5 . . . THE TRAINING FLIGHT
In the Training Flight you will fly from Jacksonville, Florida to Miami, Florida using the Radio Range. This flight is excerpted from Air Pilot Training by Bert A. Shields, 1942.
But first, here is the PIREP information for DC-3 Airways pilots:
The PIREP number is RR00 as in RR-Zero-Zero.
Take five hours credit for the flight, 300 minutes.
Below you will find the details of the Training Flight. Here is the summary to give you the big picture.
|
Plan on a 3000 ft cruise altitude. Morse Code "A" is
Distance ... 306 NM; Time ... about 2 Hours |
Set Up the Initial Flight Simulator Conditions
- From your usual "Start-up" situation, change the aircraft to the Radio Range DC-3, and select the 1945 Panel from the aircraft list ... Douglas/DC-3 1945 Panel
- From "Go to Airport" (Alt–W–A) go to Jacksonville, KJAX, Runway 31.
- Tune your ADF-1 Receiver to 555 kC.
- Turn up the Volume on the BC-345 Radio Range Gauge to about two-thirds full.
- Select "Range" on the BC-345 – you should hear a succession of Morse "N"s.
- Select "Voice" – in a few moments you should hear the "JX" Station Ident (
).
- Change to "Both" – you will now hear both "Range" signals and "Station Identifier" signals.
- Tune your ADF-2 Receiver to Daytona Beach Radio, 536 kC, Station Ident DB. This is to verify station passage, when you will retune ADF-1 to the Melbourne Radio Range Station.
Note that Radio Range operation is only possible on ADF-1
- Configure your aircraft as required for flight (flaps, trim, fuel selector, etc.).
- Set FS Weather to "Fair Weather" under the Weather Themes category.
- Save this Flight as "Range Jacksonville R31".
Should you later wish to fly a different Radio Range course, all you have to do is start with the saved Jacksonville flight, then move to the desired airfield and reset your Radio to the nearest Range Station.
If you save each profile in turn as a "Range.XXX. flight" then you will correctly have setup situations to use for the 1940 period Range Airways flights.
If you use "FSNav" or the Microsoft Game Map, once you have "Slewed" the aircraft upward to some convenient Altitude with the "Q" key you can move the Aircraft anywhere in the World. Obviously you need to set adequate Power, Airspeed and Altitude clearance unless "Paused", or still in "Slew" configuration.
This is a simple and reliable alternate to the "Create a Flight" procedure with the advantage of retaining all of your preset parameters . (Not the Radio Range Volume Control setting, however.)
Training Flight
Jacksonville, Florida to Miami, Florida. From Air Pilot Training, as noted.
The original training manual pages are transcribed below. Frequencies have been changed and some beam directions have been slightly altered to be compatible with Flight Simulator 9.
Riding The Beam
"The installation of a good radio practically solves your navigation problems, provided that you confine your flying to the established airways. Even in good weather, it is not necessary to watch the ground for all the minor landmarks along the course, for the radio beam will keep you on your course.
We shall make a flight from Jacksonville, Fla., to Miami, Fla. Let us assume that you have checked your weather with the Weather Bureau and have found the ceiling and visibility are above the prescribed minimum for contact flying. You would ordinarily use an aeronautical sectional chart, but you might also carry a radio facilities map, a section of which is shown in the Figure above. You should study your sectional chart until you are familiar with the terrain and have picked out the most prominent landmarks.
As noted, before taking off at Jacksonville, tune your radio to 555 kC, the frequency
of the Jacksonville radio range. The signal should come in very loud because of your close
proximity to the range station. However, you should wait for the identification signal, JX
(
) in order to be positive that you are
tuned to the correct station.
Consulting your chart again, you will find that the direction of the southeast leg of the Jacksonville range is 342° toward the station. Thus, the direction away from the station would be 162°M. This is the magnetic course, since all radio bearings are given as magnetic. The correct corresponding compass course can be read from the compass card in your plane. Your approximate drift can be determined by working out a drift diagram from the wind velocities as given by the Weather Bureau, or you may determine your drift angle while following the radio beam.
