Are there any best condition for ILS auto landing?

As a biginner for FSX , I have still learning how to succeed auto landing with using NAV1 frequency input.

NAV1 frequency can be obtained from map view of the airport.

Problem is if I place airplane near about 10nm away from runway, sometimes autopilot cannot take me to the proper landing.

How can I be noticed that localizer captured airplane? I understand ILS is one directional, then airplane 10nm from

runway is enough to capture localizer. Any advice is welcomed.

Koji

As a biginner for FSX , I have still learning how to succeed auto landing with using NAV1 frequency input.

NAV1 frequency can be obtained from map view of the airport.

Problem is if I place airplane near about 10nm away from runway, sometimes autopilot cannot take me to the proper landing.

How can I be noticed that localizer captured airplane? I understand ILS is one directional, then airplane 10nm from

runway is enough to capture localizer. Any advice is welcomed.

Koji

 

Ok, i used to do the same as you when Learning nav approach (autolanding is another thing)

If you want to make sure your plane catches glideslope you have to manage the aircraft so

it stabilizes its self about 2000 feet above ground and about 5nm before catching loc, it will then catch glideslope without any problem. Do not place your aircraft 10 nm from runway but at least 15 nm at 3000 feet above ground and on vertical decent at 1500 feet/min and stabilize at 2000 above ground. The altitude does not matter for catching loc, but it matters a lot for catching glideslope.

Do not forget, its not autolanding, its an automatic final approach before touch down.

Autolanding is different, i dont do it a lot but you need to activate autopilot 2 for this

and runway has to be catII or catIII i think. FS default aircraft do not have that 2nd autopilot.

Im not at home right now but there is an option in the aircraft section (tool bar)

that allows you to see the glideslope as a tunel with squares or circles

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EHz7yt_5PiA/maxresdefault.jpg

Its very good to give you an idea of your future approaches.

 

And no, there is no better way of automatic approach than NAV. ;)

Problem is if I place airplane near about 10nm away from runway, sometimes autopilot cannot take me to the proper landing.

 

The absolute very first thing you must do is make sure that there actually is an ILS approach for the runway in question. Just because there are long narrow arrows pointing at the runway on the chart doesn't mean it's an ILS- it could be just a Localizer approach, which is basically an ILS without the glideslope guidance. Obviously, you have to hand-fly the descent (glide path) if it's just a Localizer approach. Jot down the frequency, the runway elevation and the final approach course.

 

1. Initial Setup: Aircraft must be somewhere near the final approach path (extended centerline of the runway). In other words, you can't be on the opposite side of the airport from the approach path and expect the AP to fly you around the airport and turn you 180 degrees to your intercept heading. You must be flying a heading 30 degrees or less from the final approach course- 10 degrees is an optimal intercept course- and you must be no less than 10-15 miles away from the runway threshold at about 2000 feet above the runway elevation, terrain permitting. ATC vectors or flying a STAR procedure will place you more or less as described above.

 

2. The correct ILS frequency must be tuned and active in the NAV-1 radio.

 

3. The Nav/GPS switch (if any) must be set in the Nav position.

 

4. The final approach course, which will probably not exactly match the runway-number-times-10 heading, (example: final approach course for Rwy 10 ILS=105) should be set into the Course window in autopilots that have a course selection. NOTE: this is different from the Heading selection, and may not strictly be required by your particular autopilot's Approach function, but it is always good practice to set it anyway as a memory jogger as you monitor the approach.

 

5. The autopilot must be enabled and in Alt-Hold and Hdg-Hold before getting close to either the localizer or the glideslope.

 

6. If your aircraft has autothrottle(s) (AT), the arming switch should be On, the Mach/IAS selector should be set to IAS, the correct speed for whichever phase of the approach you are on and your aircraft configuration (flaps setting) should be set in the autopilot's Speed preselect window, and the AP Speed-Hold mode should be engaged. This makes your life MUCH easier as you add flaps, lower the gear, slow down to Vref+5 and descend down the glideslope to the runway.

 

7. To monitor the approach instead of just blindly trusting the computer to do the right thing, set your Flight Director (FD) switch to On and configure your MFD, HSI or other Nav display to show the approach presentation so that you will be able to see the LOC and GS indications and cues and make sure that the autopilot isn't flying you into the nearest erupting volcano. ;)

 

8. When the above conditions are met, the AP must be switched to APP (approach) or LOC (Localizer) mode, depending on which one of those labels you have on your particular autopilot (they are essentially synonymous in this context unless it's a really old autopilot that does not track glideslopes, in which case the ILS becomes a Localizer approach due to your equipment and the glide path must be flown manually.) The autopilot must be switched to APP before either the Loc or GS needles/cues "come alive." In this mode, the airplane will continue to track the selected heading until it captures the Localizer, at which point the Hdg-Hold indications will extinguish and it will turn toward the runway. Then the AP will continue to hold the selected Altitude until it intercepts the Glideslope from below, at which point the Alt-Hold indications will extinguish and it will begin descending toward the touchdown zone. CRITICAL NOTE: Your autopilot will NOT intercept the glideslope from above. That's why you have to start several miles away and be level at only 1500-2000 feet above the runway elevation, terrain permitting, to make sure that you start out below the GS. Also, the autopilot will probably not turn the aircraft toward the runway if your heading when the Localizer "comes alive" is more than 30-40 degrees or so from the final approach path. This is because the AP will not normally command a large enough bank angle in APP mode to make the sharp turn necessary to capture the localizer from more than 30 degrees or so off course. If the AP does happen to try to capture the LOC from more than 30 degrees off course, it will grossly overshoot the course, then overcorrect to recapture it, overshoot again, overcorrect the opposite way, and so forth in a serpentine fashion for quite some time. Not good.

