Simviation Forum - ILS not lined up

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ILS not lined up (Read 1168 times)

Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:47pm

wahubna Offline
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WMU Bronco
Michigan

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Currently just entering Russia in my 'around the world' flight and along the way I noticed that many airports have the ILS feathers improperly aligned. Some times its several degrees AND positioned off the runway...which makes for difficult ILS landings..I noticed this all over, it seems to be very common in FS2004 default airports. The first airport I noticed was when I was doing an ILS approach at my local airport (KBIV Tulip City), when I got close/low enough to see the runway (about 500ft up) I was lined up to completely miss the runway! So I thought first I was an idiot so I went around and tried again..and again..and again.. after many ILS approaches at a wide variety of airports in a wide variety of aircraft and studying the map, its obvious they are not aligned. Anyone else have this problem?
Thankfully I love flying VFR and flying planes that are not even equipped for an ILS approach so I can live with it.....if I have to....

‎"At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation."- Igor Sikorsky

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Reply #1 - Jan 12^th, 2012 at 9:04am

Strategic Retreat Offline
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In Soviet Russia ILS Doesn't Land You. Grin

Jokes aside... you find non aligned ILS all around the world, even where there'd be no need for it, like in my operation base (LIRN RWY 06). The reasons for this choice are most of the times physical (as in: a straight in approach is in all effects impossible because it would put the planes' integrity in jeopardy. Think of Sion Airport, in the Alps, for one) and other times political (neighborhoods of filthy rich people who sued so not to have planes overflying their posh flats and ruin their siestas [like in the above cited LIRN 06], military No Flight Zone avoidance, and so on). Of every and each of those cases you should look into the airport's history to understand the choices made.

The fact that you're finding a lot of misaligned ILS in Russia only adds to the mystery, since it's rather improbable you'll find any explanation about this choice either on the net or calling to the nearest Russian consulate, so, if you MUST land in a scarce visibility situation, simply avoid the stunted ILS equipped airports and if you must land there, go only visual.

« Last Edit: Jan 12^th, 2012 at 2:51pm by Strategic Retreat »

There is no such a thing as overkill. Only unworthy targets.

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Reply #2 - Jan 12^th, 2012 at 9:04am

investdude Offline
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Chilliwack, BC Canada

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You may have a corrupted magnetic declination file. It happened to me before. Its in the FS2004 root folder. Can't remember the exact file name I'm at work right now, but it's something like magdec. Replace it with the one on your program discs.

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Reply #3 - Jan 12^th, 2012 at 11:04am

wahubna Offline
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Michigan

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@ Strategic Retreat
haha nice one! I am actually JUST inside Russia, like 5-10miles inside the border from the Ukraine, but I flew through the British Isles, France, Italy, the Slavik countries, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, and as said before, Ukraine.

@investdude
So the magdec might be corrupt? How do you pull a copy of it from the program discs? Whenever I put the disc in and try to 'open' the files the disc runs.

‎"At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation."- Igor Sikorsky

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Reply #4 - Jan 12^th, 2012 at 3:02pm

Strategic Retreat Offline
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wahubna wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 11:04am:

So the magdec might be corrupt? How do you pull a copy of it from the program discs? Whenever I put the disc in and try to 'open' the files the disc runs.

I have my doubts the problem is the magdec... first because the magdec only specifies MAGnetic DEClination and does not influence directly the flight aids, and second, if the magdec had gone south you would find these kind of problems everywhere and not only on the Motherland. Wink

Sometimes this kind of problem is due to one faulty AFCAD that makes other places beside its airport go haywire. I remember when I had the problem that ILS landing procedure was not available anymore in the default ATC list for all Europe (and only Europe), yet the various ILS were there and you could use them to land... only the ATC did not even acknowledge their presence... and it was fault of a dodgy AFCAD file. Roll Eyes

Try taking away the add-on AFCAD files in your addon scenery\scenery and see if things get better. If they do, then try adding one AFCAD file at time and then check the Russian airports every time until you find the culprit (it's mind-numbingly boring, but the only way too). If they don't it may be another scenery add on installed into FS, and you should deactivate them all (the ones YOU installed, not FS9's default) and try the same shuffling as above. Tongue

If you need the magdec file to see if it's that anyway, I could send you the updated one, found on a site that seems to be down at the moment, that gives you the magnetic declination of 2011, instead of 2003's like in the default FS9's magdec file.

There is no such a thing as overkill. Only unworthy targets.

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Reply #5 - Jan 12^th, 2012 at 11:06pm

investdude Offline
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Chilliwack, BC Canada

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If the MagDec file is corrupt when you are on the ground lined up on a runway, although your nose is pointed in the runway direction your heading will be different from the runway heading (as indicated on the airport chart). The same applies to an ILS on that runway. If you are in the air tracking the ILS (with no crosswind) your heading will be different from the published ILS track by the amount that the MagDec file is in error. Trust me, it's not only happened to me before on FS2004 but I'm a retired 727 Captain.

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