X-Plane 11.30 Cessna 172 S-Tec Autopilot Tutorial

[@chrisoak4916]

Many thanks for this helpful video! One Information about the AP On/Off-Button to all visitors. In v11.30 the On/Off Button is away on the panel like in the original s-tec 55 and in contrast to this video. But it's placed on the yoke now.

[@XPlanePhil]

Pinned. Many people will wonder about this.

[@gkozak430]

thanks m8. ur a legend

[@RosarioPulvirenti71]

Thanks it made my landing almost impossible. I couldn't turn it fully off.

[@thingsis]

Most helpful and thorough tutorial about this autopilot in X-Plane and very easy and pleasant to listen to. Thanks a lot for your effort!

[@IsaacMcDonald]

Excellent tutorial. I especially like the fact you covered the joystick buttons and autopilot preflight. Keep up the good work!

[@PhilHill42]

I CAN NOT thank you enough for this. Finally , after countless hours of watching videos , this made perfect sense and had a lot of small tidbits "using vs while in alt mode". I just successfully completed my first cross country KFUL to KPHX and it all went perfectly! Thank you again.

[@ACME22]

This is awesome. I actually read the manual but I should've just watched this first. Very nicely presented.🙂🇨🇦👋

[@lionheart8001]

Many thanks for demystifying GPS and S-Tec behaviour, this is exactly what I was looking for.

[@paulphibbs5362]

Excellent coverage of the autopilot assisted instruments Philipp. Looking forward to the release of 11.30. Thanks for your work on this GREAT simulator.

[@vivekgemini9760]

This is very informative tutorial on S-Tec 55 Autopilot feature. This video contains wealth of information and every time I watch it , I learn something new. You tried to cover most of the use cases. Thanks again for posting this video.

[@SendJeffRMail]

Very nicely done. I have been wondering why I am not picking up the glide slope and this answered my question. Cheers mate.

Can't imagine how helpful this tutorial is !

[@SanchoPanza-wg5xf]

You are precise in your speech and instructions. I can tell from the first 40 seconds that I will enjoy this. Some company ought to hire you to write training material; maybe one already has. :D

[@GavinSteiner]

What a fantastic video! Thank you for this, Philipp! I thought I knew it all regarding the AP in the Cessna. You just filled in blanks I didn't know were there :)

[@MrEfoefi]

Great video! Please keep posting! Its very informative and great learning stuff

[@christianloose9875]

Wow. Great Video. Didn't known before that you need to set the heading bug in NAV mode. I'm sure the Will be some complains in forums from us arm-chair pilots that the AP is not working 😂. Thank you for this detailed information!!

[@Buttons841]

Yeah, learning that the heading bug is important for almost all autopilot modes is an important revelation for me. I will now be spending much less time yelling "What are you doing!?" whilst the autopilot heads off in some random direction.

[@vinsavi]

Very nicely done , There is a manual inside the Xplane folder but nobody is patient enough to read it. This setup does require some saviness. Thanks for creating this helpful video!.

[@Mucologist]

Thanks much. Excellent tutorial. Just discovered the absence of AP button switching to 11.32 and posted on the .org forum. This explains all. Good work, as usual.

[@FlightSim2703]

This is the best information provided to us, with adding Autopilot disable button to yok, awesome and thanks very much.☺👍👍👍

[@TorbenBrams]

Great video with an amazing amount of great content that I have always been wondering about ... as usual. Keep doing this - really appreciated ^_^

[@rogerp8405]

Thanks very much for a very helpful video as I am new to Xplane. I am very grateful to you for producing it in English as otherwise I couldn’t use it!

[@hardwaybets]

Genius! Thank you 1000 times. This has been so helpful to me. I appreciate you.

[@ElbertPoling]

One stop shopping. LOVE IT! Thanks, man!

[@flyingbatfish]

Thanks, because my first few flights had the AP button on the unit, then it disappeared and I could uncouple on approaches! Driving me crazy.

[@titanuk9623]

Great tutorial.. well explained for newbs like me. Was struggling with the GS, thank you Philipp

[@waynesweet8275]

I’m betting you are a private pilot or commercial pilot with an instrument rating. Your instructions are very professional and complete.

