I think you might be on to something JK! The Flap 3 setting has triggered the terrain warning (any of 'm, can’t remember which one) for me too several times. As an MD11 pilot I’m used to landings at flaps 28 to 35 degrees (the MD11 allows for manually adjusting the degree of flap in some positions). As this aircraft has fairly small wings relatively to the body of the plane we’re used to landing it at significantly higher speeds than other pilots.
For me that translates in the sim when flying other aircraft to prefer landings at the single last flap position, as I’m more comfortable with that type of airflow under my wings and those higher speeds.
Now, when applying that to the FBW A320 (that I don’t fly too much) I remember getting this issue too, forcing me to go for Flaps 4. It is indeed just a bug as I was properly aligned with the runway, with flaps 3 selected in the MCDU and in full dirty config. Adding the last notch of flaps canceled out that warning at the time and I just keep doing that until today. But again, don’t fly it that often. I prefer the CRJ in the sim as it has the same small wings in relation to the aircraft. You might want to check it out too if you ever need a change of cockpit.
Hmm, I’m pretty sure I was full flaps and know I was green on the MCDU TO config. I’ll definitely take screenshoot next time and pay close attention to if it was too low terrain…or just terrain terrain.
Alright. We’ll figure it out next time. One last thing in terms of what you mentioned earlier on ‘swirling’ towards the runway when going manual at 1000 AGL:
Most (all) beginner pilots have this issue of ‘correcting their corrections’, especially on final approach. So you see the plane drifting to the left, and you steer it to the right. Ah bugger, too much, now too the left again. No right. Yes definetely more right. Ohw f*ck, keep it center, okay left. No right. Left! Left! Left!.. Sounds familiar hea?
This is just developing your feel of the aircraft which - in my opinion - is very difficult with a sidestick on an Airbus. There are quite a lot of filters between your input (what you want the plane to do) and then all those guidance computers translating that into what the plane is going to do. It sucks to develop feel through a computer.
Anyway. Make for the smallest of corrections when on final. Plane going to the left, gennnntly somewhat to the right. There’s always more sky available between you and that runway ahead than your panic attack might make you believe there is.
And if not, you can always go around and try again as you practice again. No harm in that.
And adding to that. If you don’t have 'm already, consider buying rudder pedal hardware. It really makes a lot of difference landing between manual or auto rudder. Those pedals will give you the ability to force the nose of the plane into the wind and keep a center line, way different than your aileron input is going to do. It allows for the small and gentle corrections instead of the big ones coming from the wings. I don’t know what the going rate is now on pricings, but I sure recommend them if you’re serious on your hobby. Again, if you don’t have 'm already, of course.
Good point about the rudders…I tend to ignore them because as soon as I twist on the stick I’ll have to let go soon and I’m back to square one. Pedals would probably help with that but I’ll try holding the rudder more, I’m certainly wing-centric.
yeah its difficult on the stick twist when you’re still applying wing corrections to as indeed you usually have to maintain a slight input of rudder to correct for winds or ground effect. Keeping applied power on the rudder through the stick is one hell of a wrist acrobatics.
TAWS A 4C “TOO LOW - TERRAIN” is defined as “terrain rising faster than aircraft at takeoff” and shouldn’t be activated by an approach anyway is it not?
If landing with CONF 3, you need to turn on the LDG FLAP 3 push button in the GPWS panel (left portion of overhead panel) to inhibit nuisance GPWS warnings.
I saved a flight for practicing ILS and got the “too low terrain” message on the first try…not so on the second and third. It was definitely “too low terrain” and not “terrain terrain terrain”
I had no joystick so I just had it on autopilot until the very end. This is lower than my taste but looks like the magenta diamonds are where they should be…only one white light on the runway.
So is this a bug…my landing gear are down for sure.
Not sure why I don’t have it on LS mode on the ND and seem to have it on selected speed too…maybe that latter issue triggered it…not something I usually do but cant remember why that happened this time.
Well couple of things. It’s on Flaps 3 and speed is not in managed mode (which it might need for Flare). Also I’d suggest to arm the ILS on both sides (copilot too) and I think in the Airbus you need to arm both AP1 and 2 manually, but not sure there.
