Flying 20 Club - Northstar instructions

Flying 20 Club, Inc. Danbury, CT

- Northstar instructions -
Last updated: April 12, 2006

On this page, jump to: (see table of contents, all links are on this page except as noted)

Northstar LORAN and GPS

CONTENTS: (back to top)

General Operating Procedures
Using the Cursor to Enter Data
The Navigator's Database
Displaying Your Position
Additional Waypoint Information
Selecting Waypoints
Selecting Waypoints by Identifier
Selecting Waypoints by Name or City
Duplicate Waypoint Identifiers
Flying Direct to a Waypoint
Queuing a Second Waypoint
Centering the CDI
Flying a Course
Queuing a Radial from the Current Waypoint
Flying a Bearing TO/FROM a Waypoint
Holding on the Next Waypoint
Track Functions and Readouts
Information Displays
Quick Nearest-Airport Display

GENERAL OPERATING PROCEDURES (back to top)

Here are several general considerations to keep in mind while operating the Northstar navigator:

Use the large, outer knobs to select the function you want the unit to perform.
The yellow annunciator next to each knob illuminates to show which function is active. Most functions use only onehalf of the full readout, leaving the other knob and its readout available for other functions. The functions RTE, STAT, and SETUP use the entire readout and both the primary and secondary knobs (in the GPS-600 and the M2, the STAT knob is labelled APCH). When one of these functions is being used, the annunciator for the other knob is turned off to show that side's function is being controlled by the first knob.
Use the small, inner knobs to select specific data or operating options to be displayed by the function selected by the large knob.
The sequence is always the same whenever you specify or change a waypoint or heading you want to fly to, or whenever you want to follow a route. First, display your choice in the primary (left-hand) readout, then press D> and ACK.
Whenever the ACK button flashes and the readout displays [ ACK ? ] (for example, while you're entering data), it's requesting confirmation. Press the ACK button when the data is correctly entered and ready to be locked in.
Whenever the ALRT, WARN, or ACK buttons flash of their own accord, a message is waiting to be displayed. Press the flashing button, read the message, and then press the button again to stop the flashing and return to normal operation.
When using the flashing cursor to enter data, remember the sequence: Press CRSR to turn the cursor on, use the small knob to scan through the alphabet, numbers, or symbols, and use the large knob to move the flashing cursor ahead or back to the next character position. Finally, when you've correctly entered all characters, press CRSR again to turn the cursor off.

Pushbuttons

There are six buttons across the top of the Northstar. Their basic functions are listed below:

NOTE: You may press the ALRT, WARN, or ACK (ACK's third function) buttons at any time to read an advisory, without disrupting the turning of the knobs or other activities. Just keep pressing the button until your original readout returns.

D> (Direct) Press the D> button to define a flight path direct from your present position to the waypoint that's displayed on the primary readout, or along a route. The ACK button will automatically flash; press it to confirm the new path. The unit then automatically calculates Off-Course Distance, Estimated Time Enroute (ETE), Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), etc., for this flight path. Or, to cancel this change, don't press ACK, but press fagain once or twice to return to the original readout. Several other navigation functions also can be performed using the D> and ACK buttons (see Sections 4 and 5).

NOTE: Simultaneously pressing D> and the left-hand CRSR button provides a shortcut for displaying the nearest airport's identifier, bearing, distance, and longest runway. See Quick nearest-airport display.

CRSR (Cursor) There are two CRSR buttons, one to control data entry on the primary (left-hand) side of the unit and one for the same purpose on the secondary (righthand) side. Press either CRSR to turn on a readout's flashing cursor, allowing you to use the rotary knobs to enter or change data shown on the readout. The CRSR button illuminates while the cursor is activated. Press CRSR again to turn the cursor off after data has been entered.

ALRT (Alert) This button flashes when any type of airspace alert (or Airalert) occurs. Airalert messages occur when the aircraft is about to penetrate Class B, Class C, or Special Use Airspace stored in the database, or when a flight path you've specified will pass through one of these areas. Press ALRT to read the alert message. (See the operator's manual for details.) Press ALRT again to return to your previous readout.

The ALRT button remains illuminated for as long as the alert condition exists. Press it again to display current data. ALRT will turn off when the aircraft is about four miles outside of the indicated area.

The Airalert system may be partially or fully deactivated as described in "Disabling the Airalerts" in the operator's manual.

NOTE: To display whether or not the Airalert system is currently activated, hold in (press without releasing) the ALRT button anytime the button isn't illuminated.

