I did a nice little hop from San Nicholas Island (KNSI) to Los Angeles Intl (KLAX) in the default 737. I was trying to follow the landing procedure into LAX from a video tutorial on youtube. They told me that the ILS intercept was 1800MSL, so I used that for reference.

I took off, climbed to 5000 and then headed directly to LAX. Upon getting closer, they gave me 07R approach, so I got the data from the map for the ILS and plugged it all in:

07R - 69 degrees and frequency 109.90

I was in Nav mode, not GPS.

About 10-15 miles out I got to 1800MSL (overly cautious about catching the ILS). I used the autopilot for all of the flight, but at this point I chose 'approach hold'. The plane corrected for deviation and lined me up nicely, but it was not descending. I was at about 150-180knots at this point, so it was looking quite nice apart from the lack of runway.

A little closer I put it into VOR/LOC, but still nothing. It carried on at 1800ft. Eventually I just turned off autopilot and landed it myself, but I'm wondering what has gone wrong.


My other ILS attempts haven't been much better... Sometimes (usually) the plane turns itself around and crashes into the ground, or flies right over t he airport.

I'm pretty sure that I followed the tutorial to the letter, but still no cigar.


Any thoughts?

Cheers.

machineman9 wrote on Jan 31^st, 2012 at 1:07pm:

There's your error. You don't use approach unless you have intercepted the glideslope, otherwise it won't kick in. This is the correct procedure:

>ATC gives you the final heading and altitude until caught on the localiser
>You set the altitude and heading that ATC has given you
>Activate the ILS meters (if available)
>Activate the flight director (glide-slope won't work without this)
>Activate ILS or VOR screen on the PFD panel (optional, if available)
>Press the loc/vor button

Now what happens the loc/vor is read to kick in once you're close enough and line you up with the runway. When that happens the autopilots heading disengages and follows the vor course. Now you have to start looking at your other ILS indicator showing where the glide-slop is. At first it will just be "stuck" at its top position. However as it gets closer it will start to sink. When that purple meter/blob starts to sink your autopilot has caught the glide-slope.

>wait until the meter is half-way towards the middle
>...at which point extend max flaps and set approach speed (depends on airplane and fuel amount)
>click approach button right before it reaches the middle
>watch your autopilot make a rather nice approach

Regardless to the ATC (especially if we're talking default stuff) my many, Many, MANY ILS landings have thought me one thing:

When on the outer borders of some ILS under FS, LOC engages WAY before GLIDE gives any signs. I'm not talking the GLIDE needle on top, but square on the middle.

If the approach autopilot function is engaged in such a condition the plane can either, and totally randomly, decide that the moment to start descending is arrived already, and will start going down on a phantom GLIDE he only can see and follow, thus landing you somewhere WAY before the airport, if perfectly aligned to the runway (sic); or can disregard the coming alive of the real GLIDE and its reaching the point where the plane should be descending, thus making you overfly the intended landing airport, but always perfectly aligned to the runway ( ).

What should you do? Simply monitor things, as you should. As soon the LOC comes alive engage VOR/LOC and let the plane align to the runway. The Approach function MUST be engaged as soon and not before nor after you see the needle of the GLIDE beginning to descend from its top of the scale.

Follow this simple procedure and no ILS will ever be left unscathed behind you.

Of course this procedure does not work if the supposed ILS has no GLIDE but is a simple LOCalizer for non-precision approaches (there'll be NO glide to follow at all and the Approach function MUST be left untouched, or you'll receive the already talked about unwanted effects), and of course, once reached 250~300 feet AGL you MUST disengage the automatic to land the plane yourself (unless the plane you use has full autolanding, that is, and you're using this function).

Have fun.

I realise now that in my LAX approach, I had the VOR/LOC and APPR the wrong way around. VOR draws you in. Get level on the right path, switch to APPR and it will take you down when ready. Then, at minimums, switch off autopilot and take all the credit 

I'm not sure if any of the FSX default (or many of the addons) have auto-land. I suppose some payware ones will, but it's not much of a problem just to flare it manually. Unless there's crosswind, it mostly stays straight and true with the runway anyway.


Cheers, guys. I think the error my ways accounts for all of the troubles I'd had. Plus, some tips for doing it properly. Now to go flying 

machineman9 wrote on Jan 31^st, 2012 at 3:03pm:

Dont forget that you are infact suppose to takeover manually minimum at 500ft. You need to be in full control at decision point. you may also be told at the last minute to 'go round'.