Descending through 8000ft to 3000 into OMDW, a strange message popped up on the CDU of my PMDG MD-11F: ILS UNTUNABLE. Hmmmm hadn't seen that before and it had been an otherwise uneventful flight across the Sahara and down the Persian Gulf from my starting point in Dakar. Checked the approach plates against the Nav Radio and all was correct so not sure what is going on, but not to worry it's a clear day so I'll just hand fly the final few miles onto Rwy 30. Turning onto the final approach course of 299 there was a fair amount to do: flaps, lights, landing gear, checklists.
So, you can imagine my surprise when I looked up at the FAF, now descending through 3000 to 2000, to see...nothing! A quick zoom and check from the exterior view revealed nothing but desert below and ahead of me. Flight SJM 335 was headed for disaster!
Thank goodness for our ability to save flights at Airsource!! That done, a quick google showed that OMDW didn't exist when FSX came out and I assumed, wrongly, that ORBX global airports would include new airports like Al-Maktoum.
So now I'm searching around for a good OMDW scenery so I can finish the last 10 minutes of my flight! I see on on Simmarket for €15 that looks quite nice...will probably take the plunge and finish it off this evening.
Who said Flight simming was boring?!