Basic Instructions For the FSX Garmin GPS 500

Note! That tutorial is published encours as the section about ssing the Garmin GPS 500 for approaches is not completed yet!

Default FSX airliners, although not featured with a FMC, that on-board computer pilots use during the flight to set the plane, are equipped with the Garmin GPS 500. That GPS, although not offering much of the functions of a FMC, can however be usefully used (depending on the user's needs). Here below, you will find basic instructions for that panel. By displaying, via Options, Settings, Display, Plane, Display Cockpit Tips of the cockpit, you can usefully, in order to better control the GPS, have the function of a GPS element displayed through hovering your mouse over)

Basics

Let's start with general views about the GPS:

• button system bottom right: it features two buttons, each controlled separately via the white arrows, and a pusher (PUSH CRSR). The biggest button, to make it simple, allows navigating the main sections of the GPS. The smaller one allows to navigate within one section. The pusher allows a cursor to appear -- which appears as a highlight mode -- on a given page
• right front buttons: RNG allows you to zoom (down arrow) or unzoom (up arrow) the map display with 20 levels from 500 feet to 500 NM. The arrowed D is showing the system that allows to directly fly to a given location. MENU is a function associated with the Flight Plan display. CLR allows to return to the previous page regardless of the current view as a extended press will bring you back to the default page (map). ENT, on a given page, allows you to validate a action or a entry
• low front buttons: NRST allows you to enter the 'Nearest' section. OBS interrupts the sequential display of a flight plan's legs (to resume just the button again). MSG displays air space alerts. FPL displays the flight plan under a data form. TERR displays terrain data on the map. PROC is about the approach-landing procedures
• data displayed on the map: at the top, DTK is the desired road, TRK is the route ground trace (which, by crosswind, by example, may be different from the heading), DIS the distance to the next flight point or to destination. Below, GS is the ground speed as you find too the waypoints (in case of a flight plan) or the direct route. ETE is the estimated time to reach a leg or destination of a complete flight. The graphic indicator shows through its pointer the distance of the road followed compared the desired route. On the left side of the map is also to be found the zoom level
• data displayed left of the map: WPT is the next waypoint, BRG the heading to that next point, CTS the optimum road to return to the course, ETA the estimated time of arrival at the waypoint or the final destination, VSR the vertical speed to reach the altitude of the waypoint (or the landing runway), TKE the angle error in relation to the planned route, and XTK the distance from the planned route

Pushing the CLR button several times allows to unclutter the map. Pushing CLR, in that order, decides all the details, no class B or C airspace, no navaid, no airport (with indications -1, -2 or -3 next to the zoom value), respectively

click on the picture to a view of the basic controls for the FSX Garmin GPS 500

Using the Garmin GPS 500 During a Airliner Flight

Although the Garmin GPS 500 is not a FMC, it does have some features of it however. To link the GPS to a declared IFR flight, just, when switching to the autopilot (AP) mode, to pair it with the plane. The NAV/GPS switch is switched to GPS and one activates VOR LOC at the AP, instead of HEADING, which gives a LNAV (lateral navigation in heading) function of sort. The AP before that could be assimilated to a VNAV (vertical navigation, in altitude) function. On the GPS, the big button bottom left will allow navigating from one data group to the other: NAV (flight plan, map), WPT (airport data, navaids, etc.), and NRST (airports, intersections, navaids, etc. and data, in terms of position, related to a airport). The smallest button, as embedded in the previous one, allows you to navigate within each of these datasets. To navigate through a data set, activate the cursor (PUSH CRSR) and then use the big button at the bottom left to navigate, and ENT to validate (with PUSH CRSR to end the highlight). Idem in the case of a scroll bar on the right of the data. The CLR button can delete some data or cancel a entry. Here follow a few more details about each dataset:

• NAV data: the flight plan following is oriented in the direction of the route. The general map is oriented to the North
• WPT data: that section is very useful for obtaining terrains, runways, approaches, frequencies, navaids, etc. Such data are obtained by displaying the code of the searched item (FSX help tells that one can also try --on the position page only--with the name of the terrain): activate the cursor (PUSH CRSR) which puts the code in highlight; right action on the small button, which selects the first element of the code, still the same button (in one direction or the other) and the element is modified; then the large button moves to the next element in the code (the same with the small button to modify it); once the desired code displayed, press ENT, then PUSH CRSR to terminate the cursor. To move around the various fields, use PUSH CRSR and the big button, as the RNG button allows you to zoom in when necessary
• NRST data: no details needed

