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

In Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX) and FSX: Steam Edition, load the runway procedure through the GPS PROC page, activate it at the appropriate fix, select GPS as the navigation source, and engage autopilot NAV. The stock system follows lateral guidance only; you must control altitude, descent, speed, configuration and landing.

In this FSX context, “fly GPS” means following the simulated aircraft GPS course, not using a mobile location app. These instructions apply to default-style GPS 500 panels; glass cockpits and add-on aircraft may use different source selectors, flight-management systems and autopilot logic.

How do I load an approach into the FSX GPS?

Load the approach from the GPS PROC page after placing the destination airport at the end of the active flight plan.

1. Load the route. Confirm that the intended destination is the final waypoint. If the route or active leg is unclear, our guide to FSX GPS controls, flight-plan loading and active-leg checks explains the basic GPS workflow.
2. Open the GPS window. Many default aircraft assign it to Shift+3, although panel-window assignments vary. The cockpit panel icon or instrument-panel menu can also open it.
3. Select the procedure. Press PROC, choose Select Approach and press ENT. Select the GPS or RNAV runway procedure you intend to fly.
4. Choose the transition. Select a named initial approach fix when flying the complete procedure. Choose vectors only when ATC, or your own heading control, will position the aircraft to intercept final.
5. Load rather than activate too early. Select Load? and confirm with ENT. Loading adds the approach to the flight plan while leaving the en-route sequence active.

Activating the approach changes which part of the procedure the GPS considers active. If you activate it too soon, the unit may direct the aircraft towards the first approach fix and bypass the remaining en-route legs.

Which GPS approach transition should I choose?

Choose the named transition that matches your clearance or route; use vectors-to-final only when you are being positioned for the final approach course.

A mistake we see constantly is selecting vectors-to-final and then expecting the GPS to fly the initial fixes, procedure turn or course reversal. That selection normally bypasses them. Default FSX autopilots can also handle holds and reversals poorly, so be prepared to use heading mode or hand-fly those portions.

How do I make the autopilot fly the GPS course?

The autopilot will track an active GPS leg when GPS is selected as the navigation source and NAV mode captures the course.

1. Activate the approach at the right point. Near the selected transition, open PROC and choose Activate Approach. When receiving vectors towards final, use Activate Vectors-To-Final instead.
2. Verify the active leg. The magenta line should lead towards a fix ahead of the aircraft. Do not let the autopilot chase a transition fix that is behind you.
3. Stabilise the aircraft. Engage the autopilot in HDG and altitude-hold modes while established at a suitable speed, altitude and heading.
4. Select GPS as the source. Move the panel’s NAV/GPS selector to GPS. On a glass panel this may be a CDI-source control showing GPS, VOR1 or VOR2.
5. Intercept at a shallow angle. Use HDG to approach the magenta course while pointing generally along it. Select NAV when close enough for a sensible capture, then watch for the aircraft to turn onto the course.
6. Control the vertical profile separately. Set each required altitude and use altitude hold or vertical-speed mode to meet the published restrictions. Activating the approach does not command a descent.

Monitor every turn and waypoint change. The active leg displayed by the GPS matters more than the approach name shown in the flight plan.

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

Use NAV for predictable lateral tracking of a stock FSX GPS approach; pressing APR is not the same as activating an approach in the GPS.

In default aircraft, APR is principally intended for radio approach capture. Some panels may continue following GPS laterally in APR mode, but that does not create a GPS glidepath. For an ILS, use GPS to reach the intercept area, then follow the source-change and APR sequence for an FSX ILS.

Complex add-ons can implement their own FMS and autopilot modes, including aircraft-specific LNAV and VNAV behaviour. Their operating documentation takes precedence over the stock-panel procedure described here.

Will FSX autopilot descend on a GPS approach?

The stock FSX GPS does not provide an autopilot-coupled LPV glidepath or automatic VNAV descent.

Set the required altitude for each segment and use vertical-speed mode to descend between fixes. As a planning aid for an approximately three-degree path, multiply groundspeed in knots by five: 90 knots calls for roughly 450 feet per minute, while 120 knots calls for about 600. Published restrictions and minima always take priority over that estimate.

Level at the minimum descent altitude when the procedure requires it, and do not descend below the applicable minima without the required visual reference. Disconnect early enough to stabilise for manual landing; a stock GPS approach supplies no automatic flare, power control or rollout. Our explanation of what the stock FSX autopilot can and cannot do on final covers those limitations.

Why does the FSX autopilot ignore or miss the GPS approach?

Most failed captures are caused by the wrong navigation source, an inactive leg, premature vectors-to-final activation or an unsuitable interception angle.

• NAV/GPS is still set to NAV: the autopilot is listening to a radio-navigation receiver rather than the GPS. Change the source to GPS.
• The procedure is loaded but not active: activate the approach from the PROC menu when correctly positioned.
• The active waypoint is behind the aircraft: return to heading mode and activate an appropriate leg or authorised fix ahead. Do not command direct-to the final approach fix from an unsuitable position.
• Vectors-to-final removed expected fixes: reload or activate the correct named transition if you need the complete procedure.
• The interception angle is too large: use heading mode to establish a shallower intercept before selecting NAV.
• Waypoint sequencing is suspended: if OBS or SUSP appears unexpectedly, restore normal sequencing when the procedure requires it.
• The procedure or runway is missing: stock FSX navigation data reflects the simulator’s era. Renamed runways, newer fixes and later RNAV procedures may not exist, so verify that the chart, runway designation and GPS waypoint sequence agree.
• The aircraft uses custom avionics: an add-on FMS may ignore the default GPS window, NAV/GPS switch or stock autopilot logic.

If the aircraft will not follow any magenta GPS leg, use our GPS-source and NAV-mode troubleshooting checklist before investigating the approach itself.

Does PMDG Operations Center 3 affect the FSX GPS?

No. PMDG Operations Center 3 is not a cockpit navigation mode and does not configure the stock FSX GPS or make its autopilot capture an approach. A PMDG aircraft that models its own FMC and autoflight system must be programmed and flown through that aircraft’s controls rather than this default GPS procedure.

What happens at the missed-approach point?

At the missed-approach point, land only when the required visual reference is available; otherwise apply power, establish the climb and follow the published missed approach.

The GPS may contain missed-approach legs, but the autopilot will not manage power, flap or gear configuration, pitch for the initial climb, or guarantee correct obstacle clearance. If the GPS displays SUSP at the missed-approach point, begin the missed approach first and then cancel the suspension so sequencing can continue.

Confirm that the new active leg points ahead before selecting NAV. Use heading mode or hand-fly if the first missed-approach turn, hold or course reversal is not being tracked correctly.