Here's another question for you RJ (CRJ or ERJ) FMS people: To proceed direct to an outer marker, will you have the ILS loaded even if the weather is clear (and therefore is it a matter of pressing just a couple buttons), or do you have to enter the whole identifier?
Well, that's a different thing altogether. In the CRJ the ILS is almost always loaded into the box if there is one.....even for a visual approach. But by the point where we are being vectored for the approach we have switched to "green needles" which means using the ILS NAV receiver as the active navigation source although we are waiting for the Localizer to center. It is kind of a pain if the controller then gives you direct to the outer marker. There are a couple of ways we can do this....
1. Change your navigation made back to RNAV "white needles" and go directo the the LOM. Most of the time this is not done since you will only have switch it back in a second or two.....and it removes the ILS localizer from view
2. If the Outer marker still works....in many places it doesn't, we'll pull up the NDB RMI needle. This is usually not done though because it clutters up your CDI, and is remarkably inaccurate.
3. Stay in "green needles" with the ILS Localizer pulled up. Have the PNF enter direct to the OM in the FMS and navigate with heading mode using the FMS RMI needle. Usually not done because it requires a lot of typing and needle switching etc...
3. Continue operating in "heading mode" and eyeball the heading needed to go direct to the OM via the MFD. This is what is done probably 80%-90% of the time when given this clearance a few miles from the OM. If given direct to the OM from 20-30 miles away that's a different story though. You will be within probably a few degrees of the required heading and involves the least amount of error-causing last minute frequency changes, needle changes, nav mode changes, etc.... It also allows you to spend more time outside the cockpit flying the airplane visually instead of having to come back inside and change navigation modes, verify FMS inputs by the PNF, etc.
Just my opinion here but the easiest/safest thing from a pilot standpoint would a cleareance something like this....
"fly heading 235 to intercept final at the outer marker cleared for the visual approach runway XXX" This puts me right where you want me over the OM and in no way makes me want to/have to change any of the set-up already done in the cockpit. Also it tells me exactly what you want me to do.