Fly to a GPS intersection such as RUDAD: verify the fix, activate the right leg, select GPS guidance and solve common tracking problems.
To fly to a GPS intersection in a flight simulator, enter the fix identifier—such as RUDAD—using Direct-To or add it to the flight plan. Verify the location, activate the intended leg, select GPS/FMS as the navigation source, then track the course manually or engage NAV/LNAV after establishing an intercept.
This is a General flight simulator procedure applicable to common Garmin-style GPS units, glass cockpits and airliner FMS installations. An intersection is a database-defined point, often represented by a five-letter identifier. It does not transmit a radio signal, so there is no RUDAD frequency to tune into NAV1 or NAV2.
How do I fly direct to RUDAD?
To fly direct to RUDAD, search for RUDAD in the aircraft’s GPS or FMS, verify that it is the intended geographic fix, and activate the Direct-To command.
- Confirm the identifier and route context. Check the fixes before and after RUDAD, its approximate position and any associated airway or procedure. Our guide to reading simulator aviation charts and identifying intersections explains how to cross-check the route.
- Choose Direct-To or a flight-plan leg. Select Direct-To when the instruction is simply to proceed to RUDAD from your present position. Insert it into the route when you need to preserve an airway, procedure or onward waypoint sequence.
- Use the cockpit navigation unit. Enter
RUDADin the GPS or FMS waypoint search. A route displayed on the simulator map, electronic flight bag or external planning panel may not have transferred into the aircraft’s own avionics. - Verify the result before activating it. Compare the displayed region, coordinates, distance, initial bearing and nearby waypoints with the planned route. Never accept a result solely because the five letters match.
- Activate and confirm the leg. Complete any activate, insert or execute step required by the unit. RUDAD should appear as the active destination, normally with a highlighted or magenta leg and distance-to-go information. Merely seeing the fix on the map does not make it active.
- Select GPS or FMS guidance. Set a legacy NAV/GPS selector or glass-cockpit CDI source to GPS where applicable. Airliners generally require the modified route to be executed before LNAV or managed navigation can follow it.
- Track the active course. Hand-fly by centring the course-deviation indication and correcting heading for wind, or establish an intercept and let the appropriate autopilot lateral mode capture the leg.
Should I use Direct-To or put the intersection in the flight plan?
Use Direct-To for a single instruction from your present position; use a flight-plan leg when the inbound course and route after the intersection matter.
| Method | Choose it when | Effect on the route |
|---|---|---|
| Direct-To | You have been told to proceed directly to the fix or need only that destination | Draws a new course from the aircraft’s position when activated and may bypass intermediate waypoints |
| Insert in flight plan | The intersection forms part of an airway, procedure or multi-waypoint route | Preserves route order and normally sequences to the following waypoint |
| Activate existing leg | The fix is already in the route and you must join its published inbound segment | Guides you towards the course between the previous waypoint and the intersection rather than drawing a new line directly to it |
Reactivating Direct-To can redraw the course from your new position. That is useful after a diversion, but it can also cut a corner, bypass a restriction or remove the intended airway geometry. When flying a procedure, activate the correct existing leg unless the clearance specifically authorises direct routing.
What controls differ between GPS and FMS installations?
The names of the controls vary, but every installation requires a selected waypoint, an active leg and a valid source feeding the flight instruments or autopilot.
| Avionics type | What to check | Typical lateral mode |
|---|---|---|
| Older panel-mounted GPS | NAV/GPS selector set to GPS and Direct-To leg activated | NAV or GPSS |
| Garmin-style glass cockpit | CDI source shows GPS rather than VLOC | NAV |
| Airliner FMS | Route modification inserted and executed with no unresolved discontinuity | LNAV or managed navigation |
For key-by-key examples, see our practical Garmin GNS 500 waypoint-entry instructions or the equivalent Direct-To procedure for the FSX GPS. Exact labels can differ in add-on aircraft even when the underlying logic is the same.
How do I make the autopilot follow the intersection?
The autopilot will track RUDAD only after the correct leg is active, GPS/FMS guidance is selected and the lateral mode has captured the course.
- Confirm that RUDAD is the active waypoint rather than merely the next name visible in the route list.
- Use heading mode to establish a sensible intercept if the aircraft is well away from the required track.
- Arm or engage NAV, GPSS, LNAV or the aircraft’s equivalent lateral mode.
- Read the flight-mode annunciator: an armed mode is waiting to capture, while an active mode is actually steering.
- Do not select approach mode simply because the intersection is near an airport. APR is for compatible approach guidance, not ordinary en-route waypoint tracking.
NAV or LNAV provides lateral steering only. Altitude restrictions require separate pilot action, altitude modes or correctly configured VNAV. Our GPS flight-plan autopilot coupling checks cover intercepts, source selection and modes that remain armed without capturing.
Why can’t my GPS find RUDAD or another intersection?
If the GPS cannot find RUDAD, the usual cause is a navigation-database mismatch, an entry error or use of a planner that does not share data with the cockpit avionics.
- The fix is absent: older simulator and aircraft databases may omit a newer waypoint or retain one that has since been renamed or removed.
- The planner and aircraft disagree: the simulator’s route planner may recognise a fix that an add-on aircraft’s independent FMS database does not.
- The wrong result was selected: compare position and distance with the chart rather than relying on the identifier alone.
- The waypoint is listed but inactive: highlight and activate the intended leg, then confirm that its course is the one being displayed.
- A discontinuity remains: some FMS units will not provide continuous LNAV guidance across a route gap until it is resolved correctly.
- OBS or SUSP is active: these modes can prevent normal waypoint sequencing.
- The navigation source is wrong: the map can show a magenta route while the CDI and autopilot remain connected to VOR or localiser guidance.
- The autopilot is still in heading mode: selecting a GPS source does not automatically engage NAV or LNAV.
- You have passed the fix: activate the proper onward leg instead of commanding an unnecessary turn back to RUDAD.
If a published intersection is missing, do not substitute guessed coordinates. A user waypoint created from verified coordinates can provide position guidance, but it may not carry the procedure, sequencing or constraint information attached to the database fix.
What happens when I reach the intersection?
A multi-leg flight plan should sequence to the next waypoint automatically, while a standalone Direct-To may leave RUDAD as the final active point.
Do not expect every route to pass directly over the displayed point. Many intersections are coded as fly-by waypoints, allowing the avionics to begin the next turn before reaching them. A fly-over waypoint requires crossing the fix before turning, subject to the capabilities and data modelled by the aircraft.
Watch for the next leg becoming active and check its desired track. If sequencing stops, look for SUSP or OBS mode, a route discontinuity or a procedure requiring pilot confirmation rather than repeatedly reactivating Direct-To.