Autopilot - Horizontal Plane

The Autopilot - Horizontal Plane strategy is a horizontal plane strategy in which the aircraft uses a control system to maintain a specified heading The direction that the aircraft is pointing., course, or heading / course rate. You can define a separate Vertical / Profile strategy to define the aircraft's flight with respect to the vertical plane.

Mode

From the Mode drop-down menu, select the navigation mode that the autopilot will use. The selected mode determines which subordinate properties are available for configuration.

If you select Set Heading Rate or Set Course Rate, specify the rate to be maintained during the maneuver.

If you select Absolute Heading, Absolute Course, Relative Heading Change, or Relative Course Change, specify the goal heading, course, or change and then select a control limit to apply.

Control Limits

Select a method to define the control limits (which constrain performance) of the aircraft during the maneuver.

Table - Control Limit Methods

Field	Description
Use Accel Perf Model	Use the control limits specified in the current acceleration performance model.
Specify Min Turn Radius	The minimum radius of a turn arc that the aircraft can perform.
Specify Max Turn Rate	The maximum rate at which the aircraft can turn.
Specify Max Horiz Accel	The maximum acceleration, in the horizontal plane, that the aircraft can achieve.

You can use the Autopilot - Horizontal strategy to model the aircraft flying a rhumb line by setting the mode to Absolute Heading and the Absolute Heading / Course parameter to 90 degrees.

Damping Ratio

Use the Damping Ratio to control the dynamic response of the control law. A ratio that is less than one will result in varying degrees of oscillation in the aircraft's flight path, while a ratio that is greater that one will result in slower, smoother transitions along the aircraft's flight path. By default the ratio is set to a conservative, normal value.