 

9. If you truly want to use as much automation as you can, arm the spoilers and enable Auto Braking if so equipped.

 

10. Add flaps and reduce the Autothrottle's speed setting incrementally according to the flap schedule such that you slow down to Vref+30 or so by the time you intercept the glideslope; lower the gear when the GS needle/cue comes alive, and continue to add flaps as you reduce speed (using the Autothrottle setting) such that when you arrive at 500 feet above the runway elevation you are stablized at Vref+5 (plus half the gust factor if you want to get really real) with landing flaps. If you do not accomplish this by 500 feet, go around. Don't even try to salvage a bad approach at 500 feet AGL. Go around.

 

11. As you descend through 150-200 feet or so above the runway threshold, stabilized at Vref+5, switch off the Autothrottles (default=Ctrl+R). Otherwise, you will be unable to use reverse thrust or even throttle back to idle when you touch down. Nothing is more comical than plowing off the end of the runway at 60% N1 with brakes on fire trying to figure out why you can't stop the airplane. ;)

 

12. Somewhere between 100 and 50 feet AGL or so, the autopilot should switch itself off. However, it is always good practice to either turn it off manually (default Z) or at least take a peek at it to verify that it did, in fact, turn itself off. Because you were already in a steady-state, stabilized descent, turning the AP off at this point should NOT disturb the aircraft in any way.

 

Lucky 13. Assuming that everything is OK for touchdown when you are about 10-15 feet above the runway, "Retard! Retard! Retard!" if you're in an Airbus (a little Boeing humor :p) or simply decrease throttles to idle without screaming at your copilot that he or she is retarded, and apply a little back pressure to the yoke to flare for a nice, soft touchdown.

Thank you Lefu for the several things clarification.

I live in Japan and currently focusing on Kansai Int. airport with ILS.

If I look at map, following ILS information is avairable. ( Runway No., NAV, heading)

24L 110.70 238

24R 108.50 238

6R 108.10 058

6L 108.70 058

From above information, I think this airport has two runways and both directional

landing is possible.

I usu GPS as map monitor and approaches my airplane intercept ILS arc to catch loc and Glide slope.

So far I do not touch HSI gauge, is this setting is necessary for ILS?

 

Koji

Thank you Lefu for the several things clarification.

I live in Japan and currently focusing on Kansai Int. airport with ILS.

If I look at map, following ILS information is avairable. ( Runway No., NAV, heading)

24L 110.70 238

24R 108.50 238

6R 108.10 058

6L 108.70 058

From above information, I think this airport has two runways and both directional

landing is possible.

I usu GPS as map monitor and approaches my airplane intercept ILS arc to catch loc and Glide slope.

So far I do not touch HSI gauge, is this setting is necessary for ILS?

 

Koji

 

What aircraft are you using ?

Generic 2D cockpit (757)

 

Lefu

 

Beechcraft Baron 58 is my default aircraft. Koji

Hogg

 

Thank you for your detailed information, regarding ILS approach.

Because FSX has no manual attached, most of the people are looking for this kind

information. I will use this as my bible for ILS.

As for ILS you mentioned ;

 

2. The correct ILS frequency must be tuned and active in the NAV-1 radio.

 

I think sometimes I made mistake of input wrong runway's ILS information.

Not only copy the frequency, but check actual runway No. by creating aircraft top view

might be necessary before engage autopilot. Correct ILS frequency must match to

the correct runway no.

Koji

"Because FSX has no manual attached"

 

Oh but there is...

 

People like you are asking these same questions in this forum every day.

 

In the main menu help is the Training Center. In there you will find information on all the default aircraft. You will find tutorials on everything including how to operate the autopilot and perform ILS approaches. If you tried to read it all, it would take days or weeks. In all the default aircraft you will find specifications and checkists in the kneepad by pressing shift-F10.

 

In the missions you will find step-by-step interactive tutorials where a voice leads you through the steps from your first flight to navigation to landing.

 

The manuals and help are all in there for every FSX installation.

When I was learning I made many trips between Atlantic City (KACY) and Baltimore (KBWI). I used the Fsx Leer jet. Also use FSX Atc. Set the flight for 5000 ft., direct GPS and IFR. The runways at Baltimore are all ILS. Get copies of the flight charts for all the runways. Using real weather, over time, you will get a shot at all runways. Its a sort sweet flight. About ten minutes into the flight, they will you give you your vectors for KBWI. Have your GPS ready (Shift 3) to program the ILS info into your NAV1 radio. It does it automatically. You just need to put the course heading in. The Atc will guide you correctly to the point where you are "established on the localizer". Being new this info may sound sketchy, but after you do it a few times you will start seeing the patterns. Follow along with the flight charts and it shouldn't be to hard to grasp. I do it now with all the planes and jets in my hangar.

Koji:

There is a tutorial on ILS Approach in the FSX Learning Center. Looks like this

The "ILS Auto land" feature is not part of the description, unless you are talking about CAT II CAT III Auto Land systems, that would be a different discussion.

Hope this helps.

Ron