure 2-6. Before you start, study the figure
and your Flight Simulator chart to become familiar with the route. Then refer back to the flight
plan example used in the flight 9, and, using that format and a plain sheet of paper, prepare a
flight plan for this trip.
Fill in the From and To columns with the checkpoints (Windham Airport, the Madison VOR,
and the north shoreline of Long Island). Then fill in the heading you'll be flying on each leg, the
altitude (use 2500 feet), and the length of each leg in nautical miles. Finally, for the ETE on each
leg, simply divide the distance (NM) for that leg by 2.
Set-Up. The following parameters will put you at Southbridge.
Set-Up for Southbridge:
North: 17735
East: 21542
Altitude: 0
Heading: 20
NAV-1: Madison, 110.40, R-230
Departure. Write down your time off; take off on Runway 20; and maintain the runway heading
of 200 as you climb to 2500 feet.
Intercept the 230 radial and turn to heading 230.
Checkpoint 1. As you pass Windham Airport, use the left window view to determine your ATA;
write down that time; then figure your ETA at checkpoint 2 and fill that in as well.
Checkpoint 2. This checkpoint is the Madison VOR itself. When your DME readout falls to
zero, you'll be at this checkpoint. Note the clock at that point; enter the time as your ATA; then
figure the ETA for checkpoint 3.
Station Passage. As you begin to pass over the VOR, the needle will begin to drift to the side of
the window. Don't try to chase the needle, or you'll end up zig-zagging all over the sky.
Rather, once you're within two or three miles of the station, just maintain your heading and
ignore the needle until you've passed the station and are a few miles beyond it again.
You'll still be on the 230 radial, except that now the flag will say From instead of To.
Checkpoint 3. When you reach the North Shore of Long Island, MacArthur Field will come into
view ahead, so you can turn toward the airport, set up for the approach, and begin your descent
to traffic pattern altitude at that time.
Approach and Pattern. Level off at 900 feet. (They'll be landing on Runway 6 at MacArthur, so
your heading on the downwind leg will be 240.)
Head directly for the airport; then turn right to 240 and fly down along the right side of the
field.
When you enter the downwind leg, be sure to stay well off the right edge of the airport, to give
yourself enough room for a crosswind leg.
Turn left to 150, onto the crosswind leg, and turn left again to 060 for the final approach.
Figure 2-6. Southbridge to MacArthur

FLIGHT 11
Short-Field Landings
MacArthur Field
A common aviation problem is that of landing on a short run-way that has some kind of
obstructionlike tall trees or power linesnear the runway threshold. In such a situation, you
may not be able to use a conventional landing techniqueif you approach in the usual way with
10 flaps, a glidepath high enough to allow you to clear the obstruction might leave you too high
for the runway, causing you to overshoot it.
Under such conditions, you can use 30 flaps and a lower airspeed, so as to descend to the
runway at a steeper-than-normal angle on final approach. This permits you to clear the
obstruction, but you still touch down near the runway threshold.
Although I'm not aware of any situations in which the simulator program actually provides such
an obstruction near a runway, this short-field technique is worth practicing. It will help you any
time you find yourself too high on a final approach, where a steeper-than-normal descent is
necessary. And the procedure will enhance your ability to control the aircraft competently under
varying conditions. In any event, it's a lot of fun to practice.
Short-Field Technique. To practice the short-field landing technique, first get the airplane set
up normallywith 10 flaps, flying straight and level at about 95 knots.
Then drop 30 flaps; control the nose; and end up with the nose slightly down at an airspeed of
65 knots. (On the 68000: With gear down, you're even slower, at around 50 knots.)
Then, to begin the descent, ease back on the throttle. If the glide isn't steep enough with a
500fpm descent, throttle back further for 1000fpmbut watch your airspeed to avoid a stall.
At this low airspeed, you're very close to a stall, so you have to monitor the airspeed indicator
carefully. Use the elevator to control the airspeed, and use the throttle to control altitude and the
rate of descent. If you get a stall warning, lower the nose to increase the airspeed.
Simulated Short-Field Conditions. In order to try out this technique, set up a simulated
situation at MacArthur using Runway 24. Maintain the traffic pattern altitude of 900 feet on your
final approach, until you're about to actually cross the runway threshold. When you're just about
at the runway threshold, throttle back and begin the descent.
We'll also assume that Runway 24 actually ends about half way down, where it intersects
Runway 33. Therefore, you'll try to be on the runway and stopped before you reach that
intersection, as shown in Figure 2-7.
Training Procedure. To try out this technique, take off on Runway 24 and remain in the pattern.
Come around onto the downwind leg at pattern altitude of 900 feet, but then extend that
downwind leg well beyond the threshold at the start of Runway 24; continue downwind about
twice as far as you usually do, to give yourself time to get set up.
First set up normally on the downwind leg, and then maintain traffic pattern altitude as you turn
onto the crosswind leg and then onto a longer-than-usual final. Save the flight parameters at that
point.
Then, while on final and lined up with the runway, lower 30 flaps. Keep the nose under control,
and end up in straight and level flight at 900 feet, with your airspeed at about 65 knots. (On the
68000, with gear down, you're airspeed is around 50 knots).
Maintain 900 feet until you're coming in over the runway threshold, as if there was some sort of
obstruction there; use the overhead radar view to determine when you reach that point, and then
throttle back.
The present aircraft configurationwith 30 flapswill give you a steeper glide angle than
otherwise, but note that you still use engine power to control the rate of descent. Use 500fpm if
you find it adequate, but reduce the power further for a more rapid descentperhaps 1000fpm
if that's what it takes.
If you do descend at 1000fpm, add some power again just as you approach the pavement;
otherwise, when you try to flare, the loss of airspeed will be likely to cause a stall.
Remember:
Control airspeed with the stick.
Control the rate of descent with the throttle.
The following parameters will put you on the field at MacArthur, parallel to Runway 24. Taxi
ahead and make a U-turn onto the runway threshold, then go to it.
Set-Up for MacArthur:
North: 17131
East: 21275
Altitude: 0
Heading: 60
Figure 2-7. Simulated Short-Field Conditions with Obstruction

FLIGHT 12
Using VOR Checkpoints En Route
Bloomington to Chicago/Midway
On a cross-country flight, you should be able to determine precisely where you are at any given
moment; therefore, the use of en route checkpoints is essential.
On many cross-country routes, however, there are few, if any, reliable checkpoints on the
ground. Even in actual flight, the terrain is often relatively undistinguished, and small towns and
even airports can look very much alike from the air, so reliable physical-feature checkpoints may
be few and far between.
If you know how to use the VORs, however, your NAV receivers will provide you with reliable
checkpoints virtually anywhere in the continental United States. On this flight, you'll learn how
to bring NAV-2 into use for tracking your position en route.
Overview
You'll depart from Bloomington, which you'll find at the lower left of the Chicago Area chart;
from there you'll track a radial north to the Joliet VOR, and then you'll turn east and proceed
directly to Midway Airport.
You'll be using NAV-1 for the VOR radial you're tracking, and you'll be setting NAV-2 to a
series of nearby VORs along the wayto monitor your position and to pick up a series of en
route checkpoints.
The flight covers about 100 miles, which, at 120 knots, should take about 55 minutes. The route
is shown in Figure 2-8.
This flight is somewhat pivotal: Once you can use the VORs in the manner described here, you'll
be able to plan and efficiently navigate any cross-country simulator flight of your own choosing.
Briefing
NAV-1 Setting. If you glance at the chart, you'll find the Joliet VOR up near Chicago. Before
departure, you set NAV-1 to that station's 010 radial; in flight, you'll track that radial inbound to
the station.
NAV-2 Setting. Notice the Peotone VOR, just to the right of your course. You set NAV-2 to
Peotone, and, while you're using NAV-1 for tracking the inbound radial to Joliet, you'll be
monitoring NAV-2 to track your position along the way, as you proceed across one Peotone
radial to another.
Checkpoint 1. Depart Bloomington on Runway 11; then turn left to heading 050 during your
climb, finally leveling off when you reach 3000 feet. The heading of 050 will give you a 40
intercept angle with the Joliet 010 degree radialyour first checkpointabout 12 minutes after
departure.
As the NAV-1 needle is about to center, glance at the clock and write down the timeyour ATA
at checkpoint 1. Then turn left to 010 and get the NAV-1 needle centered.
When established on course, calculate your ETA for checkpoint 2 and enter it on the form. (The
distance to checkpoint 2 is 18 nautical miles, which at 120 knots will take about 9 minutesyour
ETE for checkpoint 2. Add 9 minutes to your ATA at checkpoint 1 to get your ETA for
checkpoint 2.)
Checkpoint 2. You'll have set NAV-2 to Peotone's R-240 before takeoff. Therefore, when the
NAV-2 needle centers, you're on R-240. At that point, you write down the time and figure your
ETA for checkpoint 3.
Then you set the NAV-2 bearing to 270, for checkpoint 3.
Position Between Checkpoints. As you proceed en route between checkpoints, toggle the OBS
bearing on NAV-2 from time to time to track your position. Change the bearing up or down until
the needle centers, and then the bearing indicator will reveal which Peotone radial you're actually
on at the moment. That gives you an idea of just where you are and of how far you are from the
next checkpoint.
Checkpoints 3 and 4. Checkpoint 3 is Peotone R-270, and the checkpoint 4 is station passage at
the Joliet VOR. At that fourth checkpoint, the DME will read zero, and the NAV-2 needle will
center with the bearing on Peotone R-304.
Note the time and write it down just before the DME falls to zero; then start your turn to 060
right at station passage.
Calculate your ETA for checkpoint 5 after you're established on your new course of 060.
Checkpoint 5. The fifth and final checkpoint is Peotone R-348. At that point, you'll be 21 miles
DME out of Joliet and about 8 miles from Midway airport, so be set up for the approach before
you reach that checkpoint and begin your descent to Midway as soon as the checkpoint is
reached.
Approach. You'll be cleared for a straight-in approach to Midway's Runway 4 Left. As you near
the airport, therefore, you have to turn left to 040 to line up with the runway.
The set-up parameters follow. Make a freehand copy of the accompanying flight plan form on a
plain 8 x 11 inch pad now, for use en route.
Set-Up for Bloomington:
North: 16590
East: 16243
Altitude: 0
Heading: 290
Radios: NAV-1Joliet 112.30, R-010
NAV-2Peotone 113.20, R-240
Flight Plan: Bloomington to Chicago/Midway ___/___/___
Time Off:___:___
Bloomgtn JOL R-010 055 3000 24 12
R-010 int PEO R-240 010 3000 18 9
PEO R-060 PEO R-270 010 3000 17 9
PEO R-090 Joliet PEO R-304 010 3000 17 9
Joliet PEO R-348 DME 21 060 3000 21 10
PEO R-168 Midway 060 n/a 8 4+5
Figure 2-8. Bloomington to Chicago/Midway

