Clarify Please - APP or LOC/APP to Hit The ILS Beam?

Having a discussion on a VA forum regarding failure of an in house airline to correctly line up with the localizer and glidescope. Essentially flying with FS ATC doing as you always do, getting in the pattern to intercept the localizer, altitude and speed stabilized and hit "APP". In 99.9% of FS aircraft the plane continues straight and level flight until it hits the localizer and turns the bird onto final. In this particular aircraft, hitting APP causes the aircraft to turn and fly parallel with the localizer rather than in the beam, also altitude control is lost and a rapid descent begins. I have reported this but been informed I should hit the LOC button to intercept the localizer and only hit APP once in the beam.

 

Well since 1994 and going back to FS5, flying everything from a Cessna to Concorde, every aircraft including the big name PMDG and Level D have done just fine getting on the ILS beam by hitting "APP" only while still several miles away but flying towards the beam with localizer and glidescope active.

 

So obviously in the case the particular aircraft (POSKY 757) would appear to have an odd quirk which I need to get used to but can someone confirm that I'm not going mad with my assertion that APP alone in FS will normally do just fine (even if not prototypical)?

I always hit the APP/APR button as soon as ATC gives me my final turn toward the runway, which is usually about 30-35 degrees from the actual heading. When I pick up the Localizer, my heading light on the AP turns off and the aircraft turns toward the runway. As I approach and enter the Glideslope my altitude light turns off and I descend towards the runway.

 

What exact POSKY 757 download are you using and what airport are you approaching?

It's the Delta VA version, was on approach to 32 at KPIT but not the first time the autopilot on this particular bird has acted odd.

 

However grateful for the confirmation that, so far as FS is concerned, APP on its own does the trick. In fact, I just flew the JF Freemium 757 into KLGA and hitting APP was all I needed to do once on the angle to intercept the beam.

Unless FS simulates false beam projection, what the OP was told is not the correct procedure. The only time you WOULD do that if there is a known false localizer present (or reported) for that particular approach. Sounds to me there is a coding issue. Does FS simulate false beams? I don't really know.

Just a few comments...

 

1. The term is glideslope

2. There are two components to an ILS:

3. Pressing the APP button will activate both the localizer (NAV) receiver and the glideslope (GS) receiver

4. Runways may have only a localizer transmitter, or the glideslope may be out of service

5. In such cases one would use the LOC button to activate only the localizer (NAV) receiver, since this will prevent any possible spurious GS information.

People at DVA "Water Cooler" still adamant they are correct and we are wrong but I think the "ayes" and 99.9% of FS aircraft say otherwise!

It looks like someone is forgetting to switch Nav/GPS back to NAV way before using LOC and APP ergo the behavior of the airplane stated by the OP. Some payware models might circumvent this need and do it internally but a Posky's panel should have this switch and must be used or else, no ILS feasibility.

 

Cheers,

I've also found that if you are above the glideslope when you switch to APP, the plane will dive down to the ground. As to the directionality, or LOC, I think that's been squared away, I just wanted to mention that little problem that FS9 and FSX both seem to have with the GS. Gotta gotta gotta be below it or there will be problems...

Pat☺

Oh yeah. That's been heavily discussed. I've never flown a real airplane that ever did that. In fact the only way to get the autopilot to capture the GS when above is to descend back down to it. Many rookie FOs I've flown with make this mistake and I ask them, "okay, what are you going to do?" Because sometimes they think it will descend down automatically to the GS.

It looks like someone is forgetting to switch Nav/GPS back to NAV way before using LOC and APP ergo the behavior of the airplane stated by the OP. Some payware models might circumvent this need and do it internally but a Posky's panel should have this switch and must be used or else, no ILS feasibility.

 

Cheers,

 

Er, nope. GPS is switched off as soon as FS ATC starts giving out headings to get on to final. As stated, I'm not exactly a newb at this, have been using FS since FS5 in 1994 and Thalion A320 series on the Amiga before that.

 

Ditto, below the glideslope, i.e. everything set up as it needs to be.

 

Currently flying another one of the POSKY's on a DVA flight into Montreal (or will be when I finish it tomorrow). That one doesn't have a LOC button on the panel, just APP and BC so interested to see what happens with that on approach.

 

Just to be clear on this too, I'm not casting any slur on the POSKY 757 which is otherwise a good model (I love the sounds) but slightly perplexed that it doesn't quite do what it should. (As this is the plane I'll probably end up taking a check flight in at some point).

Currently flying another one of the POSKY's on a DVA flight into Montreal (or will be when I finish it tomorrow). That one doesn't have a LOC button on the panel, just APP and BC so interested to see what happens with that on approach.

 

That's odd; IIRC they both use the Lonny Payne 757 panel. Got a screen shot?

 

Chers!

 

Luke