WARN (Warning) This button flashes if any new system messages are waiting to be seen by the pilot. Press WARN again to clear the message, display any additional messages, or finally, display GPS accuracy estimate if you hold in the WARN button. In this readout, the GPS accuracy estimate means there's a 95 percent probability that your true position is within the number of nautical miles (nm) displayed on the readout.

NOTE: You can display GPS accuracy estimate even when the WARN button isn't illuminated.

For most messages, the button remains illuminated for as long as the condition exists; you may press WARN again to re-read it. Other messages will disappear after you've read them once.

ACK (Acknowledge) The ACK button is used to acknowledge an action as described in the four examples below, including to confirm a defined flight path, enter data, read an advisory, and save your present position.

Confirmation of Defined Flight Path
Press ACK after the D> button (when prompted [ ACK? ] in the readout, accompanied by the flashing ACK light) to confirm a flight path to a waypoint or along a leg displayed in the primary readout. If you don't want to take the proposed action, press fagain. NOTE: There isn't a specific button for "NEGATIVE ACKNOWLEDGE." To indicate that you don't want to take the displayed action, just turn a knob to obtain a different display. You may need to turn the cursor off first.

Data Entry
During certain data entry procedures, such as choosing a parallel offset, the ACK button will flash and the readout will prompt [ ACK? ]. Press ACK after the data is correctly entered to indicate that it should be used by the unit.

Reading an Advisory
When an advisory is waiting to be displayed, the ACK button will flash. Press ACK to display the advisory, and press it again to clear the advisory and return to your previous readout.

Saving your Present Position
Whenever the ACK button isn't illuminated or flashing, you may press it to save your present position for later use. An advisory immediately informs you of the temporary name assigned to the position. Press ACK again to clear the displayed advisory. To use this saved position, you must follow the procedure in "Saving your present position" beginning on page 50 to convert this saved position into a user waypoint.

Rotary switches

Each rotary switch has two knobs: a large, outer one and a smaller, inner one. The large knobs select the function (VOR, APT, USER, etc.) whose information is to appear in the readout. The small knobs select the specific data to be displayed for the chosen function.

For example, if you turn either large knob to APT, you'll see airport information displayed. You may then turn the small knob to display the various airports stored in the unit's database.

The unit has two separate readouts, each one with its own controls and cursor button. The left-hand dual rotary knob (the primary knob) controls the readout on the left-hand side (the primary readout). The right-hand dual rotary knob (the secondary knob) controls the right-hand readout (the secondary readout).

The following functions can be selected by turning either of the large knobs:

APT, VOR, NDB, INT, and USER allow you to look at waypoints stored in the unit's memory. Use the small knobs to select from the waypoints in the chosen category. The readout shows the waypoint's identifier as well as the bearing and distance from your present position to that waypoint.
The waypoint categories are:

APT -- Airports
VOR -- VOR transmitters
NDB -- Non-Directional Beacons including Locator Outer Markers (LOMs)
INT -- Intersections, including terminal area airspace fixes
USER -- User-entered waypoints

These waypoint functions are available for both the primary and secondary readouts. You can display the bearing and distance of two different waypoints simultaneously, one on each readout.

The following functions can be selected by turning the large primary knob:

TRK    (Track) displays information about the current desired track, which you determined by pressing the buttons marked fand ACK). Use the small primary knob to select the navigation data you want to display, such as off-course distance or your ETE to the waypoint.

RTE     (Routes) allows you to access, enter, review, and follow routes. The route function encompasses both the primary and secondary readouts. When RTE is selected, the secondary knobs are used exclusively for route entry and editing.

STAT      (Status) provides a detailed status of current GPS data. Use the small primary knob to display the status of signal reception. STAT uses both readouts and disables the secondary knobs. (In the M2 or GPS-600, this data is under SETUP instead.)

The following functions can be selected by turning the large secondary knob:

INFO     (Information) displays additional information about a waypoint or track that's shown in the primary readout. Use the small secondary knob to select the type of additional information shown.

COMM     (Communications) displays local communications frequencies.

SETUP     (Setup) allows you to enter or review standard data in the unit's memory, and also to perform setup functions to activate special modes and features. All SETUP functions use both the primary and secondary readouts.

NOTE: SETUP can't be selected when RTE or STAT is active; conversely, RTE and STAT can't be selected when SETUP is active.

