That seems to be a good suggestion. SD follows the enetered route and only allows itself being kicked into ILS mode after the final waypoint. This would solve all potential problems the pilot might have with a premature switch while not taking away anything of the convenience.

-- Chris.

Maybe it would be less confusing for the pilot if the switch to ILS mode could only happen AFTER the last waypoint in the route unless manually triggered by the pilot actively selecting a runway and a join?

Tim

Thanks, you've answered my question and I now understand the system a little better.  Funnily enough, and as I said, it didn't happen in the air (this time, anyway!).

Cheers

Gadget

Thanks for your kind words. No, there is no way to cancel out of the implicit runway selection but it can be avoided if you have explicitly selected a runway, which is an easy option when you first make radio contact with your destination and discover what it is.
There is one-touch access to the PLOG by touching the position instrument at the top of the screen, which contains ETAs to all your future waypoints.

The only things that have changed while in this "mode" is your distance and time instruments, and the HSI, which have temporarily assumed that you're making a straight-in approach. What exactly is the problem? What are you being prevented from doing?

Thanks everyone for all your input.  This has turned out to be quite interesting - I actually flew the trip on Sunday 3 April and didn't encounter the virtual ILS issue for real, even though the actual landing runway at Turweston was 09.   However, running the exact same route through the simulator just now did produce the issue.  Here we are happily en-route, approaching the Turweston extended centreline but intending to cross it to transit to the north of Banbury (positioning for an overhead join)...



And then, seconds later...



Tim, as you can see my crossing track is oblique to the centreline, so I can see why SD thinks that I might be commencing an approach.  And, although this didn't actually happen in the air on Sunday (why not?), what I am getting at is, is there an easy way to cancel Virtual ILS mode and return to en-route mode if it does? 

Turweston, like many UK GA airfields has no approach aids and no published IFR procedures, so I wouldn't bat an eyelid at planning to cross its extended centreline this far out.  There must be lots of opportunities for this to happen elsewhere - what do I do if my SD suddenly does this to me while I'm flying (and bear in mind that it is only by coincidence that the airfield in question was actually my destination) - can I get back to en-route mode, or do I have to do without until I emerge the other side of the centreline (which looks in this case as if it might have been maybe 4 mins)?

Gadget

If you are in the extended centreline and flying towards the threshold, SkyDemon assumes you are on final approach and some of the instruments change to show you timings to the threshold. While in that mode the PLOG can easily be opened to show you timings to other intermediate waypoints if you have them. If you're flying down an extended centreline it is in most cases unlikely you intend to subsequently break off and join a circuit.

However if you do subsequently alter course to enter a circuit, SkyDemon will no longer assume you are on final approach and the timing/distance instruments will revert. However at this point in your route (entering a circuit) the timing/distance instruments are not very useful anyway, because they are relating to the airfield ARP and SkyDemon does not know your precise intentions regarding the circuit.

This is not related to the OP which concerned whether SkyDemon will assume you're on final approach if you are simply flying across (not down) the extended centreline for somewhere.

All of this is assuming that you haven't explicitly told SkyDemon your intentions (i.e. landing runway and circuit direction). If you have done so, SkyDemon will not implicitly select a runway.

Ok, that isn't really the same issue because that's a straight-in approach.

Captain Gadget, SkyDemon will not switch into its "final approach" mode if you are flying across the extended centreline of a runway. You additionally have to be pointing towards the runway threshold for that mode to kick in.

I don't remember these several discussions. Where were they?