FSX Steam Edition: Localizer/Glideslope bars not showing on PFD when flying ILS

FSX:SE – ILS needles missing on PFD (Airbus/Boeing add-ons)

If the aircraft is in NAV/VOR mode and you’re tuned to an ILS that’s actually being received, you should see the LOC/GS scales once you’re within range and the signal is valid. After a reinstall, the usual culprits are (a) the wrong frequency/course is actually being used, (b) the aircraft is still “seeing” GPS even though you think you’re on NAV, or (c) the add-on’s avionics logic isn’t getting the sim’s NAV1 ILS signal.

Here’s how I’d go at it, step by step:

1) Prove the sim is receiving the ILS (NAV1)

1. Pick a stock airport/ILS you know is solid (no scenery tweaks for this test).
2. In the cockpit, tune the ILS on NAV1 (not NAV2) and set the published front course.
3. Make sure the CDI/source feeding the PFD is NAV1 (some Boeings/Airbuses have a “VOR1/VOR2/ILS” or “NAV1/NAV2” selector separate from the general NAV/GPS switch).
4. As you fly inbound, confirm you see “LOC” and ideally “GS” flags/annunciations change state. On most add-ons, the bars won’t display until the receiver considers the signal “alive” (within range, not behind the antenna, not too high/too far).

2) Don’t rely on the FSX flight plan for ILS
FSX flight plans don’t “enter an ILS” into the radios in a way most Airbus/Boeing add-ons care about. They often need:

• ILS frequency tuned on NAV1, and
• front course set, and
• the aircraft actually in a VOR/LOC type capture mode (APP/LOC), and
• the correct nav source selected to the PFD.

So even if the map/ATC shows an ILS approach, the PFD won’t show needles unless the nav receiver is tuned and selected.

3) Quick sanity check: is it only on add-on jets?
This is a great isolator after a reinstall.

1. Load a default FSX aircraft with a basic VOR/ILS indicator.
2. Tune an ILS on NAV1 and intercept it.
3. See if you get LOC/GS indications there.

If the default airplane shows ILS fine but your Airbus/Boeing don’t, the issue is almost certainly in the add-on avionics setup (nav source selector, FMC/radio management, panel state, etc.) rather than the sim’s ILS data.

4) Common “gotchas” that hide the needles

• Wrong side tuned: Some aircraft let you tune ILS on one side but display the other (CAPT vs FO). Make sure the side you’re flying is actually using the tuned receiver.
• NAV2 tuned by mistake: Lots of folks tune the right radio and expect the left PFD to show it.
• Course not set (some add-ons require it): Even though real ILS can work with front course, some FSX add-ons still “want” the CRS set properly to display/capture correctly.
• You’re out of coverage or too high/far: Glideslope especially won’t show until you’re in the lobe.

A couple questions so I can narrow this down

1. Which exact Airbus and Boeing packages are you flying (developer/model)?
2. Do the ILS needles show up in a default FSX aircraft right now, using the same airport/ILS?
3. When you’re inbound and tuned, do you see any “LOC”/“GS” flags/annunciations on the PFD, or is it completely blank as if no ILS is received?
4. Are you tuning the ILS on NAV1, and which side (Captain/FO) PFD are you looking at?

Answer those and we can zero in quickly on whether it’s a sim-side NAV/ILS issue after the reinstall, or just a source/radio selection detail in the specific add-on cockpit.