Im currently using the A32NX installer program - excellent, by the way - to keep my experimental version up to date. I’m running 0.5.2 and had quite a few issues during my descent today. Same for others?
Still note no TOD calculation or indication
Managed mode descent I believe still not functioning yet
Had to modify my route as the STAR was not correct. After entering in waypoints, some would enter but not show on the route.
I had manually entered waypoint where I couldn’t enter altitude constraints
Open descent totally ignored my target selected speed, nosed over and continued gaining speed until I intervened. Managed mode simply doesn’t function at all.
With selected speed, the display was stuck on Mach. SPD/MACH button had no effect.
Issues initiating VS mode. At one point, I was unable to use VS at all. It totally ignored the command: pull knob, dial descent FPM, nothing. Blanks out with dashes again.
Using a 1,000 FPM descent when VS was working and the airplane was very reluctant to slow. Deploy half speed brakes and engines spool to 52% N1, making situation worse.
After finally getting slowed I ended up disconnecting autopilot and hand-flew the approach from about 7,000’ on in. Fully configured for landing, the aircraft handled very well and was a great landing but the navigation and descent management capabilities still seem to need quite a bit of work. Is the stable version any better?
I think the TOD calculation is still in progress, and the indication is visible on Dev/Experimental version. I’m not sure about Stable version since I haven’t used that in a long time. I just go with my ATC. When my ATC tells me to descent, that’s when I descent.
What do you mean? You select which altitude you want using the knob, and you press the knob to engage the managed descent. Always works. If you’re thinking an automatic decent like VNAV. Airbus doesn’t have VNAV. You have to set the altitude you want, and you push it to confirm that altitude target and it will do a managed descent.
Why do you need to modify your route by entering waypoints? If you want to change STAR, just change the STAR in the destination airport, and once you Insert them, the flight plan will change using the new STAR that you selected.
I’m not sure I can answer this one as I let the sim to assign my altitude constraints automatically. I never had to enter the constraints manually myself.
What’s wrong with managed descent on managed speed?
Depending on your altitude and your flight phase, it will automatically change between SPD/MACH.
When you do a V/S mode, you select your target altitude pull the knob to initiate open climb/descent. Then turn the knob for the V/S to target your selected rate, and pull the V/S knob again to confirm that’s the V/S you want to fly in.
Well the more your vertical speed descend the more you gain/maintain speed. I usually slow down first before I start my descent. But since I always fly on managed mode, I never really had to do that.
This me doing my descent using the Experimental Custom FBW version last week:
(1. VNAV will come when we release our own custom AP. It’s not in the mod yet.
(4. This is in progess, but also has to wait until our AP is ready.
(6. This was changed by any of the later Asobo updates. We can’t change that until we release our own …
(7. This is a known bug with the Asobo AP. We have to wait for our own… Neo explained the way to work around it.
(8. The A320Neo is indeed a very slippery plane. This is done according to the experiences of our real A320Neo pilots in the team.
Overall: please keep in mind that the A32NX is still very much work in progress. Some things can be modified very quickly. Other things are more complicated. And for some things we must rely on Asobo to change them, cause we have no access to them (yet). Also some of your issues I can’t reproduce / don’t have them.
I have the problem since the last updates that the flight plane is stuck. The distance to the arrival won’t change. Of course there are sometimes other bugs but I can live with that.It is a fantastic project and there should be no attack because you do it for free and it is so much better than the standard Airbus .
Yeah, that’s a known issue. I have that too. It’s pressumably a problem with the internal update interval of the MCDU. We changed something recently to make it more FPS friendly. We’re working on that issue.
I don’t think anyone is attacking. I think they are pointing out flaws that need to be fixed. There is no problem with that. How else are things going to get fixed if they are not pointed out?
Hi, the aircraft starts descending as soon as you select a lower altitude ,before you press the altitude knob. I am using the experimental version. I also noticed on my last flight the distance to destination doesn’t count down on the flight plan page, I am sure it did do before.
Thanks for the replies. You’ve confirmed nearly all of the concerns I mentioned. I do have a solid understanding/appreciation of the A320 so understand when things are functioning as intended vs. still in development. Again, thanks for confirming.
On #8, I agree and understand the A320 can be difficult to slow but with 50% speedbrake and a shallow, 1,000 FPM descent rate, I wouldn’t expect to see speed building. The reason I noted is that the thrust was still commanding 52% N1. Definitely not “idle”. May be worth another look by me but wanted to raise awareness.
