What Heading Do You Set On The Ils?

[LEM]

HI all.
When the Runway Heading is different than the ILS course, and to complicate things you have a strong crosswind, what heading do you set on the MCP? (MCP tracking LOC & Glide).

Do you set and announce "Runway heading"?

Do you set and announce "Final (LOC course) Heading"?

Do you set the heading you are maintaining to correct for the wind and track the LOC?


On a 737 when you go around the airplane will continue to track the LOC course, regardless of the heading selection on the MCP,
whereas on an ATR you will have to push "Heading, Low bank, IAS"...., so the way you'll go depends even more on the philosophy adopted...

[moggie]

I was taught, have always believed and still teach that you should set the heading that is working for the ILS final track.

So, if the ILS is 270º and you have 3º right drift you set 267º. Then if the signal is lost your aeroplane tracks in a straight line until you are able to go around or continue visually.

For an offset runway, well, you land visually - don't you?

[LEM]

Yes, I'll basically agree with you, moggie, but correct me if I'm wrong: there's no automatic reversion built in any FMGS that I know from a captured LOC mode to a HDG mode, so the airplane will continue to track straight anyways if you loose the LOC signal, regardless of the heading selected.

[Intruder]

In the 744, the ILS heading is automatically set in the MCP when the LOC is captured. No pilots that I fly with make any changes to that.

I don't think there is any need to reset the MCP when you have a Track-up display and a working Flight Director -- it would be just one more distraction at a critical phase of flight. Besides, wind changes near the ground are quite often significant, and constantly resetting the MCP on short final would be ridiculous.

There may be other good ways to do it on non-FMS airplanes or those with "Heading-up" displays...

[expedite_climb]

Hmmm.

On the 757 it is the same as the 744, at LOC capture the heading bug swings to the LOC course.

We are however taught that in a strong xwind you should align the bug with your heading when established.
(We fly heading up not trk up).


Thinking behind this is a bit convuluted !......
If you GA the flight director will command track at the time of the GA, however many people will next go HDG SEL. The underlying reason behind that is the 757 keeps all 3 autopilots in during the GA and hence controls rudder as well. As soon as any other mode is selected captured it will drop to one autopilot and no longer control rudder. In an engine out situation it is better to choose yourself when you regain rudder control, rather than the rudder 'dropping out' when the automatics for example go into 'alt cap'.

[ftrplt]

we set MAPP heading (if there is one)

[fruitbatflyer]

In the last 3 companies I have worked for - types being Atr42, 146/rj and 737, the SOP has been the same. Once established on either localiser or vor inbound, set missed approach heading.
This may be quite different to the inbound track.
I have always set it on the basis of expected drift in the missed approach. Then on the go around, just press 'hdg sel' at the appropriate time. Even if the heading change doesn't occur until say 1000ft, everything happens so quickly on a go-around, that the 'escape' heading may be more appropriate. Most pilots are quite capable of tracking the runway, or monitoring the track to 1000ft or so, but the heading change could easily be forgotten in the heat of the moment.
NDB appoaches are of course different in that you are using the heading bug constantly to 'drive' the aeroplane along the desired track and so can't realistically set missed approach heading until at the MAP. And if you are flying manually, say in a raw data ils or localizer, I see no reason why you can't use the heading bug as you personally prefer for orientation. Whether to use your support pilot to manipulate the heading bug or d.i.y. really depends on commonsense - personally if I am PF, I prefer to make small corrections myself. Oh, the arguments I had with one anally retentive checkie about use of heading bug!

[Intruder]

In the last 3 companies I have worked for - types being Atr42, 146/rj and 737, the SOP has been the same. Once established on either localiser or vor inbound, set missed approach heading.

Sounds like a good procedure in some airplanes, and in other airplanes in some circumstances...

In an FMS-driven airplane like the 744, though, missed approach is more likely to be done in TOGA until 400-500' AGL, then LNAV, as long as the MAPP is in the database (most cases). Vertical mode may be changed to VNAV or FLCH at ~1000' AGL, depending on the procedure.

Even in the 744, though, if the situation dictates a MAPP that will use HDG SEL instead of LNAV, presetting that heading may be a good idea. It should be discussed in the approach briefing.

[fruitbatflyer]

Agree - it's 'horses for courses' - a good LNAV capability, especially if GPS updated, is far superior to blundering around on headings. Regrettably, much of my operation has not always had the luxury of good updates. Current operation sometimes has us doing an NDB after a 4 hour sector on IRS nav only, so even the track indications in 'map' can be quite suspect. A 2 or 3 mile map shift really spoils an NDB approach if you trust the display instead of the good old RMI needles. Then it really is back to raw data. Hence the last three companies I worked for adopted a 'worse case' SOP, I suppose....

[4dogs]

Folks,

If you are going to set it at all, surely the best thing is to set it to a sensible place where it will work for you if you are so unfortunate as to have to revert to a heading mode through either lack of aircraft capability or equipment failure.

In most cases, that will be for the missed approach track to be made good - ie the published track with a drift allowance (usually based on the surface wind, since you are most at risk during the early stages of going around).

stay Alive,

[maxy101]

I thought the idea on the 747-400 when the HDG bug goes to the localiser QDM is that you can then fly the trackline on the PFD? Certainly makes life a lot easier.

[False Capture]

fruitbatflyer,
I'm suprised your company set missed approach heading on the MCP of the BAe 146/RJ. As you know, things get quite interesting in the simulator when you have an engine failure on the go-around followed by a turn if the autopilot is engaged - all due to the parallel rudder.

This isn't an issue with the ATR or B737 so maybe this was done to standardise fleet SOPs.

[Right Way Up]

Maxy101, you are right, I believe it is the Boeing philosophy,especially if you use MAP on the ND, and raw data on the PFD. Even now on the NG i set the bug to inbound course. On a go-around I will always check the track line for go-around track.