PDF Documentation - Eric Marciano Home Page

©2001-2003 Eric MARCIANO
These Airbus panels have been designed to be used with Airbus A320 and A330 series aircrafts. For the
A340 panel, please have a look at my web site, or go directly to the A340 specific page:
http://emarciano.free.fr/A340/
The panels have been developed and tested with the following aircrafts:
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A320 from Project Airbus, the best freeware A320 available
today (http://avsim.com/projectairbus/)
A320 from Precision-Sim Designs (http://www.precision-simdesigns.com/)
A330 from Project Opensky, the best A330 (http://www.projectopensky.com/)
These panels have been developed to be as realistic as possible. Regarding the FS2002 capabilities, I have
tried to find the best compromise between the best possible realism and what FS2002 can offer. I have
also kept in mind the ease of use, I want my panels to be as pleasant to use as possible.
They are optimized for a 1024x768 screen resolution, and can be used with any other resolution.
Requirements:
These panels include advanced features. For this reason, they require some additional software:
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FSUIPC version 2.87 or higher, by Pete Dowson (http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html)
DirectX 8.0 or higher
Credits:
Many thanks to all the people who helped me in designing these panels:
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Stefan Leppek, who provided the beautiful background images
Tony D'Ambrosio, developer of NavData, who allowed me to use his navigation databases
Project Airbus team, Trevor, Gianmarco, Simone, and all the others...
Pete Dowson, for his help and his great tool FSUIPC
Peter Skotte and Mattias Nordin for their help on graphics
FPDA Group for their gauges and sounds
Disclaimer
The included files have been tested and have been determined not to be harmful. However, the author is
not responsible for any direct, consequential or indirect damage these files may cause to you and your
computer. Use entirely at your own risk.
These panels are FREEWARE. These files are strictly for your own personal, non-commercial use. Any
redistribution, repackaging or reselling of these files in any form is expressly prohibited without the
written permission of the author.
All the FPDA gauges and sounds are the property of the FPDA group.
Support
These panels are 100% freeware. No support is provided for their use. If you have any problem, read this
documentation carefully. For further information, have a look at my web site: http://emarciano.free.fr,
and go to the FAQ section. You will find answers to the most common questions.
No support will be provided by e-mail.
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Installation.................................................................................................... 5
Panel Usage .................................................................................................. 7
Global Layout ................................................................................................ 8
PFD - Primary Flight Display ...........................................................................10
Layout .....................................................................................................10
Flight Mode Anunciator ...............................................................................10
Airspeed section ........................................................................................11
Altitude section .........................................................................................12
Heading section .........................................................................................13
Attitude indicator .......................................................................................13
ILS section ...............................................................................................14
Altimeter setting........................................................................................14
ND - Navigation Display .................................................................................15
Layout .....................................................................................................15
Navaid and Airport Display ..........................................................................16
Route display ............................................................................................16
Navigation ................................................................................................17
LS mode (Rose) .....................................................................................17
VOR mode (Rose) ...................................................................................17
NAV mode (Rose) ...................................................................................17
ARC mode (Arc) .....................................................................................18
PLAN mode............................................................................................18
TCAS .......................................................................................................18
EFIS Control Panel ........................................................................................19
FCU - Flight Control Unit ................................................................................20
Selection and Management .........................................................................20
FCU features .............................................................................................20
Autopilot Activation.................................................................................20
Speed and Auto-Throttle..........................................................................21
Heading / Course mode ...........................................................................21
Wing Leveler..........................................................................................21
Altitude mode ........................................................................................21
Vertical Speed........................................................................................21
LOC and APPR modes..............................................................................22
Autoland ..................................................................................................22
MCDU - Multi-Control Display Unit ...................................................................23
Layout .....................................................................................................23
Pages.......................................................................................................23
MENU Page............................................................................................23
AIDS Page.............................................................................................24
CONFIG Page .........................................................................................24
INIT Page..............................................................................................24
F-PLAN Page ..........................................................................................25
AIRPORT INFORMATION Page...................................................................25
PROG Page ............................................................................................26
WIND Page............................................................................................26
STATUS Page - On ground .......................................................................26
STATUS Page - Climb ..............................................................................27
STATUS Page - Cruise .............................................................................27
STATUS Page - Descent...........................................................................27
E/WD - Engine / Warning Display ....................................................................28
General Layout..........................................................................................28
Message Display - Left part .........................................................................29
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Message Display - Checklists .......................................................................30
Message Display - Right part .......................................................................30
SD (System Display) .....................................................................................32
Other instruments .........................................................................................34
Main Panel ................................................................................................34
Barometric Setting..................................................................................34
Flight Director & Landing System ..............................................................34
Standby Instruments ..............................................................................34
Landing Gear and Autobrake ....................................................................35
Clock ....................................................................................................35
Navigation Chrono ..................................................................................36
DDRMI ..................................................................................................36
Pedestal ...................................................................................................36
Radio....................................................................................................36
Page Keys .............................................................................................37
Transponder (XPNDR) .............................................................................38
Audio Selector .......................................................................................38
Spoilers and Flaps ..................................................................................38
Operating the flaps .................................................................................39
Rudder Trim ..........................................................................................39
Parking Brakes .......................................................................................39
Throttles ...............................................................................................40
Engine Starters ......................................................................................41
Engine Start Procedure............................................................................41
Engine Shutdown Procedure.....................................................................41
Overhead .................................................................................................42
Light switches and Signs .........................................................................42
Anti-ice .................................................................................................42
Electrical Panel.......................................................................................42
Fuel Pumps............................................................................................43
ADIRS ..................................................................................................44
ELAC Computer ......................................................................................44
Keyboard .....................................................................................................45
Fine Tuning the Airbus Gauges........................................................................46
Flap positions ............................................................................................46
Stall Warning ............................................................................................47
Radio Altitude ...........................................................................................48
Autobrake.................................................................................................48
A Typical Flight .............................................................................................49
Known Bugs .................................................................................................55
Keyboard Usage ........................................................................................55
Cross Feed................................................................................................55
Virtual Cockpit...........................................................................................55
Frequently Asked Questions............................................................................56
Checklist......................................................................................................58
4
Installation
The installation procedure is easy if you follow carefully all the steps described here.
Step 0 - Requirements
The Airbus panels require the module FSUIPC, version 2.87 or higher. It is developed
by Pete Dowson (Thanks again, Pete!) and it can be downloaded on his website.
Download it and install it simply by copying the file FSUIPC.dll into your
FS2002\Modules directory. Read the FSUIPC documentation for more information.
FSUIPC must absolutely be installed before any Airbus panel is used. Otherwise,
FS2002 will crash when the panel is loaded.
Step 1 - Panel Installation
Step 1.1 - Unzip the panel file A320v22.zip or A330v22.zip in a temporary
directory. In this directory, you should find the following sub-directories:
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Doc
Gauges
Modules
Panel
Sound
Step 1.2 - The Doc sub-directory contains the HTML documentation. You can move it
wherever you want on your computer.
Step 1.3 - Move all the files contained in the Gauges sub-directory into your
FS2002\Gauges directory. You can overwrite existing files.
Step 1.4 - Move all the files contained in the Modules sub-directory into your
FS2002\Modules directory. It is not necessary to overwrite existing files.
Step 1.5 - Move all the files contained in the Panel sub-directory into the panel
directory of the aircraft you want to fly with this panel.
For example, if your aircraft directory is A320_PA, it is located in your
FS2002\Aircrafts\A320_PA directory. This directory contains a Panel subdirectory. This is your target directory. Move all the files here, and overwrite existing
files if necessary.
Step 1.6 - Move all the files contained in the Sound sub-directory into your
FS2002\Sound directory.
Warning: Do NOT move the sound files into the Sound sub-directory of your
aircraft.
A specific version of the panel is provided for the excellent Project Airbus A320
aircraft. To use this specific version, look into your panel directory, rename the
file PA_panel.cfg into panel.cfg (and erase the existing panel.cfg file if
necessary).
Step 2 - NavData Installation
5
The NavData package was developed by Tony d'Ambrosio for his RealCRT gauges.
The installation of this package is necessary for my navigation display which shows
navaid and airport information. If you don't install it, the navigation display will work,
but no navaid will be visible.
The Navigation Data provided in this package is freeware, and Tony d'Ambrosio was
very nice and gave me his authorization to use this data for my panels. I thank him
for this.
If you already use the RealCRT gauges, you don't need to install the NavData
package as it is already used by these gauges. The installation procedure is
finished for you.
Step 2.1 - Download the file nd2k_13.zip. If you can't find it, it is available on my
website.
Step 2.2 - Unzip nd2k_13.zip in a temporary directory. In this directory, you should
find a file called setup.exe.
Step 2.3 - launch setup.exe and follow the instructions.
At the end of this procedure, you should have a directory called NavData in you
FS2002 directory.
For more help on this package, you can contact Tony d'Ambrosio.
The End...
It is finished. The panel is ready to be used. In FS2002, load the aircraft that uses
this panel, and you should see it appear. To make sure the NavData package is
correctly installed, check that navaids and airports are visible on the ND.
And now, enjoy!!
6
Panel Usage
This part explains how to use all the features of these panels, instrument by
instrument. To have a global illustration on the way these instruments are supposed
to be used together during a flight, read the typical flight section.
For easier reading, it is separated into several sections:
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Global Layout, shows the layout of the whole panel, composed of 3 views
(front view, overhead panel and pedestal)
PFD, Primary Flight Display, one of the most important display of this panel
ND, Navigation Display, explains how this instrument works
EFIS CP, the control panel of the Navigation Display
FCU, Flight Control Unit, explain how the auto-pilot can be used in this panel
MCDU, including the FMGC (Flight Management and Guidance Computer),
explains how to use this advanced computer to manage your flight
E/WD, Engine/Warning Display, shows all the engine information and system
warnings
SD, System Display, explains how the system display screen can show all the
system information, in combination with the Page Keys
Others, describes all the other instruments (stand-by instruments, clock,
lights, etc...)
Keyboard section describes the use of the keyboard for fast access to panel
functions
Fine Tuning, a section dedicated to expert users only, which shows how the
gauges developed here can be adjusted to work perfectly with your aircraft
A typical flight, describes all the steps of a typical flight, and illustrates how
the check-lists and the instruments can be used
Reading all the documentation is highly recommended to take benefits of all the
gauges developed for these panels.
Please read it carefully, no question will be answered by e-mail.
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Global Layout
The panel is composed of 3 views: the front view, the overhead view and the
pedestal view.