I think it’s weird that the engine isn’t idle. Because A/THR should always be trying to adjust the engine to reach the targeted airspeed. So if you’re faster than the target speed, it should bring the engine back to idle no matter your flaps or speedbrake deployment until it reaches that airspeed.
As long as the thrust lever is at the CL detent and A/THR is on, it should be idle when you’re faster than the target airspeed.
Thanks for the reply. I do consider myself knowledgeable of the A320 so I’m not basing my comments on what I think but what I understand from study of the airplane. Not perfect, but knowledgeable. Commenting on your feedback:
Yes, thanks. Confirmed by devs as you mentioned.
Descent works by pushing the button, sure, but it isn’t a managed descent. The FMA says DES is the vertical mode, but there apis no vertical guidance information. No magenta ECON speed “=“ on PFD, no Magenta ECON speed brackets, no green “Yo-Yo” indicating the managed descent path, and others. Descent, yes. Managed, no. As confirmed also by the Developer in the response in this thread.
I needed to modify it because it did not correctly string together the STAR so, I had to manually update. Manually entering your route is a basic function of the MCDU.
Developer confirmed this is a known issue.
As stated, managed does not function presently. See developer confirm this in his #1 response to mine.
That’s not how it functions. Developer confirmed a known issue
Same here. Not how it functions on the aircraft. Confirmed by developer as a known issue.
@Fmgc320 you are describing the descent profile accurately. This whole week I’ve been updating the Dev release, the Experimental release, and the Stable release … methodically testing … having the same problems with airspeed on descent. The A/THR is set to the middle (not climb) … but eventually I have to manually fly the approach because the managed descent is not reacting appropriately to slow the aircraft sufficiently for descending into the ILS glide slope altitude on time.
You didn’t set the thrust levers to CLB? There’s your problem.
The levers go to TOGA or FLX on takeoff and then to CLB for the rest of the flight (including approach). Without setting your levers to CLB, autothrust will not work!
@RustyCT1, thanks for the reply. As @Watsi01 stated, confirm your thrust is set in the CLB detent. In my case, it was in CLB however my specific issue, which seems rare, is that the A/THR was “fighting” me by keeping thrust at approx. 52% N1 when I would expect to see idle thrust around the 20% N1 range. I already needed to take over the descent and fly via V/S, as would typically happen in a busy terminal area, complying with ATC instructions.
@Neo4316 posted a video above demonstrating his descent, stating he had no issue with speed control. The issue I noted in the video is approach mode was activated and the aircraft slowed about 40 NM from the airport. That’s not at all typical where you would typically be maintaining something like 230-210 kts from about 20-30 NM all the way to about joining the localizer, hence the concern on energy management. I also noted in his video, the confirmed issue with the SPD/MACH and VS. MSFS ATC instructed him to descend, he tried it with VS but it didn’t work so he maintained the same altitude. Devs have confirmed this is a known issue, so expected.
Non of this is a ding as the development team are doing an amazing job transforming this stock A320 into an enjoyable aircraft. It’s just reporting what I’m experiencing. I just updated to the latest rev of the experimental model. I’ll run this again and perhaps record what I’m seeing.
Yeah, the reason why I slowed it earlier is because it is harder to slow down or it takes longer to slow down. So because I was having issues at first. I just adjusted my flying style to engage approach mode earlier, so I can give it enough time to slow down.
I think that’s just me, really. Whenever I see something different, I react and make decisions on how to mitigate it. I’m not a pilot, nor am I trained as such. So I don’t know anything about the proper procedure and what it’s suppose to be doing. I merely see and experience what’s happening at that moment, and I make decision based on my gut feeling on what should I do. It has helped me so far.
Taking descent inst. from ATC, every new level achieved without a prob keeping throttle at CL exactly.
Had to make these interventions:
(1) Arriving at waypoint OTT the flight plan deviated to MRX … I could see this was going to happen, so I had set up a DIR to KATRN and did that.
(2) Navigation resumed correctly to KATRN transition.
(3) Descent to pick up the LOC altitude was sluggish and seemingly unresponsive – had to take the landing manually from there.
(4) Manual landing from BADDN, 5.5 mi to RWY 01.
I’m not dinging the Dev Team either. I’m hoping that these communiques will help in the debugging.
To the dev team, I should know this but don’t so wanted to ask. Is there apreferred place to provide feedback? I appreciate that you are responding here but imagine there might be a better way to get info to the team that’s more efficient for you. Posting here is mostly for the benefit of sharing with the broader community. Thanks!
