PL21 is a good basic system...
However, compared to what you get in airliners - unnecessarily complicated and with limited sensor input.
I thought the inability to capture and track a LOC cleanly was due to us flying a small piece of kit with just 2 x AHRS iso 3 x ADIRU. However, reading Mad Russian's comments, it seems like PL21 FCCs don't take actual track info into account. The prominence that the guys and girls designing it placed on track info is probably best illustrated by how that info is presented - a tiny green dot, for
sake...
Have found the AutoTransfer reliable - only problems I have seen is when people don't let it do its own thing. However, have noticed that transfer to capture is very late - way after you'd have captured it in green needles. If on arrival usually not a problem, but staying in magenta during RV is not something I'd recommend.
The entire thing about having to switch to magenta needles to get LNAV is just daft - hasn't improved one little bit since I flew a B1900D 7 years ago... Again, looking at how it's done in a 777/330 wouldn't have hurt at all. Embedded LNAV for the next update, thanks! Would get rid of all that auto-switching / manual switching melakee as well in one, fell swoop.
Oh, and the EADI - for crying out loud, it's as small as in a 73CL or an ATR! Large format, thanks - 777/330-style again. BIG and EASY to read. DME read-out relocated to near primary scan as well, thanks.
...in fact, rip the entire installation out of a 73NG (incl. the excellent FMS) and throw it in instead - then we're getting somewhere!