CHAPTER 3
Developing Precision
FLIGHT 13
Precision Landings
Long I sland/MacArthur
Precison landings, also referred to as accuracy landings or spot landings, are meant to improve
the pilot's judgement and control. There are a variety of ways for executing precision landings,
but on this flight we'll work on those made from a power-off 180 turn.
It may take some practice to get this perfect, but you'll learn a lot about controlling the airplane
in the process, and it really feels good when you nail it.
Briefing
Overview. For this procedure, first set up normally on the downwind leg, but fly a tighter
pattern, remaining closer to the runway on the downwind leg than you have before now.
As you come to the end of the runway, start a standard rate turn to the left. When the turn is
established, reduce the throttle all the way and establish a glide at 65 knots while continuing the
turn. (On the 68000, glide at about 60 knots with gear down).
When you roll out on the runway heading, the threshold should be immediately ahead.
The Pattern. Take off normally and level off at cruise power and at traffic pattern altitude, in
this case, 900 feet.
Maintain your departure heading of 240 a little longer than usual, however, to fly down beyond
the airport a bit before you start your turn to come back around onto the downwind leg; this will
give you a bit more time for setting up.
Then make a 180 standard rate left turn to heading 060, onto the downwind leg. Keep the turn
tight.
Initial Set-Up. On the downwind leg, reduce power and lower 10 flaps in the usual way, so you
end up at 95 knots. (On the 68000, gear down to about 70 knots).
Tightening the Pattern. You want to fly a downwind leg that's a bit closer-in than usual, so jog
left a bit now so you'll cross over Runway 28 (the diagonal runway) at a point inside its
threshold, as shown in Figure 31.
180 Turn onto Final. As soon as you come to the end of the runway, as determined by
reference to the overhead radar view or the left side window view, start a standard rate turn to the
left.
Establishing the Glide. When you've established the standard rate left turn, throttle back all the
way.
As the nose begins to fall, gradually begin to nudge back on the stick, keeping the nose up as
airspeed falls off to around 65 knots. Maintain your standard rate turn throughout the process;
remember that the bank required for a standard rate turn will be shallower now (at 65 knots) than
it was before (at 95).
You should end up in a turning glide at about 65 knots, with a rate of descent of about 1000fpm.
Nudge the stick up or down, if necessary, to maintain your airspeed. If you allow the nose to rise
too much, your airspeed will fall off, and you'll get a stall warning.
Use engine power to extend your glide if you have to, but try to execute the procedure so that
you don't need it: Ideally, the landing will be completed from a continuous, smooth, gliding turn
that ends right at the runway threshold.
Remember:
Use the stick (up or down slightly) to control airspeed.
Adjust RPM to control glide/rate of descent.
Landing. Roll out on the runway heading of 240. Keep an eye on the altimeteryou'll touch
down at an altitude of 99 feet.
In this configuration, at 65 knots with 10 flaps, the airplane will virtually land itself. The
challenge is to touch down right at the runway threshold.
When you're ready, use the set-up procedures for Mac-Arthur Field from Flight 11.
Figure 3-1. Precision Power-off Landing

FLIGHT 14
Using Multiple-VOR Checkpoints
Chester to Boston/Logan
The VORs are the mainstay of aerial navigation, so it pays to be able to use them easily and
proficiently. By using three different VORs for picking up checkpoints and using a fourth for
tracking your course, this flight will help you develop such proficiency. In addition, you'll have a
good opportunity to try completing a precision landing at the end.
Briefing
You'll depart to the north from the small airport at Chester, after which you'll pick up a VOR
radial from Putnam and track it first inbound to the station, and then outbound toward Logan.
Along the way you'll set NAV-2, in turn, to the Norwich, Providence, and Whitman VORs,
picking up checkpoints en route. You'll have to be on your toes to stay on top of the periodic
switching of frequencies and radials on NAV-2, but, other than that, the procedures really aren't
new.
The set-up parameters are given below; the path of flight is shown in Figure 3-2; and the flight
plan follows.
Set-Up for Chester:
North: 17401
East: 21434
Altitude: 0
Heading: 170
NAV-1: Putnam, 117.40, R-076
NAV-2: Norwich, 110.00, R-316
Flight Plan: Chester to Boston/Logan ___/___/___
Time Off: ___: ___ (Putnam)
Chester PUT R-076 intrcpt 030 3000 22 11
R-076 int NOR R-354 076 3000 15 8
NOR R-174 sta pass (Putnam) 076 3000 15 8
sta pass PRV R-000 076 3000 15 8
PRV R-180 WHT R-310 076 3000 15 8
WHT R-130 Logan 060 3000 16 8+5
Departure. Take off on Runway 35. On the climb, turn right to heading 030, which will give
you a 46 interception angle with the Putnam 076 radial.
Level off at 3000 feet. Expect to intercept R-076 about 11 minutes after departure, as shown by
the ETE on the flight plan. (That looks like Interstate 2 up ahead.)
Checkpoint 1. Interception of R-076. As the NAV-1 needle begins to center, note the time and
enter it as the ATA at checkpoint 1.
(The NAV-2 needle should also center at about the same time, but for this checkpoint NAV-2 is
just a secondary reference.)
Turn right to heading 076, and make any necessary adjustment to get the NAV-1 needle
centered.
Calculate your ETA for checkpoint 2 by adding the ETE of 8 minutes to the ATA you just
entered for checkpoint 1.
Reset the NAV-2 omni bearing to 354 for the next checkpoint.
Toggle the NAV-2 omni bearing from time to time if you wish, to determine how close you are
to the upcoming checkpoint.
Checkpoint 2. Norwich R-354. When the NAV-2 needle centers again, enter the ATA, calculate
and enter the ETA for checkpoint 3, and reset NAV-2 for Providence (115.60) R-324.
Checkpoint 3. Station Passage at Putnam. Monitor the DME as the reading falls toward zero.
The NAV-2 needle should also center as we pass the station, but for this checkpoint station,
passage is the primary indication, while NAV-2 is just a secondary reference.
Remember not to chase the needle once we're within a few miles of the stationhave it centered
and be on heading 076 before you're in close, and then just hold your heading as the needle
begins moving to the side of the window.
At DME 0, note the time, enter the ATA, then estimate and enter the ETA for checkpoint 4.
Reset the NAV-2 omni bearing to 000, for the next checkpoint.
Checkpoint 4. Providence R-000. As the NAV-2 needle centers, follow the usual procedures.
Then reset NAV-2 to Whitman (114.50) R-310.
Checkpoint 5. Whitman R-310. As the NAV-2 needle centers, write down the ATA.
Then turn left to heading 060, toward Logan.
When on the new course, estimate and enter our ETA at Logan.
Finally, reset NAV-1 to the Boston VOR, which is on the field at Logan International. Now the
DME will give you the distance to the airport.
You can toggle the omni bearing on NAV-1 to 060 (as a reminder of the inbound heading) if
you wish, but it won't be necessary to actually track that bearing to the airport.
Approach. At Logan, they're landing toward you. You're cleared for a visual approach to
Runway 27, which means you'll fly a standard pattern, with a downwind heading of 090, just
this side of the runway.
Be set up for the approach before you're 8 miles DME from the field, and at 8 miles begin your
descent to traffic pattern altitudesay 900 feet.
Head directly for the airport as we descend, then turn right to 090 onto the downwind leg. Stay
very close in, and you can try a precision power-off landing to wrap things up.
Figure 3-2. Chester to Boston/Logan

FLIGHT 15
Flying the Victor Airways
Boston/Logan to La Guardia
The victor airways are something like the interstate highway system, except that the airways are
above the ground and you can't actually see themthey're a system of established routes that run
along specified VOR radials, from one VOR station to another. They therefore make flight
planning easier, and they help Air Traffic Control to organize and regulate the traffic flow.
Virtually all commercial flights are routed along these airways, but they're available for use by
any pilot as long as proper altitudes are employed; your simulator flights will therefore be more
realistic if you use these airways when you prepare your own cross-country flight plans.
The victor airways are clearly marked on official aeronautical charts. They're not shown on the
charts that come in the Flight Simulator package, but the major airways that are available on the
simulator are shown by the first four charts in chapter 5 of this book.
On this flight, from Boston to New York, you'll follow the heavily-used route that employs
Victor 451, Victor 139, and Victor 475. As shown by Figure 3-3, Victor 451 runs from the
Boston VOR to the Whitman VOR; Victor 139 is from Whitman to Providence; and Victor 475
runs from Providence through Norwich and Madison to La Guardia.
Briefing
Although you haven't previously used the victor airways, the procedures that are involved are
ones you've followed many times before. There are just two minor variations from what you've
done on previous flights.
Instead of staying on the same radial as you pass each station, you'll have a small change
in course each time you proceed from one leg to the next.
There's a point on the last leg of this flight where the airway bends at an intersection of
two different radials. This point is identified on aeronautical charts as Seymour
Intersection; you'll need both NAV receivers to identify that point, but there's nothing
really new about the procedure.
Altitudes. Since this is a long flight, it's desirable to climb to a higher altitude than you've flown
previously. It's more economical on fuel; you avoid a lot of local VFR traffic; and, in any event,
the view is better. However, there are rules regarding altitude for cruising en route on VFR
flights.
Easterly Headings. If you're flying VFR and are above 3000 feet, then on easterly
headings (between 000 and 180) your altitude should be an ODD thousand plus 500
feet (3500 feet, 5500, 7500, and so on), as shown in Figure 3-3.
Westerly Headings. Conversely, on VFR flights above 3000 feet with westerly headings
(180 to 360), you use an even thousand plus 500 feet (4500 feet, 6500, and so on).
Therefore, if you want to cruise above 3000 on this VFR flight, 4500 is the next allowable level.
That's what you will use.
Departure. Depart Logan on Runway 22 Right; then, shortly after takeoff, pick up the Whitman
194 radial, which you'll track inbound to Whitman as you climb to 4500 feet.
Checkpoints. Except for Seymour Intersection, all checkpoints are passages over VOR stations,
but on this flight your outbound heading from each VOR will be a bit different from the heading
you flew inbound.
Therefore, as you approach each checkpoint, watch for station passagewhen the needle moves
temporarily to the side; the flag changes from to to from; and the DME readout falls to zero. At
that point, note the time; turn to the new outbound heading; and then switch NAV-1 to the next
VOR and set the omni bearing for the radial you'll track inbound to that station.
For example, as shown by Figure 33, you'll arrive at the first checkpoint (Whitman) on the 194
radial with a heading of 194. As you pass that station, you'll first note the time, then will turn to
the new heading of 240. Once you're on that heading you'll switch NAV-1 to Providence, set the
omni bearing to 240, and make any adjustment that's needed to get the needle centered.
You may find it helpful to put NAV-2 to work to help you make the transition from the inbound
to outbound course at each station passage. Set NAV-2 to the same frequency as NAV-1, but set
the NAV-2 omni bearing to the outbound heading. At station passage NAV-2 will then serve as a
temporary reference until you've turned and switched NAV-1 to the next VOR.
Final Checkpoint. The last checkpoint is Seymour Intersection, a point where the 282 radial
you are tracking from Madison intersects R-240 to the La Guardia VOR. As you track outbound
on Madison R-282 using NAV-1, just set NAV-2 to La Guardia's 240 radial. Then keep the
NAV-1 needle centered while monitoring NAV-2, and when the NAV-2 needle is also centered,
turn left to heading 240 to track the La Guardia radial inbound to the airport using NAV-2.
Once you're set up on the inbound radial using NAV-2, you can then transfer the NAV-2 settings
to NAV-1, so that the DME will give the distance to the airport (instead of the distance back to
Madison).
However, trying to describe the procedure in words makes it sound more complicated than it
actually is. Once you get into the air, you'll have plenty of time to think about each step as it
arises. The set-up parameters and the flight plan are given below.
Set-Up for Boston:
North: 17900
East: 21853
Altitude: 0
Heading: 40
NAV-1: Whitman, 114.50, R-194
Flight Plan: Boston/Logan to La Guardia ___/___/___
Time Off: ___:___
Boston Whitman 194 climb 18
Whitman Provdnce 240 4500 30
Provdnce Norwich 264 4500 28
Norwich Madison 260 4500 34
Madison Seymour Intrsctn 282 4500 17
Seymour LaGuardia 240 4500 48
Intrsctn
Departure. Use the overhead view to locate Runway 22 Right, then taxi into position and take
off. On climb, visualize the Whitman 194 radial (to which NAV-1 is set), and then maneuver to
intercept it and track it inbound to the station.
Continue climbing to 4500 feet.
Checkpoint 1. Whitman. As the DME falls to zero, first note your ATA. Then turn right to
heading 240. When established on your new heading of 240:
Re-set NAV-1 to Providence (115.60).
Set the NAV-1 omni bearing to 240.
Make any course adjustment needed to center the needle.
Then figure our ETA for checkpoint 2 (Providence).
Checkpoint 2. Providence. At station passage again note the time; then turn right to heading
264.
Re-set NAV-1 to Norwich (110.00); set the omni bearing to 264; center the needle; and figure
your ETA for the next checkpoint.
Checkpoint 3. Norwich. The new (outbound) heading is 260, and the new NAV-1 setting is
Madison (110.40), R-260.
Checkpoint 4. Madison. The new (outbound) heading is 282; NAV-1 remains set to Madison.
Change the omni bearing to the outbound radial, R-282.
When established on the outbound radial on heading 282, tune NAV-2 to La Guardia (113.10),
and set the NAV-2 bearing to 240, to pick up the next and final checkpoint.
Checkpoint 5. Seymour Intersection. As you proceed outbound from Madison with the NAV-1
needle centered, the NAV-2 needle will eventually begin to move.
When it is just about centered, note the ATA at Seymour; turn left to heading 240; then switch
your primary attention to NAV-2 to get its needle centered.
When established on the 240 radial inbound to La Guardia, re-set NAV-1 to the same frequency
and radial, so that the DME will give you the distance to La Guardia.
Approach. Set up for the approach before you're 15 miles out; at 15 miles DME, begin a descent
to 2000 feet.
You're cleared for a straight-in final to La Guardia's Runway 22.
Level off and maintain 2000 feet until you're 6 miles DME from the airport; then begin your
descent on final and get lined up with Runway 22. Your heading will be 220.
Figure 3-3. Boston/Logan to La Guardia

