Hi, I'd really like to receive some suggestions on ATC add-ons for FS2004.I'm just posting this to familiarize myself on the variety of ATC add-ons out there for FS2004.Thanks in advance for your comments.

Hi There, You have 2 options the first is ProFlight 2000 Emulator (PFE) and the second is Radar contact 4 (RCV4)here are the links for you:http://www.oncourse-software.co.uk/pfe_what_is_it.htmhttp://www.jdtllc.com/Hope this help.Regards

Most probably the two addons people will recommend to you are: PFE (Pro FLight Emulator) and RC (Radar Contact) as being the best available ATC addons.I'm sure you will get some valuable opinions from the inside soon in this post. For now you can visit the developers' sites to read about the features.And do a search here in the Forum, as there were quite a lot of topics on that with people giving a lot of insight.And if you ask me, I wll always say: go VATSIM! :(

You can actually also use ATC Simulator 2 with FS9, where people on ATC2 can control FS9 aircraft using its radar screen, and anyone connected to the session flying in FS9 can then receive control instructions based on what is on the ATC2 radar scope. To make use of it you'd have to have a few people who were into the idea of doing that, but if you know people who are willing to give it a shot, and who know how to issue correct ATC instructions, then it would certainly be a most realistic option.Al

Isn't Radar Contact version 5 going to be released for FS9 at some point?

Hi,RC5 is surely in the pipeline and, to judge by the tenor of the more recent posts in the RC forum here, will be a broadening of what's already a very good product. I get the feeling that development is accelerating but understandably the developers don't want to give a deadline (better to wait for a finished item than to beg an early release of an unfinished product).I use it heavily as I'm not connected to the net at home so can't use online ATC like Vatsim. It's a lot more flexible than MS own ATC and has a much more 'real' feel about it. Don't believe what you read about a steep learning curve. There is a lot to learn, but you can go at your own pace and still be flying within half an hour. I've been using it since Christmas and am still only half way through the accompanying tutorials, learning all the time. (Consider how many people complete all the FS9 flying lessons. I quit after gaining my MS PPL and I drop back in for the odd lesson if something grabs my attention.)The support given in the RC forum is second to none I've ever known (though that's only limited experience of support forums) with personal correspondence when necessary and the whole beta team at your disposal promptly and courteously. Take a look through some of the posts.If I had the net, I'd undoubtedly use both- RC when I wanted to mess around, practise or experiment, and Vatsim when I wanted to be more serious/professional, though Vatsim might not be so good if no controllers are on line for your part of the world.I'm aware that the two packages are the main standalone alternatives to MS ATC but never looked into PFE as I bought RC before becoming aware of PFE. I'd like to hear some reports from PFE users so I can compare too.Regards,Dave

I'm aware that the two packages are the main standalone alternatives to MS ATC but never looked into PFE as I bought RC before becoming aware of PFE. I'd like to hear some reports from PFE users so I can compare too.Regards,Dave

Dave, I own Radar Contact and ProFlight Emulator. I used RC from the time it came out. There is none better when it comes to procedures. It's not that hard to use. I've been using PFE recently because of the extensive voice sets that the program has available. I do a lot of flying in Europe. When I take off from Heathrow on my way to Frankfurt, I'm going to have controllers with British, French and German accents and they change by region. The immersion factor is great. Procedure wise PFE does a good job. The key is in your flight plan. I think if you do a search on youtube, you may find examples of both products. Actually, if you could merge the two programs, that would be really cool.

RC5 will be released for FS2004 according to jd.

Here's another big thumbs up for the diversity of ProFlight Emulator, and I ,too used RC4 for a long time. All I can tell you is that I never went back, don't want to go back, and have now used PFE for for a lot longer than I ever did Radar Contact. No slam against RC4 meant, it's great, I just think it's getting a bit "long in the tooth" these days.

Just to throw another scenario into the pot.I have done away with ATC altogether.For years I have used the default ATC and despite the criticism it often gets I have no gripes really, it got me to where I wanted to go without fault.However FS9 ATC is flippin chatty on and on and on it goes nag ,nag,nag.So this is what I do now.I select a flight from airsource.I then create a flightplan in FSNav.I download the weather from ASKy, I then check the weather at my DEP and ARR airports (a useful tool in Activesky)I then choose a DEP and ARR runway depending on wind direction as shown in ASKy, I amend my FSNav plan to include the those runways and then export it into FS9,open flightplanner load exported plan and I am ready to go.On takeoff I still check to see nothing is landing or departing from my runway and of I go.FsNav handles V and H nav, I handle speeds and final approach flaps ,speed etc.All this is done without FS ATC and makes for a quiet and relaxing flight(how I like it)I will sometimes tune to centres on route just to see that I am not alone in VSpace.Some advantages include no waiting at DEP for VFR or IFR traffic,less chance of ATC sound stutters,no interminable go-arounds after three hrs flight,and all sorts of other things to many to mention. :( At this moment in time that's how I enjoy FS9Happy birthday to it by the way.What a piece of softwareAnd how stupid and rottenly puny of the mighty Msoft for dumping what must be a record breaker in the longevity of a piece of entertainment software that involves the peaceful enjoyment of VSkies.HAPPY SEVENTH and many more.Speech over cheers Andy