USING THE CURSOR TO ENTER DATA (back to top)

In later sections, you'll see how data can be entered in two different ways. In some cases, you'll turn the small knob to select among a number of choices, and then press ACK to lock in the proper choice. In other cases (for example, to select a waypoint by entering the identifier as described in Selecting waypoints), you'll first activate the cursor, and then enter the letters character by character. You should practice both methods to be comfortable with each one; they'll be used frequently for various types of data entry.

THE NAVIGATOR'S DATABASE (back to top)

A database is a collection of useful information. The Northstar contains a very useful database indeed -- it includes all the important airports, navaids, and intersections in the coverage area.

Database waypoints are grouped into five categories: Airports, VORs, NDBs, Intersections, and User. All waypoints in each category are listed in alphabetical (A-Z) and numerical (0-9) sequence, according to the first character of the waypoint identifier. Alphabetical listings always precede numerical listings. The North American database contains the following information for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean:

AIRPORTS (APT): The North American FliteCard is programmed with over 14,000 airports, including all "public use" and military airports and most U.S. privately-owned airports. Military airports are included in the database for use in emergencies and as visual reference points, and for those authorized to land. These airports are designated by the letter m to the right of their identifier. Privately-owned airports (often restricted or requiring prior permission to land) are designated by the small letters L(Pr) to the right of their identifier.

VORs: Coordinates of all civil-use VORs. Of course, the unit doesn't receive signals from VORs or NDBs -- it uses the location of these navaids as familiar and useful reference points.

NDBs: Coordinates of civil-use NDBs (excluding marine radiobeacons, but including Locator Outer Markers).

INTERSECTIONS (INT): Coordinates of all low-altitude and highaltitude intersections and terminal-area airspace fixes.

USER: There are no factory-programmed waypoints in the user category. You may enter up to 250 additional user waypoints. In addition, the database contains RCO (Remote Communication Outlets) frequencies, SUAs (Special Use Airspace), and Victor Airways and Jet Routes.

NOTE: SUAs aren't available in the International FliteCard, and routes aren't available in the International or Helicopter FliteCards.

Also available is an International FliteCard that contains data covering the entire world, an Alaskan FliteCard that includes all of Alaska, and a Helicopter FliteCard.

DISPLAYING YOUR POSITION (back to top)

You can instantly display your position in terms of bearing and distance to any of the thousands of waypoints in the unit's database.

To do this, use the large primary or secondary knob to select the waypoint category: APT, VOR, INT, NDB, or -- if you've already entered some of your own waypoints -- USER. The section Selecting waypoints describes numerous ways to quickly find the specific waypoint you want, but for now, just turn the small primary knob to select a waypoint of interest.

The identifier of the waypoint (such as LAX for Los Angeles International) and its bearing and distance will be displayed on the primary readout.

In keeping with standard aviation practice, the bearing displayed is magnetic (referenced to magnetic north).

A shortcut for quickly displaying your position relative to the nearest airport is described in detail in Quick nearest-airport display. Press D> and the left-hand CRSR button simultaneously to activate this function.

If you want to display your position as latitude/longitude coordinates, turn the large primary knob to STAT, and turn the small primary knob all the way to the left to find the line that displays the lat/lon of your position.

ADDITIONAL WAYPOINT INFORMATION (back to top)

To display more information about a waypoint shown in the primary readout, turn the large secondary knob to the INFO position, then turn the small secondary knob to scan through the available information. For example, you can display the city and state of airports, VORs, and NDBs. This information can be useful when selecting waypoints, since in many cases waypoint identifiers themselves aren't sufficiently descriptive.

SELECTING WAYPOINTS (back to top)

To select a specific waypoint within a database category, you have a choice of three methods:

You may scan through the list of waypoints
You may enter the identifier of the waypoint
You may enter the waypoint's name or city

A word of caution: When using the three- or four-letter airport identifiers, be careful to distinguish between the number zero and the letter "oh." The unit always displays the number zero with a slash through it, and the letter "oh" without the slash. Some airport directories show the number zero with a slash through it; other directories do not and they must be looked at carefully -- the wider character is the letter "oh" and the narrower character is the number zero. In a few directories, it's difficult to distinguish between the letter "el" and the number one. The unit won't recognize an identifier that's entered incorrectly. You must always use O and L for the letters and 0 and 1 for the numbers. When scanning through the database, the waypoints beginning with letters appear first, followed by the digits 0-9, and then the special characters, if any.