When you load the panel, it should appear with the front view.
This panel does not work like most FS2002 panels. To display the overhead panel
or the pedestal, you must not use Shift-2 or Shift-3. You must look up to see the
overhead panel, and look down to see the pedestal, or use the corresponding
clickable areas. It works like in the real aircraft, and this is why I implemented it
this way. If you look up, you see the overhead panel, and you keep seeing
outside with a different angle of view. If you look down to see the pedestal, you
don't see outside the aircraft any more.
An FS2002 default key to look up is Ctrl-NumPad 8, and look down is Ctrl-NumPad 5.
You can easily change these key assignments in FS2002, which I did because I think
those keys are not very easy to use.
The following picture shows the global layout of the 3 views, and the legend of the
major instruments. It also shows the clickable areas (in green) which allow you to
change the view from the Front View to the Overhead View or from the Front
View to the Pedestal View, and vice-versa.
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PFD - Primary Flight Display
This is the most important instrument. It is amazing, it displays so many information
in a clear and compact way. As you will see, it displays all the necessary information
for the flight, using several modes for the different steps of the flight. You can almost
fly the whole flight with this single instrument.
Layout
The PFD is composed
of several parts:
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Top: the Flight
Mode Anunciator
(FMA) displays
information about
the flight
management
(autopilot, autothrottle)
Left: the airspeed
indicator displays
the airspeed in
knots and Mach
Right: the altitude
part shows the
altitude and the
vertical speed
Bottom centre:
Heading indicator
Bottom left: ILS
id and distance
Bottom right:
Altimeter setting
Center: Attitude
indicator,
including Flight
Director and
Localizer/Glide
Slope
All these parts are
explained in details
below.
Flight Mode Anunciator
This part of the PFD is composed of 5 columns. In each column, a word displayed in
green indicates a selected mode, and a word displayed in light blue indicates a
managed mode. See the FCU section for more details.
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The first column contains information about speed management. When auto-thrust is
not engaged, this column displays the current throttle status. If auto-thrust is
engaged and speed is selected, SPEED is shown in green. If Mach speed is selected,
MACH is shown in green. If speed mode is managed, SPEED appears in light blue.
The second column shows altitude management mode. If an altitude is selected, ALT
is displayed in green. If altitude is managed, ALT is displayed in light blue.
If the glide slope mode is engaged for an ILS landing, G/S is displayed in green in
this column.
Column 3 shows the navigation mode. If Heading is selected on the FCU, HDG is
displayed in green.
If the wing leveler is engaged on the FCU, LVL is displayed in green.
If normal navigation mode is engaged, NAV appears in green. If automatic
navigation is engaged to follow the flight plan programmed in the MCDU, NAV
appears in light blue.
If LOC mode is engaged on the FCU to follow the localizer, LOC is displayed in green
in this column.
The fourth column displays vertical information. When an ILS approach is engaged,
the ILS category is displayed here. AS FS2002 does not manage this data, CAT 3 is
always displayed.
Below 2000 feet AGL, the decision height (in feet) is shown on the 3rd line. The
decision height is the height where you must decide if you land or if you go around.
The decision height is also used by the autopilot to arm the autoland.
The fifth column displays the automatic modes engaged:
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AP1 for the main autopilot
1FD2 indicates the flight director is engaged
A/THR for the autothrottle. A/THR is displayed in blue if the throttle lever is
on the CL, FLX or TOGA position, to indicate that it is ready to be engaged. It
is displayed in green when engaged.
Airspeed section
This section is dedicated to the airspeed management.
Several indications are displayed on the speed tape:
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The green circle indicates the ideal speed at which
the aircraft should be flown, depending on its
configuration.
The triangle shows the selected or managed
airspeed. It is colored in purple if the speed mode is
not engaged, otherwise it is in light blue.
If the triangle is not visible on the speed tape, the
value of the selected airspeed in shown above the
speed tape.
The current airspeed in knots is designated by the
yellow line.
The yellow arrow shows the airspeed prediction that
is the airspeed the aircraft will have in 5 seconds
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if all conditions remain constant.
Note: If you fly in a turbulence area, this arrow may
jump up and down very quickly. This is a limitation
of FS2002, I can do nothing against this.
A little green line is shown to remind you of the
speed limit of 250 kts IAS below 10000 feet
An 'S' is shown to indicate the maximum speed for
slat deployment. As shown here, the slats should
not be deployed at a speed greater than 230 kts.
An 'F' is also displayed to indicate the maximum
speed for flaps operation.
The Red ladder indicates the maximum airspeed.
You should never fly faster than the maximum
speed shown here, or you will have an overspeed
warning, and a risk of damaging the aircraft.
The Yellow ladder shows the minimum airspeed, at
which you have a high risk of stall.
The Yellow bar indicates the maneuver speed, which
is the stall speed * 1.3. You should always fly faster
than the maneuver speed to avoid any risk of stall.
Minimum, maximum and maneuver speeds are
calculated depending on the aircraft configuration. To fly
safely, you should always make sure that your airspeed is
between maneuver speed and maximum speed, and also
make sure that the predicted speed does not goes over
these limits.
Below the speed tape, the airspeed is indicated in Mach.
Altitude section
The altitude indication works exactly the same way as the
speed indication:
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The altitude tape shows the current altitude
The autopilot target altitude is displayed above the
speed tape or with a triangle moving on the altitude
tape. It is purple if the altitude mode is not engaged
or light blue if altitude is selected or managed.
When you are close to the ground, the ground
altitude is shown with 2 red bars. Obviously, you
should never fly below this altitude limit, or it is a
crash!!
In addition, the vertical speed indicator is located on the
right of the altitude tape. It shows the vertical speed (in
thousands of feet per minute) both with a needle and a
number showing roughly the number of thousands of feet
per minute.
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Heading section
The heading tape shows several information:
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The current heading is shown by the yellow vertical
line (center of the heading tape)
The heading selected or managed on the FCU is
shown by a triangle, drawn in purple if heading
mode is not engaged on the FCU, and light blue if it
is engaged
The red cross shows the ILS course selected on the
FCU
The Track is shown by the green diamond. The track
is the real direction the aircraft is flying. It is
calculated with the current heading, corrected with
the current wind speed and direction.
Attitude indicator
The attitude indicator mainly shows the bank and pitch
angles of the aircraft. In addition, this attitude indicator
also integrates other indicators:
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On the top of the attitude indicator, a bank angle
indicator shows the current bank angle, and a
bank angle limit: the white double bar shows a
bank angle of 30° that should not be passed. If
the bank angle is higher than this limit, the
protection system of the aircraft will bring it back
within the acceptable limits.
Into the attitude indicator itself, the horizontal
and vertical bars of the flight director are shown,
if it has been engaged.
On both sides of the attitude indicator, 2 green
symbols show the maximum bank angle limit.
The alpha-floor protection system will never let
you pass these limits, unless you disconnect the
ELAC computer which handles the alpha-floor. If
you do so, the 2 green symbols disappear to
indicate there is no bank angle limit.
On the bottom part of the attitude indicator, the
radio altitude is shown in yellow, only when the
aircraft is close to the ground (below 2500 feet
AGL).
The attitude indicator also has a ground mode (specific
to Airbus aircrafts), only visible when the aircraft is on
the ground, where a white cross shows the current
position of the stick within its moving limits.
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ILS section
The ILS information is composed of 3 parts:
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The ILS name and frequency, displayed below the speed
tape, is shown only when an ILS signal is received
The vertical scale, on the right of the attitude indicator,
with a purple diamond which shows the glideslope
deviation
The horizontal scale, located below the attitude indicator,
with a diamond showing the localizer deviation
The ILS scales and diamonds are only shown when the LS
(landing system) mode is activated on the glareshield panel.
Altimeter setting
Below the altitude tape, an indicator displays the current altimeter setting. It the
standard mode is activated, STD is shown here.
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ND - Navigation Display
The ND is the main instrument for navigation. It displays the route programmed in
the FS2002 GPS system, the navaids and airports located around the aircraft, and
also includes a TCAS system that shows all the other aircrafts flying around, with
potential alerts if they are too close.
The ND has 5 display modes: LS, VOR, NAV, ARC and PLAN.
Layout
Description of the different
pars of the ND:
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The main part of this
instrument is composed
of the navigation
display itself, located in
the center. Just like on
the PFD, the green
diamond shows the
actual track, and the
blue or magenta
triangle shows the
heading selected or
managed on the FCU.
On the top left corner,
the ground speed (GS)
and the True Air Speed
(TAS) are displayed in
knots. The wind
direction and speed (in
knots) are shown just
below, with an arrow
displaying the wind
direction.
The information shown
on the top right part
depends on the mode
selected on the EFIS
control panel (see
details below).
On the bottom left
corner, the navigation
chrono is displayed. It
is controlled by the
CHRONO button located
on the glareshield
panel.
Below the Chrono, the
selected navaid
information is displayed
on the left for navaid 1,
on the right for navaid
15
•
2. Navaid 1 and 2 can
display VOR1, VOR2 or
ADF information
depending on the
selection switches of
the EFIS control panel.
VOR1 is represented by
a white thin arrow,
VOR2 with a white thick
arrow and ADF with a
green arrow. For each
navaid selected, the
type is displayed with
the frequency or the
name (if available), and
the DME measurement
is green, if available.
As soon as a glideslope
signal is received, a
vertical scale appears
on the right of the ND
to show the glideslope
deviation.
Navaid and Airport Display
The ND shows all the airports and navaids around the aircraft, depending on the
range and on the visibility buttons located on the EFIS control panel. They are shown
with various symbols, with their name, and the frequency is displayed if the
corresponding option is selected on the MCDU. For airports, the frequency displayed
here is the ATIS frequency, if available.
Airport
VOR
NDB (with its frequency)
Intersection
If an ILS frequency is set, a dashed line is drawn on the ND to show the ILS course
and to help for establishing on the localizer.
Route display
The route programmed in the GPS system is shown on the ND, with all its waypoints.
The departure waypoint is shown with a magenta square, and the arrival waypoint
(the last) is shown with a magenta circle.
If the Heading is managed on the FCU (which means the auto-pilot will follow the
route programmed), the route is displayed in green. Otherwise, it is drawn is yellow.
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Navigation
The main part is the center part. Depending on the selected mode, the display will
change and various elements may be visible or not.
LS mode
(Rose)
This mode is dedicated to ILS approach and landing.
It displays the ILS course and localizer deviation. In
the top right corner, the name and course of the
selected ILS are displayed.
