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

  • 109.9 is the approach ILS frequency in Mega-Herz (MHz). That's the radio frequency just like in your car radio (which goes up to 108 MHz I think). But instead of a radio voice and music it transmits a directed beam from the end of the runway to the approach side. Aircraft can tune that in and ride the beam in very precisely. Additionally you need to set the approach course so that the autopilot knows which direction to turn when you first intercept the localizer beam.

    In this case the course is 071 degrees from magnetic north.

    For learning just position yourself using the location menu:

    When you enter the sim fly the aircraft manually for a second and hit pause when ever you need to.

    You can turn on the autopilot, it should maintain heading and vertical speed of -500ft/min per default if you placed yourself in the final approach. You can increase the decent to -700 ft/min and with that you would already hit close to the runway just because you are already positioned perfectly for landing.

    Turn the course knob to set 071 degrees:

    Look down at the HSI, since we are already aligned with the runway the HSI should point straight up!

    Now set the ILS frequency down in the left NAV radio:

    In the front panel you can then see three needles moving:

    On the left of the attitude indicator, that is the glide slope. ideally it should be centered, here on the screenshot the glide slope is slightly above us.

    On the bottom of the attitude indicator is the localizer needle. It shows left/right deviation. Steer in the direction of the needle deflection.

    And the HSI also shows us the course angle deviation (we're already aligned so it's zero) and the lateral offset (also zero in this case).

    Also look in the top right (marked as FD). The flight director tells you VOR/LOC and GLIDE SLOPE if it captured the ILS successfully.

    These indications are green when the autopilot is on.

    I know the 737 isn't certified for automatic landing with the equipment that we have in aerofly and depending on which version you have the autopilot may just disengage just before touch down.

    Which looks like that:


    For a proper auto-land you will have to use the A320, A380, B747 or B777.

    You can find a detailed flight tutorial for our A320 in our wiki: https://www.aerofly.com/dokuwiki/doku.…aft:airbus_a320

    The one for the 777 is here: https://www.aerofly.com/dokuwiki/doku.…oeing_777-300er

    Other helpful guides can be found on our home-page as well:

    Tutorials | Aerofly FS

    I can recommend checking out the ILS approach tutorial:

    Instrument Navigation | Aerofly FS

  • I CANNOT thank you enough for this detailed reply. You aere SOOOO kind. Thank you

    Question (again). you keep mentioning that the heading is 71, bit I am seeing 70 in your screenshot and on my PC. Why did you add the 1 to it? Am I always supposed to do that ?

    It may be a key answer so I want to make sure :)

    THANK you once again

  • The 737 is fine, you will learn more with nice mechanical dials and needles as you can imagine flying into the radio guidance beams and the needles will correspond nicely with what is outside the windows.

    Can you start with San Francisco and tune in the nav radios as follows.

    Left side radio 109.55. Course 284 on the autopilot panel.

    Right side 115.80. Course 284 on the autopilot panel.

    HSI switch on both outer sides of the panel to VOR/ILS.

    The hard thing is that there is a big uncorrected error with the Aerofly 737 instrument panel, turn the little control knob on the right side of the small RMI instrument (below the airspeed indicator on the instrument panel) to ADF (not VOR). The double line needle will point to where San Francisco is and the distance away will be seen on the copilot’s side of the instrument panel.

    (The ILS is on the left radio, it will not show on the RMI but the distance will be seen on the left side of the instrument panel).

    Take off from runway 28L and turning right fly south east a bit, try a heading of 095 degrees. The little needle will gradually start to point to the rear-right and then rear of the plane. Fly at 1,800 feet and at about 10 to 12 miles away from the airport start to turn right and fly back towards the airport again. Aim for the coastline where the long bridge is. If you can position the RMI double needle to point towards 284 on the dial you should have every navigation instrument needle centred when you are exactly 7.7 miles out at 1,800 feet. If you are flying on 284 with the needles centred you can see the airport out the front window at the correct height for the distance if you want to use the ILS.

    (From the SkyVector site, click on an airport for an excellent menu).

    You can use the autopilot to hold your heading and the height of 1,800 feet. When you position yourself to be all lined up on 284 degrees with the needles centred selecting APP on the autopilot will bring you down the ILS. Select the APP before the glideslope needle passes below the centre of the instrument.