In the North American database, the ICAO "K" prefixes for major U.S. airports have been deleted from the identifier. For example, Los Angeles International is shown as LAX, not KLAX. Canadian, Mexican, and Latin American airports are shown with their appropriate ICAO prefix (C for Canada and M for Latin America).

In the International database, the K prefix is included for U.S. airports, where appropriate, to conform to international usage, and Alaskan airports are displayed with their ICAO prefix of PA.

Selecting waypoints by scanning

Scanning and selecting from among the thousands of waypoints stored in the unit's database can be accomplished quickly and easily. Within each waypoint category (APT, for example), the unit divides waypoints into two groups: LOCAL and ALL. To access the LOCAL group, turn the small knob all the way to the left. To access the group of ALL waypoints, turn the small knob to the right.

The Local Group

The LOCAL waypoint group consists of up to 20 waypoints nearest your present position. These are the waypoints that will be of interest most often, and scanning through them is accomplished quickly. Local airports and VORs are listed in order of distance from your position. NDBs, intersections, and user waypoints are listed alphabetically.

In flight, you'll pass some waypoints and approach others. The unit automatically and continuously updates and rearranges the group of LOCAL waypoints. You can observe this when you display the leftmost (nearest) airport in the local group. As you approach a closer airport, the display will flash, then automatically display the identifier, bearing, and distance to that airport. If you're using the INFO function to display the airport's city and state, the new city will also be automatically displayed.

NOTE: Here's a shortcut to display the nearest airport. Simultaneously press D> and the left CRSR button to instantly display the nearest airport's identifier, bearing, distance, and longest runway on the primary and secondary readouts.

The beginning (left end) of the LOCAL group is designated by the display [ LOCAL ---> ] and the division between the groups is designated by [ <--- LOCAL ALL ---> ]. These arrowed displays show the direction to turn the small knob to move between the two waypoint groups (LOCAL and ALL).

The All Group

To access the group of ALL waypoints, turn the small knob to the right. (You must pause briefly at the [ <- LOCAL ALL -> ] message before you can access the larger group.) Here, you'll find all the waypoints in the waypoint category you selected, listed in alphabetical and numerical order.

In the airport category alone, many thousands of waypoints are listed. It would be time-consuming and unnecessary to have to rotate the small knob for thousands of clicks to select the desired waypoint. The unit steps through the waypoints at a rate proportional to the speed you turn the small knob. If you turn the knob slowly, the waypoints appear one at a time, in sequence. Turn the knob quickly, and the waypoints jump by rapidly.

You should practice this procedure to get the feel of it. Search for well-known airports like LAX or DCA (or your local field). Turn the small knob rapidly to get to the correct starting letter or number, then turn slowly as you get near the correct waypoint. You'll soon learn how fast to turn the small knob to produce the right amount of "jump" in the readout. With a little practice, you should be able to select any waypoint you want in just a few seconds.

Selecting waypoints by identifier (back to top)

Instead of scanning through waypoints as described above, you can select a waypoint directly by entering the characters of its identifier, the standard one- to five-character code assigned to the waypoint. To do this, proceed as follows:

Press CRSR, and the leftmost character displayed will flash. Use the small knob to select the first letter of the waypoint's identifier. Then use the large knob to move the flashing cursor to the second letter and use the small knob to select the second character of the identifier. Repeat for each character of the waypoint's identifier until all characters are correct; meanwhile, the unit always tries to guess a matching waypoint identifier.
NOTE: If you discover that you've entered an incorrect character or characters, simply turn the large knob to locate the cursor over each incorrect character and make the correction.
When the identifier is completely entered, press CRSR again to turn the cursor off. This action completes the selection procedure.

Selecting waypoints by name or city (back to top)

If you don't know the identifier of an airport, VOR, or NDB, you can ask the unit to search the database for the waypoint's facility name or city. To do this, enter the first few characters of the waypoint name or city as described below. Then, by turning the small primary knob, you'll scan through only those waypoints whose name or city begins with the characters you specified.

Proceed as follows:

Turn the large primary knob to APT, VOR, or NDB to select the waypoint category.
Turn the large secondary knob to INFO.
Turn the small secondary knob to display either any waypoint name or any city, depending on which you want to search for. (The waypoint that's displayed at this time is of no consequence.)
Press the right-hand CRSR button to turn the cursor on, and then use the secondary knobs to enter the first few characters of the desired name or city. Do not turn the CRSR off!
If the desired waypoint doesn't appear in step 4, turn the small primary knob to scan through those waypoints that begin with the characters you entered.
When you find the desired waypoint, press CRSR again to turn the cursor off.

