Runway alignment off at some airports

FSX-SE, ORBX, WINDOWS 10 - I have a few airport runways that are off. Only a FEW so I don't need to put in any major updates or files. Simple fix would do it just not sure how to achieve this. I fly mostly 738's & A320's and I use Auto Pilot. When coming in to a few airports, my plane is not aligned with the runway. It's usually off center or is aligned along side the runway landing in the grass or I need to fly in manually if I notice alignment off soon enough. Is there a solution or just live with it? Thanks for any help.

Generally, I disengage the A/P about 1/2 mile out from landing after letting the aircraft follow the Glideslope down. Now there are a few airports with a few degrees off-center for their approaches. The airport in Marseilles, France comes to mind for an offset runway approach.

Two questions come to mind:

 

• Are you doing this using ILS? If so, many airports (as Mr. Zippy indicates) have the localizer offset a few degrees from the runway heading, and that's because the real world airport it represents is that way.
   
   
  
• Are you using recently updated scenery(s) that might have a different alignment due to being so recent? The magnetic north pole (which is what runways are set to) moves around, and over the decade and a half since FSX came out, there have been changes in runway numbers at some (real world) airports (KBJC runway 11/29 became 12/30, for example).
  

 

Also, the runway number is just to the nearest 10º of magnetic heading, so the (no-wind) heading/course you need to use to align with the runway might be as much as 5º off of the runway number.

 

And presumably you are checking this with no wind, so that wind correction doesn't enter in to it.

 

Addendum:

I forgot to mention that you need to be sure the directional gyro (HSI) is properly set on many aircraft. It may be automatic on the ones you mentioned, but it's another possible factor.

Edited March 16, 2020 by lnuss

FSX-SE, ORBX, WINDOWS 10 - I have a few airport runways that are off. Only a FEW so I don't need to put in any major updates or files. Simple fix would do it just not sure how to achieve this. I fly mostly 738's & A320's and I use Auto Pilot. When coming in to a few airports, my plane is not aligned with the runway. It's usually off center or is aligned along side the runway landing in the grass or I need to fly in manually if I notice alignment off soon enough. Is there a solution or just live with it? Thanks for any help.

There is a solution, if it is definitely wrong. As has been said, some in the real world are deliberately offset. But there are certainly errors at a few FS default airports, and more with add-ons (where the developer has forgotten to adjust for changes they have made).

 

Simply open the airport file in AFX or ADE and make the ILS heading match the runway heading. Check that it is aligned with the runway. Save the changes and all should be good.

 

If you want more help, perhaps tell us of the airports you are finding to be affected.

 

John

FSX-SE, ORBX, WINDOWS 10 - I have a few airport runways that are off. Only a FEW so I don't need to put in any major updates or files. Simple fix would do it just not sure how to achieve this. I fly mostly 738's & A320's and I use Auto Pilot. When coming in to a few airports, my plane is not aligned with the runway. It's usually off center or is aligned along side the runway landing in the grass or I need to fly in manually if I notice alignment off soon enough. Is there a solution or just live with it? Thanks for any help.

 

Offset localizers are a fact of life. Get used to it....