How do I fly a GPS approach with autopilot in FSX?

In FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, load the runway procedure through the GPS PROC page, choose the correct transition, activate it near the approach, select GPS as the navigation source, and engage autopilot NAV mode. The stock GPS supplies lateral guidance only, so manage descent, speed and landing yourself.

How do I load an approach into the FSX GPS?

Load the procedure from the GPS's PROC page after the destination airport has been placed in the active flight plan.

1. Load your route. Make the intended airport the final waypoint. If necessary, build and load the route with FSX's Flight Planner; the default GPS should then receive it automatically.
2. Open the GPS. Many default aircraft use Shift+3, although panel-window assignments vary. You can also use the cockpit GPS icon or the simulator's instrument-panel menu.
3. Select the procedure. Press PROC, choose Select Approach, and press ENT. Select the required GPS or RNAV runway approach from the list.
4. Choose a transition. Select the named initial approach fix when flying the complete procedure, or choose vectors when ATC will position you for final.
5. Load rather than activate it immediately. Select Load? and confirm with ENT. Loading appends the approach to the flight plan; activating it can make the GPS abandon the remaining en-route legs and direct you towards the approach sequence.

Which GPS approach transition should I choose?

Choose a named fix for a complete approach and vectors-to-final only when you are being positioned to intercept the final approach course.

A mistake we see constantly is selecting vectors-to-final while still expecting the GPS to fly the initial approach fixes or a procedure turn. That option normally bypasses them. The default autopilot may also struggle with holds and course reversals, so use heading mode or hand-fly those sections when necessary.

How do I make the autopilot track the GPS approach?

The FSX autopilot tracks an active GPS approach laterally when GPS is the selected navigation source and NAV mode is engaged.

1. Activate at the correct time. Near the selected transition, open PROC and choose Activate Approach. If radar vectors are taking you towards final, use Activate Vectors-To-Final instead.
2. Check the active leg. The GPS should show the intended leg in magenta, pointing towards a fix ahead of the aircraft. Do not let the autopilot chase a transition fix that is now behind you.
3. Select GPS as the source. Move the cockpit's NAV/GPS selector to GPS. Glass cockpits and add-on aircraft may call this the CDI source and may use their own flight-management system instead.
4. Intercept in heading mode. Use HDG to approach the magenta course at a modest angle. Once close to the course and pointing generally along it, select NAV.
5. Manage the vertical path. Use selected altitude and vertical-speed modes to meet each published restriction. The autopilot will not descend merely because an approach has been activated.

Should I use NAV or APR mode for a GPS approach?

Use NAV mode for predictable lateral tracking of a stock FSX GPS approach. Activating an approach on the GPS is not the same action as pressing the autopilot's APR button.

APR is principally intended for radio approach capture in the default aircraft. Some panels may continue tracking GPS laterally in APR mode, but this does not create a GPS glidepath. Aircraft with an add-on FMS can behave differently, so its own operating manual takes precedence.

For an ILS, use GPS only to reach the intercept area, then tune the ILS, set the front course, change the source to NAV or VLOC, and arm APR. Our FSX ILS capture procedure covers that separate sequence.

Will FSX autopilot descend on a GPS approach?

The stock FSX GPS provides lateral approach guidance but no autopilot-coupled LPV glidepath or automatic VNAV descent.

Set each required altitude yourself and use vertical-speed mode to descend between fixes. For planning a roughly three-degree descent, multiplying groundspeed in knots by five gives an approximate descent rate in feet per minute: 90 knots is about 450 feet per minute, while 120 knots is about 600. Published step-down altitudes and minima still take priority.

Level at the minimum descent altitude when required and remain there until the missed-approach point unless the runway environment is visible. A stock GPS approach is not an automatic landing; the limits of FSX autopilot and autoland on final explain what must still be flown manually.

Why does the autopilot ignore or miss the approach?

Most failed GPS captures come from the wrong navigation source, an inactive leg or vectors-to-final being selected at the wrong time.

• NAV/GPS remains on NAV: the autopilot is listening to the radio receiver rather than the GPS. Change the source to GPS.
• The approach is loaded but not active: use the PROC menu to activate it when cleared and correctly positioned.
• The active waypoint is behind the aircraft: return to heading mode and activate the appropriate leg or an authorised fix ahead. Do not select direct-to the final approach fix from an unsuitable position.
• The intercept angle is excessive: use heading mode to establish a shallower intercept before selecting NAV.
• Waypoint sequencing is suspended: if OBS or SUSP is displayed unexpectedly, restore normal sequencing when the procedure calls for it.
• The expected procedure is missing: stock FSX navigation data dates from the simulator's era, so renamed runways, new fixes and newer RNAV procedures may not be present. Use an approach plate that matches the installed data.
• An add-on aircraft uses its own avionics: its FMS, CDI source and autopilot logic may not respond to the default GPS controls.

If the aircraft will not follow any loaded GPS leg, work through our GPS-source and NAV-mode fault checklist before troubleshooting the approach itself.

What happens at the missed-approach point?

At the missed-approach point, land only with the required visual reference; otherwise apply power, establish the climb and fly the published missed approach.

The GPS may display missed-approach legs, but the autopilot will not manage power, configuration or the initial climb. If the GPS shows SUSP at the missed-approach point, begin the missed approach first and then cancel the suspension so waypoint sequencing can continue. Verify every active leg rather than assuming the autopilot will execute the complete missed approach automatically.