Hey guys,Ive recently been having huge trouble with RC getting me to the correct altitude for capturing the ILS. Every time I come in for the approach it has me thousands of feet above where Im supposed to intercept.Ive tried rebuilding runways with no luck. I dont miss any altitude restrictions either. Any suggestions?

If you are going into a destination surrounded by hilly terrain the MSA for the area that RC uses, a computed average, might be too high. You can check this on the controller page for both of your airports. If you lower this and are following vectored assignments, you might be vectored into terrain obstacles.If the approach is specifically through valleys, the you should elect after your runway is assigned by approach (about 35 nm out) to do your own navigation electing an IAP using charts or FMC (charts are best). This will let RC ignore your navigation (no commands or monitoring) until you are told to contact tower.If you use a STAR, be sure the waypoints are also in the plan sent to RC and are in sync with your nav equipment. If your STAR is runway specific then in your plan include the common waypoints and then from approach select the IAP to navigate on your own to the current assigned runway.On the controller page you can also elect the NOTAMS option where vectors become advisory only and RC will not monitor your navigation. This can only be elected preflight.

Hey Ron, Just curious, but the same thing happened to me recently. I posted this short scenic route in the PMDG forum. A few posts later, here, I questioned Scott on this issue. As you can see I thought it was probably that I just should have checked the NOTAMS box which I hadn't, but if you could check out the posts, could you tell me which instance would have been more appropriate for me to do? In other words, should I do like you explained above with call for IAP or check the NOTAMS box (or both)? I imagine in real life a pilot should know his NOTAMS, but just wondering how someone would handle this when using RC4 for this route.I posted this mainly because it is a perfect route to fit the "through valleys" scenario that you explained above.Thanks,

Hey Ron,Just curious, but the same thing happened to me recently. I posted this short scenic route in the PMDG forum. A few posts later, here, I questioned Scott on this issue. As you can see I thought it was probably that I just should have checked the NOTAMS box which I hadn't, but if you could check out the posts, could you tell me which instance would have been more appropriate for me to do? In other words, should I do like you explained above with call for IAP or check the NOTAMS box (or both)? I imagine in real life a pilot should know his NOTAMS, but just wondering how someone would handle this when using RC4 for this route.I posted this mainly because it is a perfect route to fit the "through valleys" scenario that you explained above.Thanks,

Check the NOTAMS box and request a full IAP. The NOTAM box will allow you to bust the crossing restriction upon being passed over to TRACON (which in RC is either 12,000ft, or 11.000 ft/250 kts.) Allows you to stay high which often is required to intercept the IAF.But NOTAMs has the other benefit, that it will allow you to stay on course to intercept the IAF as you can 'ignore' the headings ATC gives you. But be aware, that NOTAM is only part of the answer. You still need to request a full IAP, perferable a RNAV if you are going in valleys, as with out it, RC will still try and vector you to either an ILS approach or a visual approach, and when moutains and valleys are concerned, RC is not in a position to do this very well, often getting you in a position where a visual of the runway becomes untenable. With NOTAMS and IAP, you can fly into the airport in a fashion that best resembles how you would do things in the real skies. Really, if ask for IAP at first chance, the NOTAM becomes uncessary, as it will only take affect when in contact with Approach, and that is when you ask for IAP, at which point RC will leave you alone until you are ready to land (which in rare cases, like when I fly the RNAV 01 approach into KDCA, since it requires such a sharp turn close to the runway, that you land before you can get switched to tower, get winds and clearence, but that is just a limitation of RC.)