    All the needles are lined up and the glideslope is coming down, APP can be engaged. (The heading would be set to 284 in a moment).

  • Question (again). you keep mentioning that the heading is 71, bit I am seeing 70 in your screenshot and on my PC. Why did you add the 1 to it? Am I always supposed to do that ?

    No. You don't add anything. Heading and course are two different things. Once you are established on the ILS, the heading is irrelevant.

  • All the needles are lined up and the glideslope is coming down, APP can be engaged. (The heading would be set to 284 in a moment).

    This is actually a bad example since you have already crossed the Localizer and you have forgotten to arm the approach mode, it should have been armed way before that point.


    The usual intercept heading is ~30° and you arm the approach mode as soon as the localizer needle starts moving.

  • Turning right, I wanted a good view of the landmark bridge hence a bit fast with a bit more flap for a nose down attitude. Getting an impression of what the needles do and how they move is helpful, a mental picture is worth a thousand words.

    Flying in towards that bridge a few times would show the wider response on the big right VOR needle corresponding to the RMI pointer and small position changes left and right would show the sensitivity of the big localiser needle on the left.

    Students on a instrument rating do several ILSs with full normal vision to demonstrate the relationship between the ILS beam and the airport approach.

    Edited once, last by Overloaded (August 5, 2021 at 9:33 PM).

  • 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.

    I FINALLY Did it !!! I cannot thank you enough.

    I cant wait to fly more planes and mess with this game more. Thank you

    I still dont understand how you got 71 when I am seeing 70 in the screenshot and on my PC when looking for hte info

    Can you send me a screenshot of where you see that 71 for that last flight for the LSI?

    I promise I wont bother you anymore after that

    Because I see RWY 07R, and if I pull up the info on it, it reads 70. I just dont know how you got those numbers from this runway name. I will need to know this to continue to fly different routes. I am so sorry

    And thank you for being so kind

  • Because I see RWY 07R, and if I pull up the info on it, it reads 70. I just dont know how you got those numbers from this runway name. I will need to know this to continue to fly different routes. I am so sorry

    That's due to the different dates of the FS2 nav database and the approach chart.

    The magnetic variation changes over the years and hence the ILS course and the runway designator.

    No need to be sorry, that's what forums are for :)

    Again, the CDI indication will not be affected since the ILS course is fixed, contrary to a VOR where a different course/radial affects the CDI indication.

  • Everyone has been so helpful and I am so grateful. Can I ask 2 more questions please? I finally kinda have the hang of this. Did a few approach landings. Some work. Some do not.

    1. How do I know if a runway supports the ILS landing. Is it just the ones with the frequency?

    2. I still do not know where the numbers are coming for when it comes to an ILS landing by just looking at thee runway number and name.

    For example, I am choosing KSFO (San Francisco Airport).

    Runway 19L - 108.9

    Heading 215°

    Is the above correct? I go to the airport location and click on the runway and it gives me this info. that is where I am getting it.

    Because sometimes a flight works, but then other times, I don't even see the indicators that I can even consider approach mode.

  • For example, I keep setting up flights and sometimes my green indicator for approach is non existent. What area would I look in to fix that?

    Or sometimes, the flight starts, I see the green thing on the bottom. eventually it disappears but I think nothing of it because I have my flight lined up anyway, but it never comes back. I should have been in approach at this point in this screen shot but the bar was missing :(

  • 1. Correct

    2 Again, the runway designator shows the magnetic heading. In case of 19 (Left) at KSFO this means (rounded) 190°

    So 215° can't be correct.

    (KMIA is unfortunately an example where this isn't the case. I have no idea why and I've never seen such a case IRL)

    Just tested. If I click on the 19L symbol it correctly says Heading 195°

    Edited once, last by FL54 (August 7, 2021 at 7:31 AM).

  • For example, I keep setting up flights and sometimes my green indicator for approach is non existent. What area would I look in to fix that?

    Or sometimes, the flight starts, I see the green thing on the bottom. eventually it disappears but I think nothing of it because I have my flight lined up anyway, but it never comes back. I should have been in approach at this point in this screen shot but the bar was missing :(

    The 'green thing on the bottom' is the extended localizer. Identical with the information below on the HSI, just at a much higher sensitivity.

