B737-500 Autopilot and ILS Landing. Help please :(

  • Hi All,

    I have been playing Aerofly FS 2 and have REALLY been enjoying it

    I am VERY interested in the Auto-Pilot function and the ILS "Approach Landing"

    For the love of everything that is holy, I have been searching YouTube videos, reading forums, asking questions, taking flight after flight, reading the Wiki, I CANNOT seem to figure this out

    Let me explain, I can take off fine. I can fly the entire flight using the flight plan and making slight adjustments on the way

    The ENTIRE flight goes fine

    Now it comes time for the "approach" (Auto Landing). And, I have followed guides, I have done step by step walk troughs from you Tube. my head hurts I am researching this so mcuh.

    This is a VERY fastly typed step by step of what I am doing. What am i doing wrong? am I missing something?

    note, I am making sure I am inputting the ILS destination airport frequency. So i am choosing an airport that has ILS

    Set altitude dial to 5,000

    Turn course dial to match Heading on Compass Panel Display (The numbers should match almost exact when guage is lined up to very top

    Set heading to match Course Dial #

    Set Vertical Speed to 1,000

    Set 5 degrees of flaps

    Click Auto-Thrust

    Click Speed button (it should light up)

    Take off

    Climb up about 15 degrees until you get high enough

    Lift Wheels

    Click "Auto Pilot" On

    Click on "heading Select" so the button lights up

    Check Vertical Speed. it changes by itself after take off. make sure it is at 1500

    Dial in heading dial to lock on location(s) seen on flight plan


    Enjoy your Auto-Pilot flight


    Toward the end of the flight, start slowing down the plane. Maybe 170 Knotts? Not sure

    Change flaps to 10%

    Also start to (SLIGHTLY) bring the altitude down

    Vert Speed Dial - Set to -500 (not sure if this is necessary but he did it in the video)

    Get speed down to Final Approach speed (140)

    Drop Landing gear

    25% Flaps (More Flaps)

    Hit Approach Mode.

  • The 737 is a lot more challenging than say the A320. I'd try the A320 first and note down the ILS frequency and course that it auto-tunes for you. You can also teleport to the final approach using the location menu and just practice the automatic landing. After teleporting you just have to dial in the course and frequency again (push appr) and it should land itself.

    Apart from engaging autothrottle on the ground it's mostly correct. Don't use the speed mode for takeoff, you should push the toga buttons on the throttle levers instead to engage takeoff mode.

    When you are reaching the final approach point you should be about 2000 ft above the runway at about 180 knots or less with flap 15 and gear down or if you like to take it slow with flap full and gear down at 135 knots.

    Make sure that the needles on the HSI and attitude indicator are indeed moving and that there are no red flags on them. Only then will the approach mode capture the localizer followed by the glide slope.

    Please upload a screenshot of the moment when you expect the autopilot to fly down to the runway. Please include the panel and autopilot so that we can see what might be missing.

  • Make sure that the needles on the HSI and attitude indicator are indeed moving and that there are no red flags on them. Only then will the approach mode capture the localizer followed by the glide slope.

    I cannot thank you enough for your detailed reply. You have no idea how many places I have posted this question (or any question) about this game and received ZERO replies. Thank you so much for your help.

    The only reason I was trying the 737 was that was the best YouTube instructional video i can find. I will go with the A320 as you suggested. i need things to be as easy as possible so I don't need to fly a more difficult plain right now

    I am following your reply perfectly and am going to try this again. The only part I am not following is the quote up above. Do you have a pic where you can indicate what it should look like?

    I appreciate you trying to explain, but, it is kind of hard to follow being I have never done it before.

    Once again, I cannot thank you enough.

  • Are you trying to autoland? Manually fly the last 1000 feet.

    I am trying to Auto Land

    I don't mind flying the last 100ft...but, in autopilot mode, my plane is perfectly aligned with the runway but just flies right over it and does not even attempt a landing. haha....just keeps flying. But, for what it is worth, I have the auto pilot programmed perfectly for the entire flight

  • The 737 is a lot more challenging than say the A320. I'd try the A320 first and note down the ILS frequency and course that it auto-tunes for you. You can also teleport to the final approach using the location menu and just practice the automatic landing. After teleporting you just have to dial in the course and frequency again (push appr) and it should land itself.

    Apart from engaging autothrottle on the ground it's mostly correct. Don't use the speed mode for takeoff, you should push the toga buttons on the throttle levers instead to engage takeoff mode.

    When you are reaching the final approach point you should be about 2000 ft above the runway at about 180 knots or less with flap 15 and gear down or if you like to take it slow with flap full and gear down at 135 knots.

    Make sure that the needles on the HSI and attitude indicator are indeed moving and that there are no red flags on them. Only then will the approach mode capture the localizer followed by the glide slope.

    Please upload a screenshot of the moment when you expect the autopilot to fly down to the runway. Please include the panel and autopilot so that we can see what might be missing.

    I have a screenshot to show you. I tried again. i am beyond frustrated right now. This is awful.

    I am following directions to a "T". This time, the approach mode light actually went on, but then the plane just starts doing crazy circles and not landing in any way.

