Busted Intercept

[j14g]

Hi,

I run FSX and have the Gold version of the sim.

I was flying a heavy in the IFR mode (default) and was trying to intercept the ILS Rwy 7 localizer.  I set the localizer frequency in Nav 1 (from AirNav) , switched to NAV from HDG,  but the 735 did not intercept.  It busted right through it.

This doesn't happen often, but often enough to raise the question. I'm trying to understand what/where the problem might be and if anything can be done about it.
 
Appreciate your thoughts.

[Greg Mumbach GLE141]

My experience with the autopilot suggests that you are using the incorrect button. HDG follows the heading you set, NAV follows the flight plan, if you have created one, and APR (or APP) follows the approach (ILS). I suppose that could be different depending on which plane you're flying, but I'd look for one of those buttons. Set your NAV1 to the ILS frequency (the localizer frequency), and once you begin to intercept the LOC and see the indicators start to move, hit the APR button, with autopilot active, and it should follow the localizer and glideslope right in.

If you're flying some kind of payware, then all bets are off, and you'll have to read the documentation for that particular plane.

Hope this helps!

[j14g]

Thanks for your input, Greg 

I had set the Nav1 to the ILS frequency and selected the NAV button, but nothing happen. The plane flew right through the LOC; there was no intercept.  I tried it  a couple of times, carefully checking the frequencies.

I'm wondering if there could be a glitch in the scenery file , ie, a missing LOC frequency. The scenery was FSX default.

Nothing I can't live with. Just curious if others had same experience.

[David Webb GLE142]

Hi Jack,

I believe what you need to look out for is a button that toggles between GPS and NAV.  Some panels call it GPS/NAV, other panels label it something different.  It is found in different places in the cockpit as well, not necessarily with the autopilot controls.

When this button is in "NAV" mode, it will follow the freqency you set, whether it's for an ILS, or other navigation aid.  If it's in "GPS" mode, it will follow the current leg of your GPS and ignore frequencies from your radio stack.  Which mode your aircraft defaults to and where it's found, varies from one panel to another.  I believe that this button being in the wrong position might be the cause of your problems.

I'm at work right now, so this is all from memory, but if you have trouble finding the button I'm talking about, let me know which aircraft and I'll see if I can find it for you when I'm home.

[j14g]

I know what button you're referring to, David.  It's on the top of the dashboard (MCP ?) on the Premier West 735 freeware, between IAS/Mach and Heading.   

That button is always set to NAV mode when I fly.  In any case, I rarely use the GPS option on short-medium range flights.

Thanks for asking.

[Cory42383]

I have had this issue too...KSTL for me hasnt worked a few times...and last flight I had to philadelphia, it didnt intercept it and I had to take her down myself.  Oh, also another airport near nyc ( geez im old and cant think of it...and its not jfk lol)..

And all this while im flying the payware E170 that i have done countless number of ILS approaches in...its definitely something ive noticed every now and again too!

[Greg Mumbach GLE141]

I had set the Nav1 to the ILS frequency and selected the NAV button, but nothing happen. The plane flew right through the LOC; there was no intercept.  I tried it  a couple of times, carefully checking the frequencies.

I'm wondering if there could be a glitch in the scenery file , ie, a missing LOC frequency. The scenery was FSX default.

As I read this again, I have to say yes, it sounds like either an airport scenery file problem or maybe you had a radio failure. I don't know what your realism settings are, or your failures settings, but it's something to think about.

My original response assumed (incorrectly) that you DID get an intercept, but since you didn't, it sure sounds like a radio or frequency problem.

Can you re-create it after a re-start? Does it happen all the time? Different airplanes?

I know you can live with it, but it would be nice to identify the culprit.


Blue skies!
Greg

[Brian Flatman GLE190]

Jack, I got your answer.

See.. the planes sometimes just don't like the airports you ask them to land at. So, the decide to ignore the localizer and continue on their way.

It could be for a number of reasons. They may have landed at that airport before and got made fun of from a larger plane. Perhaps the larger plane made fun of it's rudder. You know how them planes get uncomfortable about when other planes start comparing the sizes of there rudders and what not.

