#170 Auto Pilot cannot update course if Heading Control turned off before destination then turned on later.

[Anonymous]

Originally created by: grg.gdsr (code.google.com)
Originally owned by: zakalawe@mac.com

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Choose aircraft that uses route manager with the autopilot eg Airbus A340-600.
2. Start from any airport and runway or in the air.
3. Use route manager to remove Departure airport. Enter arrival airport and click activate.
4. Take off then select the GPS/FMS Heading in auto pilot settings.
5. When near destination airport turn of Heading in auto pilot settings.
6. Fly past the airport about 10 nautical miles then open auto pilot settings to Heading Control again.

What is the expected output?
The expected is for aircraft to turn and head back to airport.
What do you see instead?
The GPS/FMS Heading has disappeared. Instead True Heading has appeared and is selected. It is the same heading that the aircraft was flying before the auto pilot settings was turned off.
The plane continues in the same direction as before.  

Any output in the console (black window)?

What version of the product are you using?
CVS.
Operating System: Linux Ubuntu 10.04 lucid.
Graphics card: NVIDIA Geforce 7950 GT.

Please provide any additional information below.

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: grg.gdsr (code.google.com)

The GPS/FMS radio button does not always dissapear but when it doesn't and the heading is turned on again the aircraft continues without turning back towards the airport. If I open route manager, delete the arrival box airport code, clear the list then fill the arrival box with the same airport code, click activate then open auto pilot window; sometimes the GPS/FMS is back with a proper revised heading. When the auto pilot is set on a again the plane will go on correct heading. Other times although the GPS/FMS is there when selected the distance and eta time is not updated in the HUD and the plane flies in wrong direction.

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: zakalawe@mac.com

The GPS will only output a heading if a route is active, and a route is only active if you have a valid waypoint - if you fly over the last waypoint, the route end and deactivates - and the AP will automatically switch back to true heading hold, with the last active heading.

The real issue here, is that the route-manager/GPS don't make the active/inactive state very clear in the GUI, I think.

Does that 'solve' the issue, or not?

Labels: NavDat
Owner: zakalawe
Status: Accepted

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: grg.gdsr (code.google.com)

"The GPS will only output a heading if a route is active, and a route is only active if you have a valid waypoint - if you fly over the last waypoint, the route end and deactivates - and the AP will automatically switch back to true heading hold, with the last active heading." It just seems to me that the previous waypoint/destination should be reselectable again. In previous versions if the autopilot was turned of and either flew in a different direction or past the airport, when the auto pilot was turned on again, the aircraft would start heading back towards the airport.
Even when I reenter the last destination in route manager, the GPS/FMS radio button sometimes does not reappear or if it does it is not updated with the correct heading.
I have log messages that I could post here if that would be useful? There is nothing in the teminal.

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: zakalawe@mac.com

Well, as I said, re-entering the airport doesn't do anything if the route-manager has deactivated. The new behaviour matches what real-world devices do when passing the last waypoint - reverting to heading hold.

Please do post the log output, though.

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: grg.gdsr (code.google.com)

Here is part of my log output starting from where I tried to reenter the airport in route manager.
You say the route manager deactivates and doesn't do anything even if the airport is re-entered. Therefore I must not be understanding how to work the route manager auto pilot system. If this is how it works in reality, there must be circumstances where a pilot would turn of the auto pilot. Maybe to fly around and realign with a runway in the opposite direction, turn it on again if visibility was low or he/she was unfamiliar with the area.

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: grg.gdsr (code.google.com)

Another way the route manager does not allow the auto pilot to set the gps/fms button is: start the aircraft in air then set the route manager with the destination airport (I tried WSSS Singapore). There is no gps/fms radio button in the auto pilot.
In this case I have not turned off the auto pilot and turned it on again later. I see it as the same bug but correct me if wrong.
Here is what appears in the log window: caught exception processing subsystem:gps[0]
message:waypt index out of range

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: grg.gdsr (code.google.com)

I also found that before taking off from YCAR (Carnarvon) or YPPH (Perth Intl) and setting the route manager to WSSS (Singapore Intl) then opening the auto pilot window  after take off the gps/fms button does not exist, although when I opened the auto pilot window just before take off it did exist.
The message in the log is similar: caught exception processing subsystem:gps[0]
message:waypt index out of range

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: cumuluni... (code.google.com)@gmail.com

Stalled after 6 month of inactivity

Labels: Priority-Low
Status: Stalled

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by: cumuluni... (code.google.com)@gmail.com

(No comment was entered for this change.)

Status: Expired