In many cases, the unit will find several waypoints listed for the same city. For example, there are many airports listed under Houston, as well as common city names like Springfield and Columbus, which are found in several different states. Check the state code to the right of the city and the identifier code on the far left to help determine which one you want. Entering the waypoint name, instead of the city, may be a better approach in such cases.

As you turn the small primary knob, the unit will display only those cities or names that precisely match the letters you entered. In general, the first five characters of the waypoint's city and name in the database exactly match the listings in airport directories; however, the following changes have been made in the database to make cities and names easier to find:

All periods have been removed. Any apostrophes and hyphens have been retained.
Any blank space found between a prefix "MC" and the remainder of the name has been deleted. For example, the name MC BRIAN will appear as MCBRIAN.
FORT has been abbreviated to FT (no period).
SAINT has been abbreviated to ST (no period).
When NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, and WEST are parts of long names, they're usually abbreviated as N, S, E, and W.
For an airport named for a person, the initials or first names are often deleted, unless the person is especially well-known (such as WILL ROGERS AIRPORT).

DUPLICATE WAYPOINT IDENTIFIERS (back to top)

There are many cases in which the FAA or other agencies have assigned the same identifier code for two or more waypoints within the same database category. For example, an NDB colocated with an outer marker may use the same identifier as another NDB located in a different part of the country. In these cases, Northstar adds a suffix to the identifiers to distinguish between them. The suffix is a number sign (#) followed by a one- or two-digit number. For example, two NDBs having the same identifier "CL" would be shown as CL #1 and CL #2. When you enter the identifier CL, you'll see CL #1 displayed as a reminder that there's more than one waypoint designated by that identifier. You can easily determine and select the NDB waypoint you want -- in this case CL #1 or CL #2 -- by checking the displayed bearing and distance, or by using the INFO function to display the facility name, or city and state.

The International FliteCard contains many duplicate identifiers. For example, there are 15 intersections named DELTA. An NDB identifier may be used for 10 or more different locations. Because of the large number of duplicate identifiers, it is vitally important to make sure you're using the desired waypoint, which you can do in any of the following ways:

Check the waypoint's city and state or country, or its name
Check the waypoint's lat/lon coordinates
Check the waypoint's distance and bearing from your present position
When forming a route, check the waypoint's distance and bearing from the previous waypoint in the route
Use the LOCAL list of waypoints to select from the waypoints that are near your present position

In addition, when using the unit to fly to a waypoint, always verify that the displayed distance and bearing to the waypoint are the values you expect. You don't want to start flying north 15 miles to BR NDB in Iowa, when the unit is actually navigating 3,000 miles northeast to BR NDB in Egilsstaðir, Iceland!

For airports, VORs, and NDBs, duplicate identifiers are handled by the method described above. A number sign and a one- or two-digit number are added to the official identifier so that the resulting identifier displayed by the unit is different for each waypoint. To maintain consistency, the same numbers are used in the North American FliteCard as the International FliteCard. This means that the North American FliteCard might contain an identifier like BR#2, but no other BRs. Although this might appear to be an error, the "missing" BRs are contained in the International FliteCard, and the "#2" suffix is retained in the North American card, so that a pilot who uses both cards may refer to the same identifier in each.

For intersections, there's no room on the readout to display more than the five-character identifier. All duplicates of a given intersection identifier look the same on the readouts. To choose the correct intersection, use any of the methods outlined in the list above -- except the first. Whenever you first select an intersection identifier that has duplicates, a flashing number sign is automatically displayed following the identifier, serving as a reminder that there are several duplicate identifiers from which you must choose. These duplicate identifiers are adjacent in the database, and you may use the small primary or small secondary knobs, depending on which readout you're using, to scan through them.

FLYING DIRECT TO A WAYPOINT (back to top)

The simplest way to navigate with the unit is to fly direct from your present position to a waypoint:

Pick your waypoint and display it in the primary (lefthand) readout. (See Selecting waypoints)
Press the button marked D> (direct). The ACK button will flash, and the unit displays:
[ FLY 123° DIRECT TO ASE ACK? ]
Press the ACK button.

You've just defined and confirmed a flight path direct from your present position to the waypoint, and the unit is navigating to it.

