Is this a bug or am i missing something:

 

I'll be descending in LNAV and VNAV mode happy as larry, then sometimes, as high as 10,000 feet, the plane switches itself into APP mode with the light on the autopilot control panel and changes course chasing the localiser. Its happened to me multiple times at different airports and at different descent altitudes. (caused me to crash into a mountain once on a tricky approach)

 

It generally happens after I switch to the ils frequencies on the pedestal. I look down and swap the frequencies and look up and autopilot is in APP mode - but a few times it has happened as I have been just sitting watching the descent not touching any controls.

 

Am i missing something?

First of all welcome to the forums. In future please sign your posts with your full real name according to the PMDG forum rules!

 

Do you arm the approach mode befor it activates? If so don't do it until you are shortly befor intercepting the LOC/GS.

Whoops, thanks for the etiquette heads-up.

 

Nope I dont even touch the VOR/LOC button. I just have the LNAV and VNAV modes on and am descending as per the schedule in the FMC. The ngx is automatically switching into APP mode and then follows the localizer. It did this to me at 10,000 feet once.

 

Jono Bedford.

Ahhh solved this! I had assigned CTRL + A using EzDok to show me my main cockpit view.

 

The problem was that In the FMC, under PMDG Setup -> Options -> Key Commands it turns out CTRL + A is already being mapped to "APP Switch"

 

Time to re-map some keys.

 

This raises another point tho: I guess the PMDG Keys overwrite the settings for the default key assignments on loadup?

 

Jono Bedford