Glide slope problems.

[Mustafacurry]

RE@ FS 2002.

Can anyone help me get the glide slope to come up on the B737. Unlike the flight school (which I passed) there seems to be no indicators giving me information as to were I am in terms of a correct decent. I can land the planes but would like to do it on instruments like the flight school taught me.

Just like to add that I've been flying for around 4 months now but only spend about but 3-5 hours a week practicing.

[xxmikexx]

Mustafacurry,

Welcome aboard. The key to it all is to have NAV1 tuned to the frequency of the ILS that you would like to use. Once you are roughly aligned with the localizer, your horizontal situation indicator (HSI) will show you where you lie in relation to the localizer. The localizer information will also appear on your attitude indicator (ADI), near its bottom, as a small white diamond shape.

Before you reach the glide slope (which intercepts the localizer usually 2,000 or so feet above the ground, i.e. about ten or so miles from the runway threshhold) you will see the glide slope diamond on the ADI spring into existence, and as you get close to the glide slope it will begin moving down.

Both the localizer and glide slope indicators behave the way VORs do -- fly toward the diamonds and try to keep them centered in their respective sections of the ADI display.

I hope this helps. If you need more information, let us know.

[skylab]

What Mike said ought to get the job done for you.

Something else to keep in mind is the Glide Slope is 'generally' on a 3:1 slope from the end of the runway (actually about a thousand feet up the runway from the threshold). That is if you are about six miles out, the G/S will be around 2,000 ft (above ground). Nine miles out; 3,000 feet and so on. Try and be BELOW those altitudes as you intercept the G/S and it might be a little easier for you. Naturally, you'll want to be at or near the center of the Localizer as well.

[Michael E.]

If you will use the approach charts for your selected airport they will tell you exactly where you should be during the intercept.

[NikeHerk67]

RE@ FS 2002.

Can anyone help me get the glide slope to come up on the B737. Unlike the flight school (which I passed) there seems to be no indicators giving me information as to were I am in terms of a correct decent. I can land the planes but would like to do it on instruments like the flight school taught me.

Just like to add that I've been flying for around 4 months now but only spend about but 3-5 hours a week practicing.

Everything the Mike and all said above is correct.

Keep in mind, when you fly a lesson, that all the switches and modes are set up for you at the start. For instance if you're flying a flight plan using the autopilot GPS mode you may have overlooked some details upon approaching you destination airport.

Here are a few more items that could possibly be the reason you're not seeing the localizer and glide slope diamonds. Since we don't want to assume you have the autopilot in the correct MODE also check your GPS/NAV switch. The switch MUST be in the NAV position. The autopilot MUST be in the APR MODE if you're going to let the autopilot acquire the ILS. Also, always acquire the localizer first while you're under the glide slope i.e. the vertical diamond indicating the GS must be above center on the HSI. In the flight simulator, the aircraft will fly through the GS if the localizer was not acquired first. You can tell when the aircraft has acquired the localizer when the HDG indicator light goes out. Also you'll know when you've acquired the GS when the ELV indicator light goes out.

Note that when flying an ILS approaches that, the localizer beam is stronger than the GS beam, thus you will see the localizer come alive somewhere =< 28nm from the runway. The GS won't come alive until you're =< 20nm from the runway. The beam strength s and distances may vary depending on the CAT rating of a particular ILS approach. Also make sure you're trying to acquire a FULL ILS approach and not a LOC only, a LDA or SDA, which are also shown as a green arrow on the MAP view or on the GPS screen.

These are some things that newcomers can easily overlook.

Hope this helps.