Hand off altitudes

[Marc Smith 0]

A new quirk keeps popping up and either I am incorrectly using the software or it is a bug in the new version. First, I am accurate on the frequency changes, that was one of my problems last week. I emailed Dave and he pulled my log. There is an altitude descent miss when handing off from center to approach. I am getting the initial altitude descent at the TOD (or approximate to that waypoint) but once with approach, I do not get a descent altitude to the ILS approach required altitude. For example, flying into Kansas City last night (KMCI),  KC Center dropped me from 8,000ft to 4,000 feet, I was passed off as usual to KC approach. They vectored me as normal to catch the ILS, but when they vectored me onto final, I was still at the 4,000 feet level. They missed my descent to the ILS approach. In fact, there was no mention of altitude at all after my handoff from KC Center.  I used to have accurate altitude descents provided by ATC. I had to cancel my autopilot and go into some fancy slips to get down for landing. Just did not feel like going around because I was too high.  If anyone is having this issue, please let me know if I am doing something incorrectly. Thank you.

 

[Dave-Pilot2ATC 871]

When you were cleared to 4000, that was probably the intercept altitude for the ILS.  Once cleared to fly the ILS, you are cleared to follow the altitudes in the ILS approach, so you would not get any further altitude clearances.

Had you been flying a STAR, and told to "descend via the xxxx arrival", that would be clearance to descend from your enroute altitude following any restrictions  in the STAR.  Then when cleared for the approach, that gives you clearance to fly the approach altitudes.

Dave

[Marc Smith 0]

thank you so much. The Pilot2Atc waypoint to intercept the ILS was only about 6 miles from the numbers. It's altitude was 3000ft. So what this means is, when I am cleared for the ILS, altitude is my responsibility on the published plates.

[itsjase 52]

If you're flying a tubeliner or fast plane make sure you increase your vector leg length in the settings. It defaults at 1nm which requires turns and descents which aren't easy to pull off on faster aircraft.

Setting this to 5nm makes vectors much better in my opinion.

Edited October 20, 2018 by itsjase