How do we use ATC to guide us into the approach only or must it guide us all the way from take off to destination?Cliff

How do we use ATC to guide us into the approach only or must it guide us all the way from take off to destination?Cliff

In order to be vectored to a runway, this is done by approach after 'filing an IFR plan'. Thus, you have to activate and fly an IFR plan. But....if you have charts, and you know where, and how, you want to land, you can surly contact the airport tower and let them know your intentions on landing. Now....if the airport is in IFR conditions, tower will not give you clearance, telling you that the airport is closed to VFR traffic. At which point, you can land anyway, as this is only a sim :( If you are tired of how FSX/ATC handles your IFR flights, I would suggest checking out Radar Contact.

You could try flying vfr until you're within approach distance then file a ifr plan from the originating airport to the destination. Then when FS asks if you want to move the aircraft to the starting location answer no. Ifr should take over from you're current location. If you are too close to your destination when you do this or in a "funny" position relative to where ATC would place you, you may get some funny routing to your destination.

How do we use ATC to guide us into the approach only or must it guide us all the way from take off to destination?Cliff

You can also do what I do-file a flight plan with the same waypoints e.g. kptk to kptk.Like real life practice approaches atc will continue to vector you for the approaches-and you can change from one to the other while in the air.

How do we use ATC to guide us into the approach only or must it guide us all the way from take off to destination?Cliff

You have a couple of options actually. A little illegal but you can free fly VFR with flight following, whether or not you go above 10000 ft is up to you. When your near your approach you can create a flight plan direct gps and get vectors from your current position. Or file an IFR flight plan, ignore atc after the handoff at your cruise altitude and change your destination when your about 100 miles or so from your destination. ATC will vector you to the approach.

how about this, file a flight plan, talk to atc, and once you get to cruising altitude and are handed off to another center, tune it but dont contact them. then when you are within distance of your destination, tune the new center and talk. works great on long hauls when i dont want to sit around making sure i get the latest center change