Other than that the plane is indeed too low with regards to the runway giving it a bit of strange pitch. I think however that’s just a sim issue with a poorly recreated Glide slope on this particular ILS.
(And you can check the final item on your checklist, ’ cabin ready’ by pressing the ALL call on your overhead panel / cabin advisory buttons).
Oh you know what, I bet it is the flaps…I looked at the checklist as saying “flaps…full” meaning they were on full, but if it is in blue it must be saying I still need to put it on full-4…and becomes green when I do it. Obviously I should keep track of how many times I changed the flaps but might have looked over the checklist and gone…got it full flaps. Also, when I look at the flap knob it also looks like it is on full when it is at 3.
I’m thinking it is the flaps and me misreading the checklist and flap knob.
Thank you all for the help, landings are a lot smoother without as many alarms. Looking for blue on the ecam really helps reduce mistakes. I have two more questions. Should I arm both APs if it is a CAT I approach?
Should I have strobes on rather than auto for landing. As I understand it I should have strobes on for takeoff or else they dont come on until airborn. Do I do the same for landing?
I always turn on both AP whenever I’m on ILS approach mode, regardless of the CAT. If you end up with manual landing in the end, you’re going to disengage them anyway. But just to be safe, if you’re on low visibility approach, both AP will help you do an Autoland procedure. (even though in the current build even a single AP can do autoland). I just like buttons that are turned on… Hahaha.
With regards to AP, I always flip 'm on both due to technical reasons from real life (that aren’t very interesting to elaborate on).
With regards to strobes it’s an interesting question. Generally, all lights on an aircraft are ways of communication. Here’s the proper sequence.
Navigation Lights: To be turned on once you’re tuned into the ground controller radio frequency. You are communicating to this person that you are available for hails if he called you over the radio. /Off once the radio’s are no longer on active at the gate.
Beacon lights: prior to engine start you’re communicating to the platform that the engines are about to come on. /Off once engines are shutdown.
Taxi lights: After pushback procedures, you’re communicating that the aircraft is now independently moving over the platform. /Off just before turning into the gate (because you don’t want to blind platform workers and air marshallers that are guiding you in.
Strobes: On upon entering the runway. You’re communicating that the aircraft is now part of the air traffic. /Off after leaving the runway. (And by habit you switch transponder modes together with your strobes).
Landing lights: On upon entering the runway. You’re communicating that the aircraft is on hampered speed untill below 10,000 feet or the speed restricted altitude. /Off once passing that altitude.
Cabin lights: off during takeoffs and landings. Well that’s just for people having proper eye sight during night time evacuations, should the lights come off during disaster and people need to find their way in the dark. But I’ll bet you’re glad they don’t tell you that during the polite announcements right?
“Too low terrain” (Mode 4) is not active until reaching 1000 ft radio altitude in clean configuration and has nothing to do with “not climbing steep enough”, rather a shallow descent will trigger this one before any other mode will (Mode 1, 2 or FLTA). You are confused with Mode 3 “Don’t sink” which is active during take-off or go-around although the description “not climbing steep enough” would also be incorrect here.
Additionally Premature Descent Alert (PDA) is a feature of Enhanced GPWS and uses the same “too low terrain alert”, but PDA is only active on approach for airports in the onboard terrain database.
Mode 2 “Terrain, Terrain” does not mean the aircraft is descending to steep, you are confused with Mode 1 “Sink-rate”. The Mode 2 soft alert activates for unsafe terrain closure which does not have to mean a descent, could be rapidly rising terrain while flying level or even while climbing.
I didn’t see anything wrong in the Skybrary article though, for mode 4 it states AFTER take-off, meaning its inactive during take-off, formally take-off ends at the end of the 4th segment. The description “Terrain rising faster than the aircraft” is a little meh… Terrain rising or aircraft descending into it would be more correct. Basically terrain closure shallow enough as to not trigger mode 2 or FLTA.
Usually navigation lights are used to signal the aircraft is electrically powered. I’ve never heard of this use of a nav lights before. Not in commercial aviation at least.
