Yesterday, for the first time, I decided to try an ATC monitered flight from EDDM to LIRN. So I filed the flight plan - ATC at EDDM took charge - I took off as directed, then ATC Vectored me around the sky a bit, asking me to change course and altitude a few time; finally bringing me back to the nearest waypoint on my Flight Plan. The last thing my Controller said to me was "Continue own Navigation"! - that was it :) I heard nothing more from them? My question is this, is this Standard ATC Practice in Fs9, should I have re-filed my FP nearer my final Destination, or is this as good as it gets?I enjoyed the initial experience, but just sorry it did not continue throughout my flight.Ken,Somerset, England

Reopen your flightplan and ensure you set it to IFR vice VFR. Did you contact clearance delivery, and receive clearance prior to taxi? If not, then the flightplan is probably set to VFR.W. Sieffert

When I am flying IFR I too get this from ATC - normally I just take that as I should follow the course I planned via the GPS i.e. i switch on the NAV/GPS function and let the autopilot do its thing.When its time for decent later on, ATC will start to give directions again so you havent been abandoned by it or anything like that :DAlso, during the flight you will be asked by ATC to contact new centers that will follow the flight :)

Hi,Thanks for those replies.Yes, I made sure when Loading my FP that I had checked IFR; indeed ATC gave me TO Clearance and Vectors; but then came up with the 'killer phrase' - "Use own Navigation"! That was it. I just continued to my LIRN using the AP. ATC did 'hand me' over to other Centres etc. but never again attempted to Vector my flight. I quite thought that ATC would stay with me throughout my flight.Next step I guess is to try flying Online.Ken

ATC should stay with you throughout the flight - resume own navigation means ATC expects you to follow the flight plan. If you deviate from the plan, then ATC should begin vectoring you back towards the plan. Only if you fail to reply to an instruction will ATC abandon your flight...Quick EDIT> The easiest instruction to miss is a handoff - if you get handed off but fail to change frequencies or fail to contact the new center, you don't get any warning that ATC is dropping your flight. If you miss a change heading or altitude, you get a bunch of "did you copy?" or "please expedite" messages to get your attention. Try it again - you'll get the hang of it - Takeoff to landing.Hope that helps,sg

Hi sg,Thanks for your reply.It's quite possible that I could have missed a handoff; perhaps when I went to talk to the passengers (alias 'er indoors!) - I'll try again tonight and stick with it.Many thanks,Ken

Hi Ken,this is quite normal in the real world as well - you are expected to fly your filed route without vectors from ATC (otherwise there would be little point in filing a route with the flightplan ;)). Once you're near your destination, you'll be given descent instructions and eventually vectors to final. FS9 also allows you to request a different approach and/or runway. Bear in mind, that those will have to be requested separately, though.Cheers,Gosta.http://www.hifisim.com/images/as2betateam.jpg

Hello Gosta,Nice to hear from you.That gives me the complete picture, thank you. I did wonder about filing the Flight Plan; but tossed the thought aside thinking ATC might want to know more than Departure and Destination Airports. Anyway, I'll try the Flight again tonight and see what happens.Ken

Hi,I think ATC does a reasonable job IFR wise but they'd be on unemployment benefit in the real world! But as an aside, they can be a bit scary!LIRN for instance, (you mentioned) Your vectored over the mountains to capture ILS into runway 24. I don't know if it's to do with the third party mesh scenery but I get the ground proximity warning in the Cessna Citation X.Other mountain areas take you too close for comfort and they completely fail at Sion in Switzerland. Caused me to declare a missed approach and then was directed to fly into a mountain!Cassablanca, Morroco is a pain as the controller shares the same frequency as the automated weather!Love to see a thread with all the ATC bugs. Just for fun, mind :)Could do with a overhaul, but MS will only do this in the next release.Alan

After dealing with a couple of ATC flights in FS2K2, I acquired Radar Contact (support forum here on AVSIM), upgraded to the latest 3.1, and migrating into FS9 have been extremely pleased. Climbs and descents are correctly stepped and in the options you can declare a safe AGL limit which RC can use to assist in terrain avoidance.