    In case you KMIA 08L, the frequency seems to be wrong, because both, the localizer on the HSI and the glideslope on the artificial horizon are showing the red OFF flags.

  • 1. Correct

    2 Again, the runway designator shows the magnetic heading. In case of 19 (Left) at KSFO this means (rounded) 190°

    So 215° can't be correct.

    (KMIA is unfortunately an example where this isn't the case. I have no idea why and I've never seen such a case IRL)

    Just tested. If I click on the 19L symbol it correctly says Heading 195°

    I used 195 degrees and it was a perfect landing. This is crazy

    This is me narrating a video of how I setup my flight. can you check and see if I am missing something? Only a few minutes long

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  • All, this is a video of me setting up my flight

    Approach mode works sometimes, and other times it is almost non existent

    Only a few minutes long. I narrated over the top of it.

    Can someone check to see if I am doing this the right way? This is maddening.

    Thank you all for the help you have been giving me :)

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  • And, with the settings I used up above, the flight failed. never even detected there was an airport that I can go into with "approach mode".

    Here is a screenshot. At this point of the flight, the ILS airport should show up by now and at the very least, show some positive activity, but nothing but a red bar to the left hand side of the indicator.. But, it failed. So, once again, I did something wrong. My answer possibly lies in the video I made up above. it is about 3 minutes long of how I set my flight up. I feel like I am driving everyone crazy here, but this is rough. it sometimes works. other times it does not.

    See how close I am to the airport? I dropped down to about 900ft. alt. Slowed speed down to about 145. Flaps down about 20%, wheels out and ready to land, and it flew directly over the airport (in perfect line) but never landed or picked any ILS info up.

    I am thinking by this point of the flight, I should be set and ready to go into approach :(

  • Until 2:10 the setup is correct.

    Your point of departure is KO09 RWY 10 so that's what you should choose as your starting location, that's all.

    At 2:14 you are choosing a different starting location.

    Short final is close to the runway to train just the flare and landing.

    Long final means you can train flying e.g. the ILS approach.

    You can choose both final options as starting points of course, but in this case you don't need to setup the navigation from KO09 to KMHR.

    The interesting part in the video is missing. Where do you actually start the flight from? KO09 or long final KMHR?

    Concerning the screenshot; You are way too slow for the flap setting. At 140kts the flaps need to be the full down at the 40° position.

    Impossible to tell from the screenshot, but it looks like 111.3 isn't set on NAV1. That's why you get the red OFF flags.

    The approach mode will always work if the ILS frequency is set correctly.


    edit: just tested and you simply had bad luck by choosing KMHR 22L.......the ILS frequency is wrong in the sim.

    So it's not your fault!

    The correct frequency is 111.35.


    For flap extension I suggest you use this approximate schedule.

    <200kts flaps 5

    <180kts flaps 15

    <160kts flaps 25

    <150kts flaps 30 or 40

    Edited 10 times, last by FL54 (August 7, 2021 at 8:14 PM).

  • This is where I dialed in the 111.30 or any Mhz settings I need for ILS

    You mention I need to set it on NAV1. I am looking at the pic and my vide, where is NAV1? This is so frustrating (I am not frustrated with you, it is just me trying get this right.

    So, just dropping the plane in the starting position isn't good enough? I have to actually click on one of the runways and choose take off the same way I chose to land in one? I thought just dropping the plane by clicking on the icon to place the plane was good enough.

    Unless I am misunderstanding you

    And thank you kindly for your reply

  • You have apparently set the ILS correctly according to the map :) , but as mentioned above, the frequency is wrong on the map!

    You need to set it to 111.35.

    Either left or right click on the aircraft symbol. The starting position will be where the green aircraft symbol on the map appears.

    edit: NAV 1 is on the left (captain) side and NAV 2 on the right (copilot) side.

    Just tried, I can't set the frequency on the instrument panel (the white circled area in your screenshot).

    I need to use the FMC or the NAV radios on the pedestal.

    Edited 4 times, last by FL54 (August 7, 2021 at 8:55 PM).