If I'm not mistaken, normally ATC would give the pilot all the procedures and turn instructions to follow to land the plane on the right runway.

 

Since ATC is pretty much crap in FSX, how do most of you plan a simulated landing route?

 

Or I should say, what is an easy, proper way to plan a landing route for the airport you know you will be landing at?

Use the IFR charts and approach plates. You don't need ATC, nice to have vectors but most every approach will include a procedure turn, or NoPT if you're within an arc of the FAF

Sorry, but I don't have much time to explain this, but I can point you to a great vid by a real pilot and sim'er. He explains this very well;

 

I can point you to a great vid by a real pilot and sim'er. He explains this very well;

 

Excellent videos. Thanks.

 

Hook

It depends...

A heavy into a busy airport: yes ATC is going to tell you exactly what to do, which might be to follow a standard route or vectors.

 

A little bug smasher into a quiet regional? You'll get joining (and possibly reporting) instructions and it's up to you to do what needs to be done to get yourself to the threshold without getting in anyone else's way, eg 'Join downwind runway 23, report abeam the race course.'

It depends...

A heavy into a busy airport: yes ATC is going to tell you exactly what to do, which might be to follow a standard route or vectors.

 

 

Really? So vanilla ATC is actually good in FSX for a major airport bringing in a tubeliner? I guess I assumed it was junk from the comments and topics I see around here all the time.

I fly with the FSX real world weather engine. First thing I do is flight planning. That includes checking the current real world weather (including of course winds) at my departure and destination. I do this via FlightAware.com and CheckWX.com. I also check the terminal forecasts to see if there is a significant change in winds from current to that forecast at the time of my planned arrival.

 

I print approach plates for the anticipated runway(s). Those approach plates contain the ATIS radio frequency for the destination airport.

 

I tune in the ATIS as I near the destination to verify the surface winds and the active runway.

 

I employ the Reality XP GPS's and enter my flight plan into the RXP when on the ground at the departure airport. When I verify the active runway at the destination ATIS I load the appropriate approach procedure into the RXP GPS and activate it for the approach. This most often requires clearing the instance of the destination airport from the RXP GPS flight plan as otherwise that destination airport appears in the plan in front of the first approach fix.

 

I fly the approach via the autopilot set to the RXP GPS until established on the final approach course. At that time depending on weather conditions I either keep the RXP/GPS approach coupled to the autopilot until I have the runway in sight or until decision height. From that point I either extinguish the autopilot, or execute the missed approach procedure.

 

I tune out or ignore the FSX ATC.

Haha.. I didn't say it was good. I don't think it's as bad as some might say, and I think it could be done better if the software allowed. A lot of standard RW approach procedures end in 'vectors to final' which is what FSX ATC does. Unfortunately, it doesn't send you (assign and clear you) down the first bit of the approach and doesn't do complex standard departures. It can't be as flexible as real world controllers, eg clearing you for a 'line up and wait behind' while there is another a/c on final or clear you for the next climb before reaching the point it previously cleared you to.

 

Since starting to fly RW routes I really only use it to get taxi instructions at either end, and like many otherwise ignore it. But I do use it when flying VFR out of and into controlled airports. It does an ok job of that.

VATSIM controllers do a pretty good job

If I'm not mistaken, normally ATC would give the pilot all the procedures and turn instructions to follow to land the plane on the right runway.

 

Since ATC is pretty much crap in FSX, how do most of you plan a simulated landing route?

 

Or I should say, what is an easy, proper way to plan a landing route for the airport you know you will be landing at?

 

Quite important (I think): what plane are you flying? That video is good but mainly for GA. And approach charts are nice but do airliners ever fly them (the entire approach, that is)? Usually they get vectored by ATC. I use ProATC/X because it's a bit better then default ATC but default ATC isn't as bad as everyone says, at least not when it comes to positioning you in front of the runway. Main problems with FSX ATC is that 1. they don't do SIDs and STARs (no problem for GA), 2. it hands you over to another controller way too often and 3. it lets you change direction way too often. However, it DOES get you to your destination!

I load the plane on the airport to begin with. I use AS2012 show me the whether directions and more.

Then I put in my flight plan in the FMC which I created with FSC 9.0.

After the flight plan is complete in the legs page I put in the SIDs by using charts from Navigraph. Then I taxi to the runway that is best suited for takeoff by the wind directions from AS2012.

When I am nearing my destination ca. 16 min I check what the weather is like on my destination airport and put STARs in for that runway that is best suited by wind direction.

 

I hope this helps .

Quite important (I think): what plane are you flying?

 

I was mainly thinking about airliners when I made the OP but not necessarily modern ones with FMC.

They would get vectored to an intercept course, within 30 degrees of the localizer, then cleared for the approach. n63467 turn right heading 170, remain above 3000 until established on the localizer, you are cleared for the ILS18 Timbuktu.

 

So if you're auto landing in that big tube plane, well....you're done the plane will do the rest (editorial: Boring, yawn)

 

If you're going to hand fly the Approach you might want some charts for frequency, MDA or DH, fix identification (not every ILS has a outer and middle marker beacon, some you will identify off a fix, take KMKG ILS24 for example)

I'm a bit fuzzy on many things as I'm still learning much, I have an idea but want to make sure, what exactly does 'get vectored in' mean in regards to landing a tube liner?

Quite important (I think): what plane are you flying? That video is good but mainly for GA. And approach charts are nice but do airliners ever fly them (the entire approach, that is)? Usually they get vectored by ATC. I use ProATC/X because it's a bit better then default ATC but default ATC isn't as bad as everyone says, at least not when it comes to positioning you in front of the runway. Main problems with FSX ATC is that 1. they don't do SIDs and STARs (no problem for GA), 2. it hands you over to another controller way too often and 3. it lets you change direction way too often. However, it DOES get you to your destination!

 

And I would add a 4. FSX ATC doesn't always maintain proper separation for aircraft during descent and approach. I always use a TCAS to check on other aircraft position in relation to mine and the runway. So even though ATC doesn't particularly care about this, I take the initiative to adjust my speed and even small direction changes to allow another aircraft to come in before me, even though we're both cleared to land on the same runway. In this way, I prevent TOGA.

 

Chris