NOTE: The primary readout will automatically switch to the TRK function, and the TRK annunciator will illuminate. Turn the small primary knob to select a variety of informational readouts that guide you to the waypoint. See Track functions and readouts.

The unit will continue to update and display track information no matter what heading you fly or how far you stray from your original course line. Using this feature, you can navigate along a whole series of waypoints, specifying the next waypoint just as you cross the current waypoint.

This one function may satisfy almost all of your basic navigation requirements. It's the only one you really need to know how to use, but the unit offers many variations of this function. These are detailed in the following sections.

QUEUING A SECOND WAYPOINT (back to top)

The unit's waypoint queuing function lets you specify the next waypoint to fly to before you reach the current waypoint. (If you're unfamiliar with the term queue, it means to put in line, as when several people are waiting for service at a ticket window).

Using this feature, you can navigate along a series of waypoints, specifying the next waypoint at any time before you pass the current waypoint. Waypoint queuing provides many of the advantages of following an entire route automatically, while providing the flexibility of easily handling last-minute changes to your flight plan:

Queuing reduces your workload at each waypoint, since you don't have to locate and specify the next waypoint while crossing the current waypoint.
The unit displays the desired track of the next leg while you're still flying the current leg, so you can prepare for the turn.
The unit shows you when you should start the turn, shortly before the current waypoint, as specified in Section 5-3-5 of the Airman's Information Manual, helping you to remain within the airway boundaries.
The next leg extends precisely from the current waypoint to the queued waypoint, rather than from the point at which you activated the next leg.

To queue the next waypoint:

NOTE: As it does when flying direct to a waypoint, the primary readout will automatically switch to the TRK function, and the TRK annunciator will illuminate. Turn the small primary knob to select a variety of informational readouts that guide you to the waypoint. See Track functions and readouts.

Display the next waypoint in the primary readout.
Press the D> button twice. The readouts will display:
[ FLY 052° TO BJC AFTER ASE ACK? ]
If you've already passed the current waypoint, FROM replaces AFTER.
Press ACK. The unit will continue navigating to ASE, and then automatically switch to BJC.

When you're about 15 seconds before the start of the turn, the waypoint annunciator will begin flashing. If you're already viewing TRK INFO, the turn readouts below will be automatically displayed. Otherwise, the ACK button will flash, prompting you to press it to read an advisory. When you press it, the ACK button will stay illuminated and the readout will display the advisory, such as:

[ TURN TO 052°: 0.2 nm ]

This readout indicates you should begin a standard-rate turn to 052 -- in 0.2 nm, to merge with the next leg without overshooting it (neglecting any effects of winds). When the displayed distance to the turn reaches zero, the advisory changes to:

[ TURNING NOW -> 052° ]

During the turn, all guidance is relative to the turning arc. After a few seconds, the readout returns to your previous readout with the ACK light off. You can remove the advisory early by pressing the ACK button. If the unit had already sequenced to the next leg by the time you pushed the flashing ACK button, a different advisory would have been displayed:

[ NOW ON NEXT LEG ]

If the queued leg is within 2° of the direction of the first leg, no advisories are given.

The turn information is also continuously available in TRK INFO when the small secondary knob is all the way to the left.

If you queue a leg while the unit is flying a route, the remainder of the route is cancelled and replaced by the queued leg.

You can only queue one waypoint at a time. To change the queued waypoint, just repeat the above procedure, and the newly-specified queued waypoint replaces the old one.

The identifier of the queued waypoint may be displayed by turning the large primary knob to TRK and the small primary knob all the way to the left:

[ NEXT LEG: to BJC ]

Information about that waypoint can be displayed in TRK INFO by turning the small secondary knob.

CENTERING THE CDI (back to top)

Use this procedure to fly direct from your present position to the current waypoint without returning to the established desired track. You might use this function when flying VFR, if you had strayed off the course (for example, to avoid a restricted area) and you simply wanted to fly straight to the current waypoint.

NOTE: Remember that this function changes the location of the desired track line or course.

To center the CDI and establish a new track or course: ASE

Turn the large primary knob to TRK.
Press D> and ACK.

The unit will resume normal operation, and when you return to the CDI display, you'll see that the course line has been moved to run from your present position direct to the waypoint.

If you center the CDI while flying a route, guidance will continue normally after that leg.