[@XPlanePhil]

Wayne Sweet I am a CFI/CFII/MEI instructor. On weekends, I teach people to fly real airplanes

[@ElbertPoling]

Greetings, Philipp - I am continuing to use your lessons and I have come across something that I believe needs to be changed. On the segment about VOR tracking, and in the companion PDF document on page 16, the verbiage on the second picture states that the radial is "to the left of our current position". I busted an IFR checkride (twice) by using the Left Right way of processing what I see on the OBS. What got me past that way of thinking and allowed me to pass the checkride on my third attempt was to think in terms of the cardinal headings of North, South, East and West. By using that way of thinking and again referring to the illustration on page 16, the CDI is actually telling you that the radial is to your North. It is the cardinal heading that is in the "top left" quadrant of the OBS. The pilot would then refer to their heading indicator, note in which direction they need to turn (in this case to the North) in order to arrive at the desired intercept heading. To further test this, take the picture of the heading indicator and set it to the inverse course of 230 but you still want to intercept the same radial. Where would North be on your heading indicator in this configuration? It wouldn't be to your Left, but the CDI would still be swung that way. The turn to North now requires a "right" turn. I busted my checkride not only for turning in the wrong direction, but I was about to bust San Diego's airspace as a result of my wrong decision. The examiner had to grab the control wheel. Checkride over.

[@XPlanePhil]

You are absolutely right. Our manual writer is not a pilot, and that sometimes shows. HOWEVER, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are using reverse sensing on a VOR (not a backcourse localizer), you're doing it wrong, because you are making your life harder than it needs to be. When I tell my student "Fly to the ABC VOR on the 030 radial", they have to set the 030 on the tail of the CDI, and fly 210 TO the VOR. It makes no sense to put it onto 030 FROM and use reverse sensing just because I said "on the 030 radial". I am of course spoiled by flying with an HSI, so in my mind, I always imagine how the current HDG/CDI would look line on an HSI (which is pretty much what you are doing, maybe without realizing it). So I rotate the CDI in my head onto the DG and that becomes my imaginary HSI for a moment.

[@paulrodriguez7416]

Great explanation! Thank you very much!!

[@rylabics4647]

Many thanks for the tutorial, very helpfull

[@lennartgable]

Thanks Philipps for a very useful video!

[@alessiolucchesi814]

Wow! Great tutorial! 😊

[@SoaringGuy]

Fantastic video Philipp, thank you.

[@Al_Dente-d1p]

WOW this helped me soooo much man! Thanks a bunch!

Am I the only one that cannot make the NAV mode work correctly with the HDG bug tracking the VOR course ? Or is there a bug in X-Plane ?

[@darthinvaderzimm]

Mine doesn't work either even when I press NAV twice

[@Part_121_Wannabe]

When tracking VOR set the GPS unit to VLOC and press the Nav button once on autopilot (so that GPSS doesnt show). Then select the desired course BOTH on CDI and heading bug.

[@aureliomarsili3902]

Thanks, very useful and clear !!!

[@johnpesale3896]

Nice job

[@robmuzz]

Thank you!

[@terrasimulada7295]

That looks great Philipp. Congratulations. Please tell me that Baron's (and SF50) AP is getting the same care. Cheers

[@scottwillson5562]

Phillip, can you tell me how you select which GPS the autopilot listens to? As you can enter two different flight plans in the 530 and 430.

[@Cycliste1961]

Excellent tutorial! Happy to see the S-Tec 55. Question: Does most AP GS sensors work with the "under 60% deflection" rule?

[@XPlanePhil]

No, the 60% deflection is to my knowledge unique to the S-Tec55/55X autopilots. Many have a strict "localizer must be captured before the glideslope can be captured" logic, but do not enforce a 60% required deflection.

[@neomayad]

hdg and nav won't stay on at the same time. is that an up date since you made this video, or am I doing something wrong?

[@XPlanePhil]

For dual-mode intercept, you need to click between the HDG and the NAV button, where your cursor turns into a double arrow. On the real thing, you need to press both buttons at once.

