Hi guys, I have an odd question. Every time I land at an airport with the NGX the default ATC always gives me the smallest parking spot it can find. I am always on some apron far away from the gates with the CRJ's and Q400s. Is there a way of tricking the ATC into thinking I'm a medium or heavy plane so it will assign me a gate?

Hi guys, I have an odd question. Every time I land at an airport with the NGX the default ATC always gives me the smallest parking spot it can find. I am always on some apron far away from the gates with the CRJ's and Q400s. Is there a way of tricking the ATC into thinking I'm a medium or heavy plane so it will assign me a gate?

 

You could try putting a atc_heavy=1 into the aircraft config. It would recongnize you as a heavy though. (737 is not a heavy lol) I don't use default ATC anymore, I usually fly on VATSIM and IVAO and I usually go to the RW gate that the plane is going to.

Hi John and thanks for the reply. I have a feeling I will just have to tough it out, I am surprised that a company hasn't made a good ATC upgrade for FSX. I have used radar contact but that doesn't even touch the ground traffic. Thanks anyway

I've used pro flight emulator as the ATC of choice for the last year or so, that gives gate to gate instructions, also lets you fly the SIDS and STARS although you set it all up before you depart and might end up the wrong SID or STAR for the runway.

 

The other one I have been keeping a watch on, which looks like it's going to be good is PRO ATC X, http://www.pointsoftware.de/proatcx_e/proatcxfeatures.html. That seems to go from gate to gate, allocate SIDS and STARS dependant on runway. I think they are still working on the bugs but it seems to be progressing well.

I forget the actual entries you put but there are settings in your aircraft.cfg file that determine the parking spots. If you fly for an airline, make sure you set your airline parking code too...Sorry, I'm away from my FSX computer right now so I don't remember the actual settings but this hopefully will lead you down the right track and/or spark someone else to reply with the right settings I'm talking about.

 

Look for airline_parking_code I think and also make sure you're not set as a cargo in the parking type setting.

Look for airline_parking_code I think and also make sure you're not set as a cargo in the parking type setting.

 

I found this in a couple of config files:

atc_parking_types=CARGO

 

There was also atc_parking_codes but that appeared to be set to a 2 or 3 letter airline designation.

 

Hook

Wow thanks guys, this all looks very helpful. It looks like that Pro ATC X is out also, has anybody tried that yet?

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I have used radar contact but that doesn't even touch the ground traffic. Thanks anyway

 

Incorrect.

 

Radar Contact (latest version 4.3.38...) allows you to asign a predesignated parking spot on the Controller Info popup which is accessible after you load the flightplan.

 

 

Incorrect.

 

Radar Contact (latest version 4.3.38...) allows you to asign a predesignated parking spot on the Controller Info popup which is accessible after you load the flightplan.

 

Thanks for the update, does it control AI traffic on the ground also?

Thanks for the update, does it control AI traffic on the ground also?

 

No it doesn't

 

 

I also use Radar Contact 4 (latest) and use the default ATC just to assign taxi and parking on arrival, however for me most the time I get a pretty good park that would be expected but from time to time it does also put me in some small bay with the regional turboprops. Sometimes it puts me in a heavy parking spot. I just go with whatever they give me assuming the aircraft will fit.