Find Fenix A320 landing weight and correct approach speed (VAPP), plus A320 max landing weight and common MCDU errors in MSFS.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator, find the Fenix A320’s predicted landing weight by adding zero-fuel weight to the MCDU’s destination EFOB: landing weight = ZFW + fuel expected at touchdown. On PERF APPR, confirm the landing configuration and airport wind, then use the computed VAPP, normally with managed speed.
How do I find landing weight in the Fenix A320?
Use the aeroplane’s predicted fuel at destination to calculate its expected gross weight at landing.
Landing weight is not take-off weight, present gross weight or maximum landing weight. It is the weight the aircraft is expected to have when it reaches the destination runway.
- Finish loading the aircraft
Confirm that the Fenix EFB and MCDU contain the correct payload, fuel, ZFW and ZFWCG. The zero-fuel weight should remain constant unless the payload changes.
- Read the destination EFOB
Find the estimated fuel on board at the destination on the MCDU FUEL PRED page. Use the prediction only after the route, destination and fuel data are valid; a blank, negative or clearly implausible EFOB means the calculation is not ready.
- Add ZFW and destination EFOB
Predicted landing weight = ZFW + destination EFOBFor example, a ZFW of 55.2 tonnes and destination EFOB of 5.2 tonnes produce a predicted landing weight of 60.4 tonnes.
- Cross-check from present gross weight
The equivalent calculation is
current gross weight - fuel still to burn before landing. If the aircraft weighs 62.0 tonnes now and will burn another 1.6 tonnes, its predicted landing weight is 60.4 tonnes.
Do not subtract reserve fuel if it is still expected to be on board at touchdown. Landing weight includes all remaining fuel, regardless of whether the flight plan labels it reserve, alternate or contingency fuel.
Watch the units as well: 60.4 tonnes and 60,400 kilograms are the same weight. Mixing tonnes, kilograms and pounds can make a perfectly valid prediction look impossible.
Do I need to enter landing weight in the MCDU?
No. In a normally configured Fenix A320, the FMGS derives predicted landing weight from the entered ZFW and fuel prediction; the PERF APPR page does not require a separate landing-weight entry.
You may need the number for the Fenix EFB landing-performance calculation and for comparison with maximum landing weight. If the MCDU cannot produce sensible predictions, correct the aircraft initialisation, fuel and route rather than forcing a plausible-looking speed. Our guide to setting up the A320 INIT, F-PLN and PERF pages covers that wider MCDU workflow.
How do I find the Fenix A320 approach speed?
The correct normal approach speed is the computed VAPP on the destination PERF APPR page.
- Open PERF APPR
Select the approach-performance page for the destination. Complete the QNH, temperature, approach wind and minima using the landing information for that airport.
- Enter the surface wind
Use the reported or expected airport wind in direction/speed format, not the cruise wind. An old wind entry can produce the wrong approach correction and affect managed-speed behaviour.
- Choose the landing configuration
Confirm FULL or select CONF 3 if that is the planned configuration. CONF 3 generally produces a higher VLS and VAPP than FULL and can increase the required landing distance. For a CONF 3 landing, use the GPWS LDG FLAP 3 selection as required by the normal Airbus flow.
- Read the computed VAPP
Use the displayed VAPP rather than adding a few knots from memory. If someone has manually overwritten VAPP, it may no longer update as expected when the weight, wind or configuration changes.
- Use managed speed on final
In normal operation, allow the FMGS and autothrust to command the managed approach target. If selected speed was used for vectors or sequencing, make sure it has not left the aircraft flying an obsolete manually selected value.
The EFB landing calculation and the MCDU VAPP answer different questions. The MCDU provides the approach-speed target; the EFB checks whether the runway, weather, braking assumptions and aircraft weight provide acceptable landing performance.
For the surrounding descent and configuration checks, see our full A320 descent and stabilised-approach sequence.
Should I fly VLS or VAPP?
Fly VAPP as the normal final-approach target; VLS is the lower selectable-speed reference used to calculate it.
| Indication | Meaning | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| VLS | Lowest selectable speed for the calculated weight and configuration | Do not treat it as the normal speed to chase down final. It is not the stall speed. |
| VAPP | VLS plus the applicable approach correction | Use it as the baseline approach target unless an abnormal or specific operating procedure requires otherwise. |
| Managed target | The speed commanded on the PFD at that moment | It can sit above VAPP because of Airbus Ground Speed Mini logic. |
The common error is adding wind twice. When the airport wind has been entered and the MCDU has calculated VAPP, the displayed value already contains the normal approach correction. Do not add another arbitrary five or ten knots unless a specific procedure tells you to do so.
Why is managed speed higher than VAPP?
A managed-speed target above VAPP is often normal because Ground Speed Mini compensates for changing headwind on final.
VAPP remains the baseline. The target shown on the PFD may rise above it when the system detects that extra airspeed is needed to protect the intended groundspeed, then return towards VAPP as conditions change. A stale approach-wind entry can make this behaviour look wrong.
If the FCU is in selected speed, the aircraft instead follows the selected value and does not provide the same managed target behaviour. Our guide to the A320 FCU and PFD indications explains how to distinguish selected and managed speed.
What is the max landing weight of an A320?
The figure most Fenix A320-200 pilots need is a structural maximum landing weight of 66,000 kg, or 66.0 tonnes.
Check the limit displayed for the exact aircraft configuration in the Fenix EFB, because certified A320 weight variants can differ and the same figure must not be copied to an A319, A321 or every other A320-family model.
Structural maximum landing weight is only one limit. The EFB may calculate a lower performance-limited weight because of runway length, slope, elevation, wind, temperature, runway condition, landing configuration or braking assumptions.
- Below both limits: use the computed VAPP and proceed with normal landing planning.
- Below structural MLW but above the runway limit: change the runway or landing assumptions, reduce weight, or replan the approach. Being structurally legal does not guarantee adequate stopping performance.
- Above structural MLW: burn fuel or replan for normal simulation operations. The A320 has no fuel-jettison system.
- Close to MLW: update the prediction late in the descent rather than relying on the original flight-plan estimate.
An approach speed can still be displayed when the aircraft is overweight. That speed calculation does not authorise a normal landing above the structural or runway-performance limit.
Why does the Fenix A320 approach speed look wrong?
Most implausible approach speeds come from incorrect weight data, the wrong flap configuration, stale wind or confusion between VAPP and the live managed-speed target.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Check or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Landing weight is much too high | Take-off weight or present gross weight was used | Use ZFW plus destination EFOB, or subtract the remaining fuel burn from present gross weight. |
| Destination weight or EFOB is missing | Incomplete ZFW, fuel, destination or route data | Correct the MCDU initialisation and resolve route problems before trusting the prediction. |
| VAPP is unexpectedly high | CONF 3 selected, excessive predicted weight, manual VAPP entry or a second wind additive | Confirm weight, LDG CONF, approach wind and whether VAPP has been overwritten. |
| PFD target is above MCDU VAPP | Ground Speed Mini is adjusting managed speed | This can be normal; verify the airport wind entry and confirm that managed speed is active. |
| Aircraft floats down the runway | Excess selected speed, double-counted wind or an unstabilised tailwind approach | Check the actual threshold-crossing speed and do not manually add knots to an already computed VAPP. |
| EFB rejects the landing below 66 tonnes | The runway-performance limit is lower than structural MLW | Review runway condition, wind, configuration, braking assumptions and landing distance. |
The reliable cross-check is always the same: calculate the predicted touchdown weight, confirm that it is within both structural and runway limits, select the actual landing configuration, and fly the resulting VAPP without adding the wind correction twice.