Learn how to add an ILS to an FS2004 airport with AFCAD, save the BGL correctly, and fix localiser, glideslope, GPS and ATC problems.
Yes. In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9), you can add an ILS to an airport by editing its airport-facility data with AFCAD 2.21, assigning the localiser frequency and runway end, then saving the revised BGL as active scenery. Back up the existing airport file and remove duplicate AFCADs first.
What does adding an ILS change?
An FS2004 ILS is navigation data rather than visible scenery. It defines the localiser, glideslope and associated runway end so compatible aircraft instruments can receive and follow the signal.
It does not automatically add approach lights, antennas, buildings or other visual objects. Those require separate scenery work. An ILS facility also is not the same thing as a fully coded instrument approach containing fixes, transitions and missed-approach instructions.
How do you add an ILS with AFCAD 2.21?
The established AFCAD 2.21 airport editor can add an ILS to an existing FS2004 runway without altering Microsoft's stock scenery files directly.
- Find the active airport record. Open the airport by its ICAO code and check whether an add-on AFCAD already replaces the stock layout. Back up any existing airport BGL before editing it.
- Verify the runway first. Its position, heading, length and designator must match the visible runway. An accurately placed ILS will still look wrong if the underlying facility runway is offset from the scenery.
- Add the ILS to the correct runway end. Use AFCAD's ILS insertion or runway-property controls and select the approach end, not merely the physical runway pair.
- Enter the facility data. Assign a valid localiser frequency, a suitable identifier, the front course and the glideslope. Use published airport data when recreating a real field; for a fictional airport, avoid frequencies already used by nearby facilities.
- Check transmitter placement. The localiser should sit on the extended centreline beyond the far end of the runway, while the glideslope transmitter belongs near the touchdown end and beside the runway. AFCAD's automatic placement is a useful starting point, but verify the result.
- Save a new BGL. Put it in the
scenerysubfolder of an enabled scenery area above the airport data it replaces. Do not overwrite a stock FS2004 BGL. - Restart and test. Tune the frequency in
NAV1, confirm the identifier, intercept the localiser from the front-course side and approach the glideslope from below.
A mistake we see constantly is leaving two airport-facility BGLs active for the same ICAO code. FS2004 does not reliably combine competing runway, parking and navaid definitions. Our collection of FS2004 AFCAD modifications illustrates the type of airport data these files replace.
Will FS2004 ATC and GPS recognise the new ILS?
The aircraft's NAV receiver can capture a correctly compiled ILS even when FS2004's GPS or ATC does not list a complete approach for it.
ATC and the GPS approach menu can depend on separate coded approach records containing fixes, legs and transitions. If the localiser and glideslope work but ATC never offers the approach, the ILS signal itself may be fine; the airport probably lacks the associated approach procedure data. ATC also considers the active runway, so it may not assign the new ILS in every wind condition.
Why does the localiser work but the glideslope fail?
Most glideslope failures come from an omitted component, incorrect placement or trying to intercept from above.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| No localiser signal | Wrong frequency, inactive BGL or duplicate airport file | Confirm NAV1, scenery priority and the active AFCAD |
| Localiser is offset | Incorrect heading, transmitter position or runway geometry | Compare the facility runway with the visible centreline |
| Localiser captures but glideslope does not | Missing glideslope or interception from above | Inspect the ILS properties and establish below the glide path |
| Signal works but ATC ignores it | Missing approach coding or a different active runway | Separate the raw ILS facility from the ATC/GPS procedure |
Test in clear weather with a simple default aircraft before blaming a complex add-on panel. Use a modest intercept angle, select the front course and engage approach mode only after the receiver shows a valid signal.
Can both ends of one runway have an ILS?
Yes, but each runway end needs its own correctly oriented ILS facility. Give each end the appropriate identifier and frequency rather than treating one localiser as a full two-way system.
A back course is not equivalent to a second complete ILS and normally provides no glideslope. This worked EIDL airport modification with ILS facilities at both runway ends is a useful example of how reciprocal approaches can be represented in an AFCAD file.