Dynon / iFly 740b VOR Radial Headings

[iaw4]

 

I do not have a VOR in my airplane, only the iFly740b and the Dynon.

The local VFR route through LA Class B airspace require heading into the LAX VOR on one radial and out on another.

When you have to fly a VOR heading, do you use the Dynon magnetic heading once on course?  Just the GPS route??

Any thoughs on the process?

[Animosity2k]

Also interested. 

[FlyingMonkey]

A VOR radial is not a magnetic heading, it’s a line aligned out from the VOR in a straight line from the center of the VOR along a magnetic radial.  If you fly a heading,   You will rarely maintain a straight line along the ground.  If you stay on a VOR radial, you *will* fly a straight line.

 My Dynon D-100 can simulate a VOR, by using the GPS position of the VOR and then giving a radial out from that position.  It provides a simulated HSI to give a to/from indication and keep you on course along a radial.

Do NOT fly a magnetic heading to maintain a VOR radial, you will be off course very quickly.  I also would not trust the GPS-based simulated VOR without doing a lot of testing somewhere other than in LAX airspace to make sure it’s accurate in a wide variety of circumstances.  A real VOR has to be calibrated to the local magnetic deviation to set the radials.  Unless the simulated VOR is calibrated identically, the radial you fly in the simulated VOR will not match the radial ATC wants you on.

If this is not the actual question you wanted answered, my apologies.

[SportFlyer1]

That is an excellent question and I think Andy has the VFR solution. I've gotta go out and try this sometime, it's never come up before. The Garmin 696 et al has a tab on 'waypoints' for VOR's as destinations. I'm not sure you can select the exact radial you want though, I'll have to look. That's a good navigation problem.

[Tom Baker]

I haven't looked at the routes or flown in that airspace, but I suspect there are intersections that go along with the VOR for the route. You should be able to program the route using those intersections and VOR's, then follow the route. Even better if you have a coupled AP. 

[SportFlyer1]

I did a quick look thru the 696 book, but only found that you can do a point to point nav to a VOR, no mention of intercepting a radial. I guess you can manually fly to a radial on the GPS and follow it using the "Set OBS and Hold" on the GPS or the Alt hold on the AP, or the HSI per Andy.

[iaw4]

 

I guess I will have to put in a flight[plan and intercept the VOR by flying towards the course line on my GPS.

the only problem is that I want to initiate the flight plan once I have intercepted and from that spot, and not from where I am taking off.  I wonder if this can be done.  oh, and I have an iFly740b, not a Garmin.  but it's pretty similar, I guess.

[Tom Baker]

You should have intersections in you database. That VOR bearing likely goes to or from an intersection.

[SportFlyer1]

Well that would be a happy coincidence if the class B transition was on a transition.  But it should be possible to have a 'transition' flight plan. Just program a start point and a finish point that follows the radial, then wait for your clearance; activate the flight plan and the plane will intercept the start point and follow the planned radial. You can invert it to go back. How 'bout that?

[iaw4]

 

this sounds like the best choice, tom.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

On 9/2/2019 at 8:45 AM, SportFlyer1 said:

Well that would be a happy coincidence if the class B transition was on a transition.  But it should be possible to have a 'transition' flight plan. Just program a start point and a finish point that follows the radial, then wait for your clearance; activate the flight plan and the plane will intercept the start point and follow the planned radial. You can invert it to go back. How 'bout that?

Yeah, find the GPS coordinates for the initial entry point of the procedure, make a waypoint there, and then make another waypoint at the VOR.  That should keep you on the correct line...or at least close enough to satisfy ATC.

[iaw4]

 

I am going to send an email to ifly requesting a special waypoint that is "current spot" so that I can activate the flightplan without being off-course at the start.

 

[Andrew Lane]

Can’t you use ForeFlight to send a flight plan to either your ifly or your Dynon? Here’s what I did: using ForeFlight zoomed into the LA TAC I came up with this basic route: KMYF FERMY LAX (the vortac not the airport), that FERMY -> LAX leg is almost perfectly on the 123 radial, as seen in the screenshot, I can use my finger to move that waypoint a bit right and get it perfectly on there. Then I can send that route (which not has a gps coordinate in place of FERMY) to the Dynon panel and autopilot will fly it. Also ForeFlight let’s you click on a leg and see its magnetic course, it reports FERMY is about 3 degrees off the 303 course that’s atc prescribed, by subbing FERMY for a gps coordinate to the right I can check the leg course and be happy when it hits 303.

[iaw4]

 

I am using the iFly system, not Foreflight.  I have to check my iFly to see if I can switch headings to magnetic.

thanks for the advice on the specific plan.  even flying to FERMY direct is within the IFR 4 degree VOR tolerance.  A little left should make it perfect.  Q: Flying from Van Nuys to John Wayne, will SoCal flight following make you go all the way to FERMY, or do they vector you when they have time?  Q: Do you have a "trick" for the North ending point, too?

 

 

[Andrew Lane]

On the north side a reciprocal radial would run to approx: CHATY

haven't experiences the ATC sequencing yet. Just the flight planning with an instructor.

[Chuckstur]

If you are using an iFLY 740B with a Dynon, would you tell me by email what settings you are using in both devices, and where did you get your USB to serial cable?  I cannot get mine to work.

Thanks,

Charlie

csturdivant1911@gmail.com

[FlyingMonkey]

On 5/6/2020 at 2:46 PM, Chuckstur said:

If you are using an iFLY 740B with a Dynon, would you tell me by email what settings you are using in both devices, and where did you get your USB to serial cable?  I cannot get mine to work.

Thanks,

Charlie

csturdivant1911@gmail.com

It's been a while since I set up  my 740b, but check your serial connection settings.  This is purely from memory, but I think I had to fiddle with baud rates and such to make it work.

[Runtoeat]

Have you tried calling iFly and talk to one of the tech people?  They're normally available and will call back if not.  The techs have helped me configure my iFly 740 even while flying using my Bose with cell phone hook-up.  Some of the tech's are more knowledgeable than others but I would think connecting to a Dynon might be something they have experience answering questions about.  There is also a good Q&A section on the iFly website.