What is the A320 go-around procedure in a simulator?

To perform an A320 go-around in a simulator, move both thrust levers to TOGA, follow SRS, retract the flaps one step, confirm positive climb, then select gear up. Verify MAN TOGA, SRS and GA TRK/NAV on the FMA; at the briefed altitudes, select CL, accelerate and clean up.

For our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, we use Airbus mode logic as the reference. Call-outs, acceleration altitudes and automation behaviour vary between operators, aircraft standards and simulator add-ons. Real crews must use their approved manuals and operator procedures.

What is the correct A320 go-around procedure?

The normal A320 sequence is TOGA, go-around guidance, one stage of flap retraction, positive climb, gear up, then thrust reduction and configuration clean-up at the briefed altitudes.

1. Decide and announce the go-around. Call the manoeuvre promptly when the approach or landing is no longer safe or stable. Do not delay while trying to rescue a poor approach.
2. Select TOGA. Move both thrust levers fully into the TOGA detent. Reaching the detent triggers the go-around modes in a correctly modelled A320; applying high thrust without reaching it may not. If your hardware misses or overshoots the detent, use our A320 thrust-lever detent and calibration guidance.
3. Follow SRS. Rotate or pitch smoothly to follow the flight-director command. Do not pull towards a memorised nose attitude because weight, speed, wind, configuration and engine performance affect the required pitch.
4. Retract the flaps one step. From FULL, select 3; from 3, select 2. “Go around, flaps” does not mean selecting FLAPS 1 or retracting fully.
5. Check the FMA. Confirm MAN TOGA, SRS and normally GA TRK. NAV may be armed or engaged if the FMGS contains a valid missed-approach route. If the expected modes are absent, fly a safe pitch and track manually before troubleshooting.
6. Confirm positive climb, then select gear up. Use vertical speed, altimeter trend and the outside picture. A raised nose alone does not prove that the aeroplane is climbing.
7. Confirm the cleared altitude and route. Check the FCU altitude against the missed-approach procedure or ATC clearance. Monitor NAV capture instead of assuming the programmed route will be followed.
8. Move the thrust levers to CL at thrust-reduction altitude. When LVR CLB appears, move both levers from TOGA to the CL detent. This permits normal autothrust control.
9. Accelerate and clean up. At the briefed acceleration altitude, allow acceleration and retract the flaps in sequence using the PFD flap-retraction speed cues. Continue towards clean configuration and green-dot speed unless a restriction requires otherwise.

Thrust-reduction and acceleration altitudes are not necessarily the same. Terrain or obstacle requirements may delay acceleration, so never clean up merely because the aircraft has passed an assumed height.

What is a soft go-around in an A320?

A “soft go-around” is often used informally by simulator pilots to describe reducing thrust earlier than during a normal maximum-thrust go-around, but it must not be improvised by skipping TOGA or selecting partial thrust near the ground.

Some Airbus standards and operator procedures may provide a specifically documented Soft Go-Around function. That approved function is different from arbitrarily using FLEX/MCT, leaving the levers short of TOGA or retarding them as soon as the aircraft pitches up.

The safe simulator baseline remains: select TOGA to obtain the correct mode transition, confirm SRS and lateral guidance, manage the flaps and gear in the normal sequence, then reduce thrust only when the aircraft guidance and applicable procedure permit it. Do not clean up early to reduce noise or acceleration; doing so can remove climb performance and increase workload at the worst point in the manoeuvre.

What should the A320 FMA show after TOGA?

The FMA should show, in time order, that TOGA was recognised, go-around pitch guidance is active, a safe initial lateral mode is controlling the aircraft and later modes are either armed or engaged.