    These are all the settings that we in place as I clicked approach. I actually thought it was working this time because the button lit up, but as I said, it just started circling the airport then and wouldn't land

    I was below 2,000 KNOTS

    Flaps were 15%

    Speed was under 180

    I cannot (for the life of me) figure out what I am doing wrong. i feel like UI wasted money on this game because of my inability to do this

    I want to accomplish ONE THING. An auto landing.....and I am going crazy trying to do it

    is the plane I am using ?

    look here: https://www.aerofly.com/dokuwiki/doku.…:boeing_747-400

    Thank you. this info will help :)

  • The screenshot shows that you are above the glide slope and too far left. The course is still set to 360...

    Where do you try to land at? Is that Los Angeles International?

    Try it from much further away, you're already almost above the airport in the screenshot.

    I'll try to replicate this...

  • The screenshot shows that you are above the glide slope and too far left. The course is still set to 360...

    Where do you try to land at? Is that Los Angeles International?

    Try it from much further away, you're already almost above the airport in the screenshot.

    I'll try to replicate this...

    Thank you Jan

    It is Los Angeles International :)

    Yes, I agree, I am very close when trying to do this, but there is a VERY sharp turn right before the airport. PLUS, there are a LOT of mountains, so I had to bring the plane higher to clear them, drop the altitude back down, do a sharp turn and start to drop to enable my approach. Maybe this runway/plane are bad combinations to try to learn this. I was under the impression that you have to wait until the plane is EXTREMELY close to the runway (on the MAP) before starting the auto landing procedure

    Should I create a new flight path that doesn't have such a sharp turn before the runway?

    Do you think I am using a jet that is too complicated? Should i try the A320 as suggested? it is just that I am SO CLOSE to doing this, i dont want to back out now. Haha

    Please let me know what you come up with. :)

  • Here is somethin else I may be doing wrong.

    Before the flight, I enter my ILS info (109.9 in this case)

    Then, I turn the course dial to 109 and it displays on the gauge. Am I all wrong in doping this ? Maybe this is my issue, but , my plane is making it perfectly to the airport so i may be grasping at straws here

    Because, on this flight, as soon as I hit the button for "Approach" it lit up (It never did that before so I am getting further), but immediately steered away from the airport like it was on it's way somewhere else

  • It doesn’t have autoland, you need to transition to manual flying. The plane specification depicted is a bit on the cheap side, the CAT II ILS limitation indicates that with its radio altimeter it could fly an ILS down to 100 feet above the runway but that does not mean that it had automatic landing, they are not the same thing. A plane with autoland can use it with a CAT I 200 feet decision height ILS. Some turboprop airlines didn’t even buy autopilots.

    Autolands came in initially in bad weather Europe where the CAT III 100-/50-/zero feet decision heights ILSs were more necessary.

    I like to turn off the Aerofly 737 autopilot early as the full scale deflection errors get very small near the runway, at 100 feet height the glide slope guidance is typically only plus and minus 23 feet thick and there is no time to correct trim errors.

  • It doesn’t have autoland, you need to transition to manual flying. The plane specification depicted is a bit on the cheap side, the CAT II ILS limitation indicates that with its radio altimeter it could fly an ILS down to 100 feet above the runway but that does not mean that it had automatic landing, they are not the same thing. A plane with autoland can use it with a CAT I 200 feet decision height ILS. Some turboprop airlines didn’t even buy autopilots.

    Autolands came in initially in bad weather Europe where the CAT III 100-/50-/zero feet decision heights ILSs were more necessary.

    I like to turn off the Aerofly 737 autopilot early as the full scale deflection errors get very small near the runway, at 100 feet height the glide slope guidance is typically only plus and minus 23 feet thick and there is no time to correct trim errors.

    Thank you for your reply. So, do you suggest a plane I should use to make this easier on me to get the hang of it. As in the A380?

  • 109 isn't the correct LOC course for runway 07R! It's 071°

    The runway designator shows the magnetic heading.

    That said, at least IRL the Autopilot doesn't care about the course you set on the CDI during an ILS approach. It's for your information only.

    You should arm the approach mode after the final turn at ~15NM from the airport.

  • 109 isn't the correct LOC course for runway 07R! It's 071°

    The runway designator shows the magnetic heading.

    That said, at least IRL the Autopilot doesn't care about the course you set on the CDI during an ILS approach. It's for your information only.

    You should arm the approach mode after the final turn at ~15NM from the airport.

    Omg. Thank you. So instead of setting the dial to 109.9, I turn the course dial until it hits 071?

    So the numbers 109.9 mean nothing to me? Or do I still have to enter than in the ILS screen/dial

  • You can't set 109.9°. This is the ILS frequency! 071° is the course which should be set on the CDI.

    Make sure that 109.9 is correctly set on NAV1 (FMC > TUNE > NAV1)

    Everyone has been so helpful I feel bad asking this

    Can you explain what NAV1 (FMC > TUNE > NAV1)?

    Are they buttons? I may have been setting these already but want to be sure I am inputting this in the right spot

  • NAV 1 shows the ILS info on the HSI and the artificial horizon.

    You need to check/set 109.9 for ILS 07R at KLAX

    The TUNE button is on the second row of buttons below the FMC screen.

    If you push it you get a different screen where you can choose which frequency to tune.

    Just checked 140kts with 40° flaps is fine. Less flaps = higher speed.

    Without flaps you shouldn't slow down below 200kts.