As far as airspace warnings are concerned, which appear automatically, just click the MSG button to make them disappear (you can even turn off warnings by holding the MSG button for two second as 'OFF' is displayed; to re-enable press the MSG button again)

Using the Garmin GPS 500 for Approaches

As far as planes equipped with the Garmin GPS 500 and not featuring a FMC are concerned, the use of GPS is almost mandatory if one wants to fly a approach in an automated way. FSX's ATC is most of the time unclear as to orders for descent and interception of a approach -- which already was the case long before that version of the Flight Simulator franchise. Practice proves that, as soon as you receive the ATC message asking you to start your descent from your flight level -- and possibly noting the approach and/or the runway it ascribes -- it is better to request the deactivation of the IFR flight, to confirm that, and to request flight tracking from the current ATC. You will have calculated upstream from that point, the starting point of your descent (TOD, 'top of descent'). On a other hand, you might also deactivate the IFR flight function of the latter like, for example, since the point when you will prepare the plane for TOD and the descent

Let's now transition to the use of transitions and approaches during a given flight. According to the usual practice, you will prepare your flight and your plane. At a point into the preparation, you will check, throuh a site like METAR-TAF, for example, what the weather is forecast at your terrain of destination and you will also check for the terrain data -at least with the FSX chart- and you will deduce what the runway(s) in service is. With such data, you will incorporate at that point of the flight and plane preparation, to check with the GPS, the transitions (about STARs) and approaches available for the runway(s). You will also possibly have added a published chart of available STARs for the terrain and runways, function of what you will have been able to found on the Internet. Of note is that the Garmin 500 does not necessarily include those published transitions into and you will probably have to make your choice differently, like checking the transitions proposed by the GPS. For a given runway, transitions generally are deviced function of the heading whence you arrive, North, East, South or West for example. Juste choose according to your flight plan. Should any transition in the GPS, in any case, no please you or should really not match any published STAR, a radical fix would be just to insert your STAR, through the Flight Organizer, like waypoints of your flightplan. At arrival, you will just have to fly those in altitudes only, and the GPS will keep flying the plane in headings. To check the transitions and approaches in the GPS, you will use the Approach page of the WPT section. Thus, with the big button, choose WPT and, in WPT, make the cursor appear with PUSH CRSR. Display the destination airfield code (small button to select and set the first element of the code, big button to move to the next item and small button to display the desired part of the element). Then ENT to validate. Again PUSH CRSR to remove the cursor (highlight), and again PUSH CRSR to bring it back, use the big button to reach to approaches, small button to navigate in the menu, and PUSH CRSR to stop the cursor. The zoom allows -- badly -- to detail the approaches. You will then note your chosen transition and approach. Thence just keep to prepare the plane, and start your flight according to the usual procedures. When you will trigger GPS at the NAV/GPS switch, the GPS and AP will fly the plane (on its headings only as the altitude control will rest on the pilots!). You will eventually reach to the point where, at a given distance from your destination, you will have to prepare the plane for descending from your flight level down to the transition or STAR. Among those preparations, you will have then just to enter the GPS the transition and approach you will have chosen previously (or others function, for example, of a new weather). Just use, now, the PROC button then Select Approach?. Navigating in the menu is done like already described above. Once your transition and approach chosen -- at Load? or Activate? choose Load? as the data are loaded but not activated -- they will be displayed into the PROC panel. It seems best to avoid a vectored transition ('Vectors') as such transitions mostly brings you to the approach but too much directly and too short; better to choose the other transitions. Then you will reach, on your flight, TOD, that point whence you begin your descent. As you will have deactivated the IFR following of your flight, you will however keep contact with the ATC as different ones will succede themselves. Of note that, down to landing, controllers will not now give you any heading and the plane will just fly along the last waypoints established in your flight plan. Once approaching the first point of the transition, as the latter is figured like a white line in the GPS, go back into PROC and chose Activate, to activate your chosen transition. Thence, the GPS will bring you down to the approach and landing as it will trigger VOR/LOC. The ATCs will keep succeding themselves and nor will they give you your headings, nor -- which turns important during the transition and approach -- your altitudes. You will have thus to set realistic ones by yourself, or using a published STAR and approach

As far as missed approaches are concerned, the Garmin 500 incorporate those into approaches as they may, or not, match published ones. When your plane will pass over the missed approach point (MAP), the GPS will automatically turn to the first point of the Missed Approach procedure and will bring you to a waiting pattern or the last point of the procedure. Thence, to start the transition and approach again, use PROC and Activate?