Demystifying A310 RNAV Approaches | MSFS Tutorial

[@gregorybentley5707]

Pull the altitude knob after setting the minimum altitude in the MCP. This will "arm the descent" shown as P.descent in blue on the PFD. This will allow you to fly the initial fix in profile mode and the aircraft will descend as normal. The reason you're not able to be in profile mode when first overflying the waypoint is that you failed to arm the descent, being in another mode and then activating profile mode after overflying the waypoint is basically just arming the descent and initiating it once you hit profile after the waypoint. You absolutely can and should be in profile mode before the initial approach fix, just make sure you have your final altitude in the autopilot altitude window and pull the knob to arm the descent.

[@FlightSimSchool]

Hi Gregory, thanks for the tip. I did try it like that a few times, but it didn’t work every time for some reason, so I went with this approach because it’s closest to what’s recommended by ini in their official videos.

[@jamesgardner3720]

Dude, that works! I have been trying to do this for the last two weeks and it refused to arm P. Des. Pulling that altitude knob does the trick! Don't need to do any other voodoo magic. Thanks Gregory

[@martinfendt1305]

Gregory, by "minimum altitude" do you mean the MDA, or the Platform Altitude?

[@Plupx]

probably the Final Approach Fix altitude @@martinfendt1305

[@matthewnisbett4058]

so you don't set a go around altitude after pressing the land button?

[@libmananchannel]

Hello "Flight Sim School"! Thank you for showing us such a wonderful video! I feel so happy! I'm looking forward to your next work! Have a nice day!

[@CloudBlastArena]

You should do a tutorial on VNKT airport. I have crashed 50 times. That is my hometown airport. And one of the most challenging one.

[@ramis4594]

Very well explained thank you

[@martinfendt1305]

Ok, after two days, I've found this works reliably, in this order: 1. Flying in FCU NAV mode, aim to arrive at your Platform Altitude *before* you get to the Initial Approach Fix (IAF) waypoint; 2. When you are flying level at the platform altitude, press ALT HLD (if you are not already in that mode) Note: This should cancel any previous "Profile" mode you may have been in; 3. Configure the plane for landing (gear down; full flaps etc.); 4. When you are close to the IAF waypoint (with the V/DEV scale showing), activate the FINAL 3.0 mode on the MCDU APPR page; 5. When you have just flown past the IAF waypoint, on the FCU press PROFILE button (P.DES is now armed for the RNAV final approach); 6. As the magenta chevron on the vertical scale reaches the middle notch (ie zero deviation) the P.SPD and P.DES should automatically show in green on the PFD. (This indicates that you are now on the RNAV descent path and altitude should be decreasing!) 7. When you arrive at the MDA altitude, you must disengage the autopilot and take down to threshold and manually flare; retard the throttles etc.

[@petrolekh]

This is a lifesaver. Otherwise I'd have to read the 150+ pages of the Airbus AFS manual.

[@martinfendt1305]

Nice clear explanations! Just one thing: I wanted to see what happens once you reached the final approach fix at CHHAZ. However, before you got there (and you were then still heading towards the penultimate waypoint SARCO), the video jumped to a point past CHHAZ, and v close to the runway. Q: What happened in the intervening crucial period when you were passing CHHAZ?

[@FlightSimSchool]

Sorry I couldn't get back to you earlier; I had to dig up the raw video on a backup drive. I'm glad you seemed to have figure it out, thanks for sharing the detailed step by step, much appreciated. I've found the RNAV approaches with this bird to be fairly tricky and I had a real hard time achieving a consistent result.

[@rexelgaming3632]

thanks!!! I always fly my dad’s plane.

[@CloudBlastArena]

You should do a tutorial to land on kathmandu airport VNKT runway 02 rnav. Thats one of the most challenging airport

[@FlightSimSchool]

That does look like a lot of fun. I’m starting to create some shorts with tough approaches so I’ll add that one to the list. Thanks!

[@CloudBlastArena]

@@FlightSimSchool Thanks to you too. Waiting...

[@Will-t9w2q]

Hi. I'm attempting an RNAV into EGCC 23L, using a ChartFox plate. The IAF is C23LI @ 3500ft and the FAF is C23LF and is also 3500ft. So I set 3500ft on the A.P, switch to profile mode and vverything looks fine Vapp appears on cue at the bottom of the display and the aircraft switches to P-DEC mode until it reaches FAF and it then switches back to P-ALT and doesn't descend any further, it just remains at 3500ft? Any ideas? I'm on Xbox series S.

[@FlightSimSchool]

hmmmm, are you configured for landing at that point with the gear down and flaps at landing? the other thing you could try is set your AP altitude to the MDA instead, and see if that helps.

