Synthetic Approach to Your Backyard Strip

[Brantel]

Generally most all of the experimental AP's on the market today will smoke the STEC in performance. These modern all digital AP's and their servos are simply amazing to experience compared to the old school rate based units.

As for your other questions: It depends


Some AP's like the TT Sorcerer can couple to both GPSS/GPSV, NMEA and NAV Radio signals (VOR/GS/LOC) others that TT make can only talk NMEA or GPSS/GPSV.

Some EFIS units connected to the proper TT AP can transfigure the NAV radio signals and convert them to GPSS/GPSV that the TT AP can understand and be able to couple to VOR/GS/LOC signals.

Then there is the AP's that can be built into the modern EFIS systems. Feature sets vary between EFIS makes and they are constantly updating their capabilities so it is hard to keep up with which one can do what.

The Garmin G3X AP can couple to it's VNAV just fine. It can also pretty much couple with any other navigation source that it supports. I imagine this will not change when they add the ability to set your own glide angle.

[Rainier Lamers]

Originally Posted by Mancival

Thanks Rainier. Just to make things clear on the MGL system, can your internal AP, as of TODAY, fly the synthetic VFR Vertical approach generated by your MGL EFIS (I mean both laterally and vertically)? Can it fly an IFR vertical approach (ILS or LPV) coming from an external source of IFR navigation (like a GTN650)?

Yes of course. Been doing that for many years.

You can use either the internal AP or an external AP using any of the many internal nav sources or external nav sources including analog types (+/-150mV signals).
To simplify operation our current systems assign a priority to equivalent nav sources. Say you select "en-route GPS navigation" - this would be anything from a direct-to or a route/flightplan. If you are doing this using the internal GPS it will be used UNLESS it gets en-route navigation information from an external source - in this case the external gets priority (typically a Garmin source). In case of multiple internal or external sources - these are again assigned a priority (for example should you have a SL30 Nav plus a G530 and both are giving VOR - then the systems picks the G530 as it has a higher priority).
The same goes for any other nav mode (VOR, ILS, heading bug...).

This keeps things simple despite supporting a plethora of nav sources and modes.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

[Mancival]

Originally Posted by g3xpert

Happy Friday everyone,

Without commenting on the several topics of discussion going on in this thread, we just wanted to clarify that adding the capability for a G3X user to set up our VNAV feature to use a flight path angle instead of a vertical speed is in fact something we would like to investigate. If you've been following our products, you'll have noticed that we continue to roll out new features and improvements in our free software updates, and that we do go out of our way to incorporate customer feedback as resources permit.

Everybody have a great weekend, and fly safely...

- Matt

7 months have past since the above message from Garmin. Any development on giving g3x the capability that is present on g1000 (and that grt, mgl and afs already have), to descent to any waypoint with arbitrary bearing AND arbitrary glide angle, both kept constant by the autopilot?

[agflyboy]

Originally Posted by g3xpert

Happy Friday everyone,

Without commenting on the several topics of discussion going on in this thread, we just wanted to clarify that adding the capability for a G3X user to set up our VNAV feature to use a flight path angle instead of a vertical speed is in fact something we would like to investigate. If you've been following our products, you'll have noticed that we continue to roll out new features and improvements in our free software updates, and that we do go out of our way to incorporate customer feedback as resources permit.

Everybody have a great weekend, and fly safely...

- Matt

Matt, any progress on the "investigation" of providing this ability with the g3x?

Kevin

[Mancival]

Originally Posted by g3xpert

Happy Friday everyone,

Without commenting on the several topics of discussion going on in this thread, we just wanted to clarify that adding the capability for a G3X user to set up our VNAV feature to use a flight path angle instead of a vertical speed is in fact something we would like to investigate. If you've been following our products, you'll have noticed that we continue to roll out new features and improvements in our free software updates, and that we do go out of our way to incorporate customer feedback as resources permit.

Everybody have a great weekend, and fly safely...

- Matt

Originally Posted by agflyboy

Matt, any progress on the "investigation" of providing this ability with the g3x?

Kevin

18 months have past since the above statement from g3xpert. Any update on this capability for the G3X? It's just a question of software update, a developer familiar with the G3X system would take 1h to do the job. It's a capability that most uncertified EFIS have and the G1000 has (I use it in EVERY VFR flight on my G1000).

[Funguy]

Originally Posted by CarlosF@grtavionics

From time to time customers ask about the synthetic approach capability in the GRT Avionics Sport and Horizon EFIS (all models). How does it work, are public and/or private airports supported, etc. The one question that we have not been able to answer positively til now was, "Can I fly a synthetic approach to my backyard strip?" The answer now, is, yes, you can.

Below are file details to make a synthetic approach in the GRT Avionics EFIS to any landing site you want, anywhere in the world.

<GRTUserDB>
<Airport ident="UDBEX3" lat="42.900000" lon="-85.900000" elevation="604" name="USER DATABASE EXAMPLE 3">
<Runway surface="ASP" length="3000" width="50" >
<RunwayEnd ident="09" lat="42.900000" lon="-85.904000" elevation="606.0" />
<RunwayEnd ident="27" lat="42.900000" lon="-85.896000" elevation="602.0" tdze="602.67" dispthr="200" dispthrelev="602.27" lights="Yes" />
</Runway>
</Airport>
</GRTUserDB>

For more details about Synthetic Approach to Your Backyard Strip go to
http://grtavionics.com/Default.aspx?id=37

To learn more about GRT Avionics, it's products and capabilities visit http://grtavionics.com

Have fun, fly safe!

Regards,

Carlos Fernandez
GRT Avionics
...above, beyond.

Anyone know where to find the documentation on this. The link is broken. I am reasonably sure that the missing piece of information is the expected file name.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers, Sean

[sailvi767]

Originally Posted by Mike S

Although I have no intention of creating my own approach, (not to mention no idea how even given the info from GRT,) I must say I would do a lot of day clear VAF testing of the approach before I ever tried it at night or in the soup.

As has been mentioned already, Darwin will get involved if folks are not doing things correctly.

The problem with letting Darwin sort things out is that Darwin and attornies are best friends. Once Darwin steps in the attornies are sure to follow and that ultimately has a negative effect on us all.

[Funguy]

My bad, I should have noted that the controversy has been beaten into some kind of submission over the last 136 posts and hoping to return to the intent of the OP. Any information or documentation appreciated. I've reached out to GRT but the brain trust here is often faster.

Cheers, Sean

[Canadian_JOY]

Sean - the "how to" is now documented in the baseline GRT operator's manuals.

Despite the dire warning issued above, the SAP is a very handy thing to have available. Not to permit an instrument approach into a field that doesn't have an instrument approach, but as additional guidance and a cross-check for the visual approach you're making to that field.

[Funguy]

Thanks Canadian_Joy! For those who may follow:

User databases are loaded through the SET MENU, Display Unit Maintenance, Database Maintenance, Update User Database function. Upon activating the function, the EFIS will display a list of files and folders on the USB flash drive.

Cheers, Sean