For one, make sure that the step climbs/descents in your flight plan are practical for the aeroplane, the terrain and any airspace restrictions. Also make sure especially if you are flying at high altitude that you begin your descent in very good time. Obviously any ATC in the sim is going to use the sims rules or at least try to make a good work around. It sounds to me though that your flight plan is a bit unrealistic.vololiberista

Hi,Are you using FSX? If you are I have noted that AI smooth does not appear to work with FSX.If anyone has it working in FSX can you please offer some guidance please.Norman

Please see my >>>>>>>replies below:

I've been using AI Smooth all along. There is no way RC is interacting with my AI or my flight plan. >>>>>>>>Do you have Interact with AI on in the options? Also AI Smooth version 1.20 works with FS9 and FSX. You can try the option in it to respond to user aircraft. This version is in the FSX Utility section here on AVSIM. It is mainly for approach separation and has no effect on ground operation.I just flew an RNAV STAR in which ATC was clearing me to altitudes which in real life they do not do. Unless something is terribly wrong ATC will leave you alone and expect you to follow the altitude restrictions. The STAR was in my flight plan but yet ATC refused my #3-PD request then proceeded to clear me to altitudes that did not follow the chart at all. >>>>>>>> Sometimes PD takes more than one try.Flying eastbound at 12,000 per ATC's instruction and over 50 miles from the airport, they completely removed me from the route with vectors. >>>>>>>> Vectors start at about 40 nm from destination just after your reach your crossing restriction and approach has assigned a runway. If you were not at your crossing restriction altitude (FL or feet) RC will take you off your route with delay vectors until you are at the commanded altitude.At the airport I was flying into the viability was 4SM but yet they set me up for a visual approach. When I requested the IAP, they descended me to 2,500 then flew me over 20 miles away from the airport.>>>>>>>> The 2,500 is the anticipated glide slope intercept altitude. On an IAP you make the altitude decisions for your approach and RC will do nothing in the way of guidance.On my Approach Plate my IAF was only 14.1 miles away and the altitude was 5,000 ft. Here I am flying 25 miles out at 2,500 ft and I can't see anything infront of me.>>>>>>>> Once again on an IAP you totally do your own navigation.Once on the ground I contacted ground and then was run over by 3 different aircraft on my way to parking.>>>>>>>> RC does NOT provide ground AI protection except for freezing AI attempting to taxi onto the runway during the last stages you are on final. AI is controlled by the FS AI engine and your aircraft position.I find it very hard to believe that RC is interacting with my AI or the charts. Now it's vectoring me off of RNAV's in low vis arrivals.>>>>>>>> RC once it starts vectors uses standard pattern approaches at about 40 nm in. If you want to follow RNAV points be sure those points are in the plan and when approach contacts you with a runway, ack it, then go to the extended menu, request an IAP, and then totally do you own navigation to final.Now tell me that is realistic.Now before you guys come on here with your "realistic" talk. Explain this one to me. I'm cruising eastbound at FL490 in Eaglesoft's Cessna Citation X at Mach .92. I am 20 nm's to my TOD to cross my RNAV restriction at 15,000.>>>>>>>>RC does not follow altitude restrictions in flight plans.ATC instructs me to D/M FL420. I choose the PD option. ATC returns with a negative and an instruction that he needs me at FL420 immediately. OK, for one, FL420 is not even a legal altitude as separations are 2,000 ft above FL400.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>RVSM ends at FL410. IFR rules of 4,000 foot separation (in same direction) apply in most international areas start at 410. Our real world ATC controllers state that for purposes of temporary steps they can depart from these fixed flight levels as I understand it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_levelSecondly, what is coming up my rear end so fast that I need to leave FL490 pronto? At both FL490 and FL420 I am still with the same Center Controller.

Version 1.2 of AISmooth works with both FS9 and FSX. It registers itself with FSUIPC3 or FSUIPC4 as needed. It is in the FSX Utility section here on AVSIM.It is for protection only in the approach area and does not offer ground protection from AI. It only affects AI in the air in the airport local vicinity.

