Airbus 320 will not slow down when landing.

Can anyone help please? Considering I am not very expert, please if possible keep it simple! This problem with standard and FBW. ILS landing, all going well with ap all ok with ILS but when I set lower speed for landing the plane will not slow down. Eventually with flaps down but at too high a speed (unrealistic) and reducing throttle it will start to reduce speed but very slowly and not enough for safe landing speed. When i disengage ap it's better but by then it's a mess! In case it's relevant, I am not using a flightplan. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.

Roy

In case it's relevant, I am not using a flightplan. What am I doing wrong?

Err... you're not using a flightplan ;). The A320 is almost entirely dependant on the MCDU or FMS or FMC, whatever you want to call it, and the more information you can program into it the better. You don't want any of those three dashes --- next to any of the buttons if possible. This includes fuel weight, payload weight, cruise altitude, cruise speed and temperature, and of course the flightplan. Here's a good tutorial on programming the MCDU: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=msfs+2020+a320+mcdu&view=detail&mid=9AE08B7862CB4359AD319AE08B7862CB4359AD31&FORM=VIRE

Err... you're not using a flightplan ;). The A320 is almost entirely dependant on the MCDU or FMS or FMC, whatever you want to call it, and the more information you can program into it the better. You don't want any of those three dashes --- next to any of the buttons if possible. This includes fuel weight, payload weight, cruise altitude, cruise speed and temperature, and of course the flightplan. Here's a good tutorial on programming the MCDU: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=msfs+2020+a320+mcdu&view=detail&mid=9AE08B7862CB4359AD319AE08B7862CB4359AD31&FORM=VIRE

Wow! Thanks Tim! I did warn I'm no expert! I'll give it a bash with a flight plan. Cheeky other quick question. Default 320 changeing Knots to mach works but not in fbw version, is that the case or me again? Thanks.

In the FBW version you can only change to Mach when above a certain flight level, I think it's FL280 or thereabouts.

Cheers Tim. You do know your stuff! So let's just win later on and all will be well!

Err... you're not using a flightplan . The A320 is almost entirely dependant on the MCDU or FMS or FMC, whatever you want to call it, and the more information you can program into it the better.

You can't fly it manually? Wow! That's not good. Is the real one that way?

You can't fly it manually? Wow! That's not good. Is the real one that way?

Yes - well, it's intended to be - only one pilot has ever tried to fly an A320 manually (not just the autopilot off, ALL the other FBW systems too) and he ended up in court because of it. He was cleared of all charges of course. From Captain Sullenberger's Wikipedia page:

"The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that Sullenberger made the correct decision in landing on the river instead of attempting a return to LaGuardia because the normal procedures for engine loss are designed for cruising altitudes, not immediately after takeoff. Simulations performed at the Airbus Training Centre Europe in Toulouse showed that Flight 1549 could have made it back to LaGuardia had that maneuver begun immediately after the bird strike. However, such scenarios both neglected the time necessary for the pilots to understand and assess the situation, and risked the possibility of a crash within a densely populated area."

The Airbus A320 family were the first civilian airliners to use fly-by-wire technology which had only been used on military aircraft until the A320 was launched in 1980. Here's how it works: https://pmflight.co.uk/airbus-fly-by-wire/#:~:text=Airbus%20Fly%20By%20Wire%20Systems%20Explained.%20Fly-by-wire%20%28FBW%29,signals%20transmitted%20by%20wires%20%28thus%20the%20fly-by-wire%20term%29.

In military use, fly-by-wire is needed because modern fighters/interceptors are critically unstable in certain phases of flight, and human reflexes aren't fast enough to compensate.

In civilian use, fly-by-wire is intended to ensure that the aircraft is flown well within it's safety limits at all times.

So you're saying that the OP couldn't just bring the throttle to idle (with autothrottle off, of course) and land? I can't believe the FAA would allow an aircraft designed that way, nor would I want to be on one. Just as well not have a pilot. However Sully landed fine in the Hudson, so that capability MUST be there, somewhere, to just bring it back to idle, which should have alleviated the OP's inability to slow down, instead of having to program a computer in advance, before he could land.

I'm well aware of Sully and his superb performance, and he couldn't have done that without the capability of direct control (within FBW limitations, of course, just like the F-16 and many others).

So what I'm questioning, really, is:

Err... you're not using a flightplan .

I'm puzzled...

Also, I think you can use up to 25% speed brake deployed with AP.

Yes speed brakes help. I fly the 320 all the time and the only time I have experienced something similar is early on when landing I would turn the AP off but the the auto throttle stays on and would lead to a few go arounds because i couldnt figure out why the throttle kept accelerating. So I would first check to make sure when you turn the AP off you also make sure you have the auto throttle off. Also when on final use selected on your throttle instead of managed as this allows you to manually dial down your landing speed. Also I usually set the auto brakes to max and depending on where I am landing I also use the thrust reversers to help slow my roll out. Those need to be keyed into whatever system you are using and this is important.. Make sure its a unique key and not binded to anything else. One last thing, remember theres a delay sometimes coming out of AP when applying or retarding the throttle.

Yes speed brakes help. I fly the 320 all the time and the only time I have experienced something similar is early on when landing I would turn the AP off but the the auto throttle stays on and would lead to a few go arounds because i couldnt figure out why the throttle kept accelerating. So I would first check to make sure when you turn the AP off you also make sure you have the auto throttle off. Also when on final use selected on your throttle instead of managed as this allows you to manually dial down your landing speed. Also I usually set the auto brakes to max and depending on where I am landing I also use the thrust reversers to help slow my roll out. Those need to be keyed into whatever system you are using and this is important.. Make sure its a unique key and not binded to anything else. One last thing, remember theres a delay sometimes coming out of AP when applying or retarding the throttle.

Thanks Floundy. Glad to see it's not just me who in not an expert having this problem Thanks to everyone else as well who have taken the time to comment.