Aerosoft Airbus A320.

Ok so having got used to the default 737 that comes with FSX I decided to up my game and not only buy a more complex sim aircraft but a totally different one!

I'm reading my way through the nice big pdf guide and just had a few questions for any of you who are familiar with this plane.

Firstly the MCDU!

Obviously this is central to the operation of this plane but can you fly without it and just use autopilot guided by the traffic controllers instructions etc? At least whilst i get used to other aspects of the plane.

My GPS is gone! I quite liked it for seeing where on route i was with the ground map. Is there anyway of bringing the ground map up on the A320?

Also ILS. When i flew the 737 i would wait until the ATC told me my ILS approach. Then i would go to the fixed cockpit view and click on the map icon, go to the airport on the map and find my relevant ILS frequency. Is it still possible to get to that map as the fixed cockpit view doesn't seem available on this add-on?

Finally coming back to the MCDU and when i do start trying to get to grips with it can you directly import your FSX created flight plan in to it?

Right hope that ramble makes sense. If you need me to clarify any of that better than i can do!

Hello there!

The Aerosoft is a fantastic 1st addon as it is realistic for day-to-day operations (as in it doesn't simulate emergencies such as engine fires or RAT deployment in the case of a power loss) but the automatic checklists are easy to use and help you take the A/C from turn around state to take off ready and then all the way to being configured for landing. It is realistic and easy, so perfect for a beginner.

To my knowledge:

there is no way to use the default GPS as it is replaced by the superior ND and MCDU predictions.

The a/c will not follow default flight plans

Here is an easy video to show how this is done:

That is easy to follow, and once you have the basics, you'll become good at trouble shooting issues, such as waypoints refusing to enter and the likes.

Here is a site you can find a flight plan on to input. Pay attention to the AIRAC cycle (I think my aerosoft had 1401 installed until I changed it with Navigraph) so make sure your route is for 1401 otherwise you'll see "not in database" a lot when you enter waypoints the MCDU doesn't think exists.

Also, make sure you use the fuel planner which will be (I think) in your Aerosoft folder in the Program files (x86)....etc.. FSX folder to input the fuel data. This will also tell you your take off trim setting (eg. UP0.9) which that video shows you how to enter.

If you need me to clarify any of this let me know, but if you learn the Aerosoft you could transition easily onto something else... you'll be a PMDG captain in no time ;)

Honestly, it is daunting but it is so easy to get the hang of and your immersion goes from 0-100 because of it

On ILS landings, it couldn't be easier.

Say we are landing at my home airport, Newcastle, and we are landing on Runway 25. The ILS Freq. is 111.50 and the course 248. We select this in the arrivals page in the MCDU.

Go to the RAD NAV (Radio Navigations) page of the MCDU, and you'll see the frq. and course have been entered as if by magic. Put 248 in the other 2 CRS boxes for good measure.

When on approach at about 6000ft or so, arm the localiser (LOC) button. When the localiser has been captured, select the Autopilot approach mode when on final (APPR is on the button, I think) and hey presto, your A/C will maintain the glidslope and decend when it is captured. If it is a CATIIIb?? autoland, it will land itself, and by that I mean it will retard it's throttles, flare and automatically disengage it's autopilot. You literally just have to reverse the engines, but feel free to knock the autopilot off and fly manually...

Youtube is also your friend, tutorials are a great way to learn when you haven't got the know how to just experiment and see what works

Thanks for the replies. I've managed to muddle my way through the MCDU to the point that i could get from A to B.

It's just a shame you can't use the FSX generated flight plan. I appreciate the realism and having to use charts and other software and i do want to learn it.

One issue i found though. I flew to Brussels and the ATC gave me ILS runway 20. When i looked it up on the MCDU nothing. A google search told me they renamed it to 19. This was on the MCDU!

Just watched the tutorial vid. It's good but doesn't explain where he is getting his airway codes from etc. I take it this is obtained from a third party flight planner?

Finally on the INIT screen on the MCDU i found that after filling out the first page when i tried to arrow across to the others it would say "not allowed".

The AIRAC of your A320 has been updated since the runways were renumbered due to the magnetic poles shifting. AIRACs are updated every 28 days, and the current one is 1610, next week 1611 will start, then we'll get 1612, 1613, 1701 etc.

FSX is a 2006 program so unless you buy a payware Brussels scenery with updated runways, it'll be stuck in the past.

Just search "flight planner" and the first result is the basic free one. PFPX is a payware addon that gives very realistic flight plans with all the extra bits.

Since nobody has addressed your missing moving map disappointment, can I recommend PlanG?

I use it all the time (on an adjacent laptop) whilst flying the superb PMDG 747.

As for the Aerosoft A320, you'll find it a big step up from the FSX defaults (the PMDG product range even more so) but if I can do it (at over 70) I'm sure you can too.

Good luck! :)

Since nobody has addressed your missing moving map disappointment, can I recommend PlanG?

 

I use it all the time (on an adjacent laptop) whilst flying the superb PMDG 747.

 

As for the Aerosoft A320, you'll find it a big step up from the FSX defaults (the PMDG product range even more so) but if I can do it (at over 70) I'm sure you can too.

 

Good luck! :)

Thanks. I'm getting to grips quite nicely with it now. The MCDU is still puzzling me a little. I tried to set up a flightplan on it earlier using a flight planner online. Entered in all the info ok but for some reason the plane decided to follow the original FSX flight plan route which ran parallel to it!

Do i not need to create a flight plan in FSX if I'm using 3rd party planning tools? And if so how would i set up active sky next as i normally load the FSX flight plan into that!

There is no need to set up an FSX flight plan if you are navigating airway-waypoint via the MDCU or FMC, if you're in a Boeing.

Active sky should just run regardless, but I always create a separate plan in there to get the jist of the weather en route, which is useful for wind directions (such as cruising at a higher or lower altitude to avoid the jet stream when heading West over the Atlantic)