Missing Checkpoints & Strange Departure Sequence

[Guest rat]

Hello all,I bought RC a few day ago, worked myself through the tutorials and made my first flights with RC.First of all - I think it is a great program.But... I experience some problems, where I don't know if it's a fault of the program I have to live with, or if I'm doing sth. wrong.1) I have a lot of AI Traffic on my system (Ultimate Traffic at 100%). While on a flight from LFPG to EDDS (middle of AI-busy Europe) I had the problem, that RC forgot to score some checkpoints and ordered me to turn back. It seems, that while RC is playing Radio Transmissions (either AI-Chatter, or Radio Instructions) the RC Window is frozen (no update of the displayed input) and RC doesn't recognize keypresses. This lasts for a few seconds (as long as the radio transmission lasts). The Problem: Some AI Chatter takes so long that meanwhile a checkpoint ist going missed. The Problem worsens at 2x or 4x speed.PS: Autosave.dll is disabled, Display Text is disabled, Pilot autoreply is disabled, Pre Recorded Chatter is disabled.2) Taking off at LHR, Rwy 27R in the busy morning hours (simwings Mega Airport LHR scenery). Again a lot of AI taking off on that rwy. Special about 27R is, that AI accesses the Runway from 3 different entry Points at the same time. Default FS ATC would clear the aircraft for Takeoff (taxi in position) in the order, they contact tower. Now my problem: RC tells me to monitor tower as I taxi toward the end of the line of waiting aircraft. Then, one AI after the other is cleared for takeoff, always alternating the 3 waiting lines. That works great until I'm in position to get my clearence. From this moment on the aircraft in the remaining 2 waiting lines get their take off clearences (alternating the lines) and I'm left out. I get my "taxi in postion" only after all the aircraft of the other 2 waiting lines have taken off. Is this a bug?I found out, that RC recognizes me and gives me a "taxi in position" if I check in with FS-ATC tower, when I'm first in line. But somehow that's a quite dirty work around, since FS ATC and RC use different tower frequencies.PS: AISmooth is running, Interaction with user aircraft is deselected.Is there anything you can help me with these problems, or do I have to live with that?Best regardsRalf

[jd 57]

Hello all,I bought RC a few day ago, worked myself through the tutorials and made my first flights with RC.First of all - I think it is a great program.But... I experience some problems, where I don't know if it's a fault of the program I have to live with, or if I'm doing sth. wrong.1) I have a lot of AI Traffic on my system (Ultimate Traffic at 100%). While on a flight from LFPG to EDDS (middle of AI-busy Europe) I had the problem, that RC forgot to score some checkpoints and ordered me to turn back. It seems, that while RC is playing Radio Transmissions (either AI-Chatter, or Radio Instructions) the RC Window is frozen (no update of the displayed input) and RC doesn't recognize keypresses. This lasts for a few seconds (as long as the radio transmission lasts). The Problem: Some AI Chatter takes so long that meanwhile a checkpoint ist going missed. The Problem worsens at 2x or 4x speed.PS: Autosave.dll is disabled, Display Text is disabled, Pilot autoreply is disabled, Pre Recorded Chatter is disabled.2) Taking off at LHR, Rwy 27R in the busy morning hours (simwings Mega Airport LHR scenery). Again a lot of AI taking off on that rwy. Special about 27R is, that AI accesses the Runway from 3 different entry Points at the same time. Default FS ATC would clear the aircraft for Takeoff (taxi in position) in the order, they contact tower. Now my problem: RC tells me to monitor tower as I taxi toward the end of the line of waiting aircraft. Then, one AI after the other is cleared for takeoff, always alternating the 3 waiting lines. That works great until I'm in position to get my clearence. From this moment on the aircraft in the remaining 2 waiting lines get their take off clearences (alternating the lines) and I'm left out. I get my "taxi in postion" only after all the aircraft of the other 2 waiting lines have taken off. Is this a bug?I found out, that RC recognizes me and gives me a "taxi in position" if I check in with FS-ATC tower, when I'm first in line. But somehow that's a quite dirty work around, since FS ATC and RC use different tower frequencies.PS: AISmooth is running, Interaction with user aircraft is deselected.Is there anything you can help me with these problems, or do I have to live with that?Best regardsRalf

1) you can't do 4x. you will miss checkpoints. if there is a lot of chatter, 2x might be pushing it. if you are flying a dp/sid and 2x, you will not make the 2 mile radius per checkpoint.2) have you done a rebuild rc scenery database? i may not see you close enought to the threshold. also, you may want to inch a little closer to the threshold so you can be seen.otherwise, create a log, details pinnned to the top. send me the .log with a sentence or two of what happened.jd

[Guest rat]

1) you can't do 4x. you will miss checkpoints. if there is a lot of chatter, 2x might be pushing it. if you are flying a dp/sid and 2x, you will not make the 2 mile radius per checkpoint.2) have you done a rebuild rc scenery database? i may not see you close enought to the threshold. also, you may want to inch a little closer to the threshold so you can be seen.otherwise, create a log, details pinnned to the top. send me the .log with a sentence or two of what happened.jd

Hello jd,thank you for this quick reply. Great support! Not being able to use 2x and 4x is a great issue for me - I'm flying a lot of transoceanic on the heavys. Anyway, the workaround will be to tell RC to proceed direct to the end portion of the flight and let the FMC handle the enroute phase until that point. Will there be improvement on this issue in V5? Yes, I rebuildt the RC scenery. One question before I create the log: How can I make sure, that RC sees me? Shall I creep for this test as far until I'm busted? Or does this have a bad influence on the sequence?Best regardsRalf

[jd 57]