FLYING A COURSE (back to top)

You can perform another basic form of navigation with the unit -- flying a particular course from your present position without specifying a waypoint as a destination:

Turn the large primary knob to TRK.
Press the button marked D> (don't press ACK yet). You'll see a bearing and current destination, if any.
Turn the small primary knob to select the course you want to fly. When it's correct, press ACK. The unit is now navigating along the designated course line.

The unit will switch automatically to the TRK function and display guidance along the course line.

QUEUING A RADIAL FROM THE CURRENT WAYPOINT (back to top)

You can fly a course from your present position as described in the previous section, or you can fly a course line (a radial) from the upcoming waypoint, as described here.

To queue a radial to fly away from the current waypoint:

Turn the large primary knob to TRK.
Press D> twice:
[ FLY 115° AFTER DEN ACK? ]
Turn the small primary knob to select the radial along which you want to leave the waypoint:
[ FLY 084° ACK? ]
Press ACK. The unit will continue navigating to the current waypoint, and then navigate along the specified radial from the waypoint.

NOTE: Turn the small primary knob to select a variety of navigational TRK function readouts. See Track functions and readouts.

If you've already passed the waypoint, the unit will sequence immediately to the radial.

Queuing a radial while flying a route pauses the route so that it can easily be rejoined.

FLYING A BEARING TO/FROM A WAYPOINT (back to top)

You can use the unit to intercept and fly along a specified bearing to or from any waypoint.

NOTE: ATC often talks of intercepting specific radials when the navaid is a VOR, and of bearings when referring to an NDB. For example, if you're west of the DEN VOR, and ATC instructs you to intercept the 253° radial to DEN, this is the equivalent of flying the 73° bearing to DEN.

Display the waypoint on the primary readout.
Press D> to display the following readout:
Use the small primary knob as a course-set function to select the direction you want to fly to or from the waypoint:
[ FLY 073° BEARING TO DEN ACK? ]
NOTE: Always specify the direction you want to fly. In this example, 73° is inbound to the waypoint. To fly outbound on the same radial, dial in 253°; the readout will display FROM instead of TO.
Press ACK.
NOTE: The primary readout will automatically switch to the TRK function, and the TRK annunciator will illuminate. Turn the small primary knob to select a variety of navigational TRK function readouts. See Track functions and readouts.

HOLDING ON THE NEXT WAYPOINT (back to top)

You can set the unit to hold on the next waypoint. Specify the outbound direction to fly from the waypoint, and the unit will automatically sequence through the outbound and inbound legs of the hold.

To fly a holding pattern on the next waypoint:

Turn the large primary knob to TRK and the large secondary knob to INFO.
Turn the small secondary knob to the right to display:
[ SET UP HOLD ACK? ]
Press ACK. The unit displays:
[ HOLD OUT 252°, in 072&DEG; @NBE ACK? ]
Turn the small primary knob to select the outbound direction to fly, then press ACK.

The unit will guide you around the holding pattern, automatically sequencing the outbound and inbound legs as you make the turns. You must take the initiative, however, in turning the aircraft to the inbound leg. The unit will sequence when it's sure that you've changed direction.

You can leave the hold by choosing many other forms of navigation, including:

Flying direct to a waypoint
Queuing a waypoint to fly to after you pass the hold point one more time
Flying a route

If you queue another leg while receiving inbound guidance in the hold, the unit will sequence at the holding point. If you queue while outbound, however, the unit sequences immediately to the queued leg.

TRACK FUNCTIONS AND READOUTS (back to top)

The unit automatically switches to the TRK readout when you set it up to navigate by pressing fand ACK. The functions displayed will depend on what you've told the unit to do. For example, if you're flying a course line, ETA won't be displayed.

To access the unit's TRK functions and their readouts:

Set the large primary knob to TRK.
Turn the small primary knob to select any of the following functions; typical readouts are shown. (Also, when you're in the INFO function, the primary readouts shown below display further information in the secondary readout. See Information displays.

The next leg

If designated by the waypoint queuing function. (See Queuing a second waypoint):

[ NEXT LEG: to BJC ]

If the queued leg is a radial (See Queuing a radial from the current waypoint):

[ NEXT LEG: 300° ]

The lat/lon of the FROM waypoint (if any)

[ 41°26.2 N 107°25.2W ]

The lat/lon of the TO waypoint (if any)

[ 39°13.4 N 106°52.1 W ]

The leg you're currently following

One of the following typical readouts will appear, depending on how you specified the track:
Flying direct to a waypoint:

[ to ASE DIRECT ]

Flying a from-to leg:

[ to BJC fr ASE ]

Flying a course:

[ FLYING 200° ]

Flying a radial:

[ TRK 061° fr DEN ]

The following additional message appears when you're flying direct to the first waypoint of a route or if you've re-centered the CDI while on a route.