[@neomayad]

@@XPlanePhil Thanks for responding.

[@olliefick8881]

I believe the C172 AP still has some bugs. Try a non-GPSS RWY 30 ODP from C83 to LIN to KMOD. This departure calls for a climbing right turn heading 065 thence on LIN VOR/DME R-227 to LIN VOR/DME before proceeding on course. The AP (at least mine) will not properly intersect and fly the radial to LIN in VOR mode.

[@XPlanePhil]

Ollie Fick tried that, works fine.

[@mertcansener1962]

why I haven't AP button ?

[@jaapaap6649]

Hi Sir, thanks for this explination. One question ,when I press control Wheel steering it works fine . But how can I stop it ? The only way to stop cws is to switch off the auto pilot , is that how it should be ?

[@XPlanePhil]

that's correct. To cancel rate hold (CWS) you either go to a different mode (HDG or NAV) or turn the servos off completely.

[@jaapaap6649]

@@XPlanePhil thanks a lot . !

[@TangodownNZ]

Very good. Thank you

[@yair1956]

..super, easy to follow .. tnx you so much .....However, I'm trying to set to GPSS but pressing on NAV the 2ed time just disable the NAV .. I setup a FP and it does the job regardless, so for some reason 2ed push on the NAV button is not require, in my case at list, my GPS is driven by the VRinsgit Autopilot device, maybe that's the reason ?

[@gulamahmedbakawala725]

I am very interested to fly this auto machine with steam dials. I don't want to fly Skyhawk, because it has the Garmin 1000 auto pilot. Can you advise me how I load this aircraft onto my X-Plane 11? Many thanks in advance. Gulam

[@DownTheRabbit-Hole]

Philipp... why did LR choose this inferior S-Tec 55 compared to KAP 140? Doesn't even have a very important ALT arm function! No offense, just curious?

[@TangodownNZ]

Question. If using a gps approach. Then why is it necessary to tune into the ILS frequency. And why would we still need to use the CDI needles. Doesn’t GPS flying mean we don’t need to use VOR or ILS signals? I always miss the glide slope flying GPS. I am doing what you say, except I am often higher that the glide slope needle on GPS approach. But as I said, surely the needle is irrelevant in GPS?

[@XPlanePhil]

For a GPS approach, you obviously do NOT tune an ILS or LOC on the Nav radio. The CDI can be fed either by the GPS or by the VOR/LOC/ILS. You change that by pressing the CDI button. So, the GPS feeds the CDI, and the CDI in turn feeds the autopilot. So, the needles are very relevant! Because the needles can be fed either by radios or by GPS. The GPS can generate a glide path, that is displayed just like the glide slope. How you capture it with the autopilot, depends on the exact type of GPS approach you are flying: Just like in the real world, you have several options: You can fly in GPSS mode, or in NAV APR mode. Which one you chose depends on the vertical guidance the GPS approach provides:For an LPV or L/VNAV approach, you should treat it exactly like an ILS. That means, HDG bug on final approach course, NAV APR mode, and the same rules for ILS glide slope capture apply for capturing the glide path. For an LNAV+V approach, you can leave it in GPSS (HDG bug is ignored) and either descend manually (only lateral axis of the AP active) or in V/S mode, so you can "dive&drive". A grey area would be an LNAV+V approach with no step-down fixes. You can fly it in NAV APR mode and couple the advisory glide path "as if" it was a real glide path. The autopilot won't notice. Just be aware though that the advisory glide path is not guaranteed to be accurate, moreover, it's not even guaranteed to stop at the MDA. People have been killed by CFIT following an advisory glide path into a ridge. That's why you need to watch the altitude like a hawk and be spring-loaded to deactivate the autopilot at the MDA. I find the added risk is not worth it, and usually fly LNAV+V approaches like classical non-precision approaches, and reserve APR mode for L/VNAV and LPV approaches (and good old ILS of course).

[@Karlsmarten]

Can you explain, what does the CDI instrument needles indicate, when GPS is selected on the CDI? I cant seem to make any sense of that part.