On this picture, the aircraft is close from landing, and
not aligned on the localizer yet. The ILS course of
IPZ is 258°. As the ILS signal is received, the vertical
scale is displayed on the right to show the glideslope
deviation.
VOR mode
(Rose)
This mode is designed for optimal VOR/ADF usage.
The top right corner contains the closest VOR station
information: type, frequency, course and name.
On this image, NAV1 is set on the ILS frequency, so
VOR1 needle shows the direction of the runway.
NAV2 is set on PXR, which is at 6.1 NM of the
aircraft.
NAV mode
(Rose)
Used for navigation, it shows all the necessary
information is rose mode. The top right corner
contains information about the next waypoint of the
route: name, bearing, distance and ETA (estimated
time of arrival).
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ARC mode
(Arc)
This mode is similar to the NAV mode, the only
difference is the Arc representation. This is the most
common mode used by the pilots during the flight.
On this image, navaid 1 is OFF, this is why "----" is
displayed in place of the navaid1 name, and NAV2 is
set on AGU frequency, located 6.6 NM away from the
aircraft. The aircraft is following the route displayed
in green, heading to the next waypoint MMAS, which
should be reached at 15:51 local time. There is no
wind.
You can see another aircraft flying very close to us
(around 7 miles distance) at an altitude 3000 feet
below us (no danger).
PLAN mode
This mode is specific to the route visualization. Only
the programmed route is displayed with all the
waypoints. The waypoints shown in the center of the
display is the waypoint selected on the MCDU. By
selecting the next waypoint on the MCDU, you can
visualize the whole route, waypoint by waypoint. This
display is NORTH-oriented.
TCAS
The ND shows information about all the aircrafts flying around you. Each aircraft is
represented by a diamond, and the numbers show the altitude difference (in
hundreds of feet). For example, +50 indicate the aircraft is flying 5000 feet above
your current altitude.
In normal situation, the aircrafts are drawn in grey. If an aircraft is too close from
you, it is displayed in orange to indicate a collision danger. If it is VERY close from
you, a TRAFFIC alert is triggered, you will hear it...
Aircrafts in normal situation: the distance and altitude separation are
correct.
Danger of potential collision: this aircraft is close and the altitude
difference is only 500 feet!!
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EFIS Control Panel
This instrument lets you control the Navigation Display.
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The Visibility Buttons will show or
hide elements displayed on the ND.
They are very useful when you fly
in a region with many navaids, it
allows you to keep a clear display.
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CSTR shows/hides the route
entered in the FMGC
WPT shows/hides intersections
(also called waypoints)
VORD shows/hides VOR
stations
NDB shows/hides NDB stations
ARPT shows/hides airports
The left rotating button lets you
select the ND mode. Read the ND
section for more information about
each mode.
The right button is for range
selection.
Navaid 1 and Navaid 2 are 3-state
switches. They can be switched on
the ADF, OFF or VOR position.
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If ADF is selected on one of the
switches, the ADF needle will be
displayed on the ND. Only one
ADF is available in FS2002.
If VOR is selected, the
corresponding VOR needle
(VOR1 for navaid 1 switch,
VOR2 for navaid 2) will be
displayed on the ND.
If OFF is selected, no needle is
displayed for the corresponding
navaid on the ND, and "----" is
displayed instead of the navaid
name. This is useful when you
want to have a clear display,
especially on final approach
when you only need to visualize
the ILS information.
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FCU - Flight Control Unit
Selection and Management
On this FCU, the speed, heading and altitude buttons can be pushed or pulled. To
push a button, press the left mouse button. To pull, use the right mouse button.
When you push one of these buttons, you use the SELECTED mode of the FCU. This
is the "standard" mode, where the autopilot will follow the instruction entered as a
value displayed on the FCU panel.
When you pull a button, you use the MANAGED mode. It means the FMGC will
automatically take control of the autopilot to provide it the right value of speed,
heading or altitude in order to follow the flight plan programmed in the FMGC. When
a speed, heading or altitude is managed, no value is displayed on the FCU panel, "---" appears instead.
As you can see on this
example, the speed and
altitude are managed, the
pilot does not have to think
about the right value of
speed and altitude, the
FMGC handles it. Heading
is selected with a value of
76°, which means the
aircraft will follow this
heading.
FCU features
Autopilot Activation
The autopilot is engaged pressing the AP1 button. It can not be engaged
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when the aircraft is on the ground.
A secondary autopilot is available to provide redundancy during critic
phases of the flight. In these Airbus panels, the secondary autopilot must
be used for automatic landing only, as this is the most dangerous part of
the flight.
The secondary autopilot is engaged by pressing the AP2 button on the
FCU panel.
Speed and Auto-Throttle
Speed and Mach mode are armed using the same button. To choose
between Speed (in knots) and Mach, press the Speed Selector button.
Auto-Throttle can be armed and disarmed using the A/THR button. If
you arm the auto-throttle, nothing will happen until you arm the speed
or mach mode. Conversely, if you arm the speed or mach mode, it will
automatically arm the auto-throttle if it is not already armed.
Heading / Course mode
Heading and Nav (or Course) modes are designed to be set and activated
using the same button. To choose between heading and course setting,
press the Heading/Course selector.
When the HDG or NAV mode is activated, a dot highlights next to the
selected heading or course display.
Wing Leveler
Pressing the LVL button will keep your wings leveled.
Altitude mode
This mode is activated with the ALT mode button. The interesting feature
here is that you can select your target altitude by increasing or
decreasing the altitude by increments of 100 or 1000 feet. This is very
useful when you want to select your cruise altitude (33000 feet for
example), because it is much faster with 1000 feet increments.
When the ALT mode is activated, a dot highlights next to the selected
altitude display. When the aircraft altitude is close to the programmed
altitude (within 800 feet), the dot flashes until the target altitude is
reached.
Vertical Speed
When ALT mode is engaged, you can select your vertical speed (in feet
per minute). You can also press this button to level off at the current
altitude.
21
LOC and APPR modes
LOC mode activation will make the aircraft follow the actual localizer.
APPR mode will do the same, and will also manage the altitude to follow
the glideslope. This is very useful for automatic landings.
Autoland
The autopilot pilot is now equipped with an automatic landing capability. The
autoland is automatically engaged when the aircraft is below the decision height
(displayed on the Flight Mode Anunciator of the PFD).
In order to make it work, the following conditions must be fulfilled:
•
•
•
•
•
AP1 must be activated.
The APPR mode must be engaged on the FCU panel, and the aircraft must be
positioned on the approach path (localizer and glideslope). Obviously, this will
only work if AP1 is active.
Auto-throttle must be armed
Auto-Brake must be set (LOW, MED or MAX, as you wish)
AP2 must me activated for high redundancy.
If one of these conditions becomes false, the autoland is aborted.
If all these conditions remain true during the final approach, you will hear a beep and
an AUTOLAND message appears on the E/WD. At this time, you can let the aircraft
land by its own. When the aircraft will be close to the ground, the throttle will be set
to IDLE. As soon as the aircraft touches the ground, the spoilers will be deployed if
they were armed (recommended), and reverse thrust will be engaged and brake
power will be applied until the aircraft decelerates to 60 knots. Then thrust will come
back to IDLE, and auto-brake will keep braking until the aircraft comes to a complete
stop. At this time, all autopilots and auto-throttle will be disarmed, and the control of
the aircraft comes back to the pilot.
If the AUTOLAND is engaged and you wish to abort it, you can easily abort it by
switching AP1 or AP2 OFF or by disarming auto-throttle. As soon as AUTOLAND is
aborted, it will not be available again until the aircraft has landed.
22
MCDU - Multi-Control Display Unit
The main feature of this instrument is the included FMGC - Flight Management and
Guidance Computer, which will help you in managing your flight, following the
programmed route and correct approach. The FMGC works with the flight plan loaded
into FS2002. You can use the FS2002 flight planner, or any other software, such
as FSNavigator, to plan your flight and export it into GPS flight plan format.
This instrument is not supposed to be realistic, the real Airbus MCDU is much
more complex than this one. I just wanted to develop an instrument that helps the
FS2002 virtual pilots to manage their flight easily.
Layout
The MCDU is composed of six
buttons on the left (named LB1
to LB6) and six on the right (RB1
to RB6). These buttons have
variable functions depending on
the page displayed on the MCDU.
Eleven buttons are located on the
lower part of the MCDU. They are
used to navigate easily through
the MCDU pages.
On all the pages, a message
displayed in blue with a *
indicates a selection. Normal
messages are displayed in
green.
Pages
MENU Page
This is the first page displayed on the MCDU when it is
switched ON. You can also call this page by pressing the
MCDU MENU button.
This page gives an access to the FMGC and to other
features described below.
23
AIDS Page
This page displays features designed to help you in
managing your flight. At this time, only the AUTO TUNE
feature is implemented. If this function is engaged, AUTO
TUNE appears in blue with a * indicating that it is
selected. Otherwise, it appears in green. When engaged,
this function will automatically set the NAV1 frequency
and course according to the ILS of your destination
runway when you get close to the airport.
CONFIG Page
Through this page, you can configure the ND to decide if
you want it to display the names and frequencies of the
airports and navaids around your aircraft.
INIT Page
This is the first page of the FMGC. It is displayed when
you select FMGC from the MENU page, or when you
press the INIT button.
•
•
•
•
•
24
FROM/TO shows the departure and arrival airport
codes, determined from your flight plan.
FLT NBR is your current flight number
LAT and LONG display your position. It should be
aligned with the ADIRS.
COST INDEX is a fixed value (fake)
CRZ FL is the cruise flight level. It should be set
before take-off. It is displayed in blue when set.
To set the CRZ FL, first make sure it is not already
set. If it is set, press LB6 to unset it. Then select
your cruise flight level on the FCU. Come back to
the MCDU, it now displays the FL selected on the
FCU, and press LB6 to set the CRZ FL. It is very
important for altitude management.
F-PLAN Page
Several pages may be necessary to display all the
waypoints of the flight plan. Click on the F-PLAN button
to display the first page. You can navigate through all the
pages using the PREV PAGE and NEXT PAGE buttons.
Each page displays the waypoints of your route, and the
distance and heading between waypoints.
Clicking the left button (LB1 to LB6) corresponding to
one of the waypoints displays specific information about
this waypoint. At this time, only airport information are
available. This is especially useful for the departure and
arrival airports.
Clicking one of the right buttons (RB1 to RB6), marked
SEL, selects the corresponding waypoint. The selected
waypoint is shown in blue, and it is centered on the ND
when PLAN mode is used.
