Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

36 leg Achievement
Talan2000
Posts: 207
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:59 pm
Location: McKinney, Texas, USA, Earth

Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

Post by Talan2000 »

Pilots,

Well the important thing is I survived this flight and got to see the Grand Canyon...where to start?

Lessons Learned:

Airfield Disorientation: Since I parked on the SE corner of KFUL the previous flight I guess I was subconciously expecting to be at the same place when I restarted X-Plane in the next flight -- now in the faster BE9L King Air. (Incidentally, it appears I forgot to change BE36 for BE9L on the IFR flight plan...I had some weirdnes where I had to file a few times before it showed up on the PE Map Page, and I guess I forgot to switch it, at least on the last time. That would explain the 200kt TAS for the "mythical BE36" on the Flight Plan. Anyway back to the field. I showed up between two hangers and thought I was on the SE corner...I called for taxi and was disoriented quickly..turns out I was on the N side of the airport. Spatial disorientation on the ground...didn't bode well...

SID Scare: Flew the SID without error but had a millisecond of terror as I scanned my instruments and my charts enroute. Using Skyvector, I had neglected to enter APLES enroute and the chart showed Direct HEC CRS 030 instead of 018 as I recall from the SID. Fortunately I restrained my fast hands in the cockpit and identified the error before banking hard right to get to 030! But I was scared for a second.

Dual Engine Failure/Fire: Ok, so this one...not my fault. I don't even have failures enabled. And since I once had a dual engine failure on a V rating I am very careful to not overtorque the engine or overheat ITT. So some "gremlin" shall we say decided to have some fun and kill both my engines at 11000 crossing the Colorado River into AZ. I give myself at D grade on my performance. Standard 10 seconds of disbelief, fumbling for igniters, fuel checking, lever slapping, stalling...declared an emergency down around 6500 ft (hey whats losing 4500 ft and 100kts of airspeed matter in a crisis :). Stoped flying the plane while opening the menu panel on Xplane to "reset all Failures" (cheater). I don't know if that did it or a disgusted gremlin finally cut me loose at 4500 and heading generally toward nearest field...Cancelled the emergency -- no way am I reflying this alphabet leg! -- and continued on a little frazzled.

Awful Arcing: Ok, I don't even want to describe the approach I screwed up so many things. It really irritates me to confront my lack of proper prior planning. I've got to really discipline myself to review the approach plates more carefully. Then again in the real world you may get a plate you didn't expect - so memorizing isn't the answer. What's the answer: Attention to Detail.

I like arcs, I think they are fun, and really easy actually. The challenge with this little one is that it is DECEPTIVELY short AND it's quite cruel that you have to switch to GCN VOR/DME two miles before turning! Due to poor reception I imagine..I had that sucker tuned in for 30 miles but never got it until 14DME out. Then switch the CRS in autopilot and wham due an S turn to get on track (thanks Otto!) then wham heading select to 90degree right turn at 12DME! It didn't help that I had a little too much speed ~160kts but I'm getting better...anyway.

The next glitch was setting the CRS to 020 instead of 027 -- this I blame on my tired old eyes seeing 028 in the EHSI and deciding not to fuss with it with the mouse tuning...so I blew through the FAC and had to get back. But I had a nice intercept on 020 :)

The REAL SCREWUP was switching both NAV1 and NAV2 to the Localizer Freq (having ID'd it) and being perplexed that the HSI showed NO DME! What the HECK!??? So this is the big embarrasing screw up. I EXPECTED the localizer to send the DME info. INSTEAD on this approach the VOR/DME is required to be simultaneously TUNED to get the DME for the LOC/ILS!! Aaah. I realized this as I descended towards FAF HAPLY.

I don't know if this was legal - and maybe it wasn't but at this point I didn't have the dexterity to retune NAV 2 to GCN to get DME while handflying (so I turned my trusty eyeballs to the GPS and got DME from THAT. Worked like a champ. Intercepted glideslope, didn't bust mins ((ok I descended .1 DME early this is a confessional no?) and landed on centerline...Phew.
UNHAPLY.JPG
UNHAPLY.JPG (138.36 KiB) Viewed 8723 times
So the question for Peter or Keith et al -- is it legal to use the GPS for DME information on this approach? (or even to fly the whole ILS using the GPS for DME and not GCN? (I think the latter for certain is legal, so likely the former too)) and so I think my improvised half analog half digital approach might actually have been legal if kinda unplanned. I look forward to hearing that it was legal as it always makes me feel better :) and promise to pay BETTER
attention to detail...

