How do other PMDG-NG pilots obtain ATC while flying the NG?1) Built in FS ATC2) Radar COntact3) VATSIM or similar4) Don't use ATCGavinhttp://www.interprom.com/gavhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/ng_driver.jpg

VATSIM.

Built in FS ATC

MSFS 2004 ATCHowever, I'm keeping on eye Radar Contact and I think I will upgrade to version 4 when it's available, because RC4 will be AI traffic aware.Tim Dobrowolsky

I discovered IVAO not long ago and this is brilliant.So it either no ATC (to practice) or IVAO.Olivier Noir

Gavin: Most of the time for me, it's #4...no ATC. It just kills the enjoyment of everything (SID/STAR) the FMC is trying to do. I'm not a big AI nut for performance reasons. I want my 35FPS all to myself! The only clearances I pay attention to are the ones Tim reads off to me; he's in charge of the COMM radio!:).

I use FS9 ATC, although its rather time consuming setting up PMDG + FSNav + AS2004 + FS9 ATC. If you include MyTraffic into that lot its also rather sluggish on the old PC ! I'm waiting for the Squawkbox 3 + AVC combo to become available, then I will start using VATSIM.Interestingly I did a B1900D flight from EGLL to LFPG with all of the above and 'landed' in zero visibility with 400ft on the altimeter! Somehow the ATC barometer and AS2004 weather must have been out of sync. Oh well!Cheers

I mostly use the FS9 ATC sort of. I use it for taxi and takeoff. I make my own flight plans from the real world plans on FBO web and I fly the SID/ STARS if the flight plan calls for any. Once I am close to my destination I ask for a full stop landing. I hope in the future FS9 ATC will allow you to fly these types of departures and approaches. I think it made a big leap from FS2k2 to FS9 so hopefully it will continue to inprove.

VATSIM - 90% of the timeNo ATC - 10% of the time (used for "sim" time and pattern work)

When I first read the question that Gavin asked, I was going to just skip over the thread, and then I had to just come back to it. Having flown KC135's in the USAF and time in the jump seat of other planes. A real pilot NEVER flies without ATC, NEVER. The sounds of the controllers talking to you or other planes is as real as the engine sounds.I use RADAR CONTACT on every flight I do with the PMDG 737. When I crnak up the chatter function coupled with FS ATC it gets as close as it realy does sound in the cockpit of a real 737. To the question about all those neat functions in the FMC, in real life they alert the pilot to asked permission to execute them. In real life you know pilot that wants to keep his rating does anything without ATC concurrence.Yes Radar Contact V4 is not only AI aware, but also can control them. We are doing some neat work on that right now. Last night I flew from KLAX to KDEN with about 15 different AI planes also in line for takeoff. I use Ultimate Traffic, and this really does add to the realism of the FS experience.Even when I want to practice touch and go's I use Radar Contact to just a real life experince.I too have to crank a lot of stuff up to fo flying. I use Ken Salters new utility FS Autostart, FSMeteo or ActiveSky 2004, FS Real Time and then Radar Contact. It takes me almost 15 minutes to get all that running, but the real life immersion is so real.Anyway just wanted to add this little tid bit. The next time you go to the airport, check how much time before flight time the pilots are working, about 2 hours for each flight. On average it takes me about 1 hour to go from my desktop to pushback and that does not count flight planning and weather briefs. Since I use to do this in real life, it just does not seem normal to not spend that time in the sim either.CheersBob

I use VATSIM exclusively. There simply is no substitute for a real human controller if you want ATC.For the times when there is no ATC logged onto VATSIM in the areas where I'm going to fly, I've been considering using Radar Contact. I've avoided it thus far since it ignores AI traffic. For me, feeling like one of many aircraft out there is very important, so if I saw AI aircraft darting around with no relevance to my own clearances, that would totally ruin the immersion.I'll probably give Radar Contact 4 a try once it's out, since it supposedly handles AI traffic as well. It would be great to be able to fly the routes I've chosen for my Virtual Airline, with simulated ATC, if the VATSIM coverage isn't good enough for the chosen flight.

I use a combination of both FS2004 ATC and VATSIM, but I'm still trying to work out which one is the lesser evil. On the one hand, FS2004 ATC can do silly things like halt your taxi because someone half a field away will cross your taxiway, or vector you off 50nm for an otherwise simple 45 degree ILS intercept, or ask you to spot traffic at 6 o'clock. Similarly annoying, VATSIM ATC will sometimes close shop on you on vectors for final, or give up because there is too much traffic (happened on a 767PIC flyin in IFR at night), or forget about you unless you continually contact and hound them. When I get really annoyed with both, I just fly sans ATC and test out the accuracy of my flight/fuel planning.Gary

100% VATSIM - nothing else comes close to how realistic it is. :)