You can select the previous or the next waypoint by using
the up and down arrow keys of the MCDU. You can
also use the keyboard shortcuts: Shift-Ctrl-Up Arrow and
Shift-Ctrl-Down Arrow
AIRPORT INFORMATION Page
This page is very important to get information about your
destination airport. It displays the airport full name, the
ICAO code, the elevation (important to estimate your
altitude AGL, above the ground level).
ILS information is also displayed for each runway that is
equipped. You can select the runway in use on this page
as soon as you have this information from the ATC or the
ATIS. If auto-tune is active, this will allow the FMGC to
automatically set the ILS for a perfect approach.
The runway heading is shown with 2 numbers. The
first number is the magnetic heading, which may vary.
The second number, between parentheses, is the
geographical heading of the runway which is constant.
The difference between these numbers is the magnetic
variation at the airport location. The VORs and ILSs work
with magnetic heading, so you should only take this
information into account.
25
PROG Page
Click the PROG button to access this page. It shows the
progression of the flight along the programmed route.
You can see the previous waypoint, the next waypoint,
and the waypoint after the next. For each waypoint, the
separating distance and the ETA are displayed.
Below the dashed line, the arrival airport is displayed,
with the total distance and ETA to the destination,
following the route.
You can click any left button (LB1 to LB6) to have
information about the corresponding waypoint. At this
time, only airport information is available. This is
especially useful to read information about your arrival
airport.
When ATC directs you to the destination airport, you can
press the DIRECT button (LB6) to indicate that you
leave your route to fly directly to the destination. At this
time, the distance and ETA are calculated using the direct
distance from your aircraft to the airport.
You can press the WIND key (RB6) to have information
about the wind. See details below.
WIND Page
This page is dedicated to the wind information. It displays
the wind strength and direction, composed of front and
side wind.
STATUS Page - On ground
The STATUS page is accessible by displaying the PROG
page and by pressing the NEXT PAGE button. When the
aircraft is on the ground, it displays the status of the
flight plan to indicate if it is loaded or not. It also
indicates the cruise altitude status (if the CRZ ALT is
defined or not). The flight plan and the cruise altitude
should be defined before take-off.
26
STATUS Page - Climb
During the climb phase, this page shows the target speed
and altitude. The target speed is calculated by the FMGC,
depending on the configuration and the altitude of the
aircraft. The target altitude is the cruise altitude that has
been defined before.
STATUS Page - Cruise
During the cruise phase, this page shows the cruise
altitude (it should be the current altitude) and the target
speed. It is calculated to be lower than the maximum
speed, depending on your cruise altitude and aircraft
configuration.
STATUS Page - Descent
The descent phase begins when you program an altitude
lower than the cruise altitude on the FCU. At this time,
this page shows the target speed calculated by the FMGC.
To understand how the MCDU is supposed to be used during a flight, you should read
the typical flight section.
27
E/WD - Engine / Warning Display
General Layout
This system displays many useful information about
engines, fuel, flaps, and also watches all the aircraft
systems to display alert messages when necessary.
The information shown on this screen are displayed
in several parts:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The top left part shows N1, EGT, N2 and Fuel
Flow (FF) for each engine.
2 white rotating indexes (triangle) around N1
displays show the throttle lever positions.
When auto-throttle is engaged, 2 blue rotating
indexes (lines) around N1 displays show the
throttle power set by the autothrottle system.
This is useful in the Airbus aircrafts because
the throttle levers don't move in auto-throttle
mode.
The top right part shows the FADEC position
set on the throttle lever: IDLE, FLX, CLB or
TOGA. When the throttle lever is set into one
of these predefined positions, a sound can be
heard to simulate the "hard points" which
exist in the real aircraft. For more
information, please refer to the Throttle
section.
The blue indication shows the MAX percentage
of N1 that you can obtain, depending on the
FADEC position.
FOB (Fuel On Board) is the total quantity of
remaining fuel (in KG) in all the tanks.
The flap display shows the flap handle position
(in blue) and the current position of the flaps
and slats.
This display may be wrong with
some aircrafts. To make sure it can work with
your aircraft, read the fine tuning section.
All the information displayed about engines now has a different appearance when
engines are shut down. The quadrants turn to orange, and all the values displayed
are replaced by "XX", meaning that the value is not available any more.
Note: The Airbus aircrafts are not supposed to be flown like Boeings... One of the
specificity of Airbus aircrafts is their auto-throttle system. This is explained in details
in the throttle section. You should engage auto-throttle when the levers are in the CL
position, and the throttle levers don't move at all as soon as the auto-throttle mode
is engaged. For this reason, you can use the white and blue indexes when you
disengage the auto-throttle, it is very easy: align the white indexes with the blue
indexes just before disengaging. Doing this, you will make sure that engine power
28
remains constant when you disengage auto-throttle. Train yourself in doing this a
few times, you will realize how useful it is.
Message Display - Left part
The bottom part of the E/WD screen contains 2 message areas.
The left area displays dynamic messages about gears, engines, signs, etc... The
messages are shown in different colors according to the level of alarm:
•
•
•
•
GREEN for normal messages
YELLOW for low level warning
AMBER for mid level warning
RED for high level alerts
Mid and high level alerts also trigger Master Caution and Master Warning alarms,
shown on the left part of the glareshield.
Normal Messages
Reason
GEAR DOWN
LOCKED
The gear is down and locked, you can land safely.
SEAT BELT
The seat belt sign is on
NO SMOKING
The No Smoking sign is on
LDG LIGHTS ON
Landing lights are on
SPOILERS ARMED
The spoilers are armed and will be automatically deployed when
the aircraft touches the ground
Low Level
Warnings
Reason
HIGH GROUND
SPEED
Your ground speed is higher than 30 kts
HIGH AIRSPEED
Your airspeed is over the speed limit of 250 kts below 10000 ft
Mid Level
Warnings
Reason
CONFIG
Your airspeed is not appropriate to the current flight
configuration
UNSUFFICENT
FUEL
Your total fuel quantity is low
ELAC DISC
Indicates that the ELAC computer is disconnected, the Alphafloor system is not active
STALL WARNING
You are at the limit of the flight envelope, incidence is too high
BATTERY
Engines are running, and generators are still OFF, the batteries
are discharging
High Level
Warnings
Reason
ENGINE x OFF
The aircraft is in flight, and the x engine is OFF
ENGINE x FIRE
The engine x is on fire
DOOR
The engines are running, and an aircraft door is still opened
RELEASE BRAKES
The parking brakes are set and you require a push-back
29
LOW FUEL
The total fuel quantity is VERY low, you should land immediately
on the closest airport
TRAFFIC
Another aircraft is close from your aircraft, possible collision
GEAR DOWN
The current airspeed is too high to keep the landing gear down
MAX TIRES SPEED The ground speed is too high for the tires, risk of tire explosion
ALPHA FLOOR
The Alpha-floor system has detected a dangerous situation and
will take the appropriate action
to keep the aircraft in its flight envelope
BANK ANGLE
The bank angle is too high (higher than 67°) and the alpha-floor
system will take the appropriate
action to keep the aircraft in its flight envelope
HYDRAULICS
A problem has been detected in the hydraulics system. The
HYDRAULICS page should appear on
the System Display, look at it for more details about the
problem.
OIL PRESSURE
A problem has been detected in the oil system. The ENGINE
page should appear on the System
Display, look at it for more details about the problem.
VACUUM
A problem has been detected in the vacuum system.
ELEC FAILURE
A problem has been detected in the oil system. The ELEC page
should appear on the System
Display, look at it for more details about the problem.
STALL
The aircraft is about to stall, take the appropriate action
immediately
OVERSPEED
The current airspeed is too high for your aircraft.
Message Display - Checklists
The left message area also displays Take-Off and Landing checklists. These lists
show a list of items in bright blue if not activated, in green if OK. All items should be
green for a correct take-off or landing.
Take-off is automatically detected when your aircraft
reaches a high speed on the ground. This checklist
can also be displayed by pressing the "TO - CONFIG"
button on the "Page Keys" panel, on the pedestal.
Landing is automatically detected when the aircraft
is descending, with 2 notches of flaps or landing
gear extracted.
Message Display - Right part
The right area is used to display standard system message: Auto-pilot (when it is
turned off), Auto-throttle (when it is turned off), Autoland, Auto-brake, Speed brakes
and Parking brakes.
30
•
•
•
•
•
•
A/P OFF when auto-pilot is turned off
A/THR OFF when auto-throttle is disengaged
AUTOLAND indicates an automatic landing (armed automatically when all the
conditions are fulfilled)
AUTOBK OFF, LOW, MED, MAX or RTO indicates the current auto-brake status
SPEED BRK indicates the spoilers are deployed (partially or totally)
PRK BRK indicates parking brakes are set
31
SD (System Display)
The SD is located below the E/WD. Because of the geometry of this panel, this
screen is only partially visible in forward view. You can see the whole SD screen in
pedestal view. The SD screen can display several pages according to the page
selected on the Page Keys panel, on the pedestal, or in any case of system failure.
The system is designed to display the right page at the right time.
On its lower part, the SD screen displays
•
•
•
•
•
the
the
the
the
the
Total Air Temperature (TAT)
Saturated Air Temperature (SAT)
ZULU time (current UTC time)
Zero Fuel Weight (ZFW) or your aircraft
Gross Weight (GW), the total weight of the aircraft
Here is a description of all the available SD pages:
Engines (ENG)
This page monitors the oil quantity and pressure, and the vibration
for the engines. It also shows the N2 value, with an index showing
the correct value to engage the fuel valve. This N2 index has been
added to make the engine start procedure easier.
Cabin Pressure (PRESS)
This page monitors the cabin pressure system.
Electricity (ELEC)
All the information about the electrical systems are shown here:
Battery status, generators. The grey rectangle displays LOAD or
DISCH to show if the batteries are charging or discharging.
Hydraulics (HYD)
This page displays all the hydraulic system status (hydraulic pressure
and reservoir level).
Fuel Tanks (FUEL)
This page shows the quantity of fuel available in each tank, and the
total quantity of fuel available, in KG. If a tank is not available (some
aircrafts don't have wing tip tanks), "XXXX" is displayed instead of
the fuel quantity. If the fuel quantity of a tank is low, it is displayed in
red. This page automatically displayed if one of the fuel tanks is low
on fuel.
It also shows the fuel pumps and cross feed status.