Also - how does one know when a localizer is going to send DME data and when it's not? I know this plate has it plastered ALL over it (but GCN sure is easy to mistake for I-GCN if one is assuming all localizers send DME. I won't make that - exact - mistake again ...)

The whole thing:

Todd
N3298S
Attachments
HAPLY.JPG
HAPLY.JPG (91.48 KiB) Viewed 8723 times
Last edited by Talan2000 on Sat Jan 31, 2015 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
flyingdrill
Posts: 271
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Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 5 KFUL - KGCN

Post by flyingdrill »

Silly question maybe, but haven't you got the leg numbers wrong?
Talan2000
Posts: 207
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Location: McKinney, Texas, USA, Earth

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

Post by Talan2000 »

I have no idea what you are talking about FlyingDrill? It says 6 right there in the title

:)

Fixed. Thanks. I 'll go back and edit the others. I just incremented them each time. Will revise.

Attention to detail.

Todd
Keith Smith
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Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

Post by Keith Smith »

Todd, I don't trigger any failures on anyone that I haven't spoken to in advance (not for each failure, of course, but instead to gauge their interest in taking part in tests of the failure system for various aircraft. I generally only do it with streamers so I can see the result myself). In the future, you might watch the replay of the flight and check your power settings to ensure you weren't exceeding any tolerances for the aircraft.
Peter Grey
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Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 5 KFUL - KGCN

Post by Peter Grey »

A GPS substitution for DME is nearly always legal as long as either a. the database is current or b. you've verified the procedure you'll be using is current.

Reference is AIM table 1-1-6.
Peter Grey
PilotEdge Director of Quality Assurance and Operations
peter@pilotedge.net
flyingdrill
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 4:15 am

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

Post by flyingdrill »

Todd,

You corrected those numbers so quickly, that I thought I was going mad when I went back to the main page :D
Peter Grey
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Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

Post by Peter Grey »

To clarify the "nearly always legal". You can't use the GPS as the primary source of navigation on the final segment of the approach unless it is a GPS approach (has GPS in the title). So if you can find an approach where the primary navigation source on the final segment is DME you couldn't use the GPS substitution for that approach.

Fortunately no one would be so silly as to make a DME arc approach.

Oh wait...

http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1501/05222VDTZ15.PDF

So with the single exception of that 1 approach you are good to go.
Peter Grey
PilotEdge Director of Quality Assurance and Operations
peter@pilotedge.net
gavink42
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Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

Post by gavink42 »

Peter Grey wrote: Fortunately no one would be so silly as to make a DME arc approach.

Oh wait...

http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1501/05222VDTZ15.PDF
And... an added bonus for the arc on the missed approach!
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Talan2000
Posts: 207
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:59 pm
Location: McKinney, Texas, USA, Earth

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

Post by Talan2000 »

Keith,

Sure you don't send stealth failures...sure you don't ;)

Actually I was a little flattered to think I rated a failure. Now I am just perplexed. I guarantee you I wasn't overtorqueing in the engines at least not for more than 20 seconds on takeoff or somesuch. I'm pretty focused on it. I just tweaked TIM_PE on YouTube for firewalling his Caravan...and I had the unexplained dual engine out in the V rating...and I had a total electrical failure the other day too. Now that is going to bug me to no end. If real engines failed like this there would be King Air yard art all over the US...very very rare for a dual engine failure -- and I even had smoke -- from the NOSE cowling??? What the??

I prefer to think that you are doing it - at least until I can find the actual gremlin...So weird. I don't do failures because I pre-admit my systems knowledge is not where I'd want it to be to test my EPs...so it's perplexing...what is going on???

Peter,

Thanks as always for the real answers AND the references. I love being right. :)

So what's the story on Localizers -- is there any rhyme or reason why some provide DME and some don't? Should we have a bake sale so the FAA can fix I-GCN?

Todd
Keith Smith
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Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 6 KFUL - KGCN

Post by Keith Smith »

Todd, keep flying and see if you can replicate it. The fact that both engines failed pretty much rules out a random failure, unless there's a single failure that would knock out to engines in that airplane. I know I didn't do it, so the signs point to them failing due to a result of the coding of the systems. In other words, the plane thought it had a reason. Next time, save the replay so you can debug it.

If you want another mind blowing approach, go try the KNYL ILS or LOC/DME RWY 21R: http://155.178.201.160/d-tpp/1501/00511ILD21R.PDF. Look at the chart...closely.
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