Tu-154 VOR/ADF Navigation

[@FelisLeopard]

just found these tutorials and they are great! By the way, you can use upper-right button on the electronic altimeter to select between meters and feet indication. It will give you an ability to enter flight level in feet also :)

[@marciomaiajr]

Your tutorials are excellent, I'm feeling really tempted to buy this plane. It looks so beautiful. Thanks again...

[@PGatcomb]

I have a soft spot for airplanes that are older and trickier to use and this plane is definitely that kind. I've broken a few things on it (the APU is my favorite so far) and I've gotten terribly lost in the heartland of Russia forgetting to reset the navigational gyros but it's all worth it because you have something to do with the plane after you turn the automatic pilot on. Now if only they modeled stellar navigation...

[@m3lezgnz829]

Strange to see these days virtual pilots using the real old fashioned navigation (Vor and ADF) just like old school pilots (737-200). I know the basics of VOR and ADF so I would like to answer you some couple of questions. Where did you learn the concepts and theory? Do you recommend some web for me to learn about this?

[@PGatcomb]

When I was working on my private pilot license those were some of the first things we learned when starting out with navigation other than pilotage and dead reckoning. We did have a GPS unit but the thing was ancient and tough to use in turbulence so we adapted. As for web sources, the best I know for ADF and VOR is www.navfltsm.addr.com/ndb-nav-adf-1.htm as it covers even distance estimation and triangulation, plus the approaches used. NDB is weird to use in high speed aircraft since wind doesn't throw you off course nearly as bad at lower speeds.

[@FelisLeopard]

This is what simulators are made for. You can actually study some old style technics, like NDB/VOR novigation or some rare equipment, like NVU or KLN on Tu154. Hope there are other developers, that give it attention, when making some vintage aircrafts. Although it's not very informative for modern study, as those systems are outdated, but can be real fun in virtual aviation. In my opinion it's much more fun to have some work during the flight, rather than just program the FMC, take off, and get boring few hours flight. Sadly, there are no old school Short Range Navigational beacons or HF radio in X-Plane. I'd love to see some old school radars also.

[@LukeFrisken]

I have a couple of questions was hoping you might know something about: - do you know what the map angle dial does? - how would you practically use the KM-5 n1 and n2 gyro correction dials?

[@PGatcomb]

I don't use the map angle dial, but my assumption would be it's for flying either an offset course or when you are using the NVU with manual settings. For the n1 and n2 correctors, you can subtract magnetic deviation out with them to use true course. I only use it when I'm flying excessively close to the north or south pole.

[@LukeFrisken]

Hmm still a bit of a mystery that map angle dial then I guess. oh right so you can use them to do alignment using the magnetic gyros to get your directional gyros to point to true north?

[@LukeFrisken]

Still keen to see a video sometime with long range flight (and flight planning) using the NVU, correcting NVU error on the fly with radios, and explanation of the various gyros and different ways to use them. Might make one myself if I can get my head around them all via experimentation :)

[@PGatcomb]

Okay! So from the horse's mouth: "KM-5 gauges show the heading obtained from the magnetic sensors in the wings. The rotary allows you to adjust that heading to a certain value, if for some reason the magnetic heading is incorrect. That value is then sent to the gyros for correction. The Map Angle gauge is part of a system to correct the NVU data with a RSBN navaid." So in short they're really for correction and the Map Angle gauge acts as the radial selector for the RSBN/SHORAN system. Now that's a tutorial for another day.

[@LukeFrisken]

ah yes nice! so you could use KM-5 to apply magnetic declination to obtain true north? correcting NVU with RSBN does certainly sound like a good topic for a tutorial at some stage. Although only useful over Russia/Europe I guess...

[@LukeFrisken]

nice one!