1. Immediately after TOGA: look for MAN TOGA. It confirms that the thrust levers are commanding TOGA thrust manually. A blue A/THR indication means autothrust is armed, not that it is controlling speed or reducing thrust for you.
2. Check the vertical mode: SRS should be active. Follow its flight-director command while monitoring speed. A blue vertical mode such as CLB or ALT is only armed and is waiting for its engagement conditions.
3. Check the lateral mode: GA TRK normally becomes active and holds the track present when the go-around was initiated. NAV may appear in blue as an armed mode before becoming the active, normally green, lateral mode. Blue NAV is not yet turning the aircraft.
4. After positive climb: selecting gear up does not guarantee any lateral or vertical mode change. Continue checking SRS, GA TRK or NAV and the cleared altitude.
5. At thrust reduction: LVR CLB prompts the lever movement to CL. Once the levers are in CL, autothrust becomes active and the thrust indication changes according to the active climb or speed mode.
6. At acceleration altitude: SRS gives way to the appropriate climb or altitude mode. Retract the flaps only as the speed reaches the applicable retraction cues.

GA TRK is not the published missed approach. It holds the initial track but does not create charted turns, constraints or a holding pattern. The FMA is the authority on what the automation is actually doing, not what a button press was intended to do. Our explanation of A320 PFD and FMA indications covers the active, armed and speed displays in more detail.

What do MAN TOGA, SRS, RWY and blue A/THR mean?

MAN TOGA, SRS, RWY and blue A/THR normally describe a take-off or ground-classified initial-climb sequence rather than the usual airborne go-around sequence.

• MAN TOGA: the thrust levers are in TOGA and thrust is being commanded manually.
• SRS: the flight director is providing take-off or go-around pitch guidance.
• RWY: runway lateral guidance is active. It is not NAV and does not represent the complete missed-approach route.
• Blue A/THR: autothrust is armed but is not yet controlling thrust as it will after the levers are moved to CL.

A Fenix A320 or another detailed add-on may show RWY after a planned touch-and-go because its ground logic has classified the new acceleration as a take-off. A conventional airborne go-around normally shows GA TRK. In either case, verify where the active lateral mode will take you and select heading or track if runway guidance is not appropriate.

When should you go around instead of landing?

Go around whenever the approach or landing is no longer stable, safe or permitted.

• Unstable approach: the aircraft is outside the required path, speed or configuration, or needs large corrections near the ground. A useful simulator baseline is stability by 1,000 ft above aerodrome level in instrument conditions and 500 ft in visual conditions, though operator criteria differ.
• Insufficient visual reference: the applicable decision point is reached without enough runway or approach-light reference to continue.
• Runway unavailable: traffic, an obstruction, loss of landing clearance or doubt about runway status makes landing unsafe.
• Poor flare or touchdown: the aircraft bounces hard, floats excessively, becomes badly misaligned or starts to lose directional control.
• ATC instruction: comply promptly while maintaining control and monitoring the mode changes.
• Aircraft or environmental warning: windshear, terrain warnings or a serious system problem may require a dedicated escape manoeuvre rather than a routine go-around.

Our rejected-landing decision guide explains the point at which continuing becomes less safe than going around.

Is a windshear or terrain escape the same as a normal go-around?

A reactive windshear or terrain escape is not a normal go-around and must use the aircraft’s dedicated escape guidance.

TOGA may be required, but the existing flap and gear configuration is normally retained until the warning or hazard has cleared. Routine retraction can reduce performance at precisely the wrong moment. An engine failure also requires the applicable engine-out routing and acceleration strategy rather than an unmodified all-engines go-around sequence.

Is a go-around the same as a missed approach?

A go-around is the aircraft-handling manoeuvre used to stop the landing, while a missed approach is the route and altitude procedure flown afterwards.

Brief the initial track, first altitude, turn direction, speed restrictions and any holding fix before commencing the approach. Use NAV only when the programmed route is continuous and valid; otherwise fly the charted or assigned direction with selected heading or track. An ATC clearance takes precedence over the charted routing where applicable.

A mistake we see constantly is concentrating on flap retraction while GA TRK carries the aircraft straight past the required turn. Our guide to flying and monitoring a published missed approach in a simulator covers the wider route-planning and automation decisions.

What is the A320 touch-and-go procedure in a simulator?

