Hi all, not at all sure there will be an answer to this one, but you never know........I am lucky enough to have my own 737-800 cockpit, and use Project Magenta software for my Instrumentation and FMC. When ATC gives me my landing instructions (in FSX), the height ATC tells me to descend to at the RX Runway position (normally 12 miles out) is nearly always too low. My FMC has up to date data across most of the World, and a typical height shown on my FMC panel is around the 3,500/4,000ft mark. FSX ATC often will ask me to descend to around 2,000ft, which means the glide slope is often not intercepted until around 5 miles out. This makes for a fairly 'rushed' approach to reducing speed, correct flaps etc etc. When the RX position is much higher, say around the 4,000ft mark, and the glide slope is intercepted much earlier, this makes for a non rushed approach, and hopefully a much better landing. In short, does anyone know if the RX heights at any given airport within FSX can be altered? I've got a feeling that this is going to be hard-core written, but one never knows.Many thanks

I do not think that you can edit the ATC in FSX to tell you to decend to 3,000' rather than 2,000'. I do not use ATC, but maybe you can just decend to 3,000' rather than the 2,000' ATC is telling you and ignore any ATC warnings.You can download Airport Design Editor for free and use it to look at the ILS information for the runway you have a question about.http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/1011/00610I22R.PDFADE support forum is here.http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=95You can go to www.airnav.com and get ILS approach information for the runway in question, here is one for 22R at KJFK. Airnav is generally for US airports, there are other sites for the rest of the world, but from my experience Airnav has the most information, to bad it is only for the US.http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/1011/00610I22R.PDFNow the question is does the ILS information in FSX match the real world approach information. Usually it is close, you will just have to check it and see. If if is off you can use ADE to adjust the ILS information to make it as accurate to real world as you want. Will this get transferred to ATC, I do not know, sign up at the ADE forums and ask, I am sure someone over there will know.

atc usually knows the correct height, but you should be following the charts for each respective airport. Those charts give you the correct height you should be at, remember to always capture the glideslope from below

HelloIt is quite easy with ADE. After you have loaded the airport. Select "approach mode" then check the rw/ILS you are looking for. It is quite self explanatory. I'm not an expert with those things, but I managed to change some approach levels. ATC(FSX) accepts the changes.Harry

It all depends on what you consider to low. When flying an ILS approach you will always want to approach from below in order to intercept the glideslope.As indicated in a previous post, charts will give you the correct altitude for intecepting an ILS approach. All US charts can be found at http://airnav.com.Regards,

The ATC in both Fs9 and FSX is sh one t. And, even in RC4 and PFE the ATC do not get the final approach phase altitudes correct. So you will have on most occasions to ignore the ATC altitude instruction in order to correctly arrive at your FAF. Look carefully at your approach and ILS charts to see whether you are required to do a step down approach or a continuous descent. In any case you should intercept the localiser 2 or 3 NM before 10DME. At 10DME the glide slope which is usually 3deg +/- a tenth or two, will give you a "height" (you should be flying on the QFE)of 3,000ft. Your AP will only capture the glide slope if at that moment you are below it. So, in the above scenario you need to intercept your FAF at 2,500ft QFE. Never try to capture the glide slope by coming from above. It won't work.vololiberista

I fly mostly in multiplayer, so I dont deal with the built in ATC, but when I do, ATC always takes you to the FAF not the IAF, hense the altitude difference. I was testing a plane the other day, from KPBI to KMCO and about 40 miles from the approach it want me to switch to DAYTONA approach instead of Orlando. Thats about the time I cancelled IFR and flew the approach without the controllers, which for me is the best option, it might be for you too One thing you might try, use the FS built in flight planner, and select the runway and transition from that. Using a transition adds the IAF to the approach, but I dont know if you can convince ATC thats where you want to go :(

Many real world approaches intercept the ILS at 2500 or 3000 ft.

To me, it seems like ATC uses the airport elevation for the instructions. The final altitude they give you is +1800 to +2000 above the airport elevation and it works fine if the approach is over fairly flat terrain. If the airport is in a valley, you may remain too high until you are too close to the airport or they will bring you in too low and fly you in to a mountain.

I dont know about real life, as I am not a real life pilot, but I do know about online flying, and sometimes the ATC will have you intercept at 2000ft. Last week I flew into KLAS on an event on VATSIM, the traffic was really heavy. I was flying the MD-82 and I had a 767 up ahead. Instead of having to give me vectors to delay my arrival a bit (wake turbulence) ATC instead gave me a shortcut and I had to intercept at 2000ft AGL, somewhere close to FAF. The planes ahead of me was intercepting at much higher altitudes. I imagine similar situations happens in real life. Its not totally static, you dont always intercept 15nm out

Just a word of thanks to all who responded on this one. I need to do a bit of reading/research as suggested.Happy flying to all.

I dont know about real life, as I am not a real life pilot, but I do know about online flying, and sometimes the ATC will have you intercept at 2000ft. Last week I flew into KLAS on an event on VATSIM, the traffic was really heavy. I was flying the MD-82 and I had a 767 up ahead. Instead of having to give me vectors to delay my arrival a bit (wake turbulence) ATC instead gave me a shortcut and I had to intercept at 2000ft AGL, somewhere close to FAF. The planes ahead of me was intercepting at much higher altitudes. I imagine similar situations happens in real life. Its not totally static, you dont always intercept 15nm out

This type of procedure would definately not be done in the UK and Europe and elsewhere.vololiberista

This type of procedure would definately not be done in the UK and Europe and elsewhere.vololiberista

A standard ILS approach with radar vectoring will have you level at approximately 2,000' above the touchdown elevation up to the FAF (usually Outer Marker).Bruce.

ATC in FS9 and FSX use approach data in the airport (AP9/APX) files. The approach data for each approach has the glideslope altitude or charted altitude at the FAF, and the missed approach altitude, coded into the approach header. This FAF altitude and position is the aimpoint ATC will use for AI and vectoring the user (designed to intercept at +/- 30 degrees of final approach course a couple miles outside the FAF). ATC doesn't know or attempt any kind of continuous descent or step down approach, though in most cases it will honor a sort of MSA limit, which may result in late descents due to terrain.If the altitude or position of the FAF is incorrect in the airport data, it can be updated with ADE. For the user, it is possible via the ATC menu to request an approach transition in most cases. If the transition is requested, ATC will use the encoded altitude and position of the IAF or transition entry point (in some cases might be part of a STAR or what FAA refers to as "feeder route"). Often times this will work better for the user than accepting vectors to FAF. (ATC will attempt a primitive traffic separation for AI/user on vectors but that doesn't seem a strong reason to use the vector approach.) scott s..

There's no reason you can't slow down and configure earlier back along the approach too - as long as you're down to the altitude ATC gives you and below the glideslope, just slow down and get the plane configuring - 2000 feet above the field elevation should be plenty if you're already configured. If you come screaming into the GS intercept at 250 knots, no flaps and no gear, then yeah you're gonna have a hard time slowing down.