Comet 1 Autopilot Question

[Swanoir]

Having a great time with the new Comet. Quick question about the autopilot. I notice it has a Nav Hold function but I can't for the life of me find a Nav/GPS switch. Is there one? Do I even need one (this is how I usually slave the autopilot to the GPS)?
Thanks in advance.

[Garry Russell]

Hi Swanoir

Depends on the accuracy of the panel but if accurate there would be no GPS.

The GPS may be added for convienience but that would not mean there was a NAV/GPS :think:

Can't say for sure as I have only done a quick circuit.

On BOAC COmet 1 at 20,000 the co pilot relocated to the navagator position and navigated.no navigator as such carried

This would be very early basic nav here........paper and pencil stuff

Garry

[DanKH]

or even coal and papyrus...

[Garry Russell]

Yes Dan.......just like SAS

Garry

[crisso]

Talking of Navigation - I see Jens mentions a 'zero reader' that was too difficult to implement. Was that a predecessor of DME? since, I notice the latter isn't latter fitted to the Comet 1 Panel nor, a chronograph - either/both of which would assist of course, in plotting.

Meantime, she flies beautifully and the Ghost Engine sounds are great.

Last but not least, somebody on the main CBFS Board mentioned a request for a 'what-if' Pan American livery. I would love to see a B.S.A.A. repaint since, before their absorption into B.O.A.C., I understand they were planning to use the Comet 1 on their South Atlantic Routes. (Guess Dakar to Natal (N.Brazil) just about feasible with a full load?)

[jensbk]

You can enable a NAV/GPS switch by opening the panel.cfg and deleting a few backslashes //

I use the NAV/GPS switch myself, but you must be careful, because it doesn't disengage when you deselect NAV HOLD on the AP, and this can give problems on an ILS approach. That's why I decided to leave the switch out in the release.

Best regards

Jens

[jensbk]

Talking of Navigation - I see Jens mentions a 'zero reader' that was too difficult to implement. Was that a predecessor of DME?

No, it was an early type of flight director. The gauge looked like the usual VOR/ILS indicator, but it worked differently, and I don't know how.

Best regards

Jens

[Swanoir]

Thanks lads.

Jens - I've scoured the cfg of the Comet 1 but can't see an obvious reference to the Nav/GPS (I'm looking in the autopilot section). It's not the end of the world if I can't sort this out, it's just useful when I'm on the longer legs of a flight. You know the situation with heading hold, flying 270 from Heathrow, shuffling off for a cup of whatever, coming back into the cockpit to 192 degrees somewhere over Brazil when I was just trying to get to Exeter!

While I've got your attention Jens, you've got some explaining to do to my wife and kids as to where I've been for the last couple of days! After my excellent flight down to Kai Tak the other day, I've ended up on an accidental far east tour. Took Yoke Peter from Hong Kong onwards to Shanghai earlier. Did the flight with FSpassengers and suffered a flameout on engine 2 a couple of hundred miles out from Shanghai. Testament to the elegant old bird that we all got down fine and scraped a load of bonus points on the way.

[DispatchDragon]

Garry/Swanoir -

The Comet 1and 2 like its younger brother were set up for perismatic sextants so it would have been celestial navigation
Plus on the North Atlantic IT would have used (If it had ever gotten there) DF fixes from the weather ships that dotted the
briny back then.


leif

[nigelb]

Thanks lads.

Jens - I've scoured the cfg of the Comet 1 but can't see an obvious reference to the Nav/GPS (I'm looking in the autopilot section). It's not the end of the world if I can't sort this out, it's just useful when I'm on the longer legs of a flight. You know the situation with heading hold, flying 270 from Heathrow, shuffling off for a cup of whatever, coming back into the cockpit to 192 degrees somewhere over Brazil when I was just trying to get to Exeter!

I hope you don't mind me responding - look in the panel.cfg file rather than the aircraft.cfg file. There should be a line for a gauge, preceded by // and the gauge is probably called NAVGPS switch, or something similar.

N²

PS This gave me an excuse to d/l the Comet - fantastic job, Jens! Anyway look in panel.cfg for:

//gauge40=Beech_Baron!NAV GPS Switch, 157,559,20,46 [in Window 01]
//gauge24=Beech_Baron!NAV GPS Switch, 1,205,20,46 [in Vcockpit02]

remove the "//" and you have what you want, but keep in mind Jens' comment about the problem turning it off.