Navaid recieving range (esp ILS) - is it fixed in FS2004?

[Tabs]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-19-03 AT 01:56AM (EDT)[p]Nels or Lou - do you guys know if they fixed the sometimes unrealisticaly short range of some of the navaids? This would really help for VATSIM - in real life at KPHX they'll occasionaly put planes on the localizer as far as 30 or 40 miles out when it's busy, but you can't do that with FS because the beam only extends out approx. 20nm max or so. The real life CIVET4 STAR into KLAX has you on the 25L LOC as far as 60 or 70 miles out as another example... I really hope they fixed this in 2004!

Thanks guys!
Ryan

PS - How about the nasty FS2002 autopilot and it's GS captures?? Please tell me they got rid of that...

[jcmissionary]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-19-03 AT 02:11AM (EDT)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jun-19-03 AT 02:11 AM (EDT)

Actually, FS has it spot on. The range on a localizer, in real life, is only 18nm. While you may receive guidance indicators outside this range, they are to be considered unreliable. (AIM 1-1-9)

STAR charts (at least, the Jeppesen ones) may have ILS frequencies and courses shown on the chart, but they're there for orientation only.

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PPL-ASEL
Instrument Rated
CPL Student

[Tabs]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-19-03 AT 04:54AM (EDT)[p]I'm absolutely positive that what I said about KPHX and KLAX is the case - a real P50 Tracon controller (Doug Hart if you know him from VATSIM) told me about PHX and my dad has been on the localizer with the CDI active flying a 767-300 at CIVET intersection (like 55DME KLAX) down the CIVET4. I'm 100% sure on that - he does it all the time flying that plane in from ORD.

[jcmissionary]

Hmmm..... I've pulled out my KLAX charts, and it DOES seem that a localizer is used to identify fixes on the CIVET4 approach, up to 56 miles out, I believe. Interesting.....

Well, I assume then that the numbers given in the AIM were given in reference to a ILS approach, not a STAR. Thanks for pointing those out. You learn something new every day. :-wave

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PPL-ASEL
Instrument Rated
CPL Student

[Flyboy2]

>> it DOES seem that a localizer is used to identify fixes on the CIVET4 approach, up to 56 miles out

I think you were on target with your first post on this, for the vast majority of instrument procedures in the US.

The LAX fixes must be some special deal for SOCAL. I'd be surprised to find ATC using localizers further out than ~20 NM most other places in the US.