The published MSA 25 nm radius is 15,000 feet. There is about a ten degree zig-zag offset to the approach from its IAF DAVVY to LASCH to the FAF INGRR. RC depending on your arrival might have you join expecting a straight in visual since it knows there is no ILS/LOC available from the runway data. You'd have to request a change in runway anyway since both runway directions are in RC's data. It does not know about the required circle to land to get to runway 34. There would be no standard pattern approach to 34.The only published IAP is GPS 16. No STARs are published. The published IAP minium altitude from the IAF to the first waypoint 14,000, 14,000 to the next, then 13,000 to the FAF. If it were straight in it could graze the 13,209 obstacle just to the west of the FAF. From the FAF it is pretty much straight in. RC would vector you to intersect the extended runway, not a good idea here.DAVVY is about 18 nm from the threshold but RC vectoring would take over way before you get there. Since the IAF is in your route coming in from the east RC would give you a left base entry but much further out. You need the NOTAM to avoid the 12,000 foot crossing restriction if it gives you that at 40 nm out. BTW since you are heading west, you should be at 16,000 feet (even altitude) for cruise since part of your flight is more than 3,000 feet GL enroute.So, as Scott stated, I'd check both the IAP which starts AFTER the crossing restriction (handed out by center) to avoid vectoring after contact by approach and allow you to navigate to the IAF and then follow the offset approach using your nav equipment (GPS-RNAV), and then the NOTAM to allow modification of the crossing restriction monitoring. Be sure to check your nav equipment IAP altitudes if you are coupling VNAV from your nav equipment into your approach. RNAV is not published, just GPS, so your nav database may not include the altitudes and you might have to control that manually.As an aside, the descent from the IAF to the threshold over that 18 nm miles is only about 5,000 feet at a glide slope, not steep, so if RC did place you 14,000 feet fifteen nm out that would not be too high. Of course you would only be flying in the that 6400x75 runway with not too large an aircraft. At the thin air up there drag is not too much for slowing the aircraft and if there are any typical gusting mountain crosswinds 75 feet is a narrow runway.Have fun skiing!

Wow thanks Ron!Appreciate the detail of your post. I will revist it as I learn what the heck you just said haha. Kidding :wink:Sorry for the late reply but things have been interesting next door tonight (PMDG forum).As for the route, if you saw the files I made available you will see that it is meant for the 16 gps approach. I realise I should be at 16k thanks to you and Subs (and I think Mad dog at one point too). But unfortunately as I mention many times, I am more on the fun side of things than realism at times and the post was for Scenic route hehe. Seriously though, Thanks for all your help and pointing these things out, it really is making me become more aware of the next level of things to keep in mind to add realism to my flights. Weird though, because I have flown it a lot and looked at a pic I got from Subs a week ago as well as the site linked in another post on RVSM and during this flight I am still cleared for FL150 despite the fact that I have RVSM checked. I would have thought due to something I was recently told that RC would automatically correct this and assign me the correct alt, or maybe I mis read.The thing about this route in particular was that I only have a short handful of flights with RC4 and this one of course was one of them but I found a few things while flying it that don't make sense to me or more likely that I'm just not use to RC and obviously not real world ATC enough yet. One thing is at one point I am told something and have yet been able to figure out what... I have changed voices 3 times now and have now flown it several times to test things out. I will keep doing it to soon find out what is being said but as for the procedures, checking NOTAMS as well as selecting IAP was what the doctor ordered and the flight went exactly as planned.

First, RVSM in the US does not apply until the higher flight levels. It starts beyond FL290. IFR separation below FL180 is 1,000 feet east/west with odd/even thousands of feet. A stepping altitude when issued by ATC is a transition that does not have to follow those rules which are primarily for longer legs Second, in the US, flight levels start at FL180 climbing and stop at FL190 descending I believe for a transition altitude used in the US of 18,000 feet. In Colorado your crossing restriction would be issued in feet and that indicates you should be using the ATC stated surface barometer pressure, not standard pressure, for your altimeter setting as you climb above or descend below 18,000 feet. You'll hear the copilot call "Altimeter Check" as a reminder to switch between local and standard altimeter pressure. If RC ATC states a flight level command for your altitutde you switch to standard pressure. If ATC states feet you switch to local pressure (QNH).Check out page 37 in the RC43 manual.

I checked the notams box, and it seems to be working a little better, I always check my pressure too so thats good. One other thing thats been happening is RC gives me a runway, then immediately assigns another one. This has lead to most of the problems ive noticed trying to intercept. If RC gives me one runway, and sticks with it, Im usually golden for approach.

Up to a certain approach distance, if AI suddenly show up or change runway you can get a new assignment.

I checked the notams box, and it seems to be working a little better, I always check my pressure too so thats good. One other thing thats been happening is RC gives me a runway, then immediately assigns another one. This has lead to most of the problems ive noticed trying to intercept. If RC gives me one runway, and sticks with it, Im usually golden for approach.