1997 realism option – disable VLF/Omega
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I came up with an idea to add an option in the tablet that would disable VLF/Omega, since this system has been out of service since 1997. After switching it off, the Starship would no longer be able to pick up frequencies, just like in reality.
Of course, we can always deselect VLF as a source, but the signal still shows stations. With this option, there would be a choice between flying as if it were before 1997 with VLF/Omega, or after, using only VOR/GNS.
Personally, I absolutely love flying with this system, but adding such an option would give people the freedom to choose and knowing what should see in current power on systems.
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I wonder how the real Starships work with the absence of VLF/Omega. I imagine the owners have just disabled it in the CDU, but then what do these pages that used to have VLF/Omega data show:
MFD: VLF/OMEGA STATUS
CDU: FMS POS SUMMARY
CDU: UPDATE VLF
CDU: VLF & OMEGA Signal Strength
SDU: VLF Mode displayBonus question: What happens if you hit "Update VLF from FMS" on the CDU when there is no VLF?
The GNSS shows a position on the CDUs FMS Pos Summary page even if GNSS is deselected in the CDU. Perhaps the difference there is that the GPS system exists, just not in use.
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I believe all current Starships have one GNSS receiver. The difference is that it does not have an approach database. So even though it is GPS equipped, it is not compliant or capable of flying SIDs, STARs and certain (if not all by now) GPS/GNSS/RNP approaches.
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I wonder how the real Starships work with the absence of VLF/Omega. I imagine the owners have just disabled it in the CDU, but then what do these pages that used to have VLF/Omega data show:
MFD: VLF/OMEGA STATUS
CDU: FMS POS SUMMARY
CDU: UPDATE VLF
CDU: VLF & OMEGA Signal Strength
SDU: VLF Mode displayBonus question: What happens if you hit "Update VLF from FMS" on the CDU when there is no VLF?
The GNSS shows a position on the CDUs FMS Pos Summary page even if GNSS is deselected in the CDU. Perhaps the difference there is that the GPS system exists, just not in use.
@MarkS I can answer these questions, since that's how today's Starship are configured, and what I was able to experiment with in person. When they were updated with GPS, most of the screens relating to OMEGA were just removed, as were references to the system, such as on the "Update VLF from FMS" option.
The real Starships do have an approach database, and the system is capable of RNAV approaches with compatible leg types. (Caution: this is where I have discovered that FAA and ICAO pilots will talk past each other, because we have different definitions of "RNAV", "RNP", and "RNP-AR".) In the US, this includes any RNAV approach that would appear on a GNS 430 with straight legs, and an RNP requirement of 1.0 to 0.3. Again, in the US, that means that Starship is capable of flying any RNAV approach that does not have "RNAV (RNP)" in its chart title.
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@MarkS I can answer these questions, since that's how today's Starship are configured, and what I was able to experiment with in person. When they were updated with GPS, most of the screens relating to OMEGA were just removed, as were references to the system, such as on the "Update VLF from FMS" option.
The real Starships do have an approach database, and the system is capable of RNAV approaches with compatible leg types. (Caution: this is where I have discovered that FAA and ICAO pilots will talk past each other, because we have different definitions of "RNAV", "RNP", and "RNP-AR".) In the US, this includes any RNAV approach that would appear on a GNS 430 with straight legs, and an RNP requirement of 1.0 to 0.3. Again, in the US, that means that Starship is capable of flying any RNAV approach that does not have "RNAV (RNP)" in its chart title.
@Black-Square said in 1997 realism option – disable VLF/Omega:
When they were updated with GPS, most of the screens relating to OMEGA were just removed, as were references to the system, such as on the "Update VLF from FMS"I think that would be the way to go if you were to do a “modern” variant without Omega. But there is a lot of code (I’ve looked) in the CDU and MFD JavaScripts that would need to either be modified for a tablet enable or removed (and tested). If that’s outside @Black-Square’s scope of work, perhaps an enterprising modder will take it on.
