A quick fly by of Pro ATC

[Guest firehawk44]

With FSX ATC you can choose whatever departure you want

 

I see what you mean Steve. But that's not the same as a SID or STAR that takes you up to FL or down to GS.

 

Best regards,

Jim

[Guest firehawk44]

I bought it just a while ago, on my first flight... so far its very good...the atc voices are really good, way better than anything else...

I am very familiar with the pmdg fmc so thats no problem, however I cant get the co pilot to handle the com radio, that would be nice...

 

Anyhow, a very nice addon at least so far...

 

Glad you took the plunge Niklas. Don't think you'll be disappointed. The co-pilot does change the COM and NAV frequencies but watch it on glideslope as he/she does not change the Course (the co-pilot does in the default). If he's not changing COM then you will have to go into Options and make sure that option is checked. I do like ATC when the controller says, "go to heading..... uh.... say 146" like he's looking at the radar screen and making the decision on the spot. Have fun!

 

Best regards,

Jim

[Soundman 0]

Is there a way to ask for a different SID? As an example, I have made my flightplan for KLAX to KLAS via DAG and It continually assigns me the PRCH1 SID out of LAX instead of the normal LOOP6. I know you said the SID/STARS are weather based, but that's really only for runway assignment right?

[SteveW 1,792]

...not the same as a SID or STAR that takes you up to FL or down to GS.

 

 

More or less true Jim, I know what you are saying.

 

Essentially FSX orders you to continue in the runway direction until the next instruction where you are given climb instructions until TC, and similar for approach. These instructions are computed from the current waypoints, IAFs-FAF's, and procedures described in the sim scenery data.

 

It is the job of an addon ATC package to elaborate these procedures, but in fSX, it is all in there.

[Guest firehawk44]

I don't think it is good practice to charge the full price and exspect users to "help out".

 

Comments noted Andreas. But I know a whole bunch of commercial software that has been released and users found problems and the developers subsequently issued SP's. Even FSX. I think we should give a develop some time to fix a problem found after release. Then more and more people can be happy with the product.

 

Best regards,

Jim

 

It is the job of an addon ATC package to elaborate these procedures, but in fSX, it is all in there.

 

You're confusing me Steve. LOL! Easy to do. But the way I see it, FSX ATC gives you a runway and then vectors you to your destination. There are no SIDs or STARs in FSX ATC. Depending on the takeoff runway, ATC will give you the appropriate SID to get you to the first waypoint in your flightplan. You then follow the route of the waypoints in your flight plan until you near your destination where ATC will provide a STAR to get you down to the glideslope of the runway they designate. This was a major complaint with FSX ATC as everyone want the ability to select a SID or a STAR but instead they had to enter all the waypoints within the SID/STAR to make it realistic. ProATC does this automatically for you.

 

Best regards,

Jim

[Guest firehawk44]

Is there a way to ask for a different SID? As an example, I have made my flightplan for KLAX to KLAS via DAG and It continually assigns me the PRCH1 SID out of LAX instead of the normal LOOP6. I know you said the SID/STARS are weather based, but that's really only for runway assignment right?

 

This might have been fixed somewhat in the beta 1034. I do not see a LOOP6 but they have a LOOP4. And I don't see a PRCH1 SID but a PRCH9/DME with no waypoints. In any case, as I understand it, Runway selection and SID is selected based on the weather pattern. And there is no option to select another SID or STAR (I understand there might be sometime in the future). At O'Hare in Chicago, ATC kept providing me this one runway way, way out from the departing gate when most flights were departing from a nearby runway. I went into the Data tab for Airports and you have the option to select runways which can be used for takeoff and for landing. So the runway way, way out, I told the program it's no go for takeoff or landing and designated just one or two runways so I can get my virtual passengers off the ground faster. I just found out too that you can go into the DATA tab of ProATC and select SID/STARS then the Airport. If you right click the departure SID (like PRCH9/DME) you can deactivate the procedure. See if that works!

 

Best regards,

Jim

[SteveW 1,792]

Take Aivlasoft EFB for example, I got to "Expect Vectors...", I chose another approach, and went to EFB and created the approach (standard terminal arrival route) as a .PLN which was injected and ATC vectored me along that route, but it would have without the WPs in the plan itself..

[Steve1969 8]

I have tried radar contact, the problem with that is that it doesnt handle sids and stars... PFE I havent tried but have read that its not as realistic as the other ATC-addons...

 

Radar Contact does handle Sids and Stars; the details are in the manual.

[Soundman 0]

And I don't see a PRCH1 SID but a PRCH9/DME with no waypoints

 

Yes.. my bad should be PRCH9. Hopefully the AIRAC upgrade will help.

 

Also, Jim, to ask another question.

