ILS in FSX

[billmo]

I have loaded the latest patches for KTPA in FSX. When ATC assigns landing instructions and I select another runway or approach, the information displayed is missing runways. I have attached a screenshot.

Bill Morton

FSX with acceleration, Windows 7 x64 8gb

[billmo]

Does anyone know what is causing this andhow to repair?

Thanks

Bill Morton

[martin[flytampa]]

What page exactly are you on in the ATC window?
I just tried the following: nearest airport list - KTPA - Tower - Request Full stop - 1L assigned - Select Another runway gave me 1R as option.

[billmo]

ATC has just provided me landing insturctions. I select request a different approach and the options you see are on the screen above.

Bill

[billmo]

This problem only seems to be happening at KTPA since I upgraded to the lastest patches.

Bill

[CEOEAV]

Having same issue with Radar Contact does not see KTPA. The airport is there and the ILS work.

[billmo]

Martin

Any ideas for this problem?

Bill

[george[flytampa]]

Martin is on Vacation.

Have you checked for duplicate AFCADs? 90% of these sorts of problems are down to something else being installed that shouldn't be. An older TPA scenery? Maybe a afcad file that came with an AI Traffic program?

[billmo]

I have run airport scanner and the only 2 KPTA files are in the Fly Tampa scenery directory.

Bill

[Mike...]

Sounds like a problem of a missing/incorrect approach file.

Load up a default aircraft and then check the GPS receiver, does it list the correct ones? Listen to ATIS, what kind of runways/approaches are available?

The capture is only partially helpful in that ATC will give a visual to 1R either way (even though it does have a LOC (at least, it works like that in FS9)), if you were assigned say a visual to 1L, then that would've indicated a problem.

Do a flight to KTPA coming from the west and see what ATC assigns, ILS 1L/19R or visuals. If visuals, then it's definitely an approach file issue.

[george[flytampa]]

What is an Approach file Mike?
What will he need to do if it is an missing Approach file?

[CEOEAV]

It has only happened after adding the patch. It worked, then I ran the database update for radar contact and it didn't see Tampa anymore. Running Win7 and FSX.

[Mike...]

What is an Approach file Mike?
What will he need to do if it is an missing Approach file?

There is a link between runways and approaches to those runways. Most Afcad editors allow you to redesignate runways just fine, but overlook the approach code. That breaks the link and will result in FS not knowing about any approaches for the renamed runways other than visual approaches (a fallback mechanism). In the capture it shows a visual to 1R, but since that runway only has a LOC, the default approach is already visual. If he'd get a visual to 1L as well, then that would tell us more.

If the provided approach file (see next paragraph) somehow became inactive or corrupt, FS would have newly renamed runways with no approaches on one hand and on the other hand a bunch of approaches (for example ILS 36L) but no runways (36L does not exist anymore) to assign them to. I believe that is what we're seeing. Instead of ILS 36L, FS simply displays ILS, because it can't match the approach to a runway (or vice versa).

Now, in FS9 at least the update provided both Afcad and approach file (KTPA_approach_fs9.bgl), I only assume that the two files Bill mentions are the Afcad and the approach file (FSX version), perhaps he can tell us the filenames just to be sure and whether they have been edited at all or renamed.

[Mike...]

It has only happened after adding the patch. It worked, then I ran the database update for radar contact and it didn't see Tampa anymore. Running Win7 and FSX.

It might be picking up the approach file (which has no runways) instead of the Afcad. Locate the approach file and temporarily disable it (rename the extension to bak). Then run the database builder again. Verify the results, then re-enable the approach file.