[@XPlanePhil]

Jeppe Andersen the CDI in gps mode indicates cross tack error, how many miles you are left or right of the magenta course line on the GPS

[@fulmetalmage]

thanks. i was wondering why nav mode was "ignoring" my obs, and went mental when i moved my heading bug. turns out the plane only had dg, and no hsi :) generally in other sims when approaching the vor on its say 270 radial and flying out on its 180 radial i used to 1. have autopilot on nav following the obs on 90 degrees 2. set my heading bug on 180 degrees 3. when close to the vor switch the ap onto heading mode to make the turn 4. in the meantime set my obs to 180 degrees 5. after the turn completes switch the ap to nav mode. it allowed me to stay ahead of the plane in a lot of cross country flights. as well as allowing me to focus on one thing at a time. so my question is, how would you make a smooth turn onto a different radial when passing the vor with only dg? do you set the obs and then move the heading bug?

[@XPlanePhil]

Pretty much exactly what you're already doing: 1. Switch from NAV to HDG mode before crossing over the VOR. Some autopilots do dead-reckoning over the cone of confusion and thus can avoid instability when huge needle excursions occur close to the VOR, but the S-Tec55 is not one of them. So no matter what you are doing afterwards, doing station passage in HDG mode is a good idea. 2. Turn your HDG bug to the new outbound heading to get the plane to start turning. 3. Turn the OBS on the desired outbound course. 4. Let the autopilot fly away from the VOR in heading until the needle has stabilized (maybe 1 mile) 5. Now your heading bug is already where you want it. So switch to NAV now.

[@user-ej9jq2zf1y]

what if your S-Tec AP doesn't have an AP button on it!?

[@XPlanePhil]

The real one doesn't have an "AP" button either. You turn it on by pressing the mode you want (HDG, NAV) and you turn it off by pressing the red disconnect button on your yoke or stick.

[@olliefick8881]

I'm using 11.30b2. Unlike the AP shown in the video, the X-Plane C172 autopilot does not have an AP button on it to turn the autopilot on and off. I have to use the AP Disconnect switch on my yoke. Is this the way it is supposed to work?

[@XPlanePhil]

This is exactly correct. If you look at a picture of the real thing, it does not have an AP button - it looks exactly like the X-Plane 11.30 counterpart. You are also exactly right about the operation. Do disconnect, you always use the disconnect button on the yoke - that's why in the beginning of the video I explain how you should really have that available as a button on your hardware yoke or joystick.

[@olliefick8881]

I guess what confused me is the AP shown in your video has an AP button while the 11.30b2 Laminar 172 does not have one.

[@XPlanePhil]

@@olliefick8881 yeah, I made the video before max remodeled the autopilot front plate

[@ruieldoonkeen1101]

Cessnats Roasting on an Open Fire!

[@FlightSim2703]

After Updating to 11.30 the autopilot stack look different than your's , the AP button is removed of the stack, I don't know why the updates are different than your's? Thanks

[@XPlanePhil]

That's because I coded the changes first, and then Max remade the 3d model. The video was filmed before the model was completed. Notice how I never mention or touch the AP button in the entire video? That's because it's already functionally not there anymore.

[@FlightSim2703]

@@XPlanePhil Thanks very much for your awsome video and respond . Regards (Es war wuderschon besten dank!)

[@Gr3yM4nn]

Does this work with X-Plane mobile?

[@walkerguthrie8437]

Hi Philipp! Great tutorial thank you! I have a question about the new KAP140 autopilot with altitude preselect in X-Plane 11.3 - I am trying to integrate this AP option into one of our new products, but I can't find a way to turn OFF HDG mode and go back to ROL (wing leveler) mode. I understand that the AP commands no longer toggle modes on/off in the rate-based APs, but is there any way to cancel HDG and return to ROL mode? I've tried the new "sim/autopilot/rate_hold" command, and I have tried the "sim/autopilot/wing_leveler" command, but neither of them results in HDG mode being turned off. Thanks!

[@XPlanePhil]

Just like on the real KAP-140, the HDG button toggles between HDG hold and what is confusingly displayed as ROL, but really is a rate hold. So to go from HDG to rate hold, simply press HDG again. Another option is to have a CWS button on the yoke, which will also activate ROL (rate hold) mode.