FLIGHT 16
Automatic Direction Finding
Olympia to Bremerton National
Automatic Direction Finding (or ADF) equipment is very simple in concept, but it can be tricky
to use if you have a cross-wind or if you try to get fancy. On this flight, therefore, we'll keep
things fairly simple and stick to the basics.
You'll depart from Olympia Airport in Washington State, and you'll find your way to Bremerton
National using the ADF receiver, homing on a station near that airport. You'll also use ADF for
picking up a checkpoint en route.
(Note that ADF is not provided on the Microsoft Flight Simulator for IBM.)
Briefing
The ADF receiver is basically a radio receiverin fact, you can tune it to any ordinary radio
station and listen to music during a flight. However, it's ordinarily tuned to a special kind of
navigational facility called a nondirectional beacon.
Nondirectional Beacons. A nondirectional beacon, or NDB, is simply a low-frequency radio
transmitter on the ground. Unlike a VOR transmitter, the NDB sends out a single signal in all
directions, much like a conventional radio station.
A number of NDB locations are shown on each of your Flight Simulator charts. Each is marked
by a small circle (about -inch in diameter) filled with dots. Near each, there's a box indicating
the station name and frequency.
Near the bottom of the Seattle Area chart, for example, you'll find symbols for two NDBs,
Mason Co (348) and Carney (274). Both of those NDBs will be used on the present flight.
The ADF Receiver. The ADF equipment appears on the simulator panel only after you've
selected the ADF option from the Edit Page. (On the 68000, you just click on the ADF selector).
Then the window for NAV-2 becomes the ADF window, and the digital readout for the NAV-2
frequency becomes the ADF frequency. That is, you can have either NAV-2 or ADF, but not
both, and once you've selected ADF you can't go back to NAV-2 unless you reset the computer
(except on the 68000 version, which allows you to toggle back and forth between ADF and
NAV-2 at will).
ADF Frequency. You tune in the ADF in essentially the same way that you tune the NAV
receivers: There are three digits in an ADF frequency, and you toggle each independently. (On
the 68000, just click on the numerals to change them.)
ADF Window. When the ADF option has been chosen, the NAV-2 window changes. The
instrument face is then marked off in degrees just like a compass, with a single needle at the
center. There's also a digital relative-bearing readout at the top of the window (except on the
68000).
Basic ADF Operation. The ADF receiver couldn't be any simpler in its basic operation. When
you tune in a given NDB's frequency, the ADF needle simply points to that station.
If the nose of of the aircraft is pointed directly at the station, for example, the needle will point
straight up. If the right wing points directly at the station, the needle will point right. If you're
flying directly away from the station, the needle will point straight down, and so on.
The ADF Relative Bearing. The ADF needle (and digital readout at the top of the ADF
window) gives you the relative bearing to the station. The relative bearing is not a bearing in the
usual sense. Think of the direction you're heading as 000 relative, if your right wing is pointing
directly at a station, that station bears 090 relative to you. A station directly behind you is 180
relative, and to your left is 270 relative.
For example, if your present heading is 090, and the station is directly aheadthe nose of the
airplane is pointed straight at itthen the ADF needle will point straight up, and the relative
bearing will be 000 (not 090), because the difference between your present heading and the
heading to the station is 0.
If your present heading is 090, but the station is 30 to the right of your course, then the needle
will point a little to the right, and the relative bearing will be indicated as 030 (since the
difference between your present heading and a heading to the station is 30.) If you wanted to
turn and fly directly to the station, then the actual heading to the station would be 090 plus 030,
or 120.
The main point to remember is that the relative bearing is not the actual direction to the station,
but the difference of the number of degrees between your present heading and the heading to the
station. The actual heading to the station, therefore, is the present heading plus the relative
bearing given by the ADF.
ADF Checkpoints. If you tune the ADF to a station that lies off to one side of your course, you
can use it for checkpoints in essentially the same way as you've previously used NAV-2. If the
station is to the left of your course, for example, then just as you pass abreast of that station, the
ADF needle will be pointing to the left, showing a relative bearing of 270, indicating arrival at
that checkpoint.
Suppose in the above example your course is 343 instead of 000, as will be the case on this
flight, as shown by Figure 3-4. When you're directly opposite the NDB, the needle will be
pointing to the left and will still indicate a relative bearing of 270, regardless of the airplane's
current heading.
ADF Homing. You can also tune in an NDB and fly directly to the station. You're pointed
directly at the station when the needle is straight up and the relative bearing is 000.
For example, to home on an NDB that's ahead of you but a bit to the right of your course, so that
the ADF needle is pointing up to the right, you simply turn right until the needle is straight up
and the relative bearing is 000, (If you try to home on a station in this way when you have a
crosswind, the path of your approach will be an arc rather than a straight line; more on using
ADF in wind on a later flight.)
Station Passage. If you're flying directly to an NDB, so the needle is pointing up and the relative
bearing is 000, then as you come in over the station, the needle will start to move downeither
to the right or to the left, depending on your precise position. As you leave the station behind
you, the needle will settle in the opposite position, pointing straight down to 180.
Preview
Departure. You'll depart Olympia Airport on Runway 35 and proceed north, climbing to 2500
feet. The flight plan follows below and the flight path is shown in Figure 3-4.
Homing on Carney. The ADF will be tuned to Carney, and after takeoff you'll simply take up a
heading to home on that NDB. That is, you'll turn the airplane until the needle points straight up
and the relative bearing is 000; then hold that heading to the station.
First Checkpoint. After you're established on course, reset the ADF to Mason. When the needle
points left and the relative bearing is 270, you're be directly abreast of Mason, which is your
first checkpoint.
Second Checkpoint. Then tune back to Carney again, as you continue homing on that station.
Station passagewhen the needle starts moving down around to one sideis your second and
final checkpoint. At that time, the airport will be in sight, and you can set up and begin your
descent.
Flight Plan: Olympia to Bremerton ___/___/___
Time Off: ___:___
Olympia Mason NDB RB 253 343 2000 18 9
Mason NDB Carny NDB sta pass 343 2000 8 4
Carny NDB Bremerton

Set-Up for Olympia:
North: 21215
East: 6340
Altitude: 0
Heading: 170
ADF Enable: 1
ADF: Carney, 274

Departure. Figure out which runway is Runway 35, and taxi into position.
Then note the ADF. The needle is pointing almost directly up, with the relative bearing not far
from 000. Your heading on the runway is about 350, and the airplane is pointed almost directly
at Carney.
Take off, then use gentle banks to adjust the heading so that the ADF relative bearing is 000. A
heading of just about 343 should do it. Sometimes it's difficult to get it right on the nose, but
extremely shallow banks will help; don't fret if the relative bearing is no more than 5 off.
Climb to 2000 feet and level off.
Checkpoint 1. Once you're established on course with a relative bearing of 000 on the ADF,
reset the ADF frequency to Mason (348).
As you come up abreast of Mason, the needle will be pointing left, and the relative bearing will
be changingyou're at the checkpoint when the needle is directly to the left and the relative
bearing is 270.
Note the time, and fill in the flight plan in the usual manner. The ETA you calculate now for
checkpoint 2 will be especially helpful as you approach that point, since you're not using DME.
But be readyit's only about 4 minutes away.
Checkpoint 2. As you approach the station, the needle will begin to drift to one side or the other
at that point, but hold your headingdon't start chasing the needle as it begins to drift away.
When the needle is pointing directly left or directly right, you're right over the station. You
needn't bother recording the time, however, because the airport is now in sight, just ahead and
slightly to the right.
Approach. At station passage over Carney, set up immediately for the approach and begin your
descent to traffic pattern altitude of 1300 feet.
Turn right, so as to circle around to the far side of the airport. You'll be entering the downwind
leg on heading 010, to land in the opposite directionRunway 19.
Level off at 1300 feet; then maneuver to enter downwind.
Then try another precision landing.
Figure 3-4. Olympia to Bremerton

