APR button suddenly not working with g1000NXI on RNAV LPV

[turnandbank]

I have suddenly started having an issue with the approach button not activating the glidepath when flying an LPV capable RNAV approach. Normally when pushing the APPR button just before the IAF the status on the PFD will show GP in white and, when the glideslope is captured and the diamond moves down to the center, the GP changes from white to green in the status bar and down you go. For the last couple of days, not matter how many times I push the approach button during an active RNAV LPV approach, the GP will not arm (no GP indication whatsoever on the PFD). I am using VPATH to get me to the IAF and am at the proper altitude.I have flown these approaches many times before without the issue. I have tried with different aircraft and at different airports and even with an empty community folder, but the problem persists. The APR button does still activate the glidepath when doing an ILS approach and tuned to the correct frequency for the ILS.

I am wondering if anyone else is experiencing this or if any of you can offer some suggestions for me to try and fix this.

Thanks.

[turnandbank]

Okay, I guess no one else is having this issue. If anyone has any advice on what I might be doing wrong, or somewhere to find a solution I would appreciated it. If I had any hair, I would have pulled it all out by now lol.

[fppilot]

8 minutes ago, turnandbank said:

Okay, I guess no one else is having this issue. If anyone has any advice on what I might be doing wrong, or somewhere to find a solution I would appreciated it. If I had any hair, I would have pulled it all out by now lol.

Have you checked the settings and assignments for your controls?  Perhaps a conflict is cancelling the APR switch.

[turnandbank]

1 hour ago, fppilot said:

Have you checked the settings and assignments for your controls?  Perhaps a conflict is cancelling the APR switch.

Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't changed anything recently, but you never know. I'll definitely check that.

[vgbaron]

I'd start by deleting it in the content manager and reinstalling it. Perhaps some file got trashed.

[turnandbank]

26 minutes ago, vgbaron said:

I'd start by deleting it in the content manager and reinstalling it. Perhaps some file got trashed.

I've tried with and without it installed in the content manager, but made no difference. It is my understanding that it is included in all the defaul aircraft whether or not it is installed in the content manager.

 

2 hours ago, fppilot said:

Have you checked the settings and assignments for your controls?  Perhaps a conflict is cancelling the APR switch.

I deleted the only control assignments I had for the approach button, but no difference. Thanks anyway.

Something else I just tried - I flew one of the approaches I often fly and use for testing, the RNAV Z RWY 34 into CYLW Kelowna in the CJ4 and it arms and captures the Glidepath perfectly, but it won't arm with any g1000 equipped aircraft.

[Bobsk8]

I would ask on Working Titles Discord Page, he usually posts an answer right away. 

[mspencer]

Did you try multiple different approaches?

The G1000 uses the default MSFS navdata which is imperfect to say the least. It tried to tell me there were no approaches at two airports, and here I am flipping through chart after chart after chart.

Could be a navdata issue more than a G1000 issue.

[Flyfaster_MTN002]

15 hours ago, turnandbank said:

I have suddenly started having an issue with the approach button not activating the glidepath when flying an LPV capable RNAV approach. Normally when pushing the APPR button just before the IAF the status on the PFD will show

Haven't used MSFS in a while, but historically could only get it to work before the FAF, never the IAF.

NAV mode until FAF, then APR, dependent upon which airport (some custom ones messed up the approach(es) etc.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Flyfaster_MTN002

[turnandbank]

3 hours ago, mspencer said:

Did you try multiple different approaches?

The G1000 uses the default MSFS navdata which is imperfect to say the least. It tried to tell me there were no approaches at two airports, and here I am flipping through chart after chart after chart.

Could be a navdata issue more than a G1000 issue.

I did, but you may be onto something. I do have Navigraph data installed from about one year ago. I just loaded up the TBM with the g3000 and when trying to program a flightplan into it directly, there are NO RNAV approaches listed for any of several airports I checked. All of these airports do have RNAV approaches in the real world, so something is clearly amiss. I will have to investigate further. 

[turnandbank]

2 hours ago, Flyfaster_MTN002 said:

Haven't used MSFS in a while, but historically could only get it to work before the FAF, never the IAF.

NAV mode until FAF, then APR, dependent upon which airport (some custom ones messed up the approach(es) etc.

Thanks. I have tried arming the approach mode at multiple points from before and after the IAF and the FAF. In the CJ4 it will arm anywhere after the IAF and catches the glideslope well before the FAF. Something else seems to be going on here, but thank-you for the suggestion.

[MattNischan]

4 hours ago, mspencer said:

The G1000 uses the default MSFS navdata which is imperfect to say the least.

It uses whatever navdata you have installed into the sim. If Navigraph data is installed into the sim, it will use that.

1 hour ago, turnandbank said:

there are NO RNAV approaches listed for any of several airports I checked.

This is usually an indication that the sim has no navdata after an update, which can generally be cured by an uninstall and reinstall via the Navigraph program.

[turnandbank]

2 hours ago, MattNischan said:

It uses whatever navdata you have installed into the sim. If Navigraph data is installed into the sim, it will use that.

Thanks Matt. I did have older Navigraph Data in the community folder and approaches from that data were available in the g1000, but no RNAV approaches were showing up in the G3000, just ILS and visual approaches.

I removed the navigraph data from the community folder and afterward RNAV approaches from the default MSFS nav data where available in both the g1000 and the g3000. After that, I was once again able to get the approach button to arm the glidepath on an LPV approach. Something strange is going on here, but I am getting closer thanks to the suggestions here. 

It seems that my older cycle of Navigraph Data is making the g3000 show no RNAV approaches and is preventing LPV approaches from working in the g1000 (Just to clarify, they do work for the VPATH portion, just not the glideslope). Do you think it is possible that a sim update would cause these issues when using an older navigraph data cycle? I can't think of any reason it would, but if it would fix the issue I would certainly subscribe to Navigraph again for a month in order to get newer data.

[mspencer]

8 hours ago, MattNischan said:

It uses whatever navdata you have installed into the sim. If Navigraph data is installed into the sim, it will use that.

This is usually an indication that the sim has no navdata after an update, which can generally be cured by an uninstall and reinstall via the Navigraph program.

Ah yes, I'm a many year Navigraph subscriber so I often forget since it autoupdates now. Either way, I think Navigraph's integration with the MSFS way of handling the navdata is imperfect, because I've had the issue of no valid approach showing up in the PMS50 GTN, G1000, G3000, yet there is that approach in the Navigraph and official Jepp charts. It's happened at a few small airports in the Pacific Northwest but I didn't keep records. Nothing company specific, just standard VOR or RNAV approaches. 

Next time I see something like this I'll check it over cycles to see if it's just a data integration issue.

[turnandbank]

Just to follow-up and let everyone who offered to help on this or anyone else who runs into the problem of the approach not arming on an RNAV approach here are my findings after further testing.

1. The issue was caused by old navigraph nava data from October 2021 in my community folder. A recent sim update must have made the old data incompatable. 

2. Going back to the default MSFS navdata resolves the issue, however this means living with the default data.

3. I took out another one month subscription to navigraph and installed the latest AIRAC Cycle. I did notice that it installed an additional folder named "navigraph-navdata-base" into my community folder this time that was not in my community folder in my previous install. With the new navigraph data installed everything works as it should again. It remains to be seen if it will continue to work when my subscription runs out, but I don't see any reason why it won't. Of course I will loose access to the charts and, since I solely fly in VR, I'm finding the Navigraph ingame panel very helpful. As much as I don't like subscriptions, I may have to bite the bullet on this one.

Thank-you to everyone for you suggestions and getting me on the right track to resolving this.