How do I fly an ILS approach in FSX?
To fly an ILS approach in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, tune the runway’s ILS frequency in active NAV1, set the published front course, select NAV/VLOC rather than GPS, intercept the localiser from below the glideslope, then hand-fly the needles or arm APP/APR for automatic capture.
Confirm that the runway has a full ILS
The selected runway end must have a full ILS if you expect both localiser and glideslope guidance. Some FSX runways have a localiser without vertical guidance, while others have no radio approach at all.
Check the exact runway end, ILS frequency, front course, intercept altitude and published minimums. The opposite end may use another frequency or have no ILS. Do not approach the localiser from behind unless you are deliberately flying a published back-course procedure; a back course normally provides no glideslope and may produce reverse or misleading indications.
The stock FSX airport and navigation data reflect the simulator’s era. A newer real-world chart may therefore disagree with the frequency or runway data encoded in FSX. Add-on scenery can change it again, while an updated GPS or FMC database may show a procedure that does not match the active airport scenery. For radio reception, use the frequency encoded in the scenery you are actually running.
Loading an ILS procedure into the GPS does not, by itself, tune the radio or select the localiser. Unless the aircraft automates those jobs, NAV1 and the NAV/GPS source switch still need to be set manually.
FSX ILS setup checklist
A reliable ILS capture depends on the following settings being correct before the needles start moving.
| Check | Correct setup | What happens if it is wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Runway | Exact runway end with a full ILS | You may receive the wrong localiser, reverse indications or no glideslope. |
| NAV receiver | ILS frequency in active NAV1 | Most FSX panels will not approach-capture a frequency left in standby or entered only in NAV2. |
| Course selector | Published ILS front course on the OBS or HSI | The course pointer and autopilot logic may not be aligned with the approach. |
| Navigation source | NAV or VLOC, not GPS | The CDI and autopilot continue following the GPS flight plan. |
| Intercept geometry | Shallow localiser intercept while level below the glideslope | A steep or high intercept commonly causes an overshoot or failed vertical capture. |
| Aircraft state | Speed, flaps, gear, power and trim stabilised early | Late configuration changes make the aircraft hunt around both beams. |
How to fly an ILS approach in FSX step by step
Set up the route, radios and aircraft before joining final. If you are using FSX ATC, our guide to setting up an IFR route and approach with the built-in Flight Planner explains how to obtain approach vectors without improvising the entire arrival.
Record the approach data.
Note the ILS frequency, published front course, intercept altitude and minimums for the correct runway end. FSX ATC may clear you for the approach, but it does not guarantee that your radios, course selector or navigation source are correctly configured.
Tune and identify NAV1.
Enter the ILS frequency in NAV1 and transfer it from standby to active. If the panel supports navaid audio identification, listen for the expected identifier; this catches many wrong-frequency and wrong-runway errors before final.
Set the course and select NAV/VLOC.
Dial the published front course on the OBS or HSI, then move the CDI source from GPS to NAV or VLOC. On many default panels this is a separate NAV/GPS switch; Garmin-style equipment may use a CDI source control.
Changing the course selector does not physically move the localiser beam as it would change VOR indications, but it aligns the HSI presentation and is expected by some gauges and autopilot systems.
Join the localiser from below the glideslope.
Intercept at the published altitude using roughly a 20–30-degree angle, with a smaller angle in a fast aircraft or close to the runway. The glideslope pointer should initially be above centre and moving down towards you. If it is already below centre, you are above the path; do not force a steep dive to recover it.
Stabilise the aircraft before capture.
Reduce to the correct approach speed for the aircraft and plan the landing gear and flap extension early enough to avoid large pitch and power changes during capture. Trim the aeroplane so it can hold the intercept altitude without continuous control pressure.
Capture and track the localiser.
When hand-flying, turn towards the moving localiser needle and reduce the correction as it approaches the centre. With the autopilot, use heading mode for the intercept and arm APP or APR once the correct source is selected and the capture geometry is sensible.
Do not descend merely because the localiser has centred. Remain at the cleared or published intercept altitude until the glideslope is captured.
Begin the glideslope descent.
As the glideslope pointer reaches the centre, make a small coordinated pitch and power change to start down while maintaining approach speed. For a typical three-degree path, an initial descent rate in feet per minute is approximately groundspeed multiplied by five: 120 knots groundspeed is about 600 feet per minute.
