I’ve encountered a new random problem which I can’t work out - the A320 suddenly stops following the flight plan when it reaches the star. It banks almost 90 degrees to do a circle then goes back on the flight plan. It did this at Heathrow, but when I tried Landing at Porto, it did the same thing, but went a bit out of control and then part of the green line in the flight plan disappears. I then had to manually fly back into the remaining part of the StAR. Any ideas? Bug, or am I doing something wrong?
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Is this what you’re experiencing?
See @NixonRedgrave post. This has actually been an issue since SU9. Welcome to the club!
Moved to #self-service:aircraft-systems
Not sure this is applicable, but I check FP in the FMC to make sure any “holds” have been removed, by coping the line below the hold into the line with the hold and that clears it out. If on the other hand, the plane is just doing it and no hold is in FP, then yep, something is wrong. I have not experienced that particular bit of issue, but other things have prevented me in the PMDG 737-700 doing RNAV approach successfully, not crashed but it just does not complete it, and I am fairly sure it’s my input into FMC which is causing that, or the way I am not shutting off some point of the AP system at the correct time. Back to tutorial I guess.
UPDATE-Last evening, I finally got the RNAV approach to work in PMDG 737-700. Funny, yesterday, could not get game to even open, took off virus/firewall and then it worked, reinstalled AV/FW and everything worked fine. Up and running as of last night.
This sounds like it. Usually it just does one circle (banks 80/90 degrees which is ridiculous by any level) then resumes the flight plan. Just letting the bug run it’s course was tolerable.
This time when landing at Porto it was about to do the full circle, but then started doing something else. I didn’t give it a chance so flew manually. Noted that part of the green lines on star had disappeared, the glide slope was still visible on the nav. I tried intercepting the glide slope manually but I was too disoriented at this point - the aircraft was too high and crashed upon landing.
I’ll check this thanks
Another part of this bug is that a mysterious “USER” waypoint gets inserted into the flightplan at the very moment that the STAR is dropped. Pay close attention and see if this is the case for you.
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Which STAR(s) and airport(s)?
I have a short test flight to demonstrate the issue.
CYQX to CYYT via AVALN STAR (I believe it’s called) and landing on rwy 29 via GAURA.
The flight is only 20 minutes or so in the A320. A soon as you enter the STAR, a USER waypoint will appear on the flightplan and the programmed STAR will disappear.
Thank you for posting the flight plan. It helps!
I flew this route twice, once with the A320neo and once with the B736. They both had a couple of differences. Before flying I looked at the STAR arrival plate. The arrival is a little different than others showing the exit point DUTOV past the IAF GAURA for the approach transition.
The A320neo ignored DUTOV and flew an arc to GAURA. The arrival wasn’t flown to DUTOV but scrolled up and off after inserting the USER waypoint for the transition to GAURA. I don’t know if this is right or wrong but this is how I would fly this flight plan.
The B736 had the DUTOV waypoint in the FMS per the arrival chart. Instead of turning around to fly to GAURA, it inserted (VECTOR) after DUTOV. The FMS sequence was GAURA, DUTOV, (VECTOR), TESOX… (VECTOR) means that ATC is supposed to give a course heading. With MSFS ATC, the vector has to be requested from ATC. ATC gave me the heading to GAURA which was dialed into the A/P.
The difference between the two was the A320neo flying to GAURA before DUTOV and the B736 flying to TESOX after DUTOV which added about 3 minutes to the flight.
I hope this answered your questions. The arrival waypoints scroll off after passing them. Both FMS added a waypoint, USER for the A320neo, (VECTOR) for the B736.
Let me know if there are any other arrival/approach questions at other airports.
Edit: Changed incorrect waypoint for the B736.
Thanks! For me, the flightplan disappears entirely at the STAR. The issue IMHO is this mysterious USER waypoint that gets entered…Definitely a bug.
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The same is on my side. And this is not only for STARS but on cruise as well - the plane does not follow the “LNAV” quite often. I just started to use this A320NEO and I thought it was like this from the beginning:)
At what point in the flight does the STAR disappear? Does your flight plan show nothing between the route waypoints and the approach? What happens when you reprogram the FMS with the STAR? Does the 2nd STAR disappear?
And the problem with the USER waypoint is? All it is doing is providing the point in space where the aircraft is to fly to the next waypoint. VECTOR isn’t in any flight plans yet this waypoint is created by the FMS and inserted as needed.
The problem starts right at the first waypoint of the STAR.
I understand your reasoning about the USER waypoint, but I believe something is at play with it. Whenever this USER waypoint is inserted (by the FMS, not the pilot) everything goes to hell. The USER waypoint gets inserted just as I enter the STAR and is not seen anywhere else during the flight. If I entered the USER waypoint myself because I wanted to modify my flightplan, that would be an entirely different situation. I think it’s highly abnormal that the aircraft is able to insert waypoints on it’s own behalf…
Had a other similar issue tonight , just before the STAR and before the USER waypoint Is inserted, the plain took a sudden bank to the left. Inverted and then started doing a nose dive. Manually recovered.
I’ve just realised the loop happens when I input the METAR data in the Performance/approach on the MCDU. To be precise, when the wind/temp is input.
I have no idea what the relationship would be there. So if you don’t input the data, you’re fine?
Yes, going to the MCDU and programming the PERF and populating with the METAR data while in mid flight (usually on the final few miles of the decent /when the METAR data becomes available) is something that I’ve only started to do recently (as recently as when I started this thread)… as soon as wind direction abd speed is input and confirmed the plane banks aggressively, flys a full circle) then starts trying to renter the flight path/plan.
What I can’t workout is if it recovers every time.
It’s hard for me to measure - because I end up taking over control, help the aircraft not bank so much, then re-engage AP when it’s getting near bank on track.