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Help! Generalized ILS tuning hell...I am going mad !

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Several folks have kindly responded via e-mail and in a thread here to a problem concerning ILS approaches I posted. The problem has worsened in the past 12 hours and seems to be getting generalized.Many runways in Fs2002 have the same ILS freqquency for both directions, e.g. 28R and 10L, etc. In such cases, but not always, I am now finding routinely that the ILS frequency will somehow load the reciprocal runway for me in the nav display and consequently no GS scales are displayed and the a/c does NOT perform an ILS approach.This is happening to me at KPDX, KSEA, Boeing Field, and one or two other places I've tried. The ILS radio does function correctly at KLAX, but who knows if that will crap out on me at any moment?I am currently running identical (copied) saved FS2002 situations on both PCs. The P3 displays an ILS approach into KPDX correctly while the P4 (the newer PC that is giving me this problem) is displaying the reciprocal runway heading for exactly the same approach. I know KPDX was recently fixed but the ILS fixes (both that are issued) do not work for me. FYI I installed the fixe into the scenerydb folder and then ran FSNavigator 4.5 to process the .bgl file. Then I ran FS2002 and...nothing was fixed!I am going quite mad dealing with this. Does anybody know how to repair this very weird phenomenon? Is there a master switch or gauge within FS2002 that controls the ILS displays and autopilot behavior for ILS approaches that I can open, click, re-instal or whatever?I appreciate any assistance and if anybody wants to e-mail me I am at jonathan.sacks@att.netThanks for your attention and assistance!JS

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Are you using some default flight that you load each time to check this problem? If so, check the NAV/GPS switch and place it in the NAV position. If you leave it in the GPS position, the aircraft is trying to zero the LAT/LON position. I remember forgetting this at KLAX once in the 747-400. It doesn't show up until you get near the airport and the aircraft tries to veer to the LAT/LON position.It is very common to have the same ILS freq on both ends of the RW. The pilot is responsible for ensuring he/she is at the correct end of the field for the assigned ILS landing.Further, if the Navigation aids do not state in BOLD letter "BC", then it is not a back course landing.

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I had loaded 5 saved flights to test this last night and always the result was the same: each time I approached the ILS runway azimuth at around 2500 AGL, the aircraft would be turned 180 degrees away from the correct intercept course and be placed on a back course to the arrival runway by the autopilot.This morning I experimented using the GO TO AIRPORT function in Fs2002 (i.e., creating new situations) and the results have sadly been the same as the saved files at KPDX and KSEA. I tried all 6 approaches into KPDX and every one without fail loaded the reciprocal ILS runway and turned the a/c 180 degree away from correct course intercept.Funnily enough, I just spoke with a good FS friend of mine in the area who tested KPDX himself and found that he too could not do an ILS approach into 28R (which was NOT a defective MS runway) and he got turned away onto a BC like me. So I am not imagining this stuff, it is happening, apparently at random, and it is explicable.JS

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JS,Believe me you are not the first one having this problem. Volumes have been written on this subject on this forum. But I am afraid this is pilot's error, not some sort of a bug. I just flew approaches to Sacramento Intl. - 16R followed quickly by another approach to reciprocal 34L - they both share the same frequency 111.10. All went well. But you have to realize the following principle: in real life only one side of the runway would be turned on, in FS all ILSs available for the airport are all on the time therefore your AP can get confused which runway you are flying into. To remedy this you must exercise your pilot's common sense. First, you have to be aware which side of the airport you are on and which runway you want to land on. Flying ILS is not like fire-and-forget. If you cross from one side to another the best way it to de-tune the frequency, once you crossed to the side you "should be" then tune the ILS again. This is the best way to reset the logic of your AP. If for example you are planning to shoot an ILS to KSEA from the north do not even tune the ILS until you are fully on the northern side of the airport and vice versa.I don't have FSNavigator so I can't even speculate how this one can influence your ILS flying. I would also stay away from KPDX - this airport had its share of ILS problems, do your testing elsewhere.Michael J.

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Michael:I appreciate your post, thank you. The thing that baffles me is quite simply how FS can just start for no apparent reason at all to "act up" and do stuff it never did before. I have approached and crossed countless ILS runway azimuths in the past 4 years and never had such a headache with ILS approaches as right now. It is random and very irritating that this sort of thing just happens out of the blue. I understand your statement about pilot error and true enough, we are all guilty of some error of ommision or commission in this great hobby of ours. I am doubly baffled now because I find that if I place the a/c on the departure runway (with a shared ILS frequency with the reciprocal heading) to start with and then tune the ILS for that runway, the nav display shows me the reciprocal ILS name, does NOT display GS scales, and at random displays the distance to the arrival ILS OR to the reciprocal ILS touchdown point at the other end of the runway.I am almost out of ideas; I have done everything except re-load FS2002 which I would do IF I knew that this would cure things. But I have no such assurance!Thanks again for your post.JS

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Michael:I WILL try what you suggest. Sorry, I am getting so heated up about this stuff. I WILL try your approach (literally and figuratively!)Thanks again!JS

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JS, This ain't gonna' help any other thanmake you feel less lonesome :-lol , I have just experienced exactly the same thing at Manchester (EGCC).Normal approach here is 24R which shares its ILS beacon frequency with 06L, whichever end of the runway I am at I too get a BC indication, i.e. Rwy centerline reversed and no g/s.I have add-on scenery for and around EGCC and thought that may be the culpritalthough nothing added recently. I have deleted that scenery and surrounding scenery but still the problem persists.Like you this is very frustrating and I feel a FS2k2 reinstall about to happen. :-grr

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