I nam trying to figure ouit how to select and activate an approach in the PC-12 MFD?
This should explain the process to you:
2 Likes
The most I’ve been able to do in the PC-12 is to change the NAV1 frequency to the ILS frequency at the airport you’re flying at, change the CDI to LOC1 (Localizer), change the CRS (Course) bearing to that of the runway’s approach alignment, fly out past the Outer Marker by a couple of nautical miles at the posted initial approach altitude. Fly a 90-degree course from the localizer course and intercept it. Then I just fly a localizer approach, slowly descending to the Minimum Approach Altitude hoping to see the approach lights before the Missed Approach Point. Since there doesn’t seem to be any full ILS capability in any of the aircraft, that’s what I end up doing.
1 Like
That was very helpful and answered my question exactly. Thank you very much.
I’m glad it helped.
99% of the medium cargo missions have very short runways with no ILS or RNAV approach, is there any way to get it to fly a basic GPS approach? There are no charts, no frequencies given at all, etc.
yes, you can select a visual approach for procedure, and select straight (rather than vectors) - then you can use vnav. so v. similar to if it were an rnav,
but non-precision , and not guaranteed to be obstruction free 
I dunno, most of the time it just doesn’t work for me (sometimes it does – and if the runway is ILS or RNAV that works fine)… I certainly can’t use approach mode (APP button won’t ever turn green on these GPS/Visual approaches and half the time it turns off NAV if you aren’t paying attention).
here is an example of what happens https://youtu.be/QDDoAJ5EiD8?t=278
I missed the exact moment because I was trying to get ATC to shut up.
Maybe pressing APP messes up something and I just shouldn’t do that, I’ll try that the next few times and see if it makes any difference.
That is IF the game will work long enough so that I can fly anywhere successfully… just lost 2 hours because the &^#@$ing thing bugged out… Which happens about 50% of the time… this last one was a medevac and the radio bugged out and it wouldn’t complete even though I landed and parked. Was just completely bugged out.
ah, that probably is it… I found the same thing, if its not a proper RNAV or ILS, then pressing APP moves it out of NAV into ROL, rather than moving to a (virtual) GP
Im not sure if this is a PC12/honeywell peculiarity (or bug?!) ,
as thought in the garmin nav units, Id been doing it without issue.
i thought on garmin process was
NAV/VNAV → vpath → APP → GP
whereas, I think on this honeywell (?)
NAV/VNAV → vpath → GP.
though, I may be wrong… as I didnt go back and check, and just stopped using APP on PC12 unless i was using ILS.
That got me yesterday after not flying the PC-12 for a while. In career mode you never fly to proper airports so never have ILS or RNAV so cant use the APR button.
Try modifying the final runway waypoint on the flight plan, go into [Cross…] and enable “Altitude” with the “At” option, it seems to generally have the correct runway altitude already there but I think it is not enabled to fly to it without telling it to do so. I also set a speed so my auto-throttle will get me down to about 85 knots, and then I go into manual and tweak it down from there. I’ve been having better luck with approaches doing that.
And, of course, make sure to lower your target Altitude to either 000 or below the runway altitude or else it will hold at your set Altitude if NOT on an approach (in rnav/ils approach it seems to proceed without that, sometimes? maybe?). But watch it and trigger an FLC yourself if it doesn’t descend, sometimes that will get it to lock on.
1 Like
I think I may have cracked it… see my other comment here in this thread: PC-12 Approach - #11 by DarkStarQQ
Thank you very much!!
Opening this video on YouTube led to finding many more from Honeywell that helped uncover many details for this system.