CHAPTER 4
IFR: Going the Profesional Way
FLIGHT 17
Shooting the ILS
Filmore (Private) to Van Nuys
There's no aviation procedure more exhilarating and satisfying than a properly-executed
instrument approach; you had a brief taste of how it feels when you landed at Kennedy back on
Flight 6, so you know what I mean.
But now you're in for a treat, because starting with this flight you'll learn all the different types of
approach procedures. In the process, you'll learn to use the official approach charts, and then,
whenever you plan a simulator flight on your own, you can select the appropriate plate from
Chapter 5, using that authentic approach when you arrive at your destination airport. Professional
pilots use these instrument approaches all the time, even in clear weather.
So let's get started. You'll begin with the ILS approach to Runway 16 Right at Van Nuys.
Briefing
The ILS. ILS stands for Instrument Landing System, an electronic system that permits a very
precise instrument approach to a specified runway, even when the ceiling and visibility are
extremely low. ILSs are usually only available at larger airports, and only for certain runways;
where an ILS is available, commercial airline flights will almost always use that approach,
regardless of the weather.
How It Works. Essentially, an ILS is like a three-dimensional electronic highway in the sky.
Think of it as a giant funnel: You enter the mouth of the funnel, and, if you stay within it's
bounds, you'll be guided right down to the runway threshold. In the process, there are two things
to be concerned withthe localizer and the glide slope.
The Localizer. The localizer is just a special kind of VOR. It has only a single radial, which is
lined up perfectly with the runway.
You tune in the localizer on NAV-1, in exactly the same way you that you tune in any other
VOR, and the vertical needle on NAV-1 responds to the localizer just as it does to a conventional
VORwhen the NAV-1 needle is centered, you know you're lined up perfectly with that runway
whether you can see the ground or not.
The Glide Slope. When you tune NAV-1 to the localizer frequency for a given ILS, you
automatically get the glide slope as well. The glide slope controls the other needle on NAV-1
the horizontal one, which we haven't discussed before now.
The glide slope is something like a localizer that's been turned on its side. While the localizer
needle lines you up with the runway in a left-to-right sense, the glide slope needle lines you up
vertically, in the up-and-down sense. If the glide slope needle is centered across the window,
you're on a proper glide path to the runway threshold.
Flying the Needles. Once you're in the funnel, all you have to do is keep both NAV-1 needles
centered, like cross hairs, and you'll be guided right to the runway threshold.
You center the localizer needle with shallow right or left turns, just as you do when tracking a
VOR radial, and you center the glide slope needle by temporarily increasing or decreasing
engine power, just as you normally do to control your rate of descent. However, though the
concept is simple enough, it takes a gentle but decisive touch to do it well.
Preview
Departure. You'll depart from a private field about 10 miles west of the Filmore VOR, as shown
by Figure 41. This field is a field in the literal sense, and it's not shown on any chart; using it
will save you the time of flying a long distance to get to the ILS funnel, so that you can
concentrate on just the approach itself.
Study Figure 41 carefully as you preview the flight before departure; the figure is actually a
simplified version of the official approach plate, which you'll find under Van Nuys in Chapter 5.
On departure, you'll climb directly toward the Filmore VOR; then will track outbound on R-050
as you continue your climb to 4300 feet.
NAV-1 will be set to Fillmore as you track R-050 outbound, and NAV-2 will be set to the Van
Nuys VOR, so that you can monitor your position along that course.
Setting Up For the Approach. When you reach the Van Nuys 310 radial, slow down and set
up for the approach. Always be set up for the approach before you begin to intercept the
localizer.
Switching the NAV Frequencies. When you set the airplane up for the approach, NAV-1 will
be tuned to Fillmore (for tracking the 050 radial outbound), and NAV-2 will be set to Van Nuys
(for monitoring your position). You now need NAV-1 for the localizer, however, so after setting
up for the approach, switch frequencies, changing NAV-1 from Fillmore to the localizer, and
changing NAV-2 to Fillmore R-066 (for Yales Intersection).
Intercepting the Localizer. As soon as the NAV-1 needle begins to move, start a shallow right
turn to intercept the localizer on heading 160. While turning, you monitor the progress of the
needle as it moves toward center, and try to time the turn so that you roll out on 160 with the
needle perfectly centered.
If the needle is off-center after you roll out on heading 160, use shallow banks and small
interception anglestry about 2to get it centered.
Preparing to Descend. As you proceed inbound on heading 160, with the NAV-1 (localizer)
needle centered and your altitude still at 4300 feet, monitor NAV-2. When the NAV-2 needle
centers, you're at Yales Intersection, so it's almostbut not quitetime to begin your descent.
The Outer Marker. About 2 minutes after Yales, you'll pass over the outer marker beacon,
which is called Kadie in this case. You'll hear a beep, and the marker light on the upper right side
of the panel will flash. At that point, throttle back to begin your descent.
Glide Slope. As you begin to descend, you'll monitor the horizontal glide slope needle. If the
needle is above center, it means you're below the glide slope. Add power until the needle centers;
then resume a descent of about 500fpm to 600fpmwhichever rate of descent keeps the needle
centered. If the needle is below center, you're too high. Ease back on the power until the needle
is centered again.
Localizer. While monitoring the glide slope, also watch the localizer needle. Make very gentle
turns of about 2 to keep it centered.
Landing. When you're 0.4 miles from the runway threshold, you'll hear the code signal from the
middle marker beacon. At that point either you can make out the runway or you can't. If you see
the runway, land visually in the usual way.
If you can't see the runway at that point because of a low ceiling or poor visibility, pull up; add
full power; lower the flaps; and execute the missed approach procedure that's given on the
approach plate. Then Air Traffic Control will issue further instructions.
Set-Up for Fillmore:
North: 15578
East: 5626
Altitude: 0
Heading: 50
NAV-1: Fillmore, 112.50, R-050
NAV-2: Van Nuys, 113.10, R-310
Departure. You're about 10 miles DME to the west of the Fill-more VOR, and you're just about
on the 050 radial. Take off; fly to the VOR; and proceed outbound on R-050 as you climb to
4300 feet.
Setting Up for the Approach. When the NAV-2 needle centers, you're on R-310 from Van
Nuys. Throttle back and set up in the usual way. You have maybe 4 minutes or so before it's time
to start your right turn to intercept the localizer.
NAV-2. When set up for the approach, switch NAV-2 to Fillmore (112.50, as presently set on
NAV-1), and toggle the bearing to 066 degrees, for Yales Intersection.
NAV-1. Now switch NAV-1 to the localizer (111.30).
There's only one localizer radial, so you don't really have to set the NAV-1 bearing at all, but it's
good practice to set it to the localizer heading anyway (160 in this case), as a reminder during
the approach.
Intercepting the Localizer. When the NAV-1 needle begins to move, start a shallow right turn
to 160. Watch the progress of the needle, and try to time the turn so you roll out on 160 with
the needle centered.
Yales Intersection. NAV-2 is set to Fillmore R-066. When the NAV-2 needle centers, you're at
Yales, and you have just about 2 minutes or so to Kadie, the outer marker.
Outer Marker. When the marker light comes on and you hear a beep, throttle back to begin
your descent. Get the glide slope needle centered, and keep it there.
Flying the Needles. Use gentle turns (2 intercept angles) to keep the localizer needle centered;
use gentle power adjustments to keep the glide slope needle centered. When an adjustment to
either the heading or descent is needed, be decisive and consistent.
Middle Marker. At the signal from the middle marker beacon (or when you have the runway
centerline stripe clearly in view), transfer your attention from the needles and land visually in the
usual manner.
Figure 4-1. Approach Procedure, Van Nuys, I LS RWY 16 R

FLIGHT 18
An ILS with a Procedure Turn
Frasca Field to Champaign-Urbana
When arriving at an airport, it's always nice when you can do a straight-in approach.
Just as often, however, the wind will be such that they'll be landing in the wrong direction, so
that you have to circle around the airport and land from the far side. When there's an ILS being
used for the active runway, this can mean a detour of quite a few miles in order to come around
and enter the funnel properly.
However, the approach plate for many ILSs provides a means for simplifying the entry into the
funnel when you're arriving from the wrong direction. The means is called a procedure turn, a
technique you'll use on the present flight.
Briefing
Figure 42 is a simplified version of the published plate for the ILS approach to Runway 32 at
Champaign-Urbana (the University of Illinois); the actual plate may be found in Chapter 5. Note
that the official plate looks more complicated than the figure, mainly because it has a lot more
information on it than you'll actually need here.
Arrival. On arriving at this airport from the north, you'll fly directly to the Champaign VOR,
which is located right on the field, and then you'll track the 136 radial outbound from the
station.
Outbound. While proceeding outbound, you'll first pass over the middle marker, and then at 6
miles DME you'll pass over the outer marker (Veals).
As shown by the profile view, if you are not already at 2600 feet, you begin a descent to that
altitude while on this outbound leg.
Procedure Turn. Then, at about 8 miles DME, you'll turn left to heading 091, as shown by
Figure 42.
Hold 091 degrees for 2 minutes; then start a 180 turn to the right, to an inbound heading 271.
The Localizer. You'll already have NAV-1 set to the localizer, and, as you proceeded back in on
heading 271, you'll need to monitor the localizer needle. As it approaches center, start a right
turn to 316, the localizer heading; then track the localizer inbound.
Descent. As the profile view indicates, you'll begin your descent from 2600 feet just before
passing over the outer markerabout 6.5 miles DME. The glide slope needle should be just
about centered at that point, and you'll begin to use it to regulate your descent.
Decision Point. As shown by the profile view, your decision point is the middle marker: When
you get the signal from that beacon, either you have the runway in sight and can land, or you
don't see the runway so need to pull up and execute the missed-approach procedure indicated on
the plate.
Set-Up for Frasca Field:
North: 16449
East: 16483
Altitude: 0
Heading: 100
NAV-1: Localizer, 109.10 (R-316)
NAV-2: Champaign, 110.00, R-136
Departure. You're at Frasca Field, just outside Urbana. If you wish, you call the ATIS
(Automatic Terminal Informatin System) at Champaign-Urbana on communications frequency
124.85 to get the current recorded message.
Take off on Runway 28; maintain heading 280 to 2600 feet and level off.
Have the approach plate handy (Figure 42), and study it intermittently en route whenever you
have a moment or two to spare.
Homing on the VOR. NAV-1 is set to the localizer for use later on. You can use the DME, but
ignore the NAV-1 needle entirely for now. Instead, use NAV-2, which is set for Champaign R-
136.
When the NAV-2 needle begins to move, turn left to 136. Intercept R-136 and center the needle
as you fly to the VOR. Monitor the DME for distance to the station.
Station Passage. You'll pass over the station when you're right above the airport. Remember not
to chase the needle when within 2 or 3 miles of the stationjust hold your heading of 136 while
the needle drifts from center. You'll hear the middle marker signal shortly after station passage.
Outbound Leg. Keep the NAV-2 needle centered as you track the 136 radial outbound from
the station. You'll hear the signal from the localizer outer marker (Veals LOM) at about 6 miles
DME2 minutes after station passage.
SAVE the current flight parameters.
Don't forgetyou're using NAV-2 now, not NAV-1.
Procedure Turn/Outbound. At 8 miles DME, first glance at the clock, and write down the
time.
Then turn left to heading 091. Hold 091 for 2 full minutes.
Weather Conditions. Now interrupt the program by calling up the Edit Page (on the 68000,
click on pause; then use the menu), and enter the following parameters:
Cloud Layer 1 Tops: 1500
Cloud Layer 1 Bottoms: 1300
Procedure Turn/Inbound. Two minutes after turning outbound on the procedure turn, start a
180 right turn, to come back in toward the localizer on heading 271.
Intercepting the Localizer. Now switch attention to NAV-1 and ignore NAV-2.
When the localizer needle on NAV-1 is one dot from center, turn right to heading 316. Center
the needle, and track the localizer inbound.
Descent. At 6.5 miles DME, throttle back to begin the descent. Monitor the glide slope needle
now, and adjust engine power as required to get it centered and keep it there.
Just after starting the descent, you should hear the signal from Veals LOM.
Keep both needles centered. Use very shallow turns and small interception angles to center the
localizer needle, and adjust engine power as required (gently) to center the glide slope.
Landing. When you hear the middle marker signal, if you have the runway in sight, abandon the
needles and land. If you don't have it in sight, execute the missed approach procedure, which you
of course memorized before you began the approach (ahem!).
Figure 4-2. Approach Procedure, Champaign-Urbana, I LS RWY 32

