ILS with Aspen

blueskyMD

blueskyMD

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
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Allentown PA
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Bigfoot297
Question for all the guys with Aspen. Last week I went to practice ILS at harrisburg ( KMDT). I set up the ILS as usual approach loaded and avtivated from G530. As I intercept the final approach course the localiser on Aspen goes from one direction to other without a capture. I break off the approach ask for another try. This time controller presumably trying to help me gives me very nice vectors with just 30 d intercept and ample diatance away from FAF to comfortably establish. As I make turn to capture LOC the needle stated to do the same thing again. At the same time I looked at the course heading on the Aspen and realized that it is not matching the course for the approach. Made correction and finished the approach.
I have flown plenty of ILS in this plane , some actual and mostly practice and I set up the approach the same way. The auto course feature in the Aspen always set up the course by itself as soon as I tune in LOC fr. and I do not understand why it failed this time to set up the course heading. Is there any way to set up 530 or Aspen that will fix this problem
 
Eh? What is capturing? Do you have an autopilot in the mix? Which one?
 
For an ILS I almost always set it up manually and also set up nav 2 with a CDI as backup. I learned on steam gauges without a gps and have never really fully used the gps on an ILS.

I will give setting up as you do a try some time and see if it'll set the course automagically.

Were you using gpss?

Reviewing the 430 manual are you sure the localizer frequency was loaded? Also the 530 might not auto switch if you are too close to the FAF. Dunno if that would cause a problem with automatically setting the course. I'm probably not much help...
 
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Sounds to me like you received a reflected GS, not the primary.

I've seen some "interesting" GS behaviors on KLVK's ILS, as the interception point is in a pass, and it reflects.
 
MAKG1 said:
Sounds to me like you received a reflected GS, not the primary.

I've seen some "interesting" GS behaviors on KLVK's ILS, as the interception point is in a pass, and it reflects.
Click to expand...

Dude... he was quite clear he was taking about the Localizer...
 
I have Century III with GPSS steering and glide slope hold. It pretty much flies the approach hands free to the numbers.
Anyway I went yesterday again . Flew the same approach and found out that autocourse feature will work only if nav 1 (active ) is tuned in on the downwind vectors. If I delay switching the frequency after turning base the autocourse will not work. Thank you for the input
 
Good to hear that you figured it out. The Aspen manual description just says it will auto slew when the inbound turn is made. I almost always set it manually by using VLOC rather than GPS and then either fly it by hand or in HDG then switch to LOC mode on the autopilot once the needle is alive. Your method sounds simpler/quicker to setup which would be handy for those times when ya have to set it up right now rather than having it planned for awhile. Those times when "expect the visual" just doesn't work out... (I did learn my lesson and do set up for an approach if there is a cloud in the sky).
 
Yep it worked all the time until that flight .
Now I will take a glance at course heading at least one during the approach.
 
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