Wow, just loaded FS2004 last week and I am having a hard time getting used to it, compared to FS2002. Thanks to everyone who has answered my questions, they have definitely helped! This forum is great. Here is another weird thing I discovered last night. Created a flight plan from (McCarran International in Las Vegas to Reno-Tahoe International, IFR flight plan, flying in low visibility conditions. Everything is fine, until I get clearance to 8,500 feet, about 30 miles out, to contact the control tower, they give me clearance for 16R. After that I get nothing from ATC, and I fly right past the airport. Can anybody tell me what is happening? I have this same flight plan in FS2002 and have no problems. I guess 2004 just takes some time getting used to. Thanks for the help.Andy

Do they clear you to approach or clear you to land? If they clear you to land, you won't hear anything from them until you touch down on the runway.----------------------------------------------------------------John S. MorganReal World: KGEG, UND Aerospace Spokane Satillite, Private 130+ hrs.Virtual: MSFS 2004"There is a feeling about an airport that no other piece of ground can have. No matter what the name of the country on whose land it lies, an airport is a place you can see and touch that leads to a reality that can only be thought and felt." - The Bridge Across Forever: A Love Story by Richard Bach

You should get clearance to fly the approach anywhere from 20 to 40 miles out. Although highly unrealistic, it's how FS handles the ATC. Once you get clearance for the approach, you fly according to intercept the ILS or get a visual on the runway (use the GPS to get a bearing on the airport). Once you established on a final approach, you should tune and contact the tower. Tower should tell you to fly straight in, then it will tell you cleared to land, while advising you of any traffic if it is a factor.That is at least, how it should be done. Forgive me if you are aware of all of this. If you aren't getting a "Tune "whatver" tower on xxx.xxx" in the ATC window, I'm not sure what to tell you.Hope this helps,Brian Bash :-wave

Thanks for the help. Since I have just started to play around with 2004, it seems ATC is somewhat different. I know on 2002 on the same flight into Reno ATC clears you down to 6400, where 2004 clears you to 8500, at that point ATC does tell me to contact the tower, and they do clear me to land.

Perhaps terrain avvoidance, or a change in proceedures since FS2002. I know quite a lot of instrument approaches have been updated between the two versions, and even now, quite a few of the real-world instrument proceedures are changed from what's in FS2004.----------------------------------------------------------------John S. MorganReal World: KGEG, UND Aerospace Spokane Satillite, Private 130+ hrs.Virtual: MSFS 2004"There is a feeling about an airport that no other piece of ground can have. No matter what the name of the country on whose land it lies, an airport is a place you can see and touch that leads to a reality that can only be thought and felt." - The Bridge Across Forever: A Love Story by Richard Bach