Final answer:
The flight director lateral modes control an aircraft's horizontal plane movements, including Heading Select, Localizer, Lateral Navigation, VOR/LOC, Roll Mode, and Bank Limit. These modes help pilots maintain or change direction while managing the bank angle and reducing workload.
Step-by-step explanation:
The flight director lateral modes are various autopilot settings that control the aircraft's horizontal plane movements during flight. These modes dictate how the aircraft maintains or changes its direction or orientation in space. Some of the commonly used lateral modes include:
- Heading Select (HDG SEL): Allows the pilot to set a specific heading for the aircraft to follow.
- Localizer (LOC): Captures and follows the localizer beam of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) for approach guidance.
- Lateral Navigation (LNAV): Follows a GPS or other navigation system guidance lateral path.
- VOR/LOC: Captures and tracks a VOR radial or localizer course.
- Roll Mode (ROL): Maintains current bank angle; often used after takeoff or before final approach.
- Bank Limit (BANK LIM): A sub-mode that limits the bank angle during turns in certain flight director modes.
These modes aid pilots during various phases of flight, providing precise lateral control while reducing pilot workload. Autopilot systems often integrate these lateral modes with vertical modes to manage all aspects of the aircraft's flight path.