Thanks for the suggestion Jim.... well, i thought things were going too well. I've just had a CTD, luckily I run FSUIPC's autosave facility, so I just reloaded the saved flight, the only thing is, PRO ATC could not be accessed via button 1 on the keyboard, even though the UI said the flightplan was still active. Has anyone any idea how I get back to where I left off when using an autosaved flight? cheers...

 

Not absolutely sure, I could be wrong, but I think the only way to save a flight when using ProATC, is by using the Save Flight feature in ProATC itself. Even then, I have had mixed success when saving flights involving a complex bird like the NGX i.e. the odd save just doesn't work out.

 

Regards,

That's what I was afraid of Rick :(

I have been using PRO ATC X on and off for a few months with the NGX. Its constantly evolving, this is the longest period I have seen so far without an update. I still fly more flights without out it than with at the minute though..

Howard, in partial response to post #12 - Its annoying that PRO ATC X loads the SID up without the altitude and speed restrictions. The way I get around it is to load that flight plan from CO routes as suggested, then I go into DEP/ARR and load the assigned SID from the database as you would on a flight when your not using PRO ATC X. This inserts a discontinuity, close this by moving up the first waypoint after the SID to the position after the last waypoint on the SID and then you have the SID with the restrictions.

I have never had any problems doing this, in fact sometimes I dont load the PRO ATC flight plan into the FMC from CO route and just enter it as I would for any another flight.

It can be a frustrating program but I think it has potential to be excellent.

 

Best Regards,

 

Gary.

I would agree 100% with Gary's comments above, although I have used it pretty much non-stop for the last month flying BAV routes in the NGX without any problems, the 1.44 update seems to have sorted quite a few bugs. As I said in my post above I use FS2Crew exclusively for my co-pilot and have not yet tried the ProATC version. Also most of my BAV flights with the 737 are short haul, I have yet to try a long haul. Regarding the SID entry, the only problem I have encountered is on some routes the SID I am given by ProATC does not exist in the NGX database, and yes, I am using the latest AIRAC from Navigraph, so I just use the nearest match.

I have been using PRO ATC X on and off for a few months with the NGX. Its constantly evolving, this is the longest period I have seen so far without an update. I still fly more flights without out it than with at the minute though..

Howard, in partial response to post #12 - Its annoying that PRO ATC X loads the SID up without the altitude and speed restrictions. The way I get around it is to load that flight plan from CO routes as suggested, then I go into DEP/ARR and load the assigned SID from the database as you would on a flight when your not using PRO ATC X. This inserts a discontinuity, close this by moving up the first waypoint after the SID to the position after the last waypoint on the SID and then you have the SID with the restrictions.

I have never had any problems doing this, in fact sometimes I dont load the PRO ATC flight plan into the FMC from CO route and just enter it as I would for any another flight.

It can be a frustrating program but I think it has potential to be excellent.

 

Best Regards,

 

Gary.

 

Thanks for the explanation Gary, appreciated. As we are on the subject of SIDS etc, as in RW I understand that the STAR is allocated by ATC on approach, depending upon weather conditions etc. If this is the case, is it an easy option to input the relevent STAR into the FMC during flight? I have always inputted the STAR at the destination airport. Also, at what point during the flight will ATC allocate a STAR? also, (sorry for all the questions) but what if I don't input a STAR, will I just be vectored in?

 

I would agree 100% with Gary's comments above, although I have used it pretty much non-stop for the last month flying BAV routes in the NGX without any problems, the 1.44 update seems to have sorted quite a few bugs. As I said in my post above I use FS2Crew exclusively for my co-pilot and have not yet tried the ProATC version. Also most of my BAV flights with the 737 are short haul, I have yet to try a long haul. Regarding the SID entry, the only problem I have encountered is on some routes the SID I am given by ProATC does not exist in the NGX database, and yes, I am using the latest AIRAC from Navigraph, so I just use the nearest match.

 

Thanks Mike, did I do something wrong on my last flight? Prior to TOD I see there is an option to call up ATC and ask for permission before descent, but I couldn't get any response...

Hi Howard,

 

although possible, I have never found it necessary to ask for early descent, my biggest problem with ProATC at the beginning was not trusting the ATC! Once you get over that it's plain sailing/flying..;-) You don't always get a response straight away so if you have asked for early descent wait for a while then ask again.

Howard, I just did a quick flight from Manchester to Bristol in the NGX. I let PRO ATC X autogenerate the flight plan - it gave me a 05L take off at EGCC with a LISTO2S SID then direct KARNO and on to RETSI for the BRI1A STAR. I loaded up the flight plan from CO route and then reloaded the SID as described in my last post so the altitude constraints are present. I left the other waypoints in the FMC as KARNO RETSI and EGGD as per the auto flightplan. On the PRO ATC flightplanner its already decided on the BRI1A STAR but I dont put that in at the point as I guess if it was real world I wouldnt know that for sure yet anyway. After take off I followed the SID in LNAV, one thing I dont like about PRO ATC X is that it doesnt give you the altitude restraints from the SID as your initial cleared altitude. Looking at the LISTO2S out of Manchester I would have thought my initial clearance should be to 5000 feet for the hard restriction at LISTO but PRO ATC never gives me that - I am not a real world pilot so I dont know what would happen in reality, thats just based on my expectations. Around four miles before KARNO I was given the arrival SID information, so that was the waypoint before RETSI, which is the first on the STAR. At that point I entered the STAR into the FMC, and shortly after RETSI I was cleared to descend to FL160 which is a hard restriction at AMRAL, so all was looking good. Then FSX crashed, but I guess thats the beauty of running too many addons, FSX, NGX, FTX, FS2CREW, PROATCX, OPUS and trying to record the flight with FRAPS :-)

 

I think the future looks good for PROATCX though, I just dont use it all the time because I like to fly in Alaska alot and most of the airports dont have towers, and also in New Zealand I have had a few issues, but I think at the more common airports it works well now..

