Off-the-Wall Feature Request

[The Artful Dodger]

Hello, guys:

This is really a suggestion from out of no-where but if anyone could bring it to AM, you guys are the ones. You have created some fantastic stuff for Sim Innovations and this would be right up there!
What am I suggesting? A Working Title quality, self contained Autopilot! Just the files required to do the complete Autopilot/Flight Director functions.
When complete, a user would have to "hook up" their own MCP, of whatever flavor they wanted, and it would go into ANY plane - why? - because it would be an AM Instrument. Hook it up, create a flight plan, and go. Use persistence to tune it for each aircraft, and never worry about MSFS variables and events that didn't work again!!

Sparky

[Ralph]

A autopilot is very complex, and needs to have knowledge of data that is in the simulator and not in Air Manager. But what is wrong with the autopilot in the simulator?

[The Artful Dodger]

Hi, Ralph:

The main problem I have with the autopilot in the sim is that it only seems to work in aircraft that the sim wants you to use the autopilot with. Plus, with a captive autopilot and control panel, you get lots more control over what the aircraft is doing. I guess that's why, in airliners, they give the pilots MCPs or equivalent so they can change the way the aircraft flies, instead of just installing an autopilot.
I thought you guys could approach Working Title (all their stuff is free, and they would provide lots of support. And, I think it would be a big selling point for Air Manager!
And, if anyone could produce a captive autopilot, you guys could do it!

Sparky

[SimPassion]

Hi, Ralph:

The main problem I have with the autopilot in the sim is that it only seems to work in aircraft that the sim wants you to use the autopilot with. Plus, with a captive autopilot and control panel, you get lots more control over what the aircraft is doing. I guess that's why, in airliners, they give the pilots MCPs or equivalent so they can change the way the aircraft flies, instead of just installing an autopilot.
I thought you guys could approach Working Title (all their stuff is free, and they would provide lots of support. And, I think it would be a big selling point for Air Manager!
And, if anyone could produce a captive autopilot, you guys could do it!

Sparky

To get an idea, have a look into system.cfg, here for the C208B Mod :

Code: Select all

[attachment=0]image.png[/attachment]

So, it's just a matter to add this option to the targeted addon, either on default ones or any other, by adding our own mod in the Community folder to override ...

[The Artful Dodger]

Believe me, I know about that setting (and a couple more besides) but that doesn't give you control.
I am not claiming that having a captive autopilot is necessary. It was a suggestion, nothing more. But I think it would raise the level of enjoyment of the game tremendously and I think the guys of Sim Innovations would be more than up to the task - if they wanted to.
I have planted the seed, I only hope that it grows.

Sparky

[Crunchmeister]

A Working Title quality, self contained Autopilot! Just the files required to do the complete Autopilot/Flight Director functions.

Unfortunately, the way Working Title have now encoded autopilot logic into the GPS units (yes, even into the GNS530), you can't override what they have. It's a hard-coded, integrated part of the avionics that can't be separated, bypassed or overridden.

When you see the KAP140 or GFC500 in an MSFS plane now, that unit is not really doing anything other than sending the AP button presses to the GPS which does all the navigating.

[jet46]

If you're still interested in a self contained autopilot for msfs I just released a beta of exactly that.

See this post
https://siminnovations.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8209