New to FSX sim flying. Have been unable to have the glide slope picked up when attempting an ILS approach. I get the horizontal locator and can fly that to the designated runway but never get glide slope data. I have confirmed the proper setting in nav 1. Please what am I missing. Flying the 172 (non G1000).

What airport and runway?

set NAV not GPS

In FSX it's hard coded to not get the glide slope until about 20 miles... If you're further out you won't notice it. (In real life it shows up sooner)...

 

Also be sure you're below the glide slope. On average you'll need to be around 1500 ft AGL (above ground level) at the outer marker (usually where pilots starry flying it).

 

And double check the frequency. Typical ILS freq is 108 - 111.95

Runway 36 at Napa Airport in California I have also tried flying the localizer well below the presumed glide slope maintaining 400 AGL to the runway threshold but still do not get GS pickup.

ILS frequency for 36 is 111.3

Best way is to move 12nm from rwy and maintain 3000ft. Then, intercept the LOC and wait for G/S to fall on your head.

I will try your suggestion thanks

Are you seeing the glideslope indicator come live on the VOR1 gauge?

Its not got a glideslope!

 

KAPC Napa Co, Napa, California, United States

Location: Lat N38° 12.8', Lon W122° 16.8', Altitude 35 ft
Runways 18R/36L: Concrete, Length 5935 ft, Width 150 ft
Runways 06/24: Concrete, Length 5000 ft, Width 150 ft
Runways 18L/36R: Asphalt, Length 2512 ft, Width 75 ft
Runway 18R: Altitude 35 ft, Heading 185.7°
Runway 36L: Altitude 35 ft, Heading 5.7°, LOC 111.30 MHz
Runway 06: Altitude 35 ft, Heading 61.7°
Runway 24: Altitude 35 ft, Heading 241.7°
Runway 18L: Altitude 35 ft, Heading 185.7°
Runway 36R: Altitude 35 ft, Heading 5.7°
Ramps: Small, Medium, Large
Parking: Fuel
Local Magnetic Variation: -15.0 Degrees
 

Here's one with the same ILS freq both ways, with glideslopes

 

 

EGGD, Bristol, United Kingdom

Location: Lat N51° 23.0', Lon W2° 43.1', Altitude 622 ft
Runways 09/27: Asphalt, Length 6602 ft, Width 150 ft
Runway 09: Altitude 622 ft, Heading 90.4°, ILS 110.15 MHz
Runway 27: Altitude 622 ft, Heading 270.4°, ILS 110.15 MHz
Ramps: Small, Medium
Gates: Small
Parking: Fuel
Local Magnetic Variation: 4.0 Degrees
 

Yep, I tried it few minutes ago, there's no GS apparently. The real question is why there's no GS in FSX when it's clearly depicted on both NACO and Jepp charts, together with published minimums for ILS approach.

The sim scenery is years old so we need to check in the FSX map and not the charts, unless we installed an addon airport with up-to-date data.

Yep, I tried it few minutes ago, there's no GS apparently. The real question is why there's no GS in FSX when it's clearly depicted on both NACO and Jepp charts, together with published minimums for ILS approach.

The FSX airport Nav Data was compiled in 2006. At that time, KAPC's runway 36 had only a localizer. The glideslope was not installed until 2011.

Thanks for all the research and responses. I have been referring to current plates not those from 2006.

Thanks for all the research and responses. I have been referring to current plates not those from 2006.

Yes, this is increasingly a problem as FSX ages, and more and more of its internal navaids become out-of-date with respect to the real world, (as reflected in current charts).

 

There is a current thread on the Prepar3D forum on this very topic, because even though the P3D sim itself is a major update of the original Microsoft code, it still uses the over 10-year-old FSX internal nav data.

 

If you are flying an FMS-equipped add-on aicraft, running current Navigraph or Aerosoft nav data, there is no issue whatsoever insofar as intersections, airways and other named waypoints are concerned. Add-ons like the AXE, or any of the PMDG planes do not use the internal FSX database for waypoints, intersections or airways, so it doesn't matter if the FSX data is current or not.

 

The main issue is with VORs, NDBs and ILS approaches. As time goes by, some r/w VORs have changed their frequencies or identifiers. Some that existed in 2006 have been decommissioned, while other, new VORs have come into service that did not exist in 2006. FSX actually shows many MORE NDBs than currently exist. The FAA has decomissioned dozens of NDBs in recent years. Likewise, many outer and middle markers have been removed from service, but they will still appear in FSX.

 

The biggest issue is with ILS approaches. Sometimes, like in the case of Napa, (KAPC), a particular FSX runway may show a localizer only, while the r/w airport has since added a glideslope to make a full ILS. Other ILS approaches have changed frequencies, and complete ILS installations have been added at airports that formerly had none. In other cases, like Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta, entire new runways have been built that do not appear in FSX.

What's needed is a planner that knows the airports and runways info from the simulation scenery and compares it to the AIRAC, so that only airports that exist in the sim and in the AIRAC are enabled in the planner. The Planner also needs to understand the differences between the AIRAC runways, and the sim scenery runways, so that frequencies can be selected from the AIRAC (AIRAC Driven FMS Navigation mode) or selected from the scenery for aircraft that use scenery driven navigation.

As Jim mentioned above, this is a regular problem nowadays for people who use up-to-date charts when flying on FSX with its out-of-date airports.

 

There are updated versions of many (most?) major airports in the libraries of this and other simulator websites and these will normally update the navigation aids at the airport to something closer to what modern charts show (although sometimes even these add-ons can themselves quickly be overtaken by events!).

 

One thing I do if flying to a default FSX airport is check this site before I depart to ensure I know in advance what navaids will be available at my destination - thus avoiding that nasty problem of arriving in low visibilty expecting a nice ILS to be available, only to find it's missing.

 

http://fsxdb.com/

 

Regards

 

Brian Wilks