Hi,This is first situation:Whenever I file A VFR flight plan, I always check the weather (AS2004). sometimes, weather changes so fast that I get myself into IMC almost without noticing, (for what I've heard, this can happen in the real world too)I always prepare a IFR flight plan just in case this happens, and since my AC are always IFR ready, I decided to ask for an IFR clearance to my destination in the air.ATC always clear me, but they redirect me to my first waypoint on the route, with a 360 turn command...obviously, this is not right...How do you guys manage that?, Is there a way to "pick up" IFR flying on route and continue to the intended destination?2nd situation:I am arriving to my destination and want to shoot an ILS approach.as soon as I am assigned an approach ATC gives me the option to request another... here is the question:What are the differences between the options given there: Something like approach with vectors etc.. What is ATC going to do exactly?, wait for me to do the ILS? or just change the way they vector me to their standard 30 degree ILS interception... (most of the times they assign me altitudes not compatible at all with the charts.If I choose to go for a published approach will I be left alone up until tower clears me to land?Thanks.

Hi Gabriel,As for the first situation, I do that all the time and it works just fine. The catch, I believe, is that you have to follow your flightplan during the VFR part of the trip as well. If you are on your flightplan when you request the pop up IFR, you will be told to procede to the next waypoint, but if you're somewhere off track you'd be vectored to some unpredictable waypoint along your route (usually backtracking a good distance).For the second question, if you request one of the published procedures, you will be left alone without vectors (and don't count on a 30 deg intercept either; many published procedures use much steeper intercepts, often over 90 degrees). But ATC will still keep an eye on you and if you fly a path different than the approach you are cleared for you may find that your IFR has been silently cancelled by the time you are on final and want to contact tower. As for altitudes, if the sim database is correct, ATC will clear you for the correct passing altitude for the IAF you requested, but I have seen ATC goof that one up too so it happens apparently... Once you are cleared for the approach it is up to you to fly the altitudes specified in the procedure and sim ATC will let you do that.The big problem with requesting and flying published approaches in fs2k4 IMHO is that the STARs are not included; sometimes there is no convenient way to go directly from where you request the approach from ATC to the IAF, and the altitudes can be dangerously off during that part. Approaches into LGAV (going to visit the Olympics, for instance ...) is one such example. Another problem might be DME arcs; the one and only time I had reason to request one from ATC I was sent all the way up to the VOR (on the airport) and then 180 degrees back out to the 14 nm arc! I hope that was a one time occurence... And then there is the lack of circling approaches and VOR-A arrivals and the like outside the US... But I'd better stop complaining now! Best,/Bj

Thanks, Bj

>>I am looking for an "Activate leg" option in the FS GPS>default unit, I do not seem to find it.>Hit FPL to go to the Active Flightplan page, press the CRSR button to activate the cursor, rotate the large knob to highlight the desired destination waypoint, press the MENU button, select the "Activate Leg?" option, and press the ENT button.Best,/Bj

Bj

>PS/ My whish for FS10: An updatable Nav Database, so my PMDG>737NG and FS share common Nav Data.I agree! :) The cool thing is it already IS updatable... It's all in the BGLCOMP SDK. All that is needed (and it's a pretty big thing I suppose) is for someone to produce the tool to get the AIRAC data into the sim. In principle it is easy, since there seems to be a one-to-one corrspondance between the AIRAC info and what to put in the XML code, but I can imagine it would be quite complicated to actually do it... But who knows, maybe eventually somebody will deal with it!Best,/Bj

You can also create a flight plan while in the air using any nearby airport as your start point. When you file ATC will vector you to your first waypoint and continue from there.David

but the biggest thing that really bugs me to no end, is that if you want to file ifr, in midflight the whole flight "stops" and you get the black screen and then the ifr window opens, totally ruins it for me for the imersion factor, i say if in doubt file ifr then you can allways cancel ifr if you want, i hope in the next version of fs that you will be able to request ifr in flight through the atc menus or at least someway of still being able to flyciao!Brian S