Direct to a route waypoint:

[ NOT ON ROUTE YET ]

Ground speed and track angle error (TAE)

[ GS 145 kt 4°-> ]

If outbound on a hold:

[ OUT 0:57 <-0°-> ]

If inbound on a hold:

[ IN 0:10 <-3° ]

On a hold, GS is replaced by the length of time you've been flying the leg. As happens in the ETE readout (see 4.8.8 below), the times will flash if you're more than four miles off your defined desired course, when the unit senses that you don't seem to be flying to the designated waypoint.

TAE is the difference between your intended track angle and your actual course over ground. It's the correction that should be applied to your track angle to make it parallel to the desired track line. The goal is to fly on the leg, with zero TAE.

When you're flying parallel to or exactly on the leg, with zero TAE, the unit displays:

[ <-0°-> ]

If your track angle is 3 -- greater than the desired track, the unit displays:

[ <-3° ]

Arrows show the direction you must turn the aircraft to bring the TAE to zero (to fly parallel to the desired course line):

The left arrow (<-) indicates you must come left (3° in the example above) to fly parallel to the desired track.
A right arrow (->) means you must come right to become parallel.

Bearing and distance to waypoint

[ TO ASE 083° 19.3 nm ]

Course deviation indicator

[ | | | | | 0 | | | | | ]

This readout for the unit's built-in electronic CDI simulates the needle of a mechanical CDI. The vertical line represents your desired track. When it moves to the left of center, your course line lies to your left. To stay on course, fly to the needle as in conventional VOR navigation. Any parallel offset will be noted on the left.

Ground speed and ETE

[ GS 145 ETE 1:35 ]

The unit divides the distance to the waypoint by your ground speed, and shows this as your ETE. In other words, the displayed ETE is the time it would take you to get to the waypoint if you flew directly there from your present position at your present speed. As mentioned above in 4.8.5, if you're more than four miles off your defined desired course, the ETE will automatically flash, when the unit senses that you don't seem to be flying to the designated waypoint.

Ground speed and track angle

[ GS 145 TRK 096° ]

Cross-track distance (distance off-course)

[ FLY LEFT 2.7 nm ]

This readout means that the course line from your starting position to your destination is 2.2 nm to your left; turn to the left to get back on course. Any parallel offset will be noted on the right. Distances less than 1 nm are displayed in hundredths of a mile.

Estimated time of arrival

(Not always shown if you're flying a course or a radial)

ETA is calculated based on the time zone selected in the SETUP function, described in Section 2. The ETA flashes if you're more than four miles off your course line. As shipped from the factory, the unit displays ETA as ZULU time. To change the ETA readout to a different time zone, press CRSR and use the small primary knob to select the desired standard or daylight time zone. Press CRSR again after you've set the desired time zone.

NOTE: Changing the ETA's time zone doesn't change the time zone displayed in the [ TIME IS ] SETUP function.

INFORMATION DISPLAYS (back to top)

When the primary readout displays TRK data, you can set the large secondary knob to the INFO position, and turn the small secondary knob to select another TRK function (as described in the previous sections) to be shown on the secondary readout. If the TRK function is displaying a waypoint on the primary readout, the INFO function can be used to display database information for that waypoint.

An additional function may be displayed on the secondary readout by turning the small secondary knob all the way to the left:

[ DESIRED TRK 167° ]

This function shows your current desired track, followed by information about any upcoming turns, possible manual sequences required by the pilot, and so on.

QUICK NEAREST-AIRPORT DISPLAY (back to top)

If you press D> and the left-hand CRSR button simultaneously, you'll immediately be shown the identifier of the nearest airport in the unit's database, along with the distance and bearing to that airport, and the length, surface, and identifier of the longest runway. The unit does this by switching automatically to the APT and INFO functions, and the nearest airport display will remain on the readouts until another function is selected.

To display other nearby airports in the order of distance from you, turn the small primary knob to the right.

The complete manufacturer's manuals are available for download:

GPS-3 (PDF 1.21M). [Note: External link, may not be operational]
GPS-60 (PDF 1.08M). [Note: External link, may not be operational]
The M1 LORAN is very similar in operation to the M60 GPS.

Email the webmaster