32
Door Page (DOOR)
This page shows the status of the main exit door. For Project Airbus
A320 only: the status of the right door and the rear doors is also
shown on this page. This page automatically displayed as soon as a
door is opened.
Unfortunately, the status of the secondary exit (used for the cargo
doors on Project Airbus A320) is not available in FS2002 at this time.
Wheel Page (WHEEL)
This page shows the status of the landing gear (retracted or
deployed) and the gear doors. This page shows the landing gear
movement when operated. It also displays the Ground Speed, useful
to respect taxi speed limit (also shown on the ND), and the brake
pressures and status (pressed or released). This page automatically
displayed when landing gear is operated.
Flight Controls (F/CTL)
This page shows the position of all the important flight controls: Left
and Right elevators, Left and Right ailerons, rudder, elevator trim and
speed brakes.
This page automatically displayed for 10 seconds when the elevator
trim or the spoilers are moved.
Cruise Page
This page displays the fuel quantity used by each engine, the oil
quantity and information about the cabin (temperature, pressure). It
is automatically displayed as soon as the aircraft is in cruise.
33
Other instruments
This section describes all the other instruments, located in different places of the
panel.
Main Panel
Barometric Setting
This gauge lets you adjust the barometric setting used by the standard
altimeter. It can display the setting in inHg or in hPa, depending on the
position of the rotating switch.
You can also set it to the standard setting (29.92 inHg or 1013.2 hPa) by
pressing the rotating button used to adjust the baro setting. STD is then
displayed instead of the pressure value. This setting must be used when
you are flying using Flight Levels for altitude. This should be done as soon
as you fly higher than the transition altitude (usually 18000 feet).
If you fly higher than 18000 feet without STD setting, the value display
will flash. Conversely, if you fly lower than 18000 feet with STD setting, it
will also flash. This is VERY useful to avoid having your flight canceled by
ATC because of a bad altitude.
Flight Director & Landing System
Two buttons located under the barometric setting button activate the
Flight Director and the Landing System on the PFD. The flight director
shows the perfect flight path with 2 green bars, and the landing system
is displayed on the PFD with 2 scales (vertical and horizontal) and 2
diamonds showing the glide slope and the localizer deviation.
Standby Instruments
Airspeed
This a very standard airspeed gauge. It shows current airspeed and
maximum airspeed.
Altimeter
This standby altimeter shows current aircraft altitude.
The interesting part of this gauge is the ability to have a barometric
setting different from the standard FS2002 setting. You can have
several altimeters with several baro settings, so they display
different altitudes. This can be very useful: set the baro to the
pressure corresponding to the airport altitude, and it will show the
altitude above the airport, instead of the altitude above the sea
34
level.
This altimeter must be initialized by pressing the RESET button: it is
aligned with the standard FS baro setting.
Then you can adjust the baro setting using the Baro button
(increase/decrease), in inches of Hg or in hPa. Select the mode
using the "mode" button.
Attitude
Very standard attitude gauge.
Landing Gear and Autobrake
Landing Gear
3 indicators show the status of the landing gears:
o
o
o
green triangles indicate gear down and locked
red sign show that the gear is unlocked (either retracting or
extending)
all lights off indicate that the gears are correctly retracted
Autobrake
Press one of these buttons to activate LO, MED or MAX autobrake. If you
activate MAX autobrake on the ground, this will automatically select the
RTO mode (Rejected Take Off). This is supposed to brake if you interrupt
your takeoff, but I never could make it work in FS2002...
When automatic braking is applied, a green indicator DECEL highlights on
the corresponding button.
If your aircraft model does not have the auto brake function enabled, this feature
will not work. You can easily change that by editing the .air file of the aircraft, with
an editor like AirEd.
Clock
This gauge displays current local time, and lets you change it by
increasing/decreasing the hours.
It also controls the time acceleration of FS. Using the rotating
switch, you can switch between time and acceleration, and the
increase/decrease button lets you change this setting.
This gauge also includes a chronometer. Pressing the chrono button, you
can start, stop and reset the chronometer.
35
Navigation Chrono
The CHRONO button controls the chrono displayed on the navigation
display. It is designed to be used for navigation purpose.
Pressing the chrono button, you can start, stop and reset the
chronometer.
DDRMI
This gauge provides an additional display of navaid information:
the distances from VOR1 and VOR2 (DME1 and DME2), and the
direction of navaids.
According to the corresponding switch, each needle can show the
direction of VOR1, VOR2 or NDB.
The gauge also displays current aircraft heading.
Pedestal
Radio
This gauge lets you control all the
radio frequencies for COM (COM1 and
COM2) and navaids (NAV1, NAV2,
ADF). This gauge displays the
frequencies with all the digits (3
decimal digits).
You can adjust the standby
frequency of the selected navaid with
the rotating button.
The main switch in the bottom right
corner is the Avionics switch.
All the other buttons are fake and
ineffective.
36
Page Keys
The buttons on this panel are used to manage the
SD (System Display) and E/WD (Engine/Warning
Display) screens of the main panel.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
TO-CONFIG: makes the take-off checklist
appear on the E/WD message area if the
aircraft is on the ground. This button is also
accessible by pressing Shift-T.
EMER CANC: acknowledges an alarm, so
that the Master Warning light stops
flashing, and the alert sound stops. If an
alarm is still present 1 minute later, the
warning light will flash and the sound will
be heard again.
ENG: displays the Engine page on the SD
(page automatically displayed in case of an
engine problem, or during engine start)
PRESS: displays the Cabin Pressure page
on the SD
ELEC: displays the Electricity page on the
SD (page automatically displayed in case of
an electricity problem, or if the battery is
discharging when engines are running)
HYD: displays the Hydraulics page on the
SD (page automatically displayed in case of
a hydraulic alert)
FUEL: displays the Fuel page on the SD
(page automatically displayed if one of the
fuel tanks is low on fuel)
DOOR: displays the door page on the SD
(page automatically displayed as soon as a
door is opened). The right door and the
rear doors of the Project Airbus A320 are
also managed.
WHEEL: displays the Wheel page on the
SD (page automatically displayed when
landing gear is operated, showing the
animation of gear doors)
F/CTL: displays the Flight Controls page on
the SD (page automatically displayed for
10 seconds when the elevator trim or the
spoilers are moved)
ALL: Cycles through all the available pages.
Press ALL key again to stop the sequence.
CLR: clears the checklist on the E/WD to
display standard messages. This button is
also accessible by pressing Shift-C.
37
Transponder (XPNDR)
This is a standard transponder gauge. You can
enter the ATC code with associated keyboard. First
type the C key to clear the existing code, and enter
the 4 digits of the code. The rotating switch lets you
select the mode:
o
o
o
OFF: the transponder is OFF
STBY: You can enter the ATC code
XPDR: The XPNDR is fully operating and
sends the ATC code when requested
The ID button is used to send the ATC code the first
time, when it has just been entered, to make sure
that the controller will identify your aircraft
immediately. This feature is pure simulation,
because FS handles the ATC code as soon as it is
entered.
Audio Selector
This device lets you select the audio channel that
you want to hear. You can select COM1 and COM2
simultaneously. This is very useful when you are in
communication with the tower and you want to
listen to the ATIS at the same time.
The RESET button will bring back the default audio
selection, which is COM1 and Markers. The VOICE
button will give privilege to the voice channels, by
selecting COM1 and COM2, and deselecting all the
other channels.
Spoilers and Flaps
The Flap lever has 5 predefined positions: 0 (retracted), 1, 2, 3, FULL
(fully deployed). Depending on the aircraft airspeed, the lever position
1 corresponds to the 1 (slats) or 1+F (slats + flaps) flap status.
The spoilers are operated in a very standard way:
o
o
38
You have 4 predefined positions, accessible by moving the
handle or by pressing the Ctrl-Page Up or Ctrl-Page Down
keys (refer to the Keyboard section for more details)
To arm the autobrake system (to deploy the spoilers
automatically when the aircraft touches the ground), you must
move the lever to the ARMED position (above the
RET position). You can also use the Shift-: key (default
FS2002 key).
Operating the flaps
The best flap configuration is:
•
•
1+F or 2 for take-off
3 or FULL for landing
The flaps should not be extended with airspeed greater than 230 kts, or you will
have a CONFIG warning.
When you extend the flaps to position 1, you will obtain:
•
•
Position 1 (slats only) if you airspeed is greater than 210 kts
Position 1+F (slats + flaps) if your airspeed is lower than 210 kts
If the flap position is 1+F, they automatically retract to 1 when airspeed is greater
than 210 kts.
This automated behavior will work only if your aircraft has 6 flap positions (0, 1,
1+F, 2, 3 and FULL). This is true for almost all the A320 aircrafts, including the
IADG A320 and the Precision-Sim Designs A320. The real aircraft also has 6 flap
positions.
Rudder Trim
This gauge is useful to adjust the rudder trim. It displays CTRD when
centered, or the value of the left or right deflection. A reset button is
available to automatically center the rudder trim.
Parking Brakes
Parking brake command. Clicking the handle will make it turn to apply or
release parking brakes.
39
Throttles
It shows the position of throttle levers for both
engines, and the elevator trim positions on the sliding
scale. The two trim wheels are animated to show the
movement of the elevator trims (especially
useful when autopilot is armed).
The throttle lever management is very
specific to the Airbus aircrafts:
•
•
When you move the throttle lever, you feel
5 hard points that define pre-defined
positions: REV, IDLE, CL, FLX and TOGA. A
sound can be heard to help you in
localizing the hard points.
The throttle levers do not move when autothrust mode is engaged.
Operating the Throttles
When you move the throttle lever into one of the pre-defined positions, a sound can
be heard to make you feel the "hard point" that does not exist on your throttle
device, and which exists in the real aircraft.
The throttles are supposed to be used in a very standard way during the different
phases of the flight. The throttle mode is indicated on the FMA, shown on the PFD
(see the PFD section for more information).
•
•
•
•
•
For taxi, the throttle lever can be moved slightly to provide enough thrust for
taxiing. If the aircraft model is realistic (like the Project Airbus A320), the
aircraft should taxi with IDLE throttle as soon as it has a minimum ground
speed.
For take-off, move the throttle lever to the FLX (Flex) or TOGA (Take off - Go
Around) position, depending on the power you need. If the meteo conditions
and the runway length permit, you should use FLX to save fuel and optimize
engine usage.
After take-off, move the lever to the CL (Climb) as soon as you have reached
the safety altitude (usually, 1500 feet above ground level)
At this time, it is highly recommended to engage the auto-thrust mode. You
can use the selected or managed speed mode (see the FCU section for
details). If auto-thrust mode is engaged, the throttle lever can stay in the
CL position during the whole flight (the FADEC will manage the engine
power), until the retard action for landing.
