I've got a question about navigating VOR to VOR with the autopilot.  It's a FS2004 question and not a real world question, but I assume there's enough similarity for it to be valid here.

When navigating VOR to VOR on autopilot I find that as the VOR gets close the AP tries too hard to track the course.  I'd like to get the plane to overfly the first VOR and smoothly turn to the second.  I've been doing this in two ways:

1) When I'm getting close to the VOR I note my heading and dial this in to the AP and switch over from tracking the VOR course to heading hold.  I then watch as the VOR needle slews rapidly, indicating I flew over the VOR, and switch the nav radio to the next VOR and begin tracking that course.

2)  When I'm getting close to the VOR I simply switch over to the next VOR and course.

My question is this:  Is either of these the "correct" way?  Is there such a thing as a "correct" way?

My second question:

I really should look this up in the FS training material before asking here, but since I already have your attention...  When I plan an FS9 flight route following high altitude or low altitude airways I notice there are nav waypoints labeled as "intersections".  What is an "intersection" and how do I navigate by them?

Agreed.. The way you fly it would work just fine in the real world.. In fact, you'd probably impress a few people (even ATC).. because.. as a rule.. when you're flying real IMC you stop bothering to hold an exact radial when you get so close to the station that it takes more than 5 degree heading adjustments to "try" to keep the CDI centered... keep flying your current heading and just wait for the to/from flip.. Then, either start groping for the outbound radial..or.. the next VOR's inbound (sometimes it's outbound too (I'll get to intersections in a sec)). Some pilots start their turn early but if you do that on a checkride (not wait for the flip) you might be done with that checkride.

Intersections are imaginary, strategically placed (sometimes you wonder) fixes along airways or approaches. Normally either a reporting point (ATC will ask you to report when you reach one) or a change in heading or altitude (or both (some approaches are pretty complex)). For example: An initial approach fix (IAF) usually requires a turn and a descent. Final approach fixes (FAF) are almost always on runway heading and where you'd start your timer, for timed finals. They're referenced several ways. The most common would be on a  VOR radial at an exact distance (DME required) or where two VOR radials meet (intersect). You'd track one on NAV/VOR 1 while having the other tuned and dialed on NAV/VOR 2 (or switch frquencies and spin the OBS using just one NAV/VOR (not fun when you cant see your wingtips)) and when both CDIs center, you're at that intersection.

Some intersections (waypoints) can only be located by GPS or RNAV (happily all but obsolete) and you'd only be required to use/report them flying a GPS or RNAV approach. The great thing about modern GPSs is that they allow you to fly them all. You can fly a VOR, DME required approach because the intersections you'd need the DME to find are right there in the GPS to either fly to by screen or actually program in. If you've activated a GPS approach.. it will sequence you through each one.. unless you tell it otherwise (like if ATC just told you to hold at one).

Hope that makes sense...

One more comment here. The FS autopilot a a bit week in tracking a VOR in comparison to real aircrafts. In real life teh autopilot is more aggresive in maintaining the track. This is gathered information from aviation related forums. I am not a real life pilot.

By the way, in real life and simulator...if you have the AP set for the VOR, be carful because when the t/from indicator switches, the AP tries to do a 360 degree turn to correct it. I have herd that a couple of pilots frgot about this and died trying to correct it. So that just for reference guys.

Bret
PVtPilot

The lessons are really poorly done in FS9, although the exercises given are suitable... glad to hear you're making progress without "Crazy Virtual Rod Machado" in the plane with you...