Make your customary take-off from Rwy 31, then turn right to about 140° and fly direct to the JX Radio Range Station, You will easily sight the Radio Range Station towers several miles ahead and the Morse code sounds should be very strong.
Once you reach the Jacksonville Range Station, at the cone of silence, you will fly outbound on the 342° Beam, which is TO the Station. Its reciprocal is 162°, and this is the centerline of the outbound beam. Your chart indicates that you will receive an "A" signal if you are on the right side of the beam, and an "N" signal if you are on the left of it. You should fly along the right side of the beam, or in the "A" twilight zone (On course and Off course signals at equal volume). The Twilight-Zone magnetic course will be about 164°.
Let us assume that you are receiving an "A" signal. This will indicate that you are too far to the right, or southwest of your course. Change your compass course slightly to the left by subtracting 5° from your heading. If this doesn't bring you into the "A" twilight zone, subtract 5° more from your compass heading. As soon as you receive the "A" and "on course" signals with equal intensity, change your course slightly to the right, and adjust as necessary to keep the intensity of the two signals equal. Any variation in the intensity of the "A" or the "on course" signal indicates you are getting slightly off course, and you should correct for it immediately by adding or subtracting one or two degrees to or from your heading.
The same general procedure should be followed if you find yourself in the "N" quadrant when you first check your radio signals. However, in this case it will be necessary to cross the beam to reach the "A" twilight zone.
A low powered ML-type range station is located at Daytona Beach, which is approximately
half way between Jacksonville and Melbourne. If you were flying on instruments, or over
the top, you could turn your set to 536 kC and tune in Daytona Beach, "DB" (
) to check your progress along your
course and ascertain your ground speed.
On passing Daytona Beach Radio, you should be able to bring in the Melbourne range by
tuning your set to 538 kC and listening for the identification signal "OU" (
).
The direction of the Melbourne northwest leg to the station is 162° magnetic. Note that this is one degree offset from the outbound beam from Jacksonville. However, since the beams do not align perfectly, you will usually find yourself in the "N" quadrant of the Melbourne range when you first acquire it.
Turn right 10°, cross the beam and establish position on the "A" twilight zone. Then turn left to follow the beam, 162° M, to the Melbourne Radio Range, which you will identify by its cone of silence. Inbound on the "A" twilight zone, your average heading will be about 160°.
On station passage at Melbourne range, track the 162° magnetic outbound beam. This will take you towards the West Palm Beach Airport, where you will intercept the north leg of the Miami Radio Range, . Ride the "N" twilight zone to remain on the west side of the beam, and your average heading should be about 164°.
When you estimate that you are approaching West Palm Beach airport, adjust your set to
544 kC to tune in Miami, "MM," (
). If you are west of the north leg of the Miami beam, you will receive an
"N" signal. You should continue on your same course until you encounter the
Miami beam. This beam is 190° magnetic and your average heading will be
about 188°. If you
receive an "A" signal, it will indicate that you have already crossed the Miami
beam, and you should alter your course toward the west to get back to the "N"
twilight zone.
By referring to your chart, you will notice that the inbound direction of the north leg of the Miami range is 190° -- a dogleg course. This means that you must add 27° to your heading from Melbourne. The "N" quadrant is still on your right and so you continue to ride in the "N" twilight zone of this beam.
At the Miami Range station, turn right and proceed westward two or three miles to the Miami airport. Land on Rwy 27L.
Under ordinary circumstances, the pilot would continually refer to landmarks on the ground to assist him in piloting the airplane, but this visual reference is not necessary for navigation, since the radio facilities supply all the needed information. As can be seen by the foregoing directions, the procedure is extremely simple.
It consists merely of tuning in the correct stations and keeping on the correct side of the beam, as indicated by the aeronautical or radio-facilities charts.
All the necessary radio information is carried on these charts, including the station frequency, the quadrant-identification signal, the elevation above sea level, the identification of the quadrants, and the direction of the four beams. Any competent pilot should be able to make use of these radio facilities with a few hours' practice."