Aerosoft Airbus autoland question

[warbirds 555]

Trying to figure out the autoland on the Aerosoft Airbus. I get to the final leg and heading straight to the runway but sometimes the bus will not descend and instead just flies over the runway. I have Loc and Glide Slope indicated, both autopilots on, copilot saying we have a lock but then the Glide Slope capture fails and I don't descend.

 

I found I can force it to capture the Glide Slope if I set altitude at 100 but looking for the correct way. I know I am doing something wrong here but not sure what. Pic below shows settings for autoland that I am using.  

 

[Speedbird 217 127]

You can only capture G/S after LOC has already been captured.

Also, you need to capture the G/S "from below", so it won't engage if you try to catch the glideslope from 4,000 feet when you should be at 2,000 at that point. In other words, the purple diamond needs to pass through the yellow bar for it to engage, and that only works after LOC has already been captured.

[birdmanmike 6]

Paul, you look to be much too high - you need to capture glideslope from below - you should be around 2500ft above ground and at or below 180 knots TAS.  You seem to be at 4000ft and your PFD is showing the glideslope below you and to the left (the mauve arrow down on the right and the diamond below) - and your outside view shows that.  I think you'll also find it's ILS you mean - I'm not sure the 'busses will autoland even with a CAT III runway (but maybe . . . )

 

edit - as Max has said  - beat me to it . .

[warbirds 555]

Thanks that is the answer I am looking for. I am too high and too fast. I have to have the GS above the indicated approach altitude and not below it, correct ? New to airliners but really love the new challenge they bring. It keeps the interest in P3d high and makes this old 71 year old brain actually think. 

Thanks again for real and useful answers guys. 

[birdmanmike 6]

Correct - minor point though - your speed was actually a bit low - 140 is touchdown really - don't know what flaps you had on but the speedo is showing stall at 125.  Aim to capture the slope between say 7-10 (knot) miles out at 180 or under - you can use speed hold to then.  Follow the book for speed/flaps to around 500 feet or a bit less and landing speed, then AP off and ready to flare.  While a CAT III will get you possibly all the way down, the plane has to have autoland to flare.  Then you've got your autobrake, spoilers and reverse thrust . . .

 

I find it's not the age, it's the eyes - needing reading glasses for the monitor when I lean in.  and I'm not much younger  

[Bobsk8 12,728]

The Tutorial Flight in the Airbus Owners Manual is a must read and fly to really learn this aircraft. 

[warbirds 555]

Thanks, I did get into the manual but these days  I have a problem with trying to absorb so much. I do so much better with direct answers such as the great help I get here. I will keep plugging away at the manual though and try to learn all the correct procedures but now I am just having a great time flying  this wonderful product. 

 

This plane will autoland and in the few times I actually got it right it did it with a soft flair that barely was felt (or seen in our case).  I have had some great aircraft for this sim,,A2A B-17 and B-377, RealAir Duke and others but this plane is so perfect and cool and works so well that it is my current obsession and P3Dv3 just makes it all so much better.

[Bobsk8 12,728]

Thanks, I did get into the manual but these days  I have a problem with trying to absorb so much. I do so much better with direct answers such as the great help I get here. I will keep plugging away at the manual though and try to learn all the correct procedures but now I am just having a great time flying  this wonderful product. 

 

This plane will autoland and in the few times I actually got it right it did it with a soft flair that barely was felt (or seen in our case).  I have had some great aircraft for this sim,,A2A B-17 and B-377, RealAir Duke and others but this plane is so perfect and cool and works so well that it is my current obsession and P3Dv3 just makes it all so much better.

 

I either fly the Airbus or the Q400. with my VA, a couple of flights a day pretty much every day. With the Airbus, I disengage the AP at around 500 feet, and land and flare manually. If you start your gentle flare at around 70 feet, by the time you contact the runway you should be in the -200fpm touchdown zone which is ideal. Pull power off when you hear "retard" at about 20 feet. I engage the approach mode when I hear "localizer alive" . The G/S will lock before the LOC locks, as long as you are below the glide slope. I have only used autoland twice, both times when the runway visual range was about 100 feet or less. I set a button on my joystick with FSUIPC to disengage the AP, so I don't have to play around with the mouse or keyboard.  The other trick I learned from a Delta Instructor Pilot at the Delta Training Center when I flew a 767- 400 ER full motion sim, some years ago, was to line up the runway with the rudder rather than ailerons when on short final if you are slightly off the center line, which is different than what I do in a Cessna in real life.  The instructor told me that if you try and line up with Ailerons, there is a tendency to set up a wing rocking motion, as you are correcting one way and then the other which is not good when you are close to the ground, whereas with the rudder, it is more of a skidding correction, with the wings remaining level. If you are way off alignment, obviously this won't work, and you have to use the ailerons. Try practicing that on your approaches, and you will get the hang of it pretty quickly. 

 

I also noticed in your screen shot, that your speed is way to low as was already mentioned, you altimeter is still set to Std, which your co pilot should have reminded you to change, you are already at flaps full and gear down, and if I read your airport location correctly, you should still be at flaps 1 at the most with gear up, since you are 4000 feet above the runway. The tutorial flight and using the copilot checklist will help you with all these issues.  

[warbirds 555]

Great tips, thanks !

[warbirds 555]

Followed your advice and several successful autolands now. One thing still is not correct I think. The altimeter box stays set at standard and the copilot does not change it while doing the decent or approach checklist nor does he mention it. 

[Bobsk8 12,728]

Followed your advice and several successful autolands now. One thing still is not correct I think. The altimeter box stays set at standard and the copilot does not change it while doing the decent or approach checklist nor does he mention it. 

Co Pilot should announce that when you cross transition altitude, which you should enter into the FMC. In the US it is 18,000 , in other places it varies. 

[warbirds 555]

I fly short route between Islands (Pago Pago and such) and never get over 10000 ft. I set my transition at 5000. If I set cruise at 22000 ft I would never reach it before time for decent.  How can I make that work ?

Thanks,

[Speedbird 217 127]

Just check the METAR to manually set it or press B to automatically set it to the correct value?

[Bobsk8 12,728]

I fly short route between Islands (Pago Pago and such) and never get over 10000 ft. I set my transition at 5000. If I set cruise at 22000 ft I would never reach it before time for decent.  How can I make that work ?

Thanks,

 

I use the distance of the flight in miles x 100 to set the cruise altitude which is inserted in the init page in the FMC. So if it is a short flight say, 100 miles. then my cruise altitude would be Cruise altitude 10000 ft or FL100. This works in the Airbus up to around FL 380.   Then set you transition altitude in the FMC Performance page.  Now when you climb above the transition alt, the copilot will ask you to set altitude to STD and when descending below, it will ask you to set baro setting to current reading. If your flight never goes above 8,000 feet and your transition altitude is 10,000 feet, you will never have to set it to STD (29.92) . 

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

Just check the METAR to manually set it or press B to automatically set it to the correct value?

 

1+

 

B key is awesome