I am trying to get to grips with VOR approaches in the Fenix A320. Everything almost works fine apart from the course: the AP won't intercept it and keeps on flying to the right of it. See screenshot. Anyone knows what I am missing here...? VOR35 into ENBR, course 350. Altitudes worked out fine using FPA but the course didn't. Not a huge problem, obviously, it's easily corrected, but I'd like to know where I went wrong. When should you enter the desired course on the navrad page? Maybe I entered it too early? And how can I force an intercept?

I did watch this older video but it didn't help.

Edited August 13, 20223 yr by tup61

7 minutes ago, tup61 said:

I am trying to get to grips with VOR approaches in the Fenix A320. Everything almost works fine apart from the course: the AP won't intercept it and keeps on flying to the right of it. See screenshot. Anyone knows what I am missing here...? VOR35 into ENBR, course 350. Altitudes worked out fine using FPA but the course didn't. Not a huge problem, obviously, it's easily corrected, but I'd like to know where I went wrong. When should you enter the desired course on the navrad page? Maybe I entered it too early? And how can I force an intercept?

 

 

There's no VOR tracking in the Airbus autopilot. It can only track localisers. In real life a VOR approach would be flown as an RNAV overlay, so the aircraft does not track the actual VOR signal, but it tracks the VOR waypoint in the database.
You can, of course, always use HDG/TRK to manually track the VOR.

EDIT: As for the RNAV tracking you either
a) choose the VOR approach from the database and fly it with LNAV/VNAV (or APP mode with a glidepath)
b) enter your VOR (FLS) into the DIR page with the appropiate inbound course for the runway (350~ degrees)

Edited August 13, 20223 yr by Fiorentoni

Right... confusing. It seems that in the video from 320 Sim Pilot the course actually is intercepted but apparently that only SEEMS to be the case: in fact the plane is flying an approach that overlaps the VOR approach... er... I guess... Not sure how to select a VOR approach and then fly it with LNACH/VNAV.. I thought I did but apparently not. Maybe I'll just stick with RNAV and/or ILS LOL It just seemed nice to use FPA during an approach and check the altitudes at the distances as shown on the chart (which DID work well, I have to say).

BTW It's a real huge and big PITA you can't save the Fenix in midair to practice approaches... It's extremely annyoing having to set up an entire flight just to try ONE single approach... 😡

19 minutes ago, tup61 said:

Right... confusing. It seems that in the video from 320 Sim Pilot the course actually is intercepted but apparently that only SEEMS to be the case: in fact the plane is flying an approach that overlaps the VOR approach... er... I guess... Not sure how to select a VOR approach and then fly it with LNACH/VNAV.. I thought I did but apparently not. Maybe I'll just stick with RNAV and/or ILS LOL It just seemed nice to use FPA during an approach and check the altitudes at the distances as shown on the chart (which DID work well, I have to say).

BTW It's a real huge and big PITA you can't save the Fenix in midair to practice approaches... It's extremely annyoing having to set up an entire flight just to try ONE single approach... 😡

As for your save problem: Just slew the aircraft back and up and you can redo the approach within 10 seconds. That's how I practice landings.

For the approach: Hard to tell, are you sure the course for the vor is exactly 350 just because it's called VOR35 approach? Sometimes it's a bit more, sometimes a bit less, and that might be what LNAV is tracking (which would explain the discrepancy, since you set 350 on the rad nav page). I would have to see the flight plan page to say for sure what track LNAV is flying. Also wind could be a factor, which the FMC would account for  (but does not seem to be the case here).
As for FPA, yeah you can do that, no problem. Then it's a LNAV only approach.

Edited August 13, 20223 yr by Fiorentoni

I would ask on the Fenix Discord channel, Support Thread for the correct answer. 

Think I found the solution: simply don't change the radnav page manually. ;) Just load the procedure and let the plane follow it in NAV and take care of the descent using FPA with the correct angle (as on the charts). Disengage AP at the appropriate time and all is fine. You don't get the blue line/needle on the ND/VOR display but you do get the active VOR needle and that's enough.

1 hour ago, tup61 said:

Just load the procedure and let the plane follow it in NAV and take care of the descent using FPA with the correct angle

You can use FINAL APP mode as well by pressing APPR pb. In fact, that's the recommended guidance mode for this type of approach.

1 hour ago, polosim said:

You can use FINAL APP mode as well by pressing APPR pb. In fact, that's the recommended guidance mode for this type of approach.

Good to know! Although I did this approach because I wanted to use FPA for once. 😉

43 minutes ago, tup61 said:

I did this approach because I wanted to use FPA for once

Then you can try a LOC approach, recommended technique is LOC/FPA .