At any time, you can disengage the auto-throttle mode. To do so, you can
press the ATHR button on the FCU, or you can move the throttle lever to the
IDLE position. An alert sound can be heard when you disengage auto-thrust.
When you disengage auto-thrust, you should use the white and blue indexes
shown on the E/WD. Move the throttle lever so that the white indexes are aligned
with the blue indexes, then disengage auto-throttle. Doing this, you will make
sure that the engine thrust remains constant during the disengagement.
40
Engine Starters
The Airbus aircrafts are equipped with a FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control)
system which will handle the startup sequence automatically.
This gauge is composed of 2 levers (A320/330) for the fuel
feeding of engines, and a rotating button which selects the
engine mode:
o
o
o
CRANK: This position is supposed to be used to start
the engines with an external system. It is not used
here.
NORM: Normal position, when engines are normally
running.
IGN/START: Switch to this position to start the
engines.
Engine Start Procedure
When engines are OFF, all the levers should be down, meaning that no fuel is
provided to the engines.
To start the engines:
1. Move the rotating button to the IGN/START position, engine 1 should start
immediately and the ENGINE page should be automatically displayed on the
SD.
2. On the E/WD or the SD screen, watch the N2 value of engine 1 (if you look on
the SD, purple indexes are shown on the N2 display)
3. When N2 reaches 20% (indicated by the purple indexes on the SD screen),
push the lever for Engine 1 or press Shift-Ctrl-1. It should start and run
normally. If engine 1 does not start at this stage, the FADEC starts engine 2.
4. Now watch N2 for engine 2 on the E/WD or the SD screen
5. When N2 reaches 20%, push the Engine 2 lever or press Shift-Ctrl-2.
When the startup sequence is finished, a beep sound is heard and the rotating
button automatically returns to the NORM position. The WHEEL page should now
appear on the SD.
Note: If you want to simplify the startup sequence without having to monitor N2
values, push the 2 fuel feed levers before beginning the automatic startup sequence.
The engines will automatically start when N2 reaches 20%.
Engine Shutdown Procedure
Simply pull the 2 engine levers for fuel cutoff on both engines. You can also press
Shift-Ctrl-1 and Shift-Ctrl-2 (refer to the Keyboard section for more details).
41
Overhead
Light switches and Signs
The external light switches are grouped on the bottom part
of the overhead panel. They are all connected to the lights of
the modeled aircraft.
The internal light switches are located on the left of the
external light switches. The panel light can be switched ON
or OFF through this switch, or with the Shift-L key (by
default).
The Seat Belts and No Smoking sign switches are located
just below.
Anti-ice
The anti-ice buttons are located above the
light switches. Two of them are dedicated
to the engine anti-icing, and the PROBE
button is to be used to heat the pilot
tubes.
Electrical Panel
The electrical
panel is located
on the top part of
the overhead
panel. It includes
switch buttons
that control
batteries and
generators, and 2
displays for the
battery voltages.
42
Fuel Pumps
The Fuel
pump
panel
includes
buttons
that
have
both
roles:
switch a
fuel
pump on
or off,
and
display
the
pump
status.
When a
pump is
switched
off, OFF
appears
in white
on the
button.
If the
pump is
in fault
status,
FAULT is
displayed
in
orange.
This
happens
when the
fuel level
of the
tank is
too low.
43
ADIRS
The ADIRS display shows the location of the
aircraft provided by the 3 IRS of the aircraft.
ELAC Computer
The ELAC computer handles the alpha-floor
protection system. This system ensures the
aircraft always flies within its flight envelope.
The Alpha-Floor has several possible actions:
•
•
Bank angle limitation: the bank angle is
limited to 67°. In addition, if the bank
angle is greater than 33°, the AlphaFloor will automatically bring it back to
33°.
Stall avoidance: if the aircraft is close to
stall speed, the Alpha-Floor system will
slightly push the nose down using the
elevator trim, and will apply full throttle
(TOGA).
Switching OFF the ELAC computer will disable
the alpha-floor system.
44
Keyboard
To make the panels easier to use, some keyboard shortcuts have been defined so
that you don't have to click everywhere on the screen, when you have your hands on
the stick and throttle. This is especially useful to have quick access to the buttons
located on the overhead panel or the pedestal.
Key
Function
Shift-Ctrl-1
Engine 1 fuel valve
Shift-Ctrl-2
Engine 2 fuel valve
Shift-Ctrl-F
Swap current radio frequencies
Ctrl-Page Up
Retract spoilers (1 notch)
Ctrl-Page Down
Extend spoilers (1 notch)
Shift-C
CLR key of the Page Keys panel
Shift-T
TO-CONFIG key of the Page Keys panel
Shift-I
Integ light switch
Numpad- /
Previous ND mode
Numpad- *
Next ND mode
Numpad- -
Decrease ND range
Numpad- +
Increase ND range
Shift-Ctrl- arrow up
Arrow up key of the MCDU
Shift-Ctrl- arrow down
Arrow down key of the MCDU
45
Fine Tuning the Airbus Gauges
This part is for expert users only. If you don't know how to edit a panel or
aircraft configuration file (.cfg files), do not look this section. No support is provided
to help you tuning the gauges, do it at your own risks, and always backup your files
before any modification.
This panel has been designed for some Airbus aircrafts that have their own specify
and model. If you want to use this panel with other aircrafts (you can use it for any
twin-engine Airbus aircraft), you may experience some troubles because some parts
of the gauges are related to the aircraft model. To prevent this, you have the ability
to tune the gauges to make them work correctly with any aircraft.
Flap positions
The E/WD screen shows the flaps and slats position. The E/WD gauge is designed to
work with the 6 flap position values. If your aircraft has a different number of flap
positions, or if the flaps values are different, then the flap display may look wrong.
For example, the A330 from Project Opensky has different values for the
intermediate flap positions (these values are visible in the "Flaps.0" and "Flaps.1"
sections of the "aircraft.cfg" file).
The E/WD screen can only display 6 flap positions: 0 (retracted), 1 (slats), 1+F (slats
+ flaps), 2, 3, FULL (fully deployed). This gauge shows the flap position relatively to
the flap position handled by FS2002. Some aircrafts have various flap values, and
some don't even have 6 flaps positions.
To solve this problem, I give you the ability to tune the E/WD gauge so that it works
with your aircraft, even if it has a different flap configuration. Follow the instructions:
1. Open the aircraft.cfg file
2. Find the [Flaps.0] section
You should have something like this:
[Flaps.0]
type=1
span-outboard=0.75
extending-time=12.0
flaps-position.0=0
flaps-position.1=7
flaps-position.2=15
flaps-position.3=20
flaps-position.4=35
flaps-position.5=40
damaging-speed=230
blowout-speed=250
lift_scalar=1.0
drag_scalar=1.0
46
pitch_scalar=1.0
system_type=1
3.
4. Read carefully all the "flaps-position.x" values
5. Open the A320 panel "panel.cfg" file
6. Find the line where the E/WD gauge is defined, it should look like this:
gauge19=A320!E/WD,
722,446,215,192
7.
8. At the end of this line, add all the flaps-position values that you have in the
aircraft.cfg file, separated by a "-" (hyphen).
For this example, it should look like this:
gauge19=A320!E/WD,
35-40
722,446,215,192, 0-7-15-20-
Next time you load the panel, the gauge will get this information, and will display the
flaps properly.
Stall Warning
Depending of the flight dynamics of your aircraft, the stall warning message may be
displayed when your flight condition is OK. This is because this warning is based on
the angle of attack value, which may differ depending on your aircraft.
The stall warning system works by watching the Angle of Attack value handled by
FS2002. In normal flight condition, the value is 32767, and it is going down to 0 as
the aircraft gets closer to the stall. By default, a value of 25000 triggers a STALL
WARNING alarm.
You can change this if you find that the STALL WARNING appears abusively, when
the aircraft is still flying correctly or inversely if you think that the warning comes too
late.
1. Open the panel.cfg file
2. Find the line where the "Warnings" gauge is defined:
gauge05=A320!Warnings,
198,306,31,64
3.
4. At the end of the line, add the AOA value which triggers the STALL WARNING
alarm.
For example, if you set it to 22000, the warning will come later:
47
gauge05=A320!Warnings,
198,306,31,64, 22000
That's it!!
Radio Altitude
The Airbus aircrafts are equipped with a radio height probe. The radio height is
displayed on the PFD when the aircraft is below 2500 feet AGL (above ground level).
Normally, the display should be 0 when the aircraft is on the ground.
By default, FS2002 give the radio height of the center of gravity (CG) of the aircraft.
Depending on the aircraft model, the CG radio height can be around 10 feet for an
A320, so the radio height displayed is around 10 when then aircraft is on the ground.
For this reason, it is important to subtract the height to the current radio height, so
that 0 is displayed on the ground.
This value can be adjusted in the "panel.cfg" file, on the line which defines the PFD
gauge. In the Project Airbus panel file, this line looks like this:
gauge00=A320!PFD, 21,447,215,200, 10
The last number (10 in this example) is the radio height of the CG.
If the PFD doesn't display 0 on ground, you can adjust this value.
Autobrake
This feature will work only if your aircraft model has the autobrake enabled.
48
A Typical Flight
This section describes a typical flight to illustrate the use of the checklists and the
main instruments. You should read all the instrument documentation before reading
this section.
This flight takes place in America, between MMCN Ciudad Obregon Intl (Mexico) to
KPHX Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (USA). The aircraft is the United Airlines A320 by
Project Airbus. This scenario begins with a dark and cold cockpit (all engines OFF, all
power OFF), spoiler and flaps retracted, main exit opened.
Startup and Taxi
• The first thing we need to do is to switch batteries •
ON and avionics ON.
•
• As engines are OFF, all Generators should be OFF. •
• All the passengers are on board, we can close the
•
doors.
• At this time, we can turn NAV lights ON.
•
• The ADIRS must be checked to make sure they are •
correctly aligned (check with your position on the
airport).
• Fuel: The quantity of fuel should be enough for our •
flight. Here we have a little more than 19 tons (almost
maximum load), which is more than enough for this
flight which should last around one hour and a half,
including reserves.
•
• The ATIS should be listened to have the latest
weather information. I write down the current runway
in use and the altimeter setting. We can set COM2
frequency to 126.700, and switch COM2 ON, on the
audio selector. ATIS indicates runway 31 is in use, and
altimeter should be adjusted to 30.09 inHg. Now we
can switch COM2 OFF.
