Auto Throttle toggle on any key or joystick button? 

Thank you Bobsk8. I now know what Alpha Floor means  Also learned that TOGO means Takeoff/Go Around. So much to learn.

Roy

15 hours ago, willy647 said:

On the Approach page, did you enter the correct QNH, Temp, wind etc ... ?

Yes.  I'm using the clear skies preset, so I'm assuming the weather is the same at the destination as it would be at the departure airport (QNH1013, 269/2, 15C)?  Incidentally, I notice that the METAR given on the flyPad is different, but I'm not sure if that's because it needs to be working from a Live Weather OFP generated by SimBrief.  However, I tried flying it once using the flyPad METAR, and had the exact same problem.

Interestingly, I've also tried just setting up an arrival (airport and runway) instead of a full flight, hit Active Pause immediately, configured the MCDU for the approach, unpaused, and it flew the approach perfectly.   But when I try a full flight, it doesn't work, which suggests there's something happening in the transition from descent to approach phase that causes things to go haywire.  One question:  How soon do you activate and confirm the approach phase on the MCDU?  Just about the time you get to the final approach fix, or beforehand?  I can't help but wonder if I change the phase too early, but I've tried holding out until the very last minute before the fix, and it hasn't seemed to help.

(Duplicate post)

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by JDWalley

(Triplicate post)

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by JDWalley

iirc approach phase just lowers your speed target for flaps extension and Vapp.  also iirc It will automatically change to that phase once you pass a certain decel point in the approach, so you would only hit it manually if you want to slow down sooner.

19 minutes ago, ShawnG said:

iirc approach phase just lowers your speed target for flaps extension and Vapp.  also iirc It will automatically change to that phase once you pass a certain decel point in the approach, so you would only hit it manually if you want to slow down sooner.

I wonder if activating it manually is the issue.  I'll have to try flying it again tomorrow and letting it make the change automatically.

In real life approach phase is usually activated manually because most pilots think the calculated decel point usually is a too late. I think it's best to regard that automated decel point as a safe guard measure. I myself often (not always) aim to be at F-speed already and all setup for approach by the time I reach that decel point: that might give an indication of when to activate appr phase.

Setting the speeds manually may prevent the problem but it's a total waste of the Airbus systems... The great thing about the Airbus appr phase is that it very easily and conveniently lets you set the appropriate speeds with the flap lever. Clever system. It's a shame to throw one of the best Airbus features out of the window.

Anyway, I would suggest trying an approach with one of the other FBW versions or even the default Airbus. Could be you are doing everything perfectly fine and you are wasting time fighting experimental bugs. 

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by tup61

5 hours ago, tup61 said:

Setting the speeds manually may prevent the problem but it's a total waste of the Airbus systems... The great thing about the Airbus appr phase is that it very easily and conveniently lets you set the appropriate speeds with the flap lever. Clever system. It's a shame to throw one of the best Airbus features out of the window.

Clever as the system may be it doesn’t really come to any use in real life at busy airports where speed instructions from ATC must be followed. That means using Selected speed from maybe 30, 40 miles out - maybe even further.

Typically, you’d be given 240, 220, 200, then 180 when cleared for the LOC and once established on the G/S “maintain 160 till 4 miles”

1 hour ago, SierraDelta said:

Clever as the system may be it doesn’t really come to any use in real life at busy airports where speed instructions from ATC must be followed. That means using Selected speed from maybe 30, 40 miles out - maybe even further.

Typically, you’d be given 240, 220, 200, then 180 when cleared for the LOC and once established on the G/S “maintain 160 till 4 miles”

I use PF3 for my ATC, and I get instructions to lower speed several times as I approach the airport. 

Could be something else in Community folder interfering with the AP perhaps. That’s my guess. You do have speed confirmed in managed mode by pressing the knob in?

If it only happens when you select full flaps, that might be a clue. Your controller might be activating an unwanted action with either the axis you have set on or a button for full flaps. Maybe full flap is moving the throttles axis out of CLB. Monitor engines and Auto Throttle when selecting full flap.

Or, try an Autoland, engaging both AP’s on final using ILS. Check what info displays at the top of the PFD.

Failing to set QNH or enter winds will not cause this to happen. Nor will the timing of your selecting Approach Mode in MCDU.

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by RaptyrOne

12 hours ago, JDWalley said:

I wonder if activating it manually is the issue.

It could very well be. I heard the real Airbus flyers comment on that and say that you can confuse the system if you use Approach mode too early.

As RaptyrOne said above, the timing of the MCDU approach phase selection will not cause this to happen. It is more likely a control binding or livery as RaptryOne suggested. What does the FMA say when this problem occurs. Is it still in SPEED mode, autothrust on, and thrust levers in the CLB detent?

12 hours ago, Donstim said:

As RaptyrOne said above, the timing of the MCDU approach phase selection will not cause this to happen. It is more likely a control binding or livery as RaptryOne suggested. What does the FMA say when this problem occurs. Is it still in SPEED mode, autothrust on, and thrust levers in the CLB detent?

As it turned out, the majority of the problem did turn out to be a weird key binding.  On one test flight today, I set the camera at an angle where I could see the entire FCU and upper ECAM, and I discovered that, every time I dropped the flaps one notch, the A/T disengaged.  Odd, because there was nothing set for that function.  However, I checked the particular joystick button I was using for that, and found out it was controlling not only the extend-flaps-one-notch function, but also something to do with the engine thrust reversers (not deploying them all the way, but something that it obviously shouldn't have been doing).

So, I deleted that assignment.  Problem solved?  Kind of... With that binding removed, I was no longer getting the completely haywire behavior I'd encountered before.  However, while the A/Ps would now capture the LOC and G/S and follow them down, the airspeed control could be flaky.  I've only tested it on a couple of routes into different destination airports so far, but I found that, on one, going into approach mode and deploying the flaps and gear at the proper points meant that the aircraft would slow on its own to the V_app and remain there until touchdown; however, at the other airport, while the LOC and G/S would engage and bring the aircraft down toward the runway, the airspeed would remain where it was at the final speed constraint before the approach (i.e., if the final approach fix was at 210KTS at 7000', as it was at KDEN, the aircraft would start descending toward the runway at 210 and keep up that speed unless I dialed in the proper V_app in selected mode, whereupon it would fly the approach properly.  I still need to run further tests to figure out if it's something I'm still doing wrong, or a bug in what is after all still an experimental build.

3 hours ago, JDWalley said:

  I still need to run further tests to figure out if it's something I'm still doing wrong, or a bug in what is after all still an experimental build

You can’t rule out bugs in the Experimental version but I only use Experimental and I have never experienced what you seem to be encountering. I very seldom switch out of Managed mode for airspeed and the aircraft is consistently on the numbers, even with complex STAR’s and approaches with multiple speed and alt restrictions. VNAV is working really well.

As with your flap lever having a duplicate setting, possibly another duplicate setting hiding in your controller set up, which might be interfering with AP or throttles. MSFS allows multiple settings for one controller action. Throttles must be in CLB detent with AT on for managed mode to work. Keep watching your FMA information on PFD for indications that something is not right.