 

I've read you have flown out of KLAX. Do you not find the ATC instructions unrealistic with actual procedures? IE: "Contact tower when you are at holding point...." "Contact departure when airborne", And the Captain responding with "QNH"? I've listened to many hours of LIVE ATC at KLAX and the ops there seem to be drastically different.

[Guest firehawk44]

I've read you have flown out of KLAX. Do you not find the ATC instructions unrealistic with actual procedures?

 

Yes, unrealistic. It would be difficult to setup up procedures for every different airport, region, State, or Country. However, there's a program on their website that allows you to record your own voices, your own instructions, and you might be able to modify the program to give you a little more realism that you want. I personally have not tried out the voice program but people are uploading their ATC messages for others to download and perhaps this can be modified depending on the airport your are arriving or departing. You're not going to get perfection in this program. Just some added eye-candy to your flights.

 

Best regards,

Jim

[Crashdive 2]

Following this insane (let's be honest: that's what it is) thread since Chock gave it a "...quick fly by" I have yet to be convinced why I should spend 60 bux on a half baked, far from "hitting the shelve's" program just so that I come back here or to PRO-ATC/x's forum to see almost everyone, except firehawk44, tearing it to pieces.

 

Fact remains: Throwing a program/addon - whateveryouwannacallit - at us simmers without so much as having it actually tested it in a variety of circumstances and without so much as even a 'Ok, I was too hasty... lets cut the price by 25%' until it actually works, I can't see anybody but a few, brave and wallet-nonindependent select one's who actually have the gut's and claim this is a program well worth it.

Sorry, but your average - I guess about 80% of us - FSX'er just doesn't have the time nor the patience nor the change to go through all these steps just to find out it's rubbish and needs another 1500 or so beta-hour's of testing.

 

I go to the store and buy milk.

I expect it to be milk especially since it says it is milk.

If I want to try the "newest and best in it's class milk", I become a Beta-Milker.

 

For me the final clue as to why I would not purchase this software relies on of the oldest and most reliable sales pitch in history: Try and decide!

 

Besides all the efforts being made by the dev. to make this the No.1 in ATC: It just keeps on failing.

 

Maybe a handful of you finally managed to get a bloody flight going from A-to-B, but most of us here still struggle with the very basic concept of this product:

DOES IT WORK, YES OR NO?! - As of now I have to see one individual who says it does.

Have you?

I rest my case...

 

...btw, what happened to Chock?

[SteveW 1,792]

"It's full of STARs"

 

FSX is full of SIDs and STARS, check this out...

 

The Terminal waypoints of runway approaches for EGFF Cardiff, United Kingdom:

 

RWY 12: AA 2200 ft, MA 2500 ft, HDG 121.0°

EG EGFF Waypoint, FF12, ILS, Terminal Waypoint

 

RWY 30: AA 2220 ft, MA 2500 ft, HDG 301.1°

EG EGFF Waypoint, FI30, ILS, Terminal Waypoint

 

AA=approach alt, MA=missed approach alt

 

These are preceeded with other waypoints and directions that make up the transition, IAF - FAF, and terminal waypoint of the STAR - right from a regular airport in scenery 0601.

[Nigge 20]

Ok, I have bought it and thought that i might contribute to this thread with my ideas after my first couple of flights

 

To start with, the voice of the ATC and the background chatter is by FAR the best i´ve come across... It sounds really natural! And it gave me a correct SID and a working clearance... The flight worked very good, the only "problem" i noticed is that it did let me level out at FL120 for a long time, and then the final descent where very steep... not impossible but i needed flaps, speed brakes and geer to manage the speed.

 

So in other words, it worked very well and I think its the best ATC-addon we have right now (at least for my needs)...

 

It needs some tweaking still... like the descent path maybe a choice for the pilot to request descent when he wants to...

And I think it really needs to be able to talk to the AI-traffic to make it perfect...

 

But they are very close to be extremely good and a must have addon...

/Niklas

[SteveW 1,792]

Others have noted the short descents, is there a True/Air speed discrepancy or something simple like that?

[propkop2k2 1]

Well it's not working to my liking at the moment.

 

My biggest gripes are:

 

1) Not able to import flight plans. For the routes I fly I get sent all over the place from one silly way point to the next, flying away from my intended track then after a 100nm I get a waypoint going back to where I should be. This is an ATC program and not a flight planner.

 

 

2) Poor AI interaction. In fact I checked the ai craft on the moving map. Planes that had already taken off were shown to be still parked at the gate, if I check with another third party package the ai craft were displayed and updated correctly. This weekend I was number 3 in line for take off. ProAtc did not show the two planes in front and cleared me to line up. I have the same problem with planes just about to touch down, I also get take off clearance when I shouldn't.

 

3) Out of date NAV data. Hopefully this will be fixed soon.

 

4) Very late descents.

 

Probably a few more problems which evade me for the moment.

 

Anyway, I paid (too much) for it but am not using it at the moment.