ATC

[waleed 26]

I asked this a while back over at aerosoft, but I also want to check with people here on ATCI am looking for a solid ATC product that can replace the fs one. I was looking at Pro flight emulator, but someone mentioned that it did not see AI?I am annoyed by the fact that I generate a flight plan from fsbuild, only to have atc send me to a different runway altogether for landing. Frustrating, especially on long haul (Daughter keeps me bussy).Any advice would be great since you take flying more serious than most.Thanks.

[JET 1 0]

Hi

I am looking for a solid ATC product that can replace the fs one. I was looking at Pro flight emulator, but someone mentioned that it did not see AI?

That is incorrect, it does "see" AI. On the ground it will not issue clearances that would put you in conflict with AI traffic. It has all sorts of interaction based on AI actions, like radio chatter and traffic advisories. Pretty much all However, don't expect it (or any ATC program) to have complete control over AI actions - controlling AI movements is simply not possible in FS.If you need a separation program, look at AI Smooth.

I am annoyed by the fact that I generate a flight plan from fsbuild, only to have atc send me to a different runway altogether for landing. Frustrating, especially on long haul (Daughter keeps me bussy).

As real as it gets really. You don't really get to choose your runway in the planning stage. Weather could change to favour another runway for one. In FS, oddities with the sim itself could prevent use of a certain runway. FSBuild does nothing but plan the route and fuel for you. In PFE, you do have the option to choose any runway and arrival you want to fly.Hope that helps.-kyle

[jobepilot 7]

VATSIM, its great..

[Guest chrut]

VATSIM, its great..

Yeah I agree, totally realistic ATC (and flying online is super awesome :().

[Guest Mower]

VATSIM, its great..

If you can find adequate coverage at any given time...other than "fly-ins" it's a crap shoot.

[ronzie 21]

Whether you use PFE, RC 4, VATSIM, or something else you must know how to modify your terminal procedures setup to accommodate ATC.RC also lets you override its recommended runway choice but you assume the risk of AI conflicts. RC's priorities place current AI action first in observing active runways. If no AI are arriving or departing then weather and runway facilities determine its recommended choice.I use the RC ATIS after AI and weather have settled down to get the active runway. I also then load the departure SID or just the departure runway into the FMC. It depends on if the SID is part of your loaded .pln that you put into RC and waypoints match. If a SID is runway specific there are usually only common waypoints exported into the FS plan for RC. RC has a flexibility option to let you navigate on your own initial portions of a SID. This all has to do with synchronization.In a similar fashion, when RC approach announces the landing runway I enter the maybe STAR or just the arrival runway into the FMC (the latter with the localizer path chosen if available so it shows on the ND). Again I can request RC to do my own nav or take its vectors, and either way request a different runway understanding there could be an AI conflict.(I also do the arrival performance planning about 80 nm out so the arrival flaps and V-speeds are selected for the anticipated runway. This takes into account weight variation due to fuel burnoff during the trip.)If you click on my banner below it will take you to the RC site jdtllc.com. Go to the download page and grab the RC 4.3 manual. You will find tutorial flights described on working with ATC and I think there may be an article in there about working with FMCs and other nav equipment. This should be good reading for any ATC application you might choose.

[waleed 26]

Thank you all for your input. I wanted to clarify a few things real quick.I should have said as real as possible. (I bypass the long line of waiting aircraft to take off relatively quickly.)I just get disappointed with some runway choices I am not used to in real life.The best example is OJAI, which predominantely uses 27L or R for landings and takeoffs, but mostly I seem to get 09L or right.At least I have a clearer picture now. I will check out rc 4 and figure out the better option.Thanks again.

[Barry1976 0]

Not unlike you waleed, I too was looking to find a good ATC program. I started with RCv4 and liked it but the voices began to annoy me, too robotic. Then I purchased PFE (with the voicepack addon) and never looked back at RCv4. The PFE interface is more complex than RCv4 and takes longer to get set up and flying but for me its a small price to pay for great simulated ATC. This being said, I'm not bashing RCv4 but I do belive PFE is a more superior product as the sound is far superior as well as it has the ground handling aspect (something I'm sure will be incorporated in RCv5). All I'm saying is that if I were to chose one ATC program, PFE would be it, hands down.For about the past few months however, I've been flying only on VATSIM. It is true that at times you will have no ATC available, but that doesn't mean there is no traffic. It can get pretty busy typing on the unicom frequency to organize your approach with other VATSIM pilots flying into the same airport. If you've never tried VATSIM, I encourage you to give it a try. Depending on your knowledge of flying with real world ATC there is a bit of a learning curve. But when ATC is present, it is as close to REAL as you can get in Flightsim.As a fellow Flightsimmer, I just wanted to add my 2 cents, having experience with RCv4, PFE, and VATSIM. Hope this helps.Barry.

[waleed 26]

Thanks for the info Barry.Ha Ha Ha, so funny, as the voices get to me too, and I was impressed with the demo voices of PFE.I would love to join vatsim, but my time is so unreliable, I often use X4 to get to my destination after reaching cruise. Time is my enemy in this case as my daughter (2 1/2 years old) takes up most of my free time. She is always more important, so I have to squeeze in a flight, which takes at least an hours worth of prep work, and believe me I am not that good and do not necessarily follow all proper procedures.Anyway, I think this is the straw that broke the camels back for me. PFE it is.Thanks to all for your kind help.

[onurksn 1]

Hello Waleed,Quick solution to your landing issue. By using AF2 you can close and open runways for usage.What I would do in your case at Jordan is the following: I would create 2 AFCAD files, one with the 09's open and the 27's closed and another one vice versa.Before your flight check the METAR for Queen Alia and use the file that corresponds to the winds. Make sure your Scenery folder only has one AF2 file at a time though, duplicates are known to cause problems.Best regards