FLIGHT 19
VOR Approach (I)
Riverside to Santa Ana/J ohn Wayne Airport
In the absence of an ILS, the VOR-type of instrument approach is the most frequently used. You
tried one out yourself, in fact, back on flight 6.
While one ILS approach is very much like the next one, no two VOR approaches will be alike.
You'll find some VOR approaches relatively easy to execute, but others require fast thinking, a
lot of NAV radio switching, and considerable skill.
In all cases, however, I think you'll find them exciting and fun to do.
Preview
You'll start off with the VOR approach to Runway 19 Right at John Wayne Airport, as shown in
Figure 4-3. This is not a particularly difficult approach, but there's enough to do on the way to
keep you on your toes.
You'll depart Riverside Municipal on Runway 27, and will continue west on the runway heading
as you climb to 3000 feet. You'll then turn left to intercept the Santa Ana 180 radial, and will
track it inbound to the airport. Meanwhile, NAV-2 will be set to Seal Beach, and you'll use it to
pick up checkpoints as you track inbound to the airport.
Before departing, compare Figure 4-3 with the actual published plate for this approachwhich is
provided in Chapter 5to get familiar with the style and format of official charts. Note that
wherever the plate identifies an odd-numbered radial, I've changed it to the closest even-
numbered radial, since you can't get odd-numbered radials on the simulator; however, you'll find
that this won't make any noticeable difference. (On the 68000 version, you can get odd numbered
radials on NAV-1.)
Set-Up for Riverside:
North: 15288
East: 6142
Altitude: 0
Heading: 90
NAV-1: Santa Ana, 109.40 R-180
NAV-2: Seal Beach, 115.70 R-043
Departure. Depart on runway 27; maintain the runway heading; and climb to 3000 feet.
NAV-2 is set for Prado Intersection (Seal Beach R-043); R-043 is the correct radial, but you can
use 042 or 044 on the simulator without noticing any difference; the same applies to R-097
below. In any event, note that 043 (Prado) is just a backup reference for us; if the needle begins
to center while you're still on this leg, just ignore it.
Turning Inbound. Monitor NAV-1. When the needle is approaching center, turn left to 180;
center the needle; and track inbound to the Santa Ana VOR. At this point you should be about 20
miles DME from the airport.
If you've already reached or passed Prado (R-043), set NAV-2 to R-058, for Ollie Intersection.
Setting Up. Set up for the approach before you reach Ollie.
Initial Descent from Ollie. At Ollie (R-058), throttle back and begin your initial descent to
2000.
When established on a 500fpm descent, reset the NAV-2 omni bearing to R-080 for Tusti
Intersection.
Do not descend below 2000 until you reach Tusti. Add power to maintain 2000 feet if necessary.
Continuing the Descent from Tusti. At Tusti (R-080), resume a 500fpm descent.
Switch NAV-2 to R-097 for Leota Intersection.
Leota Intersection. From Leota (R-097) it's 1.9 milesor just about a minuteto the VOR,
which is your decision point.
Landing. When you have the runway, complete the landing visually. You'll have to make a 10
turn to the right to line up. Use power to adjust your glide path, and note that the field elevation
is just 54 feet.
Figure 4-3. Approach Procedure, Santa Ana, VOR RWY 19 R

FLIGHT 20
VOR Approach (II)
El Monte to Torrence
This VOR approach requires two course changes and two separate descents; it's not an especially
difficult one, but things happen quickly enough to present you with a challenge.
Preview
You'll depart via Runway 19 at El Monte. After takeoff, you'll toggle the NAV-1 omni bearing to
center the needle, then track inbound to the Los Angeles VOR. About 5 miles DME before
station passage at Los Angeles, you'll set the airplane up for the approach.
The VOR is on the field at Los Angeles International Airport. As you come in over the station
you'll turn left to heading 136, then track outbound on R-136. At that point you'll also begin an
initial descent to 1200 feet.
NAV-2 will be set to Seal Beach R-268, as a reference for Laske Intersection, which is 5.8 miles
DME from the VOR. You'll maintain 1200 feet to Laske, and then will resume the descent to
Torrence. Your decision point is 8.2 miles DME from the Los Angeles VOR.
The approach is outlined in Figure 4-4, and the published plate for this approach is provided in
Chapter 5. Study the plate before departure.
Set-Up for El Monte:
North: 15398
East: 5954
Altitude: 0
Heading: 5
NAV-1: Los Angeles, 113.60 R-236
NAV-2: Seal Beach, 115.70 R-268
Departure. We're at El Monte, 22 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Depart on Runway 19 and
climb out from the airport on the runway heading.
Homing on the Los Angeles VOR. After establishing a 500fpm climb, toggle the NAV-1 omni
bearing to center the needle; note the resulting radial; then turn to that heading and track inbound
to the Los Angeles VOR.
Setting Up for the Approach. Five miles DME from Los Angeles, slow down and get set up
with 10 flaps.
Station Passsage and Outbound Turn. When set up for the approach, with the NAV-1 needle
centered, toggle the NAV-1 omni bearing to 136 for the radial we'll be tracking outbound.
About 1 mile DME before station passage, begin a left turn to 136. Intercept the 136 radial,
center the needle, and begin tracking outbound.
Initial Descent. As soon as you're established on R-136, throttle back and begin a 500fpm
descent to 1200 feet.
Go to the Edit Page now, and set up some cloud cover if you wish. Try TOPS at 1000 and
BOTTOMS at 800 feet.
Laske Intersection. You'll be at Laske when the NAV-2 needle centers and you're 5.8 miles
DME out of Los Angeles.
Maintain 1200 feet until you reach Laske; at Laske resume the descent.
Landing. Your decision point is 8.2 miles DME from the Los Angeles VOR. If you have the
runway at that point, turn left slightly and land in the usual manner.
Figure 4-4. Approach Procedure, Torrence, VOR RWY 11 L

FLIGHT 21
VOR/DME Approach
Gibson City to Bloomington-Normal
Your DME is optional equipment. It's very helpful, but DME is not actually required for
instrument flight. In fact, you should be able to navigate proficiently without the aid of DME,
which is only a single unit, and sooner or later it may malfunction.
However, on certain instrument approaches there's a critical fix that can only be identified by
DME, approaches which can be legally flown only by DME-equipped aircraft. The present flight
employs one such approach, and you'll find other VOR/DME approaches in Chapter 5.
This is a more-or-less conventional VOR approach, except that DME is required for identifying
one intersection, and you should find it relatively easy to do.
Preview
You'll depart from Gibson City Municipal on runway heading 000, then turn left to 300 to
intercept Roberts R-272, as shown by Figure 4-5.
You'll track R-272 outbound, then turn left again at Lexie Intersection, and track R-220 inbound
to the VOR.
You'll begin your descent at Towin, which is a 5 mile DME fix. The approach will give you an
almost-straight-in final to Runway 21.
Set-Up for Gibson City:
North: 16592
East: 16460
Altotude: 0
Heading: 180
NAV-1: Bloomington, 108.20, R-220
NAV-2: Roberts, 116.80 R-272
Departure. Take off on Runway 36 and climb out to the north; then turn left to 300. Level off
at 2400 feet.
En Route. Intercept Roberts R-272 (on NAV-2, not NAV-1), and track it outbound.
Tracking. Keep in mind that you're tracking with NAV-2, not with NAV-1 as you usually do.
This is optional, but it leaves NAV-1 set up for the inbound approach, and saves you from
having to switch NAV frequencies and bearings later on, when you'll be busy with other things.
Turn at Lexie Intersection. NAV-1 is set to Roberts R-220, to identify Lexie. When the needle
is about to center, turn left to 220 and track inbound with NAV-1.
Setting Up. As soon as you're inbound on R-220, slow down and set up for the approach. Note
that Towin Intersection is just 5 nautical miles, or roughly 2 minutes, from Lexie.
Descent from Towin. Towin is a DME fix at 5 miles from the Bloomington VOR. At Towin,
throttle back and begin the descent into Bloomington.
Landing. Your decision point is 0.8 miles DME.
Figure 4-5. Approach Procedure, Bloomington-Normal, VOR/DME RWY 21