If the autopilot is flying, verify that the glideslope mode changes from armed to captured and that the aircraft actually begins descending. A lit APP button alone does not prove that either beam has been captured.
Continue to minimums or go around.
Keep both needles close to centre using progressively smaller corrections as the localiser becomes more sensitive near the runway. At the published decision point, continue only if the required runway environment is visible and the approach is stable. Otherwise, disconnect the approach, add power and go around.
For repeated intercept and tracking practice without rebuilding the scenario each time, the library includes a repeatable FSX 737 ILS approach training mission.
Can the FSX autopilot fly an ILS approach?
Yes, many default and add-on FSX aircraft can capture and track an ILS, but the radio, source, altitude and intercept must already be correct.
- HDG holds the assigned intercept heading before localiser capture.
- NAV tracks the selected lateral navigation source, but in many FSX aircraft it does not capture the glideslope.
- APP/APR arms localiser and glideslope capture for a full ILS.
- ALT normally holds the intercept altitude until glideslope capture; monitor the annunciation to confirm that vertical approach mode has taken over.
APP/APR arming and capture
Arm APP or APR after selecting NAV/VLOC, while established on a shallow intercept and still below the glideslope. Localiser capture should occur first, followed by glideslope capture as the vertical pointer moves down to centre.
Arming approach mode while high, fast, on the back side of the localiser or still in GPS mode will not repair the setup. Aircraft with custom autopilots may instead use separate LOC and G/S modes, so their own panel logic takes precedence over the default FSX method.
Will the FSX autopilot perform an autoland?
Default FSX approach mode should not be treated as a complete autoland system. It can track the beams down final, but it does not guarantee a correctly modelled flare, touchdown or rollout.
Some advanced add-on aircraft model autoland when the aircraft, airport and autopilot channels meet their requirements. In other aircraft, disconnect once visual and stable, then complete the landing manually. There is no universal disconnect height that applies to every FSX panel.
How do I keep the ILS needles centred manually?
Hand-flying an FSX ILS requires a trimmed aircraft, small corrections and attention to the direction in which each needle is moving.
- Localiser needle left: the localiser course is to your left, so turn left to intercept it.
- Localiser needle right: the course is to your right, so turn right.
- Glideslope pointer above centre: you are below the glidepath, so reduce the descent rate while controlling speed.
- Glideslope pointer below centre: you are above the glidepath, so increase the descent rate modestly only if the approach remains stable.
Turn towards a displaced localiser needle, but reduce the bank before it reaches the centre or you will cross the beam. In a crosswind, the correct tracking attitude may leave the nose pointing slightly away from the runway heading. Make smaller corrections as the runway gets closer; a turn that works ten miles out can cause a large overshoot inside three miles.
Why is the FSX localiser or glideslope not capturing?
Most FSX ILS capture failures come from an incorrect navigation source, the wrong receiver or runway, or an intercept made above the glideslope.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| No ILS needles appear | Confirm the exact frequency is active in NAV1, the runway has an ILS and the aircraft is close enough to receive it. |
| The CDI follows the GPS route | Change the source from GPS to NAV or VLOC. Loading the approach into the GPS is not enough. |
| Localiser captures but glideslope does not | Check that it is a full ILS, arm APP rather than NAV, approach from the front and remain below the glideslope before capture. |
| The glideslope pointer is already below centre | The aircraft is above the path. Reposition or go around rather than diving to chase it. |
| The aircraft flies through the localiser | Reduce speed and intercept angle, stabilise earlier and avoid arming APP during a sharp turn. |
| Indications appear reversed or misleading | You may be approaching the wrong runway end or receiving the back side of the localiser. |
| The autopilot oscillates around the beams | Stabilise speed and trim, finish major configuration changes, return the simulation rate to normal and avoid fighting an engaged autopilot with manual inputs. |
| The GPS procedure and radio signal disagree | The aircraft navdata and active FSX scenery probably use different data. Use the runway and frequency encoded in the installed scenery. |
If lateral capture works but the aircraft still refuses to descend, follow our ordered FSX glideslope troubleshooting checklist to isolate the radio, source, altitude and autopilot settings.