i need help!!

usair653 Guest

ok.. i don't know if this is a problem with the game or just that i'm not getting what ATC is telling me... when i'm on an IFR everything goes gr8t until i come to final approach.. they usually have me too high and not lined up with the runway at all!! i don't get it! can someone pleez help me 😕

Answers 6 Answers

Jump to latest
Pro Member Chief Captain
tomthetank Chief Captain

ATC is a funny old thing in fs,it likes you to be below the G/S before you intersect it
sounds like your not desending quick enough
Increase your desent rate slighty and with a little practice you will be able to judge your desent rate

there is a formula to work out your desent,but Fs ATC take no notice of it

Don Wood Guest

In the real world, ATC rarely has you lined up with the runway and at the correct altitude. Instead, you will either fly an arrival procedure or ATC will vector you to a point in space and then you will receive a clearance such as "Cessna 200DW, turn right to heading 090 degrees, intercept the RW 16 ILS, cleared for the approach". At that point, it is the pilots responsibility to execute the intercept for both course line and altitude and then to fly the approach. Even if they vector you to a straight-in intercept, altitude will still be the pilots responsibility once you are cleared for the approach.

The previous poster was correct that FS9 will only smoothly intercept the glide slope from below. That, IMO, is a design flaw since in the real world, you never, ever, ever, ever want to be below the glide slope. Are you listening, Microsoft?

Pro Member First Officer
PH First Officer

Don I do not understand "In the real world you never want to be below the glideslope". In my experience you will almost always intercept the GS from below unlessyou have screwed up!......I am sure I have misunderstood as from reading your previous posts I know you have bags of experience in real world flying. For example ATC will put me on a 7 mile final this means for a 3* GS I should be at about 2100ft at this range I will normally be brought in at 1800ft so that once localiser established (closing to 6 miles) the GS indication should start to centre. Point being I am intercepting from below. I stand to be corrected 😉

Don Wood Guest

I apologise-I was not precise enough. I was referring to the published part of the approach and not being below the glide slope. If you extend the glide slope far enough, anyone not in space will be below it. However, on the published portion of the glide slope, you have no assurance of terrain/object clearance unless you remain at or above the glide slope. That's the area I was referring to. Even at 10-20 miles from the airport, being below the glide slope can be dangerous at some airports.

If you don't believe it, take a look at the VOR/DME RW 34 approach at St. George, Utah. There is no glide slope there but the principal remains the same. The initial approach fix is at DME 16 on a VOR radial 8 degrees offset from the runway. At that point, at 8,000 feet, there is a terrain feature of 8,012 feet within two miles. Flying the DME 16 arc at 8,000 feet, you fly directly over a peak with less than 1,600 feet of clearance. These are not big risks if you are flying in VFR. Getting below the published altitude or off course can cause you a very bad afternoon in IFR conditions.

Another good example is the ILS RW35 approach at Salt Lake City. The glide slope intercept is 8,800 feet at 19.1 DME. If, as you suggested, you intercept from below, there are rockfilled clouds on the approach path at 7,785 feet, about 12 miles OUTSIDE the intercept point on the approach course. There are also 10,000-12,000 foot peaks not too far on either side of the approach course and outside the initial approach point. Approaching from below the glide slope on that approach or failing to stay on the published course may convert you to a terrain feature.

Of course, not every aiport has these kind of terrain issues. ATC does, however, vector crossing traffic for other runways or airports below the IFR approach paths some distance from the runway. I don't think they would likely do this in IFR conditions but the "see and avoid" concept has its weaknesses, especially if you are on a flat descent in a long nosed airplane. The PSA crash in VFR conditions in the late 1970's in San Diego is a good example.

The PSA 727 was cleared for a visual approach at Lindberg but had descended below the published altitude for the flight segment they were on. ATC notified them of a traffic conflict for a C-172 on an instrument approach vector. The C-172 was on the assigned course and at the assigned altitude. PSA acknowledged the traffic but ran over the C-172 anyway. It was later hypothosized the PSA pilots had never seen the C-172 that was called but had seen another one five miles further away. Both crashed with a horrendous loss of life and property. If PSA had been at the published altitude, the crash would have never occured.

Pro Member First Officer
PH First Officer

I see what you are saying. My briefing always outlines the SSA/MSA so both myself and my colleague if flying multi crew (still brief myself if flying single pilot) know exactly what not to descend below! As you say at some airports flying below SSA will be the last thing you do. Just to add remember never to descend on the GS until you are on the localiser, and have identified it. I am talking purely IFR (UK) and always crosscheck descent altitudes with the plate.

usair653 Guest

thank you all!!! it really helped me aloT!

Still does not answer your question? Ask a new question!

If the question and answers provided above do not answer your specific question - why not ask a new question of your own? Our community and flight simulator experts will provided a dedicated and unique answer to your flight sim question. And, you don't even need to register to post your question!

Ask New Question...

Search

Search our questions and answers...

Be sure to search for your question from existing posted questions before asking a new question as your question may already exist from another user. If you're sure your question is unique and hasn't been asked before, consider asking a new question.

Related Questions

Flight Sim Questions that are closely related to this...