• Then we need to load the flight plan, using the
•
Flight Planner of FS2002. The flight level will be FL330 •
(33000 feet), I have to set this cruise altitude on the
FMGC.
• Now it is time to contact the ground frequency to
•
copy the IFR clearance to Sky Harbor. I write down
•
the departure frequency and enter the squawk
code that was requested on the transponder. We will
now pushback and start the engines at the same
time...
• The throttle lever should be on the IDLE position
•
• Then the SD screen is set to display DOOR page, to •
make sure all doors are closed.
• Now the Beacon light is turned ON, and the seat
•
belts and no smoking signs are switched ON, the
•
parking brakes are still set.
•
•
• Taxi clearance is requested. MMCN is a small
•
Check-list
Batteries: ON
Avionics: ON
Generators: OFF
Doors: CLOSED
Nav Lights: ON
ADIRS: Checked
Fuel Quantity: Checked
ATIS: OK
Flight Plan: Loaded
FMGC Cruise Alt: Set
IFR Clearance: OK
Transponder Code: OK
Throttle: IDLE
DOOR Page: Checked
Beacon: ON
Seat Belts: ON
No smoking: ON
Parking brakes: Set
Taxi Clearance: OK
49
airport, so we do not need to change the COM1
frequency to request IFR taxi clearance.
• Once cleared for taxi to runway 31, we can switch
•
taxi lights (Nose) ON, release parking brakes and
•
begin pushback.
• During pushback, the engines are started by turning •
the engine starter switch to the IGN/START position.
• N2 values must be watched for each engine. As
•
soon as it has reached 20%, the fuel valves must be
opened (you can use Shift-Ctrl-1 and Shift-Ctrl-2
keys for this)
• When engines are started, the engine starter
•
switch should turn back to the NORM position.
• The SD screen should now display the WHEEL page. •
Otherwise, it means something is wrong...
• Immediately after startup, both Generators must be •
turned ON. Otherwise, a BATTERY warning is triggered
and the ELEC page is displayed on the SD to indicate
an electrical problem.
• The navigation chrono can be turned ON at this time •
to count the running time of the engines. You can
decide to turn it on at another moment if you wish.
• Before taxiing, the elevator trim should be adjusted •
for take-off (centered), and the flaps must be
•
positioned for take-off: you can use the 1+F or 2
position.
• The rudder trim is centered, the spoilers are armed •
and the Flight Director is turned ON. The aircraft is
•
now ready for taxi.
• With the Project Airbus A320, a little thrust is
•
enough to begin taxi, and IDLE power is enough to
maintain taxi speed (20 to 30 knots).
• During taxi, the brakes should be tested to make
•
sure they work properly.
• Depending on the weather, you can turn ON the
•
probe and engine anti-ice if you wish. Here it is not
•
necessary.
• The standby altimeter must be set to the ground
•
altitude so that it displays 0 (it will give you the
ground altitude).
Take-Off and Initial Climb
• Before asking for the take-off clearance, all the
•
systems must be checked to make sure there is no
alert.
• As soon as we have take-off clearance, the
•
departure frequency is entered as the COM1 standby •
frequency.
• I switch OFF taxi lights (Nose) and switch ON
•
landing lights and strobe lights.
•
• Auto-brake is set to RTO (Rejected Take-Off) and
•
50
Taxi light: ON
Parking brakes: Released
Engine Starter: IGN/START
Fuel Valve: OPEN
Engine Starter: Checked
SD Page: Checked
Generators: ON
Nav Chrono: START
Elev Trim: Centered
Flaps: 2
Rudder Trim: Centered
Flight Director: ON
Taxi speed: 20-30 kts
Brakes: Tested
Probe Heat: As needed
Anti-ice: As needed
Stdby Alti: 0
Systems: OK
Take-off clearance: OK
Departure freq: Entered
Taxi light: OFF
Landing lights: ON
Strobe Lights: ON
spoilers are armed, in case of an aborted take-off.
• Auto-Brake: RTO
• Spoilers: Armed
• TO-CONFIG: Checked
• By pressing the TO-CONFIG key, the take-off
checklist appears on the E/WD. Everything is green,
showing the aircraft is ready for take-off.
• The aircraft is now aligned on the runway, ready for •
take-off. As the runway is not that long and the
aircraft is heavy, we decide to take-off with a flap
configuration of 2 and FLEX power. You can choose the
TOGA power if you wish, but FLEX is better to reduce
the engine temperature.
• For take-off, the stick is pushed half-way forward,
•
and throttle lever is slowly pushed to the FLEX
position.
• The aircraft accelerates on the runway. When it
•
reaches 80 knots, the stick is pulled back to the
neutral position. When Vr is reached (around 140
knots), the stick is pulled to leave the ground.
• As soon as positive vertical speed is confirmed, the •
landing gear must be retracted, spoilers must
•
be disarmed and auto-brakes must be switched OFF.
• Initial climb should be conducted with a climb angle •
around 15° (depending on the aircraft weight),
corresponding to an airspeed close to the ideal speed
indicated on the PFD.
• We are now requested to contact the departure
•
center. As the frequency is ready to be used, COM1
frequencies just have to be swapped to have it set
(key Shift-Ctrl-F).
• When the ground altitude (shown on the standby
•
altimeter or the radio altimeter) reaches 1500 feet,
•
throttle lever is pulled back to the CL position. It
shouldn't move from here during the whole flight. I
can also turn landing lights OFF.
• At this time, the automatic systems of the A320 can •
be used: speed is set to managed mode by pulling the
speed button on the FCU. Doing this, the FMGC will
automatically determine the best airspeed depending
on the aircraft configuration. The throttle lever does
not need to be touched any more.
• Suggestion: ND can be switched to ARC mode for
•
more convenience.
End of Climb - Cruise
Flaps: 2
Throttle: FLEX
Vr, Rotate
Landing Gear: Up
Auto-Brake: OFF
Climb angle: 15-20°
Departure freq: Set
Throttle: CL
Landing lights: OFF
Speed: Managed
ND Mode: ARC
• As the aircraft keeps climbing, the flaps are
• Flaps: retracted
progressively retracted, and the aircraft accelerates to • Altitude: Managed
240 knots below 10000 feet as ATC instructions are
• Heading: Managed
followed. The flight management system can be used
also for altitude and route following: heading and
altitude buttons are pulled on the FCU to set managed
mode.
51
• Then the transition altitude of 18000 feet
•
is reached. It is time to switch Seat Belts sign OFF and •
make sure the flaps are completely retracted.
• The altimeter setting flashes to indicate that it
•
should be switched to standard mode. Pressing the
button, STD appears instead of the altitude setting.
The aircraft keeps on climbing, following the route
programmed in the FMGC.
• At 32500 feet (500 feet below the cruise altitude), a
beep is heard that indicates the cruise altitude is about
to be reached. The aircraft slowly climbs to the cruise
altitude of 33000 feet, accelerating to the cruise speed
of Mach 0.80.
• The cruise altitude is reached about 20 minutes
•
after take-off. During the cruise, the crew is supposed •
to monitor the SD and E/WD to make sure all systems •
and fuel quantities are OK, and make sure the route is
correctly followed by the aircraft, even if cross wind is
strong. Today, we have about 60 kts of cross
wind, and the heading is corrected by the FMGC to
take this into account.
Descent
Seat Belts: OFF
Flaps: 0, Checked
• ATC asks for an altitude change to flight level 280, it •
is time for descent. The target altitude is changed on •
the FCU, and this triggers the descent on the FMGC (a
beep can be heard). Heading and speed keep on being
managed.
• As we go down, we arrive to the transition altitude •
again, in descent. The correct pressure must now be •
set on the altimeter. You can get this value by
interrogating an ATIS nearby or by waiting for the
next radio contact with the ground. The Seat Belt sign
can also be switched ON.
• Later on the descent, the ATC asks us to turn to a
•
heading of 320°. The aircraft stops following the
•
planned route (the route now appears in yellow on the
ND). At this time, the DIRECT key of the FMGC is
pressed to indicate that we will now fly direct to the
destination airport.
• The ATC also gives the runway in use at the
•
destination airport. This runway is selected on the
FMGC destination airport page, and as auto-tune is
activated, the correct ILS frequency and course will be
automatically set.
• When the aircraft is close to the airport (around 40 •
miles), COM2 frequency is set to the ATIS frequency of •
the destination airport, that can be read on the FMGC
or the ND. For Sky Harbor, it is 121.200. COM2 is
selected on the audio selector to hear the ATIS. The
LS switch can be pressed to activate ILS information
AP Altitude: Entered
FMGC: Descent
52
Altimeter: STD
Systems: Checked
Fuel qty: Checked
Route: Checked
Altimeter: Set
Seat Belts: ON
AP Heading: Set
FMGC: Direct mode
FMGC: Runway selected
ATIS: OK
LS: ON
on the PFD.
• At this distance, the ILS frequency and course are
• ILS course: Checked
automatically set for approach (auto-tune). The
dashed line appears on the ND to indicate the runway
heading.
Landing
• Following the ATC instructions, we arrive near our
destination airport. Flaps are progressively extended,
and the FMGC maintains a correct speed depending on
the aircraft configuration.
• ATC finally guides the aircraft to the localizer of our
destination runway. It is time to extend the landing
gear and make sure it is down and locked.
• Suggestion: The ND can be switched to LS mode,
and Navaid 1 and 2 can be switched OFF to increase
ND readability during final approach.
• Then Landing Lights are turned ON, the spoilers are
armed for automatic extension on the ground, and the
auto-brake should be set as necessary.
• Even if the visibility is perfect, I decide to make an
automatic landing. When aligned on the localizer and
glideslope, the approach mode is selected on the FCU
by pushing the APPR button. The auto-pilot now keeps
the aircraft aligned on the approach path.
• For the Autoland to work, the auto-throttle is
engaged, the auto-brake must be set on the MED or
MAX position and the second autopilot AP2 must be
turned ON.
• The aircraft keeps descending. As it reaches the
decision height, a beep is heard and the message
AUTOLAND appears on the E/WD.
• I keep my hands on the throttle and stick, just in
case something is wrong. Fortunately, everything
works great this time again...
• The aircraft lands on the runways. As soon as it
touches the ground, spoilers are deployed, engine
reverse is engaged, and automatic braking begins.