 

 

All the best,

 

Gary.

Thanks for the information fellas. A CTD Gary, mmm, my CTD was only the second since building my new rig 16 months ago and it just happened on my first flight with PRO ATC! I hope it's not an indication of things to come... BTW: I am hoping to network PRO ATC so hopefully, if it was the cause of the CTD, it may help...

Howard, I just did a quick flight from Manchester to Bristol in the NGX. I let PRO ATC X autogenerate the flight plan - it gave me a 05L take off at EGCC with a LISTO2S SID then direct KARNO and on to RETSI for the BRI1A STAR. I loaded up the flight plan from CO route and then reloaded the SID as described in my last post so the altitude constraints are present. I left the other waypoints in the FMC as KARNO RETSI and EGGD as per the auto flightplan. On the PRO ATC flightplanner its already decided on the BRI1A STAR but I dont put that in at the point as I guess if it was real world I wouldnt know that for sure yet anyway. After take off I followed the SID in LNAV, one thing I dont like about PRO ATC X is that it doesnt give you the altitude restraints from the SID as your initial cleared altitude. Looking at the LISTO2S out of Manchester I would have thought my initial clearance should be to 5000 feet for the hard restriction at LISTO but PRO ATC never gives me that - I am not a real world pilot so I dont know what would happen in reality, thats just based on my expectations. Around four miles before KARNO I was given the arrival SID information, so that was the waypoint before RETSI, which is the first on the STAR. At that point I entered the STAR into the FMC, and shortly after RETSI I was cleared to descend to FL160 which is a hard restriction at AMRAL, so all was looking good. Then FSX crashed, but I guess thats the beauty of running too many addons, FSX, NGX, FTX, FS2CREW, PROATCX, OPUS and trying to record the flight with FRAPS :-)

 

I think the future looks good for PROATCX though, I just dont use it all the time because I like to fly in Alaska alot and most of the airports dont have towers, and also in New Zealand I have had a few issues, but I think at the more common airports it works well now..

 

 

All the best,

 

Gary.

 

hi gary, in the proatc flight planner if you click on the sids you can check what the sid restrictions are, i have only done a few flights using proatc and when i have loaded the route into the fmc the sid constraints are there.

 

Thanks for the information fellas. A CTD Gary, mmm, my CTD was only the second since building my new rig 16 months ago and it just happened on my first flight with PRO ATC! I hope it's not an indication of things to come... BTW: I am hoping to network PRO ATC so hopefully, if it was the cause of the CTD, it may help...

 

some help with networking proatc,http://www.fsaddons.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4560&sid=452d04dfea8e6e0890f961472c7152a5

Brilliant, thanks for the link JIm, appreciated...

Howard, I just did a quick flight from Manchester to Bristol in the NGX. I let PRO ATC X autogenerate the flight plan - it gave me a 05L take off at EGCC with a LISTO2S SID then direct KARNO and on to RETSI for the BRI1A STAR. I loaded up the flight plan from CO route and then reloaded the SID as described in my last post so the altitude constraints are present. I left the other waypoints in the FMC as KARNO RETSI and EGGD as per the auto flightplan. On the PRO ATC flightplanner its already decided on the BRI1A STAR but I dont put that in at the point as I guess if it was real world I wouldnt know that for sure yet anyway. After take off I followed the SID in LNAV, one thing I dont like about PRO ATC X is that it doesnt give you the altitude restraints from the SID as your initial cleared altitude. Looking at the LISTO2S out of Manchester I would have thought my initial clearance should be to 5000 feet for the hard restriction at LISTO but PRO ATC never gives me that - I am not a real world pilot so I dont know what would happen in reality, thats just based on my expectations. Around four miles before KARNO I was given the arrival SID information, so that was the waypoint before RETSI, which is the first on the STAR. At that point I entered the STAR into the FMC, and shortly after RETSI I was cleared to descend to FL160 which is a hard restriction at AMRAL, so all was looking good. Then FSX crashed, but I guess thats the beauty of running too many addons, FSX, NGX, FTX, FS2CREW, PROATCX, OPUS and trying to record the flight with FRAPS :-)

 

I think the future looks good for PROATCX though, I just dont use it all the time because I like to fly in Alaska alot and most of the airports dont have towers, and also in New Zealand I have had a few issues, but I think at the more common airports it works well now..

 

 

All the best,

 

Gary.

 

I think, regarding restrictions ATC's word is law. In other words restrictions on the chart take second place if ATC give you a conflicting altitude. Perhaps a real world pilot could enlighten us?

I think, regarding restrictions ATC's word is law. In other words restrictions on the chart take second place if ATC give you a conflicting altitude. Perhaps a real world pilot could enlighten us?

 

Mike, so when flying LNAV on approach and I hit TOD and the NGX goes into descend, what if ATC has not given me authorisation to descend? Should I disregard my flightplan and wait for ATC? At what point are they supposed to give me a STAR? Sorry for the questions, but as you know I'm a noob newbie with this prog, cheers mate.

Well I have not yet reached TOD yet without ATC giving me descend instructions first. My guess would be to stay with VNAV and let the FD bring you down until you hear from ATC, at least that's what I would do.

Thanks Mike, I'm flying into Gatwick at the moment so will follow your lead, cheers.

You get the STAR or Vectors once you are handed over to approach and the pilot has replied.