I think that the OP is annoyed that he is convinced that there is nothing wrong with his techniques and advice provided on a wrong assumption. So I will go the other way and think that this is probably due to a panel state. Can you try to do a flight with a fresh airplane and panel state and not from an old ? Looks like you are doing everything right and the ILS is not engaging properly. Also, are you using the Virtual Cockpit MCP or other hardware ? still even with the latter if the G/S arms in white letters it should later engage to green letters.

11 hours ago, Spin737 said:

Two myths I'd like to dispel: it is not required to capture the GS from below and it is not required to capture the LOC before arming APP. Throw those out of the equation. 

Matt, the PMDG product does have a company option to inhibit GS capture before LOC and it is mentioned as an option in the FCOM.  You are correct about the above/below capture and I've done both with this product without unexpected problems.

I think what Matt is saying is you can arm both VLOC and GS through APP without having to arm VORLOC first and capture in order to arm APP. Different than capturing VORLOC first in order for GS to engage. But it can still arm.

Hi All,

There is a problem with my sim. I flew the exact same flight on a friends sim and was able to capture glideslope. So thanks for the help but I don't want to waste your time any further. What fun I am going to have tracing this down.

 

Kevin Wilson

10 hours ago, kmw510 said:

There is a problem with my sim. I flew the exact same flight on a friends sim and was able to capture glideslope. So thanks for the help but I don't want to waste your time any further. What fun I am going to have tracing this down.

Kevin, if possible, copy exactly your friend's options setup for the particular aircraft you flew on your friend's system and use it for the same type of aircraft on yours.

 

Mike

On 3/29/2017 at 8:17 AM, downscc said:

Matt, the PMDG product does have a company option to inhibit GS capture before LOC and it is mentioned as an option in the FCOM. 

 

On 3/29/2017 at 11:22 AM, ALF1 said:

I think what Matt is saying is you can arm both VLOC and GS through APP without having to arm VORLOC first and capture in order to arm APP. Different than capturing VORLOC first in order for GS to engage. But it can still arm.

I think the LOC before G/S is the most common option. Which is the default in the sim? If you had the cap G/S before LOC option selected, and you didn't want to follow the G/S, then capturing the LOC first and then arming the APP would make sense.

 

On 3/29/2017 at 2:23 PM, kmw510 said:

I flew the exact same flight on a friends sim and was able to capture glideslope. So thanks for the help but I don't want to waste your time any further. What fun I am going to have tracing this down.

Not at my FSX computer right now, but there should be an aircraft-specific profile in FSX or P3D)/PMDG/737 NGX/aircraft (or airplanes).  The file names have specific tail numbers for each livery.  You could copy that file from your friend's computer to your computer in the same location, rename it to correspond with the tail number of one of your liveries (after backing up the similarly named file that already exists) and see if that fixes the problem for that aircraft.

You can also see the specific options for each livery in the OC.  Don't know whether you can copy them from the OC window to a file to compare your friend's settings with yours.  Remember that the settings, including GS capture options, are aircraft specific.

Mike

5 hours ago, Spin737 said:

 

I think the LOC before G/S is the most common option. Which is the default in the sim? If you had the cap G/S before LOC option selected, and you didn't want to follow the G/S, then capturing the LOC first and then arming the APP would make sense.

 

I wouldn't even dream of engaging a GS profile without being in the LOC first, is that not super unsafe ? I admit I follow it for guidance and when on a feeder route to a fix where its published minimum altitude permits it, but unless it is an RNP approach with a G/P angle I try to stay away.

22 minutes ago, ALF1 said:

I wouldn't even dream of engaging a GS profile without being in the LOC first, is that not super unsafe ? I admit I follow it for guidance and when on a feeder route to a fix where its published minimum altitude permits it, but unless it is an RNP approach with a G/P angle I try to stay away.

I wouldn't, either. I've seen the GS do some pretty funky things when not on the LOC. Heck, I've seen it do funky things she you ARE on the LOC. 

The other myth in the thread is setting the course knobs

17 hours ago, lencarne said:

The other myth in the thread is setting the course knobs

Do tell. 

On 3/29/2017 at 2:23 PM, kmw510 said:

Hi All,

There is a problem with my sim. I flew the exact same flight on a friends sim and was able to capture glideslope. So thanks for the help but I don't want to waste your time any further. What fun I am going to have tracing this down.

 

Kevin Wilson

Kevin, any followup?

Twice in the past few weeks now I've had problems capturing the ILS. Last night it was doing odd things as well.

I understand the possibility that I just didn't have it configured properly, and I do not record my flights so I can't say without confidence that there is indeed a problem that is not caused by something I did - but I've been flying for 2 years now, probably hundreds of approaches - and having two oddities occur on approach related to VOR or APP not engaging seems fishy.

I have recently changed to approaching the localizer in V/S mode trying to get "double penetration" as you say. That is getting out of VNAV and LNAV and instead using HDG and V/S (to finesse!) to try and hit the localizer and glideslope simultaneously. Last night... VOR would simply not engage on the MCP. Double and triple checking the frequencies and bearings on both radios. Just would not engage. Cycling AP, trying to engage LOC... nothing. Well almost, seemingly at random the APP was able to engage, and the plane started to act as if it captured the localizer, but the diamonds in the  PFD never went magenta... and it did not follow the glideslope and instead was going down based on my V/S entered in the MCP. 

Just a cluster, I ended up going around and doing the approach with the guidance displayed in the PFD (verification that the plane recognized the ILS but wouldn't allow me to engage) and VASI lights manually.

Anyway, I just wanted to see if there was a followup to Kevin's OP. As for my problem, unless it starts to happen every night, or I can identify some pattern that keeps happening, I'll just deal with it if it comes up again.

5 hours ago, Nick Dobda said:

I have recently changed to approaching the localizer in V/S mode trying to get "double penetration" as you say. That is getting out of VNAV and LNAV and instead using HDG and V/S (to finesse!) to try and hit the localizer and glideslope simultaneously. Last night... VOR would simply not engage on the MCP. Double and triple checking the frequencies and bearings on both radios. Just would not engage. Cycling AP, trying to engage LOC... nothing. Well almost, seemingly at random the APP was able to engage, and the plane started to act as if it captured the localizer, but the diamonds in the  PFD never went magenta... and it did not follow the glideslope and instead was going down based on my V/S entered in the MCP. 

Hi Nick,

Which airport?  Which runway?  Which approach selected?  Did you check the Map in FSX to make sure 1) the runway is where you expected it to be and 2) the frequency is what you expected it to be?

Mike

KTYS 

ILS OR LOC RWY 23L.  110.75 like the plate says... And the fmc. Both radios, both crs 231. 

 

3 hours ago, Nick Dobda said:

KTYS 

ILS OR LOC RWY 23L.  110.75 like the plate says... And the fmc. Both radios, both crs 231.

You have the correct frequency and course according to the most recent IFR plate.  Unfortunately in FSX there is no ILS for 23L at KTYS - no doubt the ILS was installed at RW KTYS after FSX was released.  The ILS frequency for 23R looks correct. 

This is a common problem with FSX - other airports that have changed include KSEA, KIAD and KORD.  The solution is to find replacement scenery or a replacement AFCAD file.  There is an AFCAD in the Avsim library for KTYS.  You can also get the free program ADE and edited the runway information.

The approach courses showing on the FSX map are both 228, while the current courses are 231.  It is possible this could cause a problem as well.  Just to be on the safe side, on either CDU go to Menu>Options>Simulation and page down to "SET FSX LOC CRS," select ON.

Mike