• The aircraft goes slower and slower until it comes to
a complete stop. I had my hands ready, but they did
nothing... As the aircraft stops, the auto-brake should
turn OFF automatically.
Taxi - Parking
• Now I take the control of the aircraft again. Autobrake is OFF, the spoilers can be retracted, landing
light can be switched OFF and the taxi light ON. As I
begin taxiing, the flaps and slats can be retracted.
• As soon as the aircrafts leaves the runway, I am
requested to switch to the ground frequency to taxi to
the parking point.
• Flaps: As needed
• Landing Gear: Down
and locked
• ND mode: LS
• Navaid 1 & 2: OFF
• Landing lights: ON
• Spoilers: Armed
• APPR mode: Armed
• Auto-throttle: Checked
• Auto-Brake: MED
• AP2: ON
• AUTOLAND: Checked
• Spoilers: Extend, Checked
• Braking: Checked
• Auto-Brake: OFF, Checked
•
•
•
•
•
Spoilers: Retracted
Landing lights: OFF
Taxi lights: ON
Flaps: Retracted
Ground frequency: Set
53
• To the parking place, the aircraft can be switched
•
OFF. First, parking brakes must be set, then
•
Generators must be switched OFF just before engines •
are shut down by closing fuel valves. Lights can be
•
switched OFF (taxi and strobe lights). The passengers •
can be released and allowed to smoke... and doors can •
finally be opened (check the DOOR page on the SD). •
•
• As I want to leave the aircraft, Avionics can be
•
turned OFF, just before Batteries. The aircraft is now •
dark and cold, ready to start again...
Parking Brakes: Set
Generators: OFF
Engines: OFF
Taxi light: OFF
Strobe light: OFF
Seat Belts: OFF
No smoking: OFF
Main exit: Opened
Avionics: OFF
Batteries: OFF
The flight duration was 1 hour 10 minutes, and my A320 burnt around 4.5 tons of
gas. Nice flight...
54
Known Bugs
Keyboard Usage
Some key combinations allow you to trigger some actions through the keyboard. If
FS2002 is running in background, this feature is still active. For example, if you use
Notepad while FS2002 is running, and if you press 'I', the integ light will be switched
on in your aircraft.
This feature uses DirectX (DirectInput) and I couldn't find a way to ignore the key
press when FS2002 window is not the active window.
Cross Feed
When playing with the fuel pumps, you may notice a strange behavior of the cross
feed selector. I don't know how to fix it, it may be a bug in FS2002.
Virtual Cockpit
In this mode, the flight plan, the traffic and the navaids don’t appear on the ND. This
is a limitation of FS2002, which does not show the vector drawings in VC mode. This
can be seen with the Project Airbus A320, which has a great virtual cockpit.
55
Frequently Asked Questions
Question
When I load an aircraft that uses one of your panel, I get a message saying
that FS2002 can't load the gauge, and the panel appears almost empty. Why?
Answer
You get this because the gauge uses the module FSSound.dll, and this module was
designed for FS2000. This is why it has to be declared as an old module for FS2002.
To do this, edit your FS2002.cfg file, and add the following lines:
[OldModules]
FSSound.dll=1
Question
When I change the heading or course on the autopilot, it changes by increments of
10 instead of 1. What can I do?
Answer
Download the latest version of FSUIPC (http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html), and
install it. Run FS2002, open FSUIPC window, and look into the Technical page.
Check the box Fix control acceleration if it is not already done.
Question
When autobrake is armed, the spoilers are automatically deployed when the aircraft
is still in the air, at around 20 feet AGL. Why?
On take-off, the PFD is still in ground mode when the aircraft is airborne, until it
reaches 20 feet AGL. Why?
Answer
Both questions have the same answer: this happens only with the Project Airbus
A320. It comes from the aircraft model and not from the panel. Some people say
that it can be corrected by editing the "Contact Points" section of the aircraft.cfg file.
I have never tried this.
Question
When I land, on short final, the throttle is on IDLE position, but full throttle is
applied. What is wrong?
Answer
Your approach speed is too low, so the Alpha-Floor protection system automatically
applies full power to avoid stall. To correct this problem, you can change your
56
approach speed by following the ideal speed indicator shown on the PFD, or you can
disconnect the ELAC computer to disable the Alpha-Floor.
Question
The "PED", "FMC" and "GPS" buttons below the PFD that were present in the older
versions of your panel have disappeared. Why?
Answer
Since version 2.1, the panel layout has changed. Read the documentation, it shows
that the panel is much bigger than the screen, it is composed of the main panel, the
overhead panel, and the pedestal. There are two new clickable zones. The first one is
located on the top part of the main panel, on the left of the light switches, the
second zone is below the PFD and ND. Click on the first zone and the overhead panel
will appear, click on the second zone to see the pedestal. You can also use the "look
ahead/up" and "look down" keys of FS2002 (default keys are Ctrl-Keypad 8 and
Shift-Keypad 5), just like in reality. In the real aircraft, you see the overhead panel
when you look up and the pedestal when you look down.
Question
I have no joystick connected to my PC, and the Airbus panel works badly. What can I
do?
Answer
The Alpha-floor flight envelope protection system developed in my Airbus panels are
required to fly the aircraft with a joystick. If you have no joystick, this feature can't
work, and you can disconnect the ELAC by pressing the ELAC1 button on the
overhead panel. This will disable the Alpha-floor features.
Question
I have no throttle device connected to my PC, can I fly without it?
Answer
Yes, you can. The white triangle indexes shown on the E/WD screen are supposed to
show the position of the throttle levers. If you don't have a throttle device, these
indexes will stay at a median position, and everything will work fine in the panel.
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Checklist
PRE-START
BATTERY
AVIONICS
GENERATOR 1
GENERATOR 2
DOORS
NAV LIGHTS
ADIRS
FUEL
Flight Plan
IFR CLEARANCE
TRANSPONDER
THROTTLE
Page SD DOOR
BEACON
SEAT BELTS
NO SMOKING
PARKING BRAKES
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
Closed
ON
Check, Aligned
Quantity checked
Loaded
Copied
Code checked
IDLE
Checked (All doors closed)
ON
ON
ON
Set
PUSH-BACK
TAXI CLEARANCE
CLEAR AREA
TAXI LIGHTS
PARKING BRAKES
Granted
Checked
ON
Released (Check NULL pressures)
ENGINE START
ENG MODE
ENG MASTER 1
ENG MASTER 2
Engine Start
ENG MODE
Page SD WHEEL
GENERATOR 1
GENERATOR 2
CHRONO
58
IGN/START
ON
ON
Done
Check NORM
Checked
ON
ON
Start
BEFORE TAXI
ELEVATOR TRIM
FLAPS
RUDDER TRIM
FLIGHT DIRECTOR
Takeoff Setting
Takeoff
CENTER
ON
TAXI
BRAKES
ENG ANTI-ICE
PROBE ANTI-ICE
STANDBY ALTIMETER
AUTOPILOT
GROUND SPEED
Tested
As Required
As Required
Set to 0 (Ground Altitude)
Set, not armed
20-30 kts MAX
BEFORE TAKEOFF
HEADING/ALTIMETERS
ALERTS
TAKEOFF CLEARANCE
DEPARTURE FREQUENCY
TAXI LIGHTS
LDG LIGHTS
STROBE LIGHTS
AUTO-BRAKE
SPOILERS
TO CONFIG
Checked
Checked (no Alert message or light)
Granted
Copied
OFF
ON
ON
RTO
Armed
Checked
TAKEOFF
1- Release brakes before increasing thrust.
2- The stick must be pushed half-way below 80 kts and brought gently back to
neutral.
3- Increase thrust in 2 steps: increase to 50% N1 on both engines, and then apply
takeoff thrust (FLX or TOGA).
As soon as climb is confirmed:
GEAR
SPOILERS
AUTO-BRAKE
Retracted
Disarmed, Retracted
OFF
Above 1500 ft (AGL)
AUTOPILOT
THROTTLE
As Required
CL
59
LDG LIGHTS
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
OFF
As Required
AFTER TAKEOFF
FLAPS
AIRSPEED
As Required (retracted above 230 kts)
Under 250 kts below 10 000 ft
TRANSITION ALTITUDE
ALTIMETER
FLAPS
SEAT BELTS
AIRSPEED
Set to Standard
Retracted
OFF
Accelerate to cruise speed
CRUISE
Check navigation on FMGC.
Check fuel tanks balance for a straight flight.
BEFORE DESCENT
SEAT BELTS
AIRSPEED
AUTOPILOT
ON
280 kts or Mach 0.80
Altitude entered
DESCENTE
Transition altitude reached:
ALTIMETER
Set to QNH
On ATIS reception:
Get Runway info (QFU)
Enter the QFU as the COURSE
Enter the ILS frequency into NAV1 (if
available)
Enter QNH into the Altimeter
Compute the QFE depending on the runway
elevation
Enter the QFE on the standby altimeter
60
DESCENT – APPROACH
FLAPS
LANDING SYSTEM
Extended depending on Airspeed :
230 kts : Pos. 1
210 kts : Pos. 1+F
200 kts : Pos. 2
185 kts : Pos. 3
177 kts : Pos. FULL
ON
BEFORE LANDING
GEAR
LDG LIGHTS
SPOILERS
AUTO-BRAKE
PARKING BRAKES
AIRSPEED
Extended, Checked (3 Green)
ON
Armed
As Required
Checked released
Under 160 kts
If FLAPS FULL, Airspeed 140-150 kts
LANDING
SPOILERS
THROTTLE
BRAKES
THROTTLE
Confirmed Extended
Short Landing : REV
Otherwise : IDLE
As Required
IDLE (When speed reaches 60kt)
AFTER LANDING - TAXI
AUTO-BRAKE
SPOILERS
FLAPS
LDG LIGHTS
TAXI LIGHTS
ELEVATOR TRIM
GROUND FREQUENCY
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Disarmed
Retracted
0
OFF
ON
Set for Takeoff
Set
As Required
61
PARKING – SHUT DOWN
THROTTLE
PARKING BRAKES
TAXI LIGHTS
STROBE LIGHTS
ENG MASTER 1
ENG MASTER 2
VALUES DECREASE
Page SD DOOR
SEAT BELTS SIGN
NO SMOKING SIGN
BEACON
GENERATOR 1
GENERATOR 2
BEACON
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
FLIGHT DIRECTOR
LANDING SYSTEM
ANTI-ICE
AVIONICS
BATTERY
62
IDLE
Set
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
Checked
Checked
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
As Required
OFF
OFF
All OFF
OFF
OFF