Hello jd,thank you for this quick reply. Great support! Not being able to use 2x and 4x is a great issue for me - I'm flying a lot of transoceanic on the heavys. Anyway, the workaround will be to tell RC to proceed direct to the end portion of the flight and let the FMC handle the enroute phase until that point. Will there be improvement on this issue in V5? Yes, I rebuildt the RC scenery. One question before I create the log: How can I make sure, that RC sees me? Shall I creep for this test as far until I'm busted? Or does this have a bad influence on the sequence?Best regardsRalf

we're trying to find out why you're not being seen. so make sure you aren't. after a minute or two when you think you should be next, and you're never called, inch up a few feet and wait. then further forward. if i see you on the runway i will yell at you, so that is a good test of where i think the runway is.you can also choose pause at distance, and specify 200 miles say. then leave your flight running over night, wake up to the flight paused 200 miles out, for you to finish the flight. you could also wait til you are cruise altitude to engage 2x or 4x, where there will be less chatterjd

[Ray Proudfoot 8,905]

Not being able to use 2x and 4x is a great issue for me - I'm flying a lot of transoceanic on the heavys.

A compromise would be to stay on 1X until you reach cruise and then engage 2x or 4X. At the other end switch back to 1X once you're started down.

Yes, I rebuildt the RC scenery. One question before I create the log: How can I make sure, that RC sees me? Shall I creep for this test as far until I'm busted? Or does this have a bad influence on the sequence?

I also have the Aerosoft Heathrow scenery and I found that Ai traffic works best by using the northerly runway (09L/27R) for landings only and 09R/27L for take-offs only. To make sure you're as close to the holding points as possible switch to Spot Plane view and keep your front wheels right on the holding markers.

[chrispeel 0]

RalfI queried the freeze of the RC4 dialog box a while back as you cannot scroll through the options when he is talking to anyone else.At the time JD seemed to indicate he was looking into it for RC5.I utilise the methods suggested by Ray and JD for long transoceanic flights.4X seems work most of the time due to less chatter.I also disable the recorded chatter but leave the AI chatter on.If you get caught out don't listen to the criticism at the end of the flight!

[ronzie 21]

FS when it loads a flight has a windows to allow ai traffic behind schedule to catch up. This results in an unrealistic arrivals of a bunch of ai after a very short time and also almost immediately a bunch of ai start taxiing for take-off. After getting the FMC set up sometimes at certain airports I find it necessary to refresh AI. I use Active Sky and after it finishes doing its weather engine writes I use its AI Refresh tab so ATIS and ai are refreshed and deliver the correct weather, delayed normally by FS weather dynamics.You can force an ai refresh by advancing FS time one minute if you do not have Active Sky or if you wish to get the full registration for FSUIPC you can set a hot-key to toggle ai off and on to refresh it.I have never seen FS ai do intersection take-offs in FS9. I have seen opposing taxiways have take-off queues simultaneously.I do not see it unrealistic to refresh ai shortly before but not just before I'm ready to leave because of the unrealistic bunching up of the ai rush to taxi and arrive when FS starts. Using AI Smooth though with a slightly longer than the 30 second arrival separation, such as 45 seconds or so, I find I can do that after setting the weather and refreshing ai and then starting RC and going into the aircraft preflight. By then the take-off queues have reduced quite a bit because of the interleaving of arrival and departing aircraft. Also set up parallel runways as Ray suggests using AFCAD and then request a different runway from RC if you get other than the take-off runway from ground.Regarding a missed checkpoint, go into the extended menu, choose direct-to, and select your next waypoint and you will not have to return to the missed waypoint. During a departure avoid having checkpoints in your plan that are extremely close to the runway end as they are difficult at times to cross within the RC tolerance due to the way your FMC rounds turns if you are on AP at this time.Finally, make sure your FMC and RC have the same plan. I use a third party planner including SIDs and STARs that exports to FS9 (FSX available) and my FMC format for loading into both the FMC and RC. I do not use the FMC SID or STAR database but do use on the ARR page the IAP for the arrival runway for situational awareness or doing a difficult approach that requires a non-standard traffic entry pattern because of terrain in this case selecting an IAP in RC's approach phase menu that allows you to do your own arrival navigation without RC monitoring.

[Guest rat]

Hello alltogether,today I solved my problems with the help of jd - Thanks a lot. Great support !!!!Also thanks to ronzie, Ray and chrispeel for their help!My solutions (if anyone else has the same problems): 1) Mising checkpoints at 2x and 4x acceleration in the enroute phase:After departure and climb to cruise altitude at 1x. Before I switch to 4x I choose "direct to" a waypoint, where I want to resume at 1x and request "deviation for wx". Then I give control to the FMC and set pause at distance to a value well before the direct to waypoint. Otto takes the Comms. After unpausing I switch back to 1x and report back on track.2) Odd departure sequence at LHR 27L (sorry ist was 27L. not 27R as in my initial post)The key to the behaviour, I described in my post is, that RC determins the departure sequence in another was as FS ATC.FS ATC works based on the AFCAD hold short nodes and clears the aircraft in the order, they reach the different nodes.As jd explained me, "RC calculates the ends of the runways, with some trig. Then the ai, and you, are sequenced to take off based on the proximity to the calculated lat/long of the end of the runway. In v4 I don't know where the hold short nodes are. So the closest plane, you or ai, to the end of the runway, goes next."Therefore if FS clears AI planes from AFCAD holding nodes for takeoff, that are closer to the runway threshold as the one, the user plane is holding at, they will always be sequenced before the user plane. That means: Taking off from an intersection the user plane will always be the last in row.At LHR 27L with 3 queues, take the one closest to the runway threshold and the sequencing works.