Like many others, I'm very happy with RC4 and have been an RC user since the beginning.  So, with this posting, I'm not asking for a fix to RC4, only seeking information that maybe could be derived from a civil and meaningful dialog.  

 

First the disclaimer for the forum police:  I've searched this forum for this topic to the best of my abilities.  I'm a real world private pilot, so I know some about aviation.  Have been using flight simulator, and other flight sims, since the Commodore 64.  

 

I've noticed that occasionally FSX (and possibly RC) selects a runway that would not be selected in real life due to winds (beyond acceptable tail winds).  Not an issue for me since I can always ask RC for a runway of choice.  Is RC taking the lead from the default FSX ATC in determining the landing runway(s)?  It is evident there's no ATC that is aware of all the airplanes in its airspace and that all ATC decisions appear to be stand alone, but not so much on the landing runway.  Interested in what the experts know about this.  Thinking that it would be great to "help" FSX ATC a little, besides modifying AFCAD files, is there a way to set the destination's landing runway ahead of time?  I use AI Smooth to part the AI ways for me, so that's not what I'm asking.  

 

Regards

RC examines the ai patterns to determine the runways in use about 40 nm out when approach assigns the runway. The pattern is also checked again a little further in. If no ai are present at these times then RC uses its best guess based on winds reported and then runway considerations. RC4 does not consider tailwind capability in its best guess algorithm.

 

Since you are using FSX there are a couple of "gotcha's" that come to mind:

 

If you use Active Sky or another FSX weather app they probably use Sim Connect or FSUIPC4 which bridges to Sim Connect. Sim Connect requires the use of Global Mode in connecting to the FSX weather engine. This means that the weather written to destination (and the rest of the FSX world) is that where your aircraft is and changes as you fly along. This can upset ai patterns as the ai are rendered with a pattern according to your aircraft location.

 

If you are an Active Sky user, RC will get (via FSUIPC) the AS METAR used to generate ATIS, not the weather at destination. This does not control the ai however. See the pinned topic on Active Sky.

 

The next consideration if you are an Ultimate Traffic FSX user. In this application by default ai are only rendered a short distance from your aircraft to keep performance high. That needs to be changed in its options to maximum distance allowed by the app.

 

If ai start getting rendered in a stable pattern after RC looks for them then they are not considered.

 

Preflight the RC Controller tab allows you to assign the runways to be used that overrides RC's choices for departure and arrival. Within the in-flight RC menus you can also choose a different runway from ground on departure and approach on arrival. This allows you in this case to see RC's recommendation before overriding if you wish risking an ai conflict. For arrival you can also choose an IAP approach after approach first assigns the runway and first vector if you are following on your own published approach as navigated by your navigation setup such as the terminal procedures database in an FMC. After you get the IAP RC will not monitor you or issue commands until you get near short final when you'll be talking to tower.

Like many others, I'm very happy with RC4 and have been an RC user since the beginning.  So, with this posting, I'm not asking for a fix to RC4, only seeking information that maybe could be derived from a civil and meaningful dialog.  

 

First the disclaimer for the forum police:  I've searched this forum for this topic to the best of my abilities.  I'm a real world private pilot, so I know some about aviation.  Have been using flight simulator, and other flight sims, since the Commodore 64.  

 

I've noticed that occasionally FSX (and possibly RC) selects a runway that would not be selected in real life due to winds (beyond acceptable tail winds).  Not an issue for me since I can always ask RC for a runway of choice.  Is RC taking the lead from the default FSX ATC in determining the landing runway(s)?  It is evident there's no ATC that is aware of all the airplanes in its airspace and that all ATC decisions appear to be stand alone, but not so much on the landing runway.  Interested in what the experts know about this.  Thinking that it would be great to "help" FSX ATC a little, besides modifying AFCAD files, is there a way to set the destination's landing runway ahead of time?  I use AI Smooth to part the AI ways for me, so that's not what I'm asking.  

 

Regards

I have spent MANY MANY MANY, too dang many hours trying to improve this issue as well. After all my testing and setting this that and the other I have come up with a combo of setting that works well for me. If you want to give it a try here is what I do:

 

Active Sky:

Check - Force Destination Weather Zone

Check - High Priority Processes

Check - Direct Weather Control

Check - Create Additional Stations AND Enhance Route Coverage <------- (These 2 settings seemed to help the most)

Set - Dynamic Rate of Change to 0

Make sure to enter your flight plan into Active Sky. I do this B4 I start FSX but not sure if that matters.

Also make sure you have LOCK to CLOSEST selected.

 

Ultimate Traffic 2:

Weekly Traffic Density - I keep it @ 50% all the time

Daily Traffic Density - None - Zip - Nada - 0%

FSX Target Frame rate - OFF

Max Alt Ground Traffic Visible - 18,000

Distance to Spawn Ground Aircraft - 25 nm <-------(Very Important. With the weather settings above, your destination weather will be set when you are 80 nm                                                                                         from your destination. With a setting of 25 this gives Active Sky PLENTY of time to get the destination weather                                                                                   in place B4 your AI are added there. This will help greatly with head on landings at your destination as well as                                                                                   wrong runway assignments at your destination)

 

These settings have worked best for me and maybe they will help you also. The wrong runway problem is NOT the fault of RC nor is it the fault of UT2 but is a product of Active Sky and how the weather is added to the sim. If you are not using RC or UT2 then you would not see these problems at all. The above ONLY needs to be used if using RC AND UT2 (at least for me).

 

Good luck !!

 

Jim

Thank you Ron and Jim.  I use AS2012, but not UT (WOAI for me).  I've flown twice since I posted, and tried using AS to check weather at the destination airport about 170 nm out, and then using Refresh AI button.  It could be a coincidence, but it worked OK both times.  On the 2d flight, I was flying into KATL, where I usually experience the ATC chaos.  I would be told to expect runway 26R, and I would hear ATC also telling AI to expect runway 8L.  This time all traffic landed towards the West.  

 

Jim, I'll try your settings and report.  Again, thank you.

Thank you Ron and Jim.  I use AS2012, but not UT (WOAI for me).  I've flown twice since I posted, and tried using AS to check weather at the destination airport about 170 nm out, and then using Refresh AI button.  It could be a coincidence, but it worked OK both times.  On the 2d flight, I was flying into KATL, where I usually experience the ATC chaos.  I would be told to expect runway 26R, and I would hear ATC also telling AI to expect runway 8L.  This time all traffic landed towards the West.  

 

Jim, I'll try your settings and report.  Again, thank you.

B4 using the settings I posted and when I had no issue it was luck of the draw that the landing winds were close to my aircraft location winds which made everything work fine. The times I would see the landing problem was always when the destination winds were opposite my current location winds at the time RC picked a runway. With my settings I posted and with opposite current location winds from my destination winds I still was handed the proper runway from RC. Hope it works for you too!!

 

Jim