I really like VoxAtc, but it is effectively useless for arriving in Vancouver. This is an airport in Orbx Pacific Northwest and also the subject of an upcoming release from FSDT, so I would love to get the approaches working with VoxAtc.

 

Vancouver is flanked by substantial mountains to the North East and VoxAtc consistently vectors me into them. Even when the STAR I am on terminates on the safe side of the runway, Vox take me off it and to the other side of the runway.

 

I realize that the program doesn't read the terrain elevation when vectoring, but surely it could choose to vector from the side of the runway that the STAR terminates at.

 

I know the developer doesn't post here, but presumably he does read the forum so hopefully he might read this and consider whether some improvement can be made in the next update.

Hi. When you are given your approach you should be able to press '0' in the VoxATC window and select 'Full ILS Approach' etc.

 

This should make VoxATC follow the published procedure rather than simply giving you vectors.

Requesting the full approach doesn't help in this situation. If I do that, then the controller leaves me alone and I can fly to the end of the STAR. However, the STAR end in the middle of nowhere (but away from the mountains) and I then need vectors to the approach, which I can't VOX to give me at that point.

Best case for planning a flight with VoxATC using a STAR, is when all ILS approaches originates from the same STAR endpoint.

This means that whatever runway VoxATC gives, you will have the same correct starting point for the approach.

 

However for Vancouver this is not the case apparently.

 

An example could be ILS RWY 8L and ILS RWY 26L, which of course are opposite approaches.

If we also use the STAR Paine as an example, then STAR Paine for RWY 8L ends at Intersection Hader and STAR Paine for RWY 26L ends at Intersection YVR.

 

As a consequence VoxATC may have to vector you across from Intersection Hader to ILS RWY 26L, if this is the active runway at the time. Which is not what you want.

 

Solution:

You will have to second guess the active runway before you pick your flight. This also means saving two flights. One for RWY 8L and one for RWY 26L, both with an appropriate flightplan.

 

I do not know if all STARs of Vancouver Intl has this problem, perhaps you can find one that fits better.

Thanks for the reply. The problem seems to be most pronounced with the 12/30 runway which VOX seems to favour, but in reality I don't think is used much. By requesting 8R over 12 I was vectored appropriately.

 

I think I will disable 12/30 so as to get the a.i. on the same runway. I just need to research how to do that. I seem to recall having an AFCAD program in the past with which I could easily disable a runway.