[@Will-t9w2q]

@@FlightSimSchool There is no consistency in the way it fails. The last attempt, the aircraft showed P.DES but the speed remained at 180knots, the v deviation diamond remained in the middle but the ROD was only around 200fpm and so the aircraft remained at around 3000ft and overshot the runway. Can you fly the approach yourself and see if works for you?

[@FlightSimSchool]

I'll try and have a go at it sometime this week. Have you tried another RNAV instead? Same behaviour?

[@Will-t9w2q]

@@FlightSimSchool Hi. I think it might be an issue with the configuration when starting the flight from the runway. I flew into Dublin and could'nt get it to work until I did the flight from cold and dark with full programing of the FMC then touch wood it worked as it should. I'll try a few more full flights from scratch and see how it goes.

[@jrbmwpower]

how do we inform the course of the final runway on the approach in this aircraft, so as not to arrive misaligned with the course of the final runway?

[@FlightSimSchool]

For an RNAV approach, you don't need to set the final approach course. For an ILS: you'd set the ILS frequency on the bottom pedestal between the two MCDUs where it says ILS and CRS, by twisting both knobs to their correct values.

[@jmrico1979]

hi.. thanks for the video..i followed all your steps.. and i think it worked (i got the appr. speed in blue)... but the plane wasn't lined up with the centerline, it was way to the left, about inline with that taxiway there.. i had to hand fly it back to the centerline.. did i mess something up?

[@FlightSimSchool]

Which approach was it?

[@jmrico1979]

@@FlightSimSchool rnav27z

[@FlightSimSchool]

That's weird, not sure why it would do that. Maybe it's a bug with the approach.

[@jmrico1979]

@@FlightSimSchool for the life of me, i can't figure this out.. i tried other aircraft and they track right on the centerline, but the a310 tracks one runway width to the left

[@FlightSimSchool]

@@jmrico1979 what if you try a different approach, does it also track off centerline?

[@barthvapour]

Why are you referring to the FMS as "the macdoo"? I have never heard that term used before .

[@FlightSimSchool]

In airbus there is no FMS, there is a MCDU. They do the same thing, just a different name.

[@hflx]

Plane simple does not decelerated getting to IAF, plane was too fast so I could not be ready by FAF. Any ideas? In the past I was suggested to manually control speed, luckly I could manually land after disabling AP.

[@FlightSimSchool]

If you’re descending in profile mode towards the IAF, it may have a hard time decelerating, you could try Level Change instead and set a target speed for it to follow. Don’t forget you have speed brakes to help out there too, especially when you’re high on profile in the V/DEV on the navigation display.

[@mauriciowkjhef]

Thanks a lot for your videos. I’m learning and you’ve been helping a lot. Now I came with a question, when trying to land at Santos Dumont (Rio de Janeiro - SBRJ) I was instructed by ATC to follow RNAV 20L E - I found the chart but it’s missing the last leg (in game too) and I found that this can be a Visual Guided Approaches Supplemented by RNAV. I couldn’t find any video about it. Can you explain it or make a video about it? Again, thanks a lot!!!

[@FlightSimSchool]

Hi Mauricio, an approach like this is a non-precision approach that becomes a visual approach when you get to the last waypoint, so it's normal that the last leg is missing. I've been collecting a list of fun approaches, and this one definitely fits that criteria, so it'll probably make it's way into a future video. I hope that helps!

[@mauriciowkjhef]

@@FlightSimSchool That would be awesome! 👍

[@j_london9791]

Thx for this but I don’t know the difference between the rnav and ils approaches.thx

[@FlightSimSchool]

An ILS is a precision approach that uses ground-based systems to guide you down, and the RNAV is a non-precision approach that uses GPS to guide you down. Usually you'd use the approach that is going to give you the lowest MDA, which is almost always the ILS, except in places where there isn't an ILS (like say Runway 27 at San Diego)

[@j_london9791]

@@FlightSimSchool thx

[@CaolanDoherty-dx6hk]

Tried this and it didnt work. Plane slowed down by itselt just fine. I was at landing speed and full flpas before reaching final waypoint but the plane wouldnt decend when the vDev line up. I engaed profile mode after passing the first waypoint on the approach. Any ideas what am doing wrong?

[@FlightSimSchool]

hmmmm, the first thing that comes to mind is the altitude that’s set on the autopilot. What were the active modes of the autopilot shown in the PFD?

[@CaolanDoherty-dx6hk]

@@FlightSimSchool RETARD and P.Des. am pretty sure I had everything set up correctly, the plane just wouldn't descend. I think it is a bug. Been messing around with various other rnav approaches but I keep having the same issue. On top of that the same thing is happening with ils approaches aswell. Been flying ils approaches for ages on this plane with no issue so am pretty sure it's a bug.

[@wilga80]

Good video.