Also, check to see if there is a crop duster field that is near that perhaps the plane is flying to. It could be a past life experience. Perhaps your commercial plane you are flying now has realized that in a past life it was a crop duster and it is simply trying to visit 'home', so to speak.

Also, I find myself in the most lazy of planes. They require constant engine thrust. I have discovered through many trial and errors of trying to save gas to just turn the power off in the plane and let the big bird glide the rest of the way. But i discovered that after some time, the plane starts to drift towards the ground. pffft. There might be some underlined motivational issues that i think we should hire a certified physiologist that specializes in airplane mental stability. (mental note to bring this up to Paul)

Now I am certain that none of what I had to say above will help you in anyway. But these are just my warped views on how the 'mental state' of our airplanes are. Many will disagree with my assessments here, but I am certain to almost a 26% certainty, That i might be right.

Your welcome.
 

[j14g]

Cory, thanks for your report. It serves to validate my experience. 

[j14g]

Correction.

The scenery was an add-on, not default, which leads me to suspect a scenery glitch even more. Unfortunately I'm unable to replicate.

[Robert Touchtone GLE158]

The problem is the Scenery BGL. I had a problem with a few of my sceneries that I made that ADE would not play nice with the DME. I would get the Freq's from AIR-NAV and I would put all of those into the correct Runway and approach. If the Runway Has a DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) For some reason it would not set the intercept point at 29 NM (Nautical Miles). What would happen is the program would set it at 3.1 nm or not at all. The plane would blow right past the intercept point. I had this happen before with another designers KPHL.Where the ILS would put you way off the runway glide slope.

So here is my solution. If you are handy with ADE (Airport Design Editor) you can fix these issues yourself. Or you can tell me what airports these are and I can take a look at them and fix them for you. I have a few out there myself that need to be corrected, but I am waiting for the new version of ADE to come out soon so I can modify these airports and fix a few other problems.

Also I have found that a few scenery designers way back with FS9 were putting in totaly random ILS Freq. I do not know why they did this at all. If you were flying a VATSIM flight into this airport you would be SCREWED.

Let me know what airport files theses are and where you got them at. I will look into them. If they are mine I fully apologize for the mistakes. I did not know that a few of these where happening until I did get someone asking me about KCMH. I went through that one and discovered the problem with ADE. I talked with the software developer after a few days we fixed the problem, on my end . The big fix will come out in the new version.
Thanks Rob.

[j14g]

Thanks for that, Rob.  You're a stand up guy and I salute your willingness to try to fix the scenery problems, considering what you have to work with.  I 've installed many of your airport add-ons and this is the only time I've had a problem with them.

The problem I referred to in an earlier post involved the ILS Rwy 7R at KPHX.  (kphx_2fix.zip)  I have since gone back to the default FSX file but now will await your response.

Jack

[Robert Touchtone GLE158]

Not a problem. I will post a new fix for KPHX, KDTW, KMDW. I noticed a few other files that I need to correct.  I just fixed KMDW and I need to do a little more with KDTW. I will post them tonight on Flightsim.com they should be available tommarrow after noon.

Rob.

[Robert Touchtone GLE158]

I posted  KMDW and KPHX on-line. The files will be called V2.0. All you need to do is just follow the install instructions and everything should be fine. I corrected the issue with the DME's not working. When I made these sceneries I never touched the DME/ILS settings. ADE would automatically reset them to a distance of 3.1 NM, instead of 27.0 NM. that is why you could not pick up the DME and fly past the ILS Approach. I hope that explains things on my end. The new sceneries I added on the forums here are OK. The ones you downloaded from Flightsim.com that are just a few months old are the ones I have issues with and I will correct them as needed.

I appreciate your understanding.

Thanks Rob.

[Cory42383]

I do have to say that I dont have any addon scenerys besides KBUF, KCLE, KBDL...so i dunno why KPHL and KSTL would be messed up...I however do plan on upgraded many of my scenerys soon so that'll hopefully fix the problem!

And Brian, I don't appreciate the way you talk about my planes rudder....sometimes they all aren't the same size...