FLIGHT 23
NDB Approach
Olympia to Tacoma Narrows
An NDB approach, often referred to as an ADF approach, is one in which the principal fix is a
nondirectional beacon. Accordingly, the approach is flown mainly with the ADF receiver. On
such an approach, you don't simply home on the station, you use the ADF for tracking a
specified course.
Preview
This is a short tripabout 15 minutesmuch like a local air taxi flight, but it's an interesting
one. In good weather it's quite scenic: Mt. Ranier will be prominent in the distance as you depart
Olympia; the interstate highway and the built-up area south of Tacoma will stand out along the
way; and your destination runway at Tacoma Narrows is unusual because of the way it extends
out onto Puget Sound.
However, though the ADF approach you'll use is simple in concept, it's really not an easy one to
do well. The difficulty is that you'll have little time to spare at each step, and you'll probably find
yourself dealing with several procedures at the same time. Under actual IFR conditions (with
clouds), it's a worthy test of any pilot's proficiency.
After departing Olympia to the east on Runway 8, you'll turn left to heading 050 while climbing
to 2000 feet. Then, using the ADF, you'll turn left so as to fly inbound to the Gray NDB on a
heading of 347.
NAV-1 will be tuned to Olympia R-026, the radial that intercepts Gray; thus, when the NAV-1
needle begins to center, you'll know you're coming up on the NDB. At that time, you'll set up
and start your descent. After passing over Gray, you'll hold the correct course as you continue
your descent to the single runway at Tacoma Narrows.
Briefing
Turning to the Inbound Heading. As you proceed outbound from Olympia on a heading of
050, you'll be planning to make a left turn to heading 347, the inbound course to Gray. To
determine when to make that turn, you'll use the relative bearing shown on the ADF.
Recall that the ADF relative bearing is not actually a bearing in the usual sense. Instead, the
relative bearing is simply the difference between your present heading and the bearing to the
NDB.
Since your heading before the turn will be 050, and the inbound heading will be 347, the
difference between those two headings is 347 minus 50, or 297 degrees. Thus, when you're at
the point where you should turn inbound, the ADF needle will be pointing up and to the left, and
the relative bearing will be 297.
Course Corrections. Ideally, when you roll out on the heading of 347, you'll be right on
coursethe ADF needle will be pointing straight up with a relative bearing of 000. If your
heading is 347 but the relative bearing is more than 5 from 000, then your heading is correct
but you're to the right or to the left of your course, which should be corrected.
The ADF on the simulator is not too precise. On some versions, at least, it tends to be slow to
respond, and the bearing then often jumps in increments of several degrees. Small corrections are
therefore difficult to make, but if the ADF bearing is more than 5 from 000, you should correct
your course.
Needle Right of Center. If the needle is pointing to the right of center, then you're to the
left of your course, as shown in Figure 47. Turn right 20; hold that correction heading
until the needle is deflected 20 to the left (20 from your current course); then turn back
onto your correct inbound heading.
For example, say your inbound heading is correct at 347, but the needle is pointing to
the right of center and the relative bearing is 010, as shown in Figure 47. To get onto
the desired inbound course, first turn right 20 (347 plus 20 = 007); then hold that
correction heading of 007 until the ADF needle is deflected 20 left of the current
headingwhich means a relative bearing of 340. Then turn left to 347 again, the
inbound heading.
Needle Left of Center. If the needle is off to the left, then you're to the right of your
course. Turn left 20, hold that correction heading until the needle is deflected 20 right
of the current coursewhich means a relative bearing of 20; then return to the correct
inbound heading.
The Approach. The actual approach plate is provided in Chapter 5. Compare it to Figure 48,
and keep it available during the flight.
Set-Up for Olympia:
North: 21217
East: 6339
Altitude: 0
Heading: 260
ADF Enable: 1
(On the 68000: Click on the ADF selector.)
NAV-1: Olympia, 113.40, R-026
ADF: Gray NDB, 216
Departure. You're cleared for immediate departure on Runway 8. After establishing your climb,
turn left to 050 and climb to 2000 feet.
Intercepting the Inbound Course. Maintain 050 as the ADF relative bearing moves toward
297 then turn left to 347, toward Gray.
Save the parameters again.
Course Correction, Needle Left of Center. Turn left 20 to heading 327; hold 327 until the
ADF needle is deflected 20 right for a relative bearing of 020; then turn right to 347.
Course Correction, Needle Right of Center. Turn right 20 to 007; hold 007 until the ADF
needle is deflected 20 left for a relative bearing of 340; then turn left to 347 (Figure 47).
Setting Up. As soon as you're established on course, set up for the approach. You have only
about 4 minutes from the left turn onto 347 to station passage at Gray, so if you have to make a
course correction (see above), you'll probably have to do it as you're setting up for the approach.
Descent. NAV-1 is set to Olympia R-026, the radial that intercepts Gray. When the needle first
begins to move, begin your descent.
Station Passage at Gray. Be on course when the NAV-1 needle begins to move; do not attempt
course corrections once the ADF needle begins to drift around the window at station passage.
Be no lower than 1800 feet while passing over Gray; after station passage, resume the descent at
500fpm.
Landing. At the bottom right of the approach plate, you'll find a small table. It indicates that it's
6.7 miles from Gray, the final approach fix (FAP) to the missed approach point (MAP)just
over 4 minutes at your 90-plus knots.
You now have a straight-in approach to Runway 35.
Figure 4-7. ADF Course Correction Procedure

Figure 4-8. Approach Procedure, Tacoma Narrows, NDS RWY 35

FLIGHT 24
NDB Approach with a Procedure Turn
Westchester County to Farmingdale/Republic
Here's a flight that will add a lot to your ADF abilitiesand to your confidence. You'll depart
White Plains/Westchester County Airport to the south, for Republic Field. The airport will be
under IFR conditions. You'll be cleared for an NDB approach, which will require you to fly over
the airport, to proceed out over the Atlantic shore, and then to execute a procedure turn in order
to come back in and land on Runway 1, using the ADF at every stage.
Preview
You'll depart White Plains/Westchester County Airport on Runway 16, and then will intercept
Carmel R-190, which you'll track outbound. As you approach Republic Field, you'll turn left to
167, toward the Babylon NDB, as shown by Figure 49. That course will take you over the
airport and over the NDB; then you'll execute the procedure turn specified in the approach plate,
which is provided in Chapter 5. Then, after turning back toward the airport, you'll begin your
descent to Runway 1.
Set-Up for White Plains/Westchester Co.:
North: 17227
East: 21062
Altitude: 0
Heading: 340
ADF ENABLE: 1
(On the 68000, click on the ADF selector.)
NAV-1: Carmel, 116.60, R-190
ADF: Babylon NDB, 275
Departure. Use Runway 16; climb out on 160 and level off at 2500 feet.
Carmel R-190. As NAV-1 centers, turn right to 190 to track outbound.
Turning Inbound. Your present heading is 190, and the inbound course is 167, a left turn of
23. Therefore, start the turn when the ADF needle is deflected to the left for a relative bearing of
23.
After the turn, if the ADF bearing is more than 5 from 000, use a 20 correction angle, as
shown in Figure 4-7.
Changing NAV-1. Now switch NAV-1 to Deer Park (111.20) R-220, to help you determine
when you're approaching the NDB.
Initial Descent. Without setting up yet, throttle back and establish a 500fpm descent (at 120
knots) to 1600 feet.
Station Passage and Set-Up. NAV-1 will warn you as you approach Babylon NDB. Hold your
heading of 167 as the ADF needle drifts away from center.
Note the time of station passage and write it down.
Then slow down and set up for the approach.
Maintain heading 167 for 2 minutes beyond station passage.
Weather. Crank in a layer of clouds: tops 1400, bottoms 1100.
Procedure Turn Outbound. Two minutes from station passage, turn left (half standard rate) to
heading 122.
Hold 122 for 1 full minute.
Procedure Turn Inbound. After 1 minute, turn right 180 to heading 302.
Inbound Course. Your heading now is 302, and the inbound heading to the airport is 347, a
turn of 45. When the ADF indicates a relative bearing of 45, turn right to 347.
Second Descent. After completing the turn, descend to 1100 feet; maintain 1100 feet until
passing Babylon inbound.
Descent from Babylon. At station passage over Babylon, resume descent to Runway 10about
2 minutes. Field elevation is 81 feet.
Figure 4-9. Approach Procedure, Farmingdale/Republic NDB RWY 1

FLIGHT 25
The Localizer Back Course
Paxton to Champaign-Urbana
Recall that the localizer portion of an ILS is essentially a VOR with a single radial. Just as a
conventional VOR radial extends in both directions from the station, so also does a localizer.
Wherever there's an ILS, the back of the localizer beam extends in the other direction. This back
portion of an ILS localizer is the basis for what's called a localizer back-course approach.
However, although there's always such a back course wherever there's a localizer, there isn't
always an FAA-prescribed approach using that back course. The ILS on Runway 32 at
Champaign-Urbana provides for such a prescribed approachthe Localizer Back Course for
Runway 14but the other ILSs on the Flight Simulator disk (at Martha's Vineyard, Snohomish
and Van Nuys) provide back courses that you may want to use, to help line you up with the
runway. But for those cases, there isn't a prescribed approach procedure, and therefore there isn't
a published plate.
Preview
You'll take off to the north from Paxton, then turn left to intercept Roberts R-210, and will track
it outbound, to the southwest. As shown by Figure 4-10, Champaign R-326 will enable you to
identify Tarpe Intersection, at which point you'll start a left turn to intercept the localizer. You'll
maintain 2700 feet as you proceed inbound to Boill Intersection, a 7 mile DME fix, and at Boill
you'll begin your descent to Runway 14. The plate is provided in Chapter 5.
Set-Up for Paxton:
North: 16575
East: 16507
Altitude 0
Heading: 180
NAV-1: Roberts, 116.80, R-210
NAV-2: Champaign, 110.00, R-346
Departure. Take off to the north, and, on the climb, come around left to heading 240. Level off
at 2700.
Roberts R-210 Outbound.. You're close to the Roberts VOR, so the NAV-1 needle will move
quickly. Intercept R-210 and track outbound.
Champaign R-346 (NAV-2). Monitor NAV-2, and when the needle centers on Champaign R-
346, do the following:
Slow down and get set up for the approach.
Switch the NAV-2 omni bearing to 326, for Tarpe.
Switch NAV-1 to the localizer (109.10).
Set the NAV-1 omni bearing to 136, as a reminder.
Champaign R-326Tarpe Intersection. As NAV-2 centers at Tarpe, begin to monitor NAV-1,
and prepare for a response from the localizer needle.
Intercepting the Localizer. As the NAV-1 needle moves toward center, turn left to 136 and
center the needle.
Reverse Readings. Remember that now you're on the back course: You're going the "wrong
way" on the radial, so the NAV-1 needle is behaving in reverse. (If the needle is to the right of
center, turn left to get it centered; if the needle is to the left of center, turn right to center it.)
Boill Intersection. Boill is your Final Approach Fix (FAF)a DME fix 7 miles out from the
station. At 7 miles DME, throttle back and begin a 500fpm descent.
Keep the needle centered with small correction anglesin the "wrong" direction.
Landing. Land on Runway 14.
Figure 4-10. Approach Procedure, Champaign-Urbana, LOC BC RWY 14

FLIGHT 26
IFR in Wind and Weather
Bradley I nternational to Block I sland and Beyond
Now you're ready to put it all togetherand to add a little spice. On this flight, you will file an
IFR flight plan, will navigate with both NAV-1 and the ADF (on the IBM versions, ignore the
ADF instructions), will encounter crosswinds, and will fly into actual IFR conditions (clouds).
Then the weather at your destination will require a major en route adjustment in your flight plan.
It won't be an easy flight, but it's very realistic, and I think you'll enjoy the challenge. In any
event, it has been broken into separate phases as was Flight 1, so you can work on one leg at a
time. Make liberal use of the save and pause functions along the way.
Preview
The basic flight is shown in Figure 4-11. You'll depart Bradley and proceed direct to the Hartford
VOR. You'll have a cross-wind, however, and will have to adjust your heading to offset it and
remain on course. From Hartford you'll take Victor Airway 130 to the Norwich VOR, where
you'll proceed direct to Block Island, using the Block Island NDB and your ADF. (On the IBM,
take up the indicated heading.) The weather will be changing en route, however, as it so often
does in reality but more on that later on.
Set-Up for Bradley:
North: 17632
East: 21349
Altitude: 0
Heading: 240
ADF ENABLE: 1
(On the 68000, click on ADF selector.)
NAV-1: Hartford, 114.90, R-186
ADF: Brainard, 329