[@walkerguthrie8437]

@@XPlanePhil Thank you, Philipp! I must be defeating the HDG hold toggle somehow with my xLUA code that handles the other logic associated with the KAP 140 (things like altitude ALERT triggers). I'll disable the xLUA script and re-try with a "virgin" KAP 140 implementation in Planemaker. I guess I misunderstood the statement in the DEV blog article that states "...configures the autopilot to behave like an S-Tec 55. Most notably, this autopilot does not have buttons with toggle logic, so you cannot press the button of an active mode to go back to a default mode." Apparently, that applies to the STEC-55 only?

[@XPlanePhil]

Of course the S-Tec description only refers to the S-Tec autopilot. And the KAP-140 description refers only to the KAP-140 autopilot. Gosh, X-Plane must really be full of surprises for people who can't read.

[@walkerguthrie8437]

​@@XPlanePhil Oh I can read just fine, thank you. I assumed that the description should also apply to the KAP 140 because it describes exactly the way the KAP 140 works in XP. Never mind - I'll file a bug report. It's a verifiable and repeatable bug. The KAP 140 HDG hold mode can't be toggled off once it is selected and engaged. Currently, the KAP 140 acts just like the STEC 55 - the only way to disengage HDG hold mode is to select NAV, and nav_status has to be engaged. Tested with three different aircraft - same results. X-Plane is indeed full of surprises!

[@ImagenNoReligion]

Is there anything I have to do to use pilot selected intercept? Currently, if I'm in HDG mode inbound to a radial, when I hit NAV, HDG disengages before the needle even starts to move. What do I have to do to keep NAV armed while HDG is still active?

[@XPlanePhil]

In the real plane, you need to press the HDG and NAV buttons simultaneously to engage pilot-defined intercept. In X-Plane, you need to click the click spot BETWEEN the HDG and NAV buttons, where your mouse cursor turns into a double arrow, indicating you are pressing both buttons at once.

[@igor-orzhevskii]

Thanks!

[@scottwillson5562]

my x-plane, the latest version doesn't have an AP button on the S-TEC

[@reinie6279]

Did you read the pinned message?

[@scottwillson5562]

@@reinie6279 I did just now. Thank you.

[@rayray-zf4fj]

my S-TEC in my 172 in xplane 11 dose not have a AP botton. But every video I see it dose why is that?

[@XPlanePhil]

Checked the pinned comment on this video

[@June-lf5hx]

hello i like your videos. and i have a problems with my x plane 11. every time when i am landing with 1500 -1700rpm, the speed will be 50-55 knots, i never seen my plane has 65 knots with about 1500 rpm. it is not enough speed and the plane just fall down heavily no matter how much i pull the yoke back. could you please tell me what's my problems? is there anything i should set up for the weight of the plane ?

[@2025at]

Pitch for speed. If you set RPM to 1700 start paying attention to speed and pitch. If you are too slow simply push the yoke( lower the nose) in order to fly at 60-70 ( depends on flaps you use). Try to use 2nd notch of flaps instead of 3rd. If you practice ILS App. or LPV do opposite-Pitch for altitude, Power for speed. But for VFR landing Pitch is for speed ( some military pilots tell you that pitch is always to maintain a desire glide slop but GA does not teach this way ) ! If you pull the yoke at slow speed an aircraft can stall (that is what is happening during your landing at speed set too slow) and fall as a brick. Pull up the formula for a lift. It clearly states that lift depends also on speed. Try this: on the final ( higher than normal approach) set the power to idle or turn the engine off and pay attention to speed only. Your airplane becomes a glider. "Play" with pitch to maintain 65 knots all the time. If you are too high perform a forward slip ( or use extra flaps if available) in order to create more drag and descend more aggressively. If you are too low .......start again.

[@June-lf5hx]

@@2025at hello ! thank you for your answer. you explained very thorough but i am still confused. ideally, we should land with 65 knots, 1500 rmp, 3 notch of flaps, 3 degree glide slop. if i pitch down to gain more speed to 65 knots, it is more than 5 degree glide slop. if i add more power, it is more than 1500 rpm. or as your said i can have 65 knots with only 2 notch of flaps. these three solution are not a perfect landing. i don't understand why my x plane can't land ideally as what i mentioned.