A planned A320 touch-and-go is a briefed training manoeuvre: land normally, keep reverse thrust stowed, select TOGA after a controlled touchdown, choose the required go-around flap setting, confirm the new FMA modes and lift off before completing the normal go-around sequence.

Real-world operator SOPs may prohibit touch-and-go operations or require different flap, trim, crew-action and performance procedures. The following sequence is intended for simulator practice, not as a substitute for an approved training procedure.

1. Brief the manoeuvre. Set the intended altitude, initial heading or track and expected lateral mode. Confirm adequate runway, the no-reverse plan, the flap change and who will manipulate the controls.
2. Land in a stable attitude. Touch down on the main gear and maintain directional control. Do not retract flap during the flare or move the gear lever on the runway.
3. Keep reverse thrust stowed. Ground spoilers may deploy at touchdown; they should retract when TOGA is selected. Check the indication rather than assuming this has occurred.
4. Select TOGA and go-around flap. After the controlled touchdown, move the levers to TOGA and retract one flap setting: normally FULL to 3 or 3 to 2 unless the documented aircraft procedure specifies otherwise.
5. Check the FMA. Confirm MAN TOGA and SRS. The lateral indication may be GA TRK or, if the add-on has entered take-off logic, RWY/RWY TRK. Select heading or track if that guidance will not follow the required path.
6. Rotate smoothly. Use the briefed cue or speed and follow SRS. Do not snatch the aircraft airborne merely because TOGA has been selected, and do not use an unverified take-off V-speed.
7. Positive climb, gear up. Leave the landing gear down until the aeroplane is genuinely airborne and climbing.
8. Reduce thrust and clean up. At the applicable altitudes, move the levers to CL, accelerate and retract the remaining flap on the normal speed schedule.

How is a bounced-landing go-around different?

A bounced-landing go-around is an unplanned recovery, not a touch-and-go. Select TOGA promptly, avoid pushing the nose down to force another touchdown, follow SRS, retract one flap setting and select gear up only after positive climb.

If the aeroplane touches down again while thrust is increasing, maintain a controlled pitch attitude and runway alignment. Simulator models vary in how well they reproduce spoiler retraction and mode transitions after a bounce, so be ready to fly pitch and track manually.

Can you reject the landing after selecting reverse thrust?

Once reverse thrust has been selected, the normal Airbus principle is to complete the landing and stop rather than attempt another take-off.

Do not move the levers from reverse through idle to TOGA and treat the result as a normal touch-and-go. In the simulator, stop, clear the runway and reposition for another circuit. A model may physically permit a go-around after reverse, but that does not make it a valid procedure.

Fenix A320: should you select heading or track first?

In the Fenix A320, set the assigned heading or track value on the FCU first, then pull the HDG/TRK selector to engage selected lateral guidance.

Turning the selector establishes the target. Pulling it changes from managed NAV or GA TRK to the selected mode. Setting the value before pulling prevents an immediate turn towards an old or unintended target.

• HDG: commands the aircraft’s magnetic heading. Wind can make the resulting ground track differ from the selected value. Use this for an ATC heading unless instructed otherwise.
• TRK: commands the aircraft’s path across the ground. Use it when the clearance or procedure specifically requires a track, or when you deliberately select TRK/FPA presentation.

Use selected HDG/TRK instead of waiting for NAV when ATC issues a vector, the FMGS route contains a discontinuity, NAV is not armed, the missed-approach leg is invalid or an immediate charted turn is required. If NAV is blue and the correct route is active, you may monitor its capture, but do not let GA TRK carry the aircraft past a required turn while waiting.

Why does an A320 go-around fail in the simulator?

Most simulator failures can be diagnosed by matching the symptom to the FMA, taking the appropriate FCU action and retaining a manual fallback until the automation is trustworthy.

The priority is always aircraft control, safe flight path and correct configuration. Do not troubleshoot the MCDU, controller profile or add-on settings while low and slow; stabilise the climb first, then diagnose why the expected FMA sequence failed.