Figure 4-11. Flight 26, as plannedBradley to Block I sland

Phase 1: IFR Flight Plan
The professional way to fly is on an IFR clearanceon such a clearance, you're in constant radio
contact with Air Traffic Control; your flight is constantly monitored on radar; and ATC reserves
a corridor of airspace for your flight so you can proceed on course safely, regardless of clouds or
low visibility. All airline and other commercial flights go IFR, and most instrument-rated private
pilots make it a practice to file IFR most of the time, regardless of the weather.
To obtain an IFR clearance, you first get your weather briefing and prepare a flight plan in the
usual way, and then you file that plan with ATC, usually by phoning a Flight Service Station.
Preparing the Flight Plan. The flight plan form for this flight, included in this phase, was
worked out from the New York and Boston Area chart.
The first leg is from Bradley to the Hartford VOR, a distance of about 19 miles direct; 19 miles
at 2 miles per minute gives you an estimated time en route of 10 minutes. The heading will be
around 180, depending on the departure runway and how the tower routes you from the airport.
The second leg, from Hartford to the Norwich VOR, follows Victor 130. The heading is 116
and the distance is 22 miles, for a time en route of about 11 minutes.
Leg three, direct from Norwich to Block Island on a heading of 155, is 31 miles, or about 16
minutes.
Filing IFR. Prior to a real departure, you'd phone Flight Service and indicate your intention to
file IFR. This is actually just a request for an IFR clearance; the clearance itself would ordinarily
be given to you later at the airport, over your COM radio, when you're ready to depart.
Flight Plan: Bradley to Block Island___ / ___ / ___
Time Off:___:___
Bradley Hartford 180 3000 19 10
Hartford Norwich 116 3000 22 11
Norwich Block Is 155 3000 31 16+5

While on the phone to Flight Service, you'd have to provide the following items of information:
1. Type of Clearance: IFR (as opposed to VFR)
2. Aircraft I.D.: Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot (3046F)
3. Aircraft Type: Piper Archer or Cessna Skylane
4. True Airspeed: One two zero knots
5. Departure Point: Bradley
6. Departure Time (Proposed): (Make a guess)
7. Cruising Altitude: 3000
8. Route of Flight: Direct Bradley to Hartford, V-130 to Norwich, direct Block Island
9. Destination: Block Island State
10. Estimated Time En Route: Forty-two minutes (00:42)
11. Remarks: None
12. Fuel On Board: Six hours
13. Alternate Airport: Martha's Vineyard (This is where you plan to go if Block Island is
below minimums and you can't legally land when you get there.)
14. Pilot's Name, Address, Phone, Home Airport:
15. Number Aboard: two
16. Color of Aircraft: (Computer Beige?)
The particular route and altitude you request may be changed by Air Traffic Control when they
issue the clearance, or even later on, during the flight, but if traffic conditions permit they'll
usually give you the routing you ask for.
Phase 2: Clearance and Departure

Pilot: Bradley Ground, Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Ground ready to copy?
Pilot: Ground Four Six Fox ready.
ATC: Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot cleared to Block Island via flight-planned route.
Maintain three thousand.
Pilot: Ah, that's Four Six Foxtrot cleared to Block Island, flight planned route, at 3000.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot. Roger. Cleared to taxi for Runway 6. Contact Bradley Tower on one two
zero point three. So long.
Pilot: Thanks, Four Six Fox.
Taxi ahead, and call the tower on the way.

Pilot: Bradley Tower, Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot cleared for takeoff. Runway 6. Altimeter three zero one
zero. Wind zero five eight degrees at four. Visibility five. Maintain runway
heading on departure.
Complete your checks; note the time off; and go. Expect a handoff to Bradley Approach Control
and instructions for a turn after you've established your climb away from the airport.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot contact Bradley Approach on one twenty-five point eight. Good day.
Pilot: Four Six Foxtrot. So long.
Pilot: Bradley Approach Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Bradley. Turn right heading one eight six degrees; then direct to
Hartford VOR. Climb and maintain three thousand.
Pilot: Bradley Four Six Fox. That's zero eight six and three thousand.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot. That heading is one eight six degrees. Repeat one eight six. Please
acknowledge.
Pilot: Bradley. Roger; that's one eight six degrees. Thank you. Four Six Foxtrot.
Begin a shallow right turn and come around to 186. When you roll out on 186, toggle the NAV-
1 bearing to center the needle, and then take up the resulting heading and fly direct to the VOR.
When you have a moment, glance at the time off, and then figure your ETA for Hartfordit's 19
miles direct, but add about 5 miles to that to allow for the initial routing from the airport. That's
24 miles at 2 miles per minute, or about 12 minutes from our time off.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot contact Hartford Center on one one niner point five. So long.
Phase 3: Bradley-Hartford Leg with Wind
You're climbing to 3000 and homing on the Hartford VOR as you monitor the DME. The ADF is
tuned to Brainard, but only as a backup. When the needle points right, you're passing that NDB
and are approaching Hartford.
Entering Wind. When you're level at three thousand, and you have NAV-1 centered, go to the
Edit Page and enter the following wind conditions.
Wind Level 1: Knots 20
Degrees 90
Shear Zone Alt 1: 500
This gives you a crosswind from the left. As a result, you'll be blown gradually to the right of the
course, and the NAV-1 needle will begin to drift to the left of center.
Correcting for Drift. To offset the crosswind, you'll have to crab a little into the windfly with
the airplane's nose pointed a little to the left of the course you want to fly over the ground.
When the needle has drifted off center, first turn left 20 and intercept the radial again. When the
needle is centered again, turn back onto your coursebut not to the original heading. Instead, try
a heading about 10 left of (less than) your original heading.
If the needle still drifts from center after making that heading adjustment, first get back on the
radial again, and then try a different drift-correction anglemore or less than 10 degrees,
depending on which way the needle moved from center.
Preparing for Station Passage. As you approach the Hartford VOR, recall that you now have
only one NAV receiver. Think ahead: At station passage, be ready to note and record the ATA.
Turn left to 116; switch NAV-1 to Norwich; set the NAV-1 bearing to 116; and then get the
needle centered on the new radial to Norwich.
Phase 4: Hartford-Norwich Leg
Station Passage at Hartford. When the DME is almost zero, note the time and write it down as
your ATA for leg 1.
At zero miles DME, turn left to 116.
Then switch NAV-1 to Norwich (110.00) R-116 and get the needle centered.
Wind Correction. The wind is out of the east (090), so after turning to 116, you're now
headed more into it than before. There's some headwind now, but less of a crosswind. Therefore,
the drift-correction angle that worked on the previous leg will now be too much.
Try a drift correction of 5a heading of 111 instead of 116. Then make further adjustments
to that heading if the needle still won't stay centered.
ETA for Norwich. When the NAV-1 needle is staying centered on R-116 to Norwich, figure
your ETA for Norwich and note it on the flight plan.
ADF Frequency. When you have a moment, tune the ADF to Block Island (216), to be set up
for the third leg. (On the IBM, ignore ADF instructions.)
Preparation for Third Leg. While you are monitoring the DME as you approach Norwich and
are making the transition to leg 3, think ahead to what you'll have to do at station passage. You'll
turn right to 155; at that point the ADF needle will be deflected roughly 45 to the right.
That is, your heading as you reach Norwich will be 111, and the difference between that
heading and the heading of 155 to the NDB is 44, so just before you turn at Norwich, the ADF
needle deflection should be just about 45.
Are you maintaining 3000 feet? (You're on radar, so ATC is watching!)
Phase 5: Norwich-Block Island Leg
Weather Change. At the Norwich VOR, you turned right to 155, toward the Block Island
NDB, and you're now navigating with the ADF. (On the IBM, maintain a heading of 155 and
skip the wind entry below.)
Now go to the Edit Page again and change the wind velocity.
Course Correction. When the ADF relative bearing has drifted more than 5 from 000, turn
left 20 to 135; hold 135 until the ADF needle is deflected 20. Then, turn back onto a heading
of 145 instead of 155that is, try a 10 correction angle. (With a 10 correction, the relative
bearing will be 10.)
At 20 Miles DME (From Norwich), expect a handoff.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot contact Quonset Approach on one twenty-one point one.
Good day.
Pilot: Four Six Fox, thanks and so long.
Pilot: Quonset Approach Piper Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Quonset. We have you ten miles north of Block Island. Maintain three
thousand.
Weather Change. The expected front is moving in a bit earlier than anticipated, but at the
moment there's a calm; enter the following cloud coverage.
Cloud Level 1: Tops 4000
Bottoms 2500
Degrees 0
But don't worryjust do the same things you always do (only don't bother looking up from the
panel).

ATC: Three Zero Four Six Foxtrot Quonset Approach.
Pilot: Quonset Four Six Fox.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot be advised that Block Island is now reporting below
minimums. You're cleared direct to Block Island NDB; then turn left heading
zero eight six degrees to Martha's Vineyard VOR. Expect to hold east at Borst
Intersection. Maintain 3000.
Pilot: Quonset Four Six Fox that's Block Island and then left to zero eight six degrees at three
thousand O.K.
ATC: Quonset.
Maybe you should have taken the ferry.
Presumably the weather is better at Martha's Vineyardor if it isn't, at least there you'll have the
benefit of an ILS approach. They're probably routing a lot of other flights that way too,
howeverthat's why they said to expect a holding pattern.
Be prepared: Pull out the approach plate for the ILS to Martha's Vineyard Runway 24 (in
Chapter 5), where you'll see the racetrack-shaped oval depicting the prescribed holding pattern at
Borst Intersection.
Save the parameters now.
Station Passage at Block Island NDB. You should come up on the NDB at around 30 miles
DME from Norwich. When the ADF needle starts drifting around the window, turn left to 086.
(On the IBM: Identify passage over Block Island via the overhead radar view.)
Instrument Turn. To make the turn on instruments, use the artificial horizon (between the
airspeed indicator and altimeter) as if it were the actual horizon on the windshield. Make your
turn very shallow, and be patient.
Nudge the stick left a bit, and monitor the artificial horizon, turn indicator, and heading. Keep
nudging the stick slightly, as necessary, to maintain a shallow bank as the heading comes slowly
around to 086. Don't fix your attention on just one instrumentlearn to scan quickly from one
instrument to the next (it takes a bit of practice).
Don't forget, as you monitor the artificial horizon, turn indicator, and heading, you also have to
watch your altitude; therefore, the altimeter, vertical speed indicator, and airspeed should also be
included in your scan.
NAV-1 to Martha's Vineyard. When you're established straight and level on heading 086,
switch NAV-1 to Martha's Vineyard (108.20) and set the OBI to 086. Then get the needle
centered.
ATC: Four Six Foxtrot. Contact Otis Approach Control on one twenty-four point seven. Good
day.
Phase 6: Routing to Alternate Airport
Now headed for the Martha's Vineyard VOR on the 086 radial at 3000, you're in contact with
Otis Approach, and there's no appreciable wind. You're in the soupyou have a way to go, so
you have time to think ahead. Your probable routing is shown by Figure 4-12.
As you approach Martha's Vineyard, expect to be given radar vectors to intercept the localizer
back course. They'll probably have you fly in over the airport on the localizer, and then enter the
holding pattern at Borst Intersection.
Study the approach plate for the ILS to Runway 24 now, while you have time. Note that Borst is
on the localizer, and though it's established by R-312 from the Nantucket VOR (which is not
available to you), an alternative fix is 6.8 miles DME from Martha's Vineyard, so the Nantucket
VOR isn't required.
Thus, if ATC routes you inbound to Martha's Vineyard on the localizer heading, as is likely,
you'll be at Borst when you pass over the station and the DME reads 6.8; at that point get into the
pattern to hold there at Borst until they clear you for an approachmost likely the ILS to 24.
At 25 Miles DME, the ATC contacts you.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Otis.
Pilot: Otis, Four Six Foxtrot, go ahead.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot we have you 25 miles west of Martha's Vineyard. Turn
right heading one three zero degrees. Descend and maintain two thousand.
Expect to hold east on the localizer at Borst Intersection.
Pilot: Otis Four Six Fox. That's one three zero degrees and two thousand.
ATC: Otis Approach.
Turn right to 130, using a shallow bank; scan the panel continuously as you do so. After the
turn, throttle back and descend to 2000.
When Level at 2000 on heading 130, the ATC contacts you again.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot Otis. Maintain two thousand on heading one three zero
degrees to intercept Martha's Vineyard R zero five six, and hold east at Borst
Intersection. Expect ILS approach to Vineyard Runway Twenty-four.
Pilot: Otis, Four Six Fox. That's present heading to R zero five six and hold east at Borst.
ATC: Otis Approach.
Tracking R-056 Inbound. Note that R-056 is the localizer heading. You'll intercept that radial,
will track inbound to the station, then will continue outbound to DME 6.8 miles, where you'll
hold and wait for further clearance.
Toggle NAV-1 to R-056; when the needle is about centered, turn left to 056 and track inbound.
Frequency Change Inbound at 5 Miles DME. When you are still headed inbound and are
about 5 miles DME from the VOR, be sure the NAV-1 needle is centered.
Then switch NAV-1 to the localizer frequency (108.70); leave the bearing at 056 for now, as
you proceed inbound on that heading. Be aware that you're now actually on the back course, so
interpret the NAV-1 needle accordingly.
Figure 4-12. Probable Routing to Alternate Airport (Martha's Vineyard)