[@2025at]

@@June-lf5hx Hello, I do not know if you are familiar with ILS Approach. It is constructed to fly ( not always) 3 degree glide slope. Why? Because IFR flying must be precise and landing ( as a critical part of it) must be stabilized ( one of the factor of proper approach). It is called a Precision Approach. Other approaches during VFR flight are called Non precision Approach. When you are landing ( VFR) you have to pay attention to your speed, mostly. Sure, glide slope can not be "crazy", but does not need to be 3 degrees. Let's say there is no wind at all. You want to fly ( on final) 3 degree slope. Your speed is 70 ( for example). It means that in order to be exactly on a 3 degree glide slope your vertical speed must be around 350 ft/minute. Ground Speed x 5. But, if there is tail wind your GS will be greater and you will have to descend with higher rate to in order to stay on 3 degree glide slope. For example 80 knots GS ( tailwind is 10 + your speed of 70) than you will descent at around 800 ft/minute in order to fly 3 degree . Once again: 3 ( or close to it ) glide slope it for specific kind of approaches ( ILS, LPV). When I fly it I follow special needles ( bugs) to be exactly on a glide slope and on course ( heading is a different story) to the RWY center line. If I am too low I pitch up and add some power to maintain the same speed. If I am to high I do opposite. Wind can change everything. During no precision approach ( no ILS or LPV) if I am to low I add power and pitch is just ( very important) for airspeed. It is confusing. In your situation pay attention to your airspeed.Pick any ( but not a "crazy one") glide slope.Fly at 70( 2nd notch of flaps). Look in front of you and aim at numbers ( for example). Keeping the same speed( 70) all the time "play" with power to keep the numbers at the same position on your window.At some point on final set flaps to 3. Closer to RWY slow down to 60. Over the numbers cut the power and land.Assuming you are on "normal"glide path-not too high. Stop thinking about 65, 1500, 3 notch of flaps as a ideal setup for 3 degree slope. Windy condition can change everything. I usually do not use 3rd notch of flaps-too much drag. I use it if I have to-short field landing. Stay close to 70 on final, RPM close to 1700 , closer to RWY reduce speed and.....practice, practice. To fly 3 degree glide slope you have to follow instruments or ( less precisely) do some math to calculate vertical speed due to wind , ground speed, etc. Have fun.

[@June-lf5hx]

@@2025at thank you for your answer! very detailed! i don't use ILS, i only have a rough idea of it. i will practice more. thank you again

[@davidjoseph3171]

my avionic stack in the cessna 172 sp on floatsdoes not have the AO button??? why

[@PWingert1966]

They got rid of it in 11.30. You now have to engage HDG and release with the red button on the top left of the yolk.

[@strider00111]

How are the new flight dynamics in 11.30?

[@alexca5867]

Hi! I'm very new to x-plane and I'm trying to follow you on this very helpful video but i just want to know where you get the 010 radio information??. Thank you!

[@XPlanePhil]

You mean the course to dial into the OBS? For the video I just eyeballed it. On a real flight plan you'd read it from the map, every lower airway that is defined by a VOR will have the course plotted on the map. If you are random routing off airways, you'd have the course worked out on your navlog. Using a website like skyvector.com makes this very easy: you both have the map and can also make a flight plan and create a nav log.

[@tubeslats]

Garmin G1000 is so so so much easier!

[@mb2308]

very confusing.....bring back the old one

[@brunoadank6308]

....und warum nicht auf Deutsch? Sind Deutsch-Sprchende keine Kunden? Die Cessna ist doch speziell geeignet für Anfänger, mit diesem Tutorial wird kein Anfänger zurecht kommen. Das heisst, er kann die Cessna nicht mehr fliegen. Völlig daneben. Laminar sollte die Cessna in 2 Varianten anbieten! Den vorgängigen AP und den S-Tec. Das wäre fair. Gruss Bruno, und bitte dasTutoria auch auf Deutsch!

[@TwixtorSlowMotion]

very confusing, not beginner friendly