The problem with Radar Contact is its very limited AI awareness. While the default ATC has its weaknesses at least you feel part of the overall pattern of aircraft movements on the ground and in the air. For example, if you are a Dash 8 on the runway you hear ATC tell other aircraft that traffic on the runway is a Dash 8. Similar calls can be heard in the air. As I understand it Radar Contact can't do this and even the next version may not. The main problem with the default ATC is what seems to be an excessive number of handoff calls. If you have to leave the virtual cockpit for bathroom break or whatever these can be missed and your ATC support is summarily lost.For extended flights I now electively terminate IFR ATC support once established at cruise level to allow me to do other things during the long hours of a trans-continental or oceanic flight. I then re-lodge an IFR flightplan at say 200 NM from the destination to regain ATC support during the descent and approach phases - works well.Bruce

RC v 4.0 will address some of these issues.You can hear both FS and RC ATC at the same time with proper FS option settings including the sound mixer and keeping the ATC selected in FS. You need to listen to both COM1 and COM2 in some conditions - see the manual.For ground ops just with one COM I hear both RC and FS ATC by keeping the FS ATC alive and it does assist with the environment trends as you suggest.I am also hearing both FS Tower and RC Tower and 3.1 is correctly calling the traffic targets during approach as I hear in FS.Turn off the RC chatter option and keep FS ATC sound and option enabled and you should get close to what you are seeking. Your comments regarding the environment are right on!Also note in RC 4 is promised to observe active AI and establish trends so the correct runways are used as established by FS first, then applying the RC priorities.If there is an aircraft on the runway as you get close, RC will issue a go-around.To keep me aware of traffic and alert to listening for FS ATC calls, I find a TCAS overkaying the EHSI most valuable and worth the cost of purchasing the Reality-XP JL series of instruments. I do not use the FS9 Garmins, so don't know if they have a TCAS option. The Reality-XP versions show the position and relative altitude and altitude trends which is what I was looking for. I sometimes adjust my approach speed to maintain seperation in these instances (I always land with RC NOTAMS enabled).

Thank you for your helpful comments. I appreciate that there are various work arounds to better integrate RC with AI and the default ATC but to me they seem to just to over-complicate matters. For instance I fly the Fanda Dash 8 a lot and that doesn't seem to have a Comm 2. If I am on short final and have clearance to land I would rather any aircraft on the ground be instructed to hold short of the runway than have to go around myself.I didn't use to fly with FS9 ATC because of all the negative posts about it but since installiing Ultimate Traffic I have found that ATC support is essential if you are going to fly in and out of major airprts - as in real life.Now I appreciate that the current version of RC has a lot going for it and RC4 looks as if it will address most of my reservations but as it will not be a free upgrade I will wait until its release before seriously considering it.Bruce

Hi everyone,Well, it's been a very interesting thread so far.I have been flying my favourite Route from EDDM to LIRN (destination rwy 24). I've made about 6 flights since my last Post; I have had to 'dump' the Fs9 ATC - they are very nice lads and lassies :) but not toooo helpful. ATC seemed to learn a little as we went along, so did I. It got so that ATC would stay with me to Naples, I found it helped if I asked for Alt. changes now and then (I could be wrong of course! I was wrong once in 1949 :)!)The big problem is Fs9, FsNav 4.5 nor ATC do not know how high the hills and mountains are along a given Route - to be fair it's a very tall order to expect them to; so when it comes to ATC vectors near Airports that have a number of high,ish hills around them....well life can become difficult, I found.For me I found that compromise is the order of the day; if, like me, you like to hear a little harmless chat as you fly. So I keep in touch with ATC until I'm handed over to Rome Center - then I dump them like a 'hot brick' :) - from then on I stick to my Flight Plan using a Jeppesen Approach Chart; I find this system works a treat! With experience I find I can now make the Approach without hearing things like "Pull UP!" "Pull Up!" and such like - I find the PSS Autopilot does'nt like it either.So, thank you all for your replies, they have helped me to persevere.Nothing to do with my problems, but in case you are interested I fly the wonderful PSS Airbus A321 almost to the exclusion of anything else; except when I want to relax a little, then it's the Lake Renegade and BFU.Ken,Somerset, England