Not for use in navigation.
Weather Change. When you're established on the localizer with the needle centered, arrange for
a further deterioration in the weather. Enter the following cloud information.
Cloud Layer 1: Tops 1800
Bottoms 800
Set-Up. Now would be a good time to slow down and get set up for the approach.
Phase 7: Holding Pattern and ILS Approach
After station passage, you'll continue outbound on heading 056, to 6.8 miles DME. The airplane
is set up at approach speed.
Localizer Bearing. Later, when you're cleared to land, your inbound heading on the ILS
approach will be 236; change the NAV-1 OBI bearing to 236 now, so you'll have the heading
there as a reminder.
Remember that right now, as you proceed outbound from the station, you're going the wrong
way on the localizer, so interpret the needle accordingly.
Now pause the program, and consider the procedure for holding.
The Holding Pattern. Consult Figure 4-13 and the approach plate for the ILS to Martha's
Vineyard Runway 24, and study the holding pattern at Borst Intersection.
As shown, you'll fly a racetrack-shaped pattern with left-hand turns, so your inbound leg will be
along the localizer with the needle centered and your outbound leg will be out to the east of the
localizer beam with the needle off to the right.
The straight portion of the outbound leg will be flown for 1 minute, and all turns will made at the
full standard rate.
Pattern Entry. To enter the pattern so that you're making left-hand turns, as shown on the plate,
use a teardrop entry: First fly out along the localizer to Borst (6.8 DME); turn right and fly across
the pattern diagonally on heading 100; turn left to 056 again on the remainder of the outbound
leg. Then you can turn left and come back in on the localizer to Borst again, to begin the regular
pattern. Once you're in the regular pattern, time each outbound leg so you fly the straight leg for
exactly 1 minute.
Resumption of Flight. Now resume the flight and make several circuits of the pattern, until you
have the feel of it.
At some point, Otis Approach will call you and issue a clearance for the approach. At that time,
continue the pattern until you arrive inbound at Borst, but then stay on the localizer and begin the
descent, using the standard ILS procedures shown on the plate.

ATC: Four Six Foxtrot cleared for the ILS approach Vinyard Runway Twenty-
four. Contact Vineyard Tower on one twenty-one point four. Have a nice day.
Figure 4-13. Holding Pattern at Borst Intersection

CHAPTER 5
Airport Approaches
This section provides the FAA-designated approach procedures for airport runways that are
available on the basic Flight Simulator disk. The charts are reproductions of the actual approach
plates published by the U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA) and available by geographic
region by annual subscription.
Organization. The original government plates are published by geographic region, but to make
it easier for you to locate individual approaches, the airports on all four Flight Simulator Area
Charts are combined here in a single listing. The approaches are in alphabetical order by location
(city).
Victor Airway Planning Charts. The first four charts in this section are Planning Charts. Each
corresponds to one of four Area Charts provided in the program package. Each chart shows the
major victor airway routes in the respective area, with mileage between selected points. Victor
airways and how to use them is dealt with in Flight 15.
Airport Diagrams. For the largest airports, separate diagrams are provided, showing the runway
and taxi-strip layout in full detail. Additionally, all individual approach plates include a small
diagram of the respective airport's runway layout.
Interpreting the Plates. At first glance, the official airport approach charts will probably look
confusing. But it's largely just a matter of knowing what to look for, since any given chart will
contain a lot more data than you actually need.
As you try the flights in Chapter 4, you'll start out by using simplified versions of these approach
charts provided in the text. This will make you familiar with the type of information that appears
in the official charts; you'll gradually begin referring to the official charts while still depending
mainly on the simplified versions. Before you know it, you'll find yourself reading and
interpreting the official plates with no trouble at all.
Coverage. The collection of plates provided here includes all the instrument approaches
published by the government for all of the airports available on the program. With very few
exceptions, these plates include all the FAA-authorized instrument approaches for all the airports
available on the basic Flight Simulator disk. The published approaches that are not included here
are those for which a VOR, beacon, or some other required navigational facility is not available
on the program.
Warning. Instrument approaches are revised at regular and frequent intervals; the approach
plates provided here are therefore not current for use in actual aviation.
Airport Approaches
Chicago Area Planning Chart
Los Angeles Area Planning Chart
New York and Boston Area Planning Chart
Seattle Area Planning Chart
Aurora Muni (ARR)
Bloomington-Normal (BMI)
Bloomington-Normal (BMI)
Block Island State (BID)
Boston/General Edward Lawrence Logan INTL (BOS)
Bremerton National (PWT)
Bridgeport/Igor I. Sikorsky Mem (BDR)
Bridgeport/Igor I. Sikorsky Mem (BDR)
Carlsbad/Mc Clellan-Palomar (CRQ)
Carlsbad/Mc Clellan-Palomar (CRQ)
Champaign-Urbana/University of Illinois-Willard (CMI)
Chester (3B9)
Chicago Midway (MDW)
Chicago-O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Chicago-O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Chicago/Merrill C Meigs (CGX)
Chicago/Du Page (DPA)
Chino (CNO)
Corona Muni (L66)
Danbury Muni (DXR)
Danielson (5B3)
Danville/Vermilion Co (DNV)
Danville/Vermilion Co (DNV)
Dwight (DTG)
El Monte (EMT)
El Monte (EMT)
Everett/Snohomish Co (Paine Fld) (PAE)
Everett/Snohomish Co (Paine Fld) (PAE)
Farmingdale/Republic (FRG)
Frankfort (C18)
Gibson City Muni (C34)
Hartford-Brainard (HFD)
Hartford-Brainard (HFD)
Joliet Park District (JOT)
Kankakee/Greater Kankakee (IKK)
Kankakee/Greater Kankakee (IKK)
La Verne/Brackett Fld (POC)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Los Angeles International (LAX)
Martha's Vineyard (MVY)
Meriden Markham Muni (MMK)
Morris Muni (C09)
New York/John F. Kennedy Intl (JFK)
New York/La Guardia (LGA)
Oceanside Muni (L32)
Olympia (OLM)
Olympia (OLM)
Ontario International (ONT)
Plainfield/Clow Intl (1C5)
Riverside Muni (RAL)
Riverside Muni (RAL)
Romeoville/Lewis University (LOT)
San Diego Intl-Lindbergh Field (SAN)
Santa Ana/John Wayne Arpt-Orange Co (SNA)
Santa Ana/John Wayne Arpt-Orange Co (SNA)
Santa Monica Muni (SMO)
Seattle-Tacoma Intl (SEA)
Shelton/Sanderson Fld (SHN)
Spanaway (S44)
Tacoma Narrows (TIW)
Torrance Muni (TOA)
Urbana/Frasca Fld (C16)
Urbana/Frasca Fld (C16)
Van Nuys (VNY)
Van Nuys (VNY)
White Plains/Westchester Co (HPN)
Willimantic/Windham (5B0)
Windsor Locks/Bradley International (BDL)

Chicago Area Planning Chart: Victor Airways

Los Angeles Area Planning Chart: Victor Airways

New York and Boston Area Planning Chart: Victor Airways

Seattle Area Planning Chart: Victor Airways

APPENDIX D
Suggested Reading
Books on the Flight Simulator
Florance, David, Tom R. Halfhill, and Philip I. Nelson. Flight Simulator Adventures for the
Macintosh, Amiga, and Atari ST. Greensboro, NC: COMPUTE! Publications, Inc., 1987.
Forty-eight adventures for the Mac, Amiga, and ST versions of Flight Simulator.
Garrison, Paul. Microcomputers in Aviation. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1985.
Quite technical, and intended for pilots with some experience flying the simulator. Includes some
programs to type in for use in other simulations.
Gulick, Charles. Flight Simulator Co-pilot. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 1986.
Combines flight instruction with a series of guided tours.
_____. 40 Great Flight Simulator Adventures. Greensboro, NC: COMPUTE! Publications, Inc.,
1985.
A series of guided tours that are both easy and fun to fly.
_____. 40 More Flight Simulator Adventures. Greensboro, NC: COMPUTE! Publications, Inc.,
1986.
A sequel with more easy and fun tours.
_____. Runway U.S.A. 1987. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation.
More tours, using the supplementary, scenery disks for various parts of the country.
Stern, Jonathan M. Flying on Instruments with Flight Simulator. Greensboro, NC: COMPUTE!
Publications, Inc., 1987.
Teaches how to fly Flight Simulator using instruments only.
General Aviation Books
The Federal Government publishes a number of excellent, widely-used books that will be of
interest to serious users of the simulator program. Some of these books are written for beginning
pilots (such as The Pilot's Handbook and Flight Training Handbook), while others are for pilots
with more experience (such as Instrument Flying). These can be obtained through the
Government Printing Office.
However, perhaps the best way to find books on aviation is to stop by the pilot's shop at a local
airport and just browse around. To locate such a shop, check the yellow pages under aircraft
charter, rental and leasing and/or under aircraft service and maintenance, and make a few calls
before you start to drive.
Aviation Charts
While you're at the airport, also check on whether they have any sectional charts for geographic
areas that are provided by the simulator. Sectionals, which are primarily for VFR flight, are
inexpensive, and they'll add a lot to your enjoyment of the program.

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