Hi,Are you using FSX? If you are I have noted that AI smooth does not appear to work with FSX.If anyone has it working in FSX can you please offer some guidance please.Norman

OK, first off all I paid around $50. for Radar Contact. I should not need another program like AI Smooth for RC to perform correctly but yes I use it and yes the options are set correctly. ATC's main purpose is to keep separation of airplanes but yet now I need AI Smooth to do this for me?I personally do not see much difference between RC and the default ATC. The Default ATC does keep control of planes on the ground and RC does not. Yes RC will keep AI's from rear ending you while holding short but that is it. I hear so much about this new feature that RC freezes all planes on the ground while on approach. If it was actually controlling the AI's like it should wouldn't they be off the runway anyway? Yes, interact with AI is on but yet the AI are doing whatever they want. Neither of them perform SID's and/or STAR's either lateral or vertical navigation. Yeah yeah, RC will follow the STAR but only if I am at an "unrealistic" crossing restriction that does not follow the Arrival Chart. So you might as well not have any ATC at all. RC does not control AI, on the ground or in the air, on approach or wherever. The Default ATC at least does this. So realistically ATC does not vector an airplane for the IAP? They just descend you to hazardous altitudes and let the pilot figure it out on his own? I personally don't think this program is worth the $50. I paid for it. Infact I don't think its worth more then a dollar. It doesn't do anything more then what came in the Flight sim box. I now use the default ATC from Clearance until they hand me off to departure. I switch freq. but do not contact them. They leave me alone for the whole flight. I fly my flight, follow my SID's and STAR's and when I am on final I contact Tower for clearance to land. This one program has to be the biggest waste of money I have spent of flight simulation.

Send an e-mail to [email protected]. If you intend not to use RC then request a refund. Point to this thread for your reasons why. Some people have received them based on descriptions in their complaints.In regard to separation on final, I do not know why RC is not providing it for some people.When/if version 5 is released it will let you create SIDs and STARs with altitude restrictions and starting at a greater distance from the airports. SID planning has been tested.RC uses standard patterns based on arrival direction. In the manual see the explanation of near-side and far-side entries. Real world aircraft at many U.S. airports use these patterns. Regarding vectored descent altitudes, the usual complaint in uneven terrain is that RC keeps the aircraft too high. RC4 does not detect terrain features for uneven areas. It just uses an average based on a certain distance out. The base MSAs come from the map quadrant MSA database. You can see those on aviation charts for lower altitudes.Ground AI separation in all phases is in RC5. It uses more complicated algorithms then FS as I understand it. But that's not here yet.

OK, first off all I paid around $50. for Radar Contact. I should not need another program like AI Smooth for RC to perform correctly but yes I use it and yes the options are set correctly. ATC's main purpose is to keep separation of airplanes but yet now I need AI Smooth to do this for me?I personally do not see much difference between RC and the default ATC. The Default ATC does keep control of planes on the ground and RC does not. Yes RC will keep AI's from rear ending you while holding short but that is it. I hear so much about this new feature that RC freezes all planes on the ground while on approach. If it was actually controlling the AI's like it should wouldn't they be off the runway anyway? Yes, interact with AI is on but yet the AI are doing whatever they want. Neither of them perform SID's and/or STAR's either lateral or vertical navigation. Yeah yeah, RC will follow the STAR but only if I am at an "unrealistic" crossing restriction that does not follow the Arrival Chart. So you might as well not have any ATC at all. RC does not control AI, on the ground or in the air, on approach or wherever. The Default ATC at least does this. So realistically ATC does not vector an airplane for the IAP? They just descend you to hazardous altitudes and let the pilot figure it out on his own? I personally don't think this program is worth the $50. I paid for it. Infact I don't think its worth more then a dollar. It doesn't do anything more then what came in the Flight sim box. I now use the default ATC from Clearance until they hand me off to departure. I switch freq. but do not contact them. They leave me alone for the whole flight. I fly my flight, follow my SID's and STAR's and when I am on final I contact Tower for clearance to land. This one program has to be the biggest waste of money I have spent of flight simulation.

if you don't see much difference between ms atc and rc, therein lies the problem.send me an email, with your order number, and i'll make it right. it may take a day or so, since it is christmas day.jd