Hi there.

 

I have been playing FSX for a few months now without issues, However i have just stared having issues with the ATC and ils approaches.

 

Normally i fly my planned route using the FMC until ATC tells me otherwise. I follow the heading and altitude given to me then ATC will give me the heading to intercept the ils signal (normally around 20-30 nm i think)

 

That was until i installed Ultimate traffic 2.

 

Lets use an example, i fly the Gatwick Dublin route a fair bit. Normally the ATC will tell you to begin your decent after you pass over the welsh coast. Then they will line you up with the runway and you are given your final heading (you know. turn heading XX maintain 2500 contact dublin approach on XX) This normally happens just as you approach the Irish coast.

 

Now after installing UT2 i am given my final heading just over the Welsh coast Some 55NM from dublin. This means that by the time i pick up the localiser signal im at an impossible angle to make an ils intercept. i have tried this with other airports as well and i get the same issue.

 

I have uninstalled UT2 and re-installed Traffic X as i was using that before, but the issue still remains.

 

Has anyone come across this issue before? Am i doing something wrong or is this an issue with the sim?

 

Many thanks.

 

Mister V

How can an AI program change the default ATC? It should be the same whether you have an AI program installed or not. So I don't think the AI programs are at fault. I don't have a solution to your 'problem' though other than maintain 2500 when you're out 55nm and don't descend until you capture the localizer. I usually descend to 1800 when I'm within 20 nm to make sure I capture the glideslope.

 

Best regards,

Jim

Are you sure it's the final heading? 55 NM out seems quite a bit too early to me, too. I usually select a transition waypoint as soon as I get the advice "you're xx miles out, turn to heading xx, descend and maintain xx, expect ILS/visual for RWY xx" by changing the approach type. ATC then usually clears me directly to that waypoint and gives no further instructions, except for "descend and maintain xx" or "contact tower on xx".

This way I can fly the approaches according to charts or using the STAR programmed into my FMC.

 

Alternatively, when I know that I won't encounter any IMC and thus there's no need of flying IFR I just file a VFR flight plan to have the waypoints, and fly something I call "pseudo-VFR".

Hmm, I thought you werent even able to pick up the ILS signal until you were within 30DME. 55nm does seem like an awful long way. Certainly far from realistic, you would never get such a distance in real life. Not that you would be instructed to intercept it at 30nm dme either. In real life you would probably be instructed to intercept it at around ~10nm distance from the threshold

Are you sure it's the final heading? 55 NM out seems quite a bit too early to me, too. I usually select a transition waypoint as soon as I get the advice "you're xx miles out, turn to heading xx, descend and maintain xx, expect ILS/visual for RWY xx" by changing the approach type. ATC then usually clears me directly to that waypoint and gives no further instructions, except for "descend and maintain xx" or "contact tower on xx".

This way I can fly the approaches according to charts or using the STAR programmed into my FMC.

 

Alternatively, when I know that I won't encounter any IMC and thus there's no need of flying IFR I just file a VFR flight plan to have the waypoints, and fly something I call "pseudo-VFR".

Hmm, I thought you werent even able to pick up the ILS signal until you were within 30DME. 55nm does seem like an awful long way. Certainly far from realistic, you would never get such a distance in real life. Not that you would be instructed to intercept it at 30nm dme either. In real life you would probably be instructed to intercept it at around ~10nm distance from the threshold

 

Yes it's defiantly the last instruction i get as far as heading. They pass me over to the approach ATC and they just clear me for landing. As i said it used to be much closer. It used to work just fine, until i installed UT2. At first i thought it might be something in the scenery library (I had an issue with my traffic x where It would stop Certain ils frequencies from working. But as far as i can tell it's all ok.

 

The 20-30 NM in my original post was a guess, you might well be correct in saying it is closer.

Suggest removing UT2 to determine if that is the problem. As others have said, it's unlikely that an AI add-on would change default ATC behavior.

Suggest removing UT2 to determine if that is the problem. As others have said, it's unlikely that an AI add-on would change default ATC behavior.

 

I already have. but i don't know what else would cause it. Installing UT2 was the only change i made.

It is not UT2. UT2 has nothing to do with this - correlation but not causation.

 

Does Traffic X include AFCADS or have you downloaded scenery for the area recently? Usually when ATC starts doing strange things it is the result of a faulty AFCAD/ADE file. Navaids and approach data in the AFCAD/ADE files control what ATC tells you to do at this point in the flight.

 

If Traffic X does include AFCADS, my guess is you uninstalled the Traffic X AFCAD when you untinstalled Traffic X and the AFCAD that is left over is messed up.

It is not UT2. UT2 has nothing to do with this - correlation but not causation.

 

Does Traffic X include AFCADS or have you downloaded scenery for the area recently? Usually when ATC starts doing strange things it is the result of a faulty AFCAD/ADE file. Navaids and approach data in the AFCAD/ADE files control what ATC tells you to do at this point in the flight.

 

If Traffic X does include AFCADS, my guess is you uninstalled the Traffic X AFCAD when you untinstalled Traffic X and the AFCAD that is left over is messed up.

 

That sounds possible, Where would i look for AFCAD files? and is there anyway of restoring them without having to re-install FSX?

I don't know where Traffic X sticks them. Perhaps add on scenery\scenery?

 

I suppose you could copy them to a temp folder when Traffic X is installed, uninstall traffic X, and put the ADE files back where Traffic X put them.

 

In the end, I'm not sure if this is the issue but I know it has nothing to do with UT2.