Radar Contact & Flight Plans :: A question of realism

[B1FS 0]

Hello everyone.

 

I've not posted much on this site, so please do excuse my ignorance if this is not the right place to ask this question.

 

I have been using Radar Contact V4.3 with PMDG Ngx for a few days now. I use flight plans made in vRoute (exported to pln files), which are uploaded on Radar contact.

 

My question is one of realism, in terms of the radar controller's instructions. 

 

Usually, I get cleared to fly planned route as filed, and climb to say 5000 ft after take off. In my FMC on the PMDG, I have waypoints with speed and altitude targets, as you know, and I usually use the LNAV/VNAV mode with autopilot.

 

However, sometimes, the controller will tell me to expedite my climb quite early (for example, my next waypoint altitude target maybe 300ft but he will ask me to climb immediately). I usually then switch ALT HLD and VS to achieve this, but it does throw my planned flight completely off course, I then have to change the target altitudes at the various waypoints ahead.

During descent, the same thing happens, they ask me to descend well before the TD point, and always expedite the descent. 

 

To all of you who fly for real, is this how it happens in real life? I had thought that SID/STARS have these targets for a reason (weather, wind, traffic etc). Is it ok to bust these constraints based on the ATC's instructions?

 

Also, I have another question. In heavy weather (crosswinds), the aircraft sometimes maintains a heading different from the intended heading to compensate for the crosswind. But the Radar Contact ATC immediately tell me I am offcourse, and ask me to turn in the opposite direction (which at 0.8 Mach is rather long and laborious). I sometimes correct with HDG SEL manually, but it does detract from the smooth flow of the game!

Am I doing something wrong here?

Please do help! I'm flying ENGM-EKCH today :-)

[metalmike 34]

Should probably post this in the Radar Contact forum. These things are also all covered in the manual.

[B1FS 0]

Should probably post this in the Radar Contact forum. These things are also all covered in the manual.

Thanks Mike! I will do that. 

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

ATC instructions "overriding" SIDs and STARs actually can be found IRL.

 

If you want to stick to your procedures, tick the NOTAMs for DEP and ARR on the controller's page.

 

If RC issues a clearance to turn opposite direction you usually have missed a waypoint in your flightplan. You can request a 'Direct' to your next waypoint instead, to avoid the turn.

 

Yes, you can search the RC manual for the keywords or glance through the various tutorials; it's all covered there, as well: At the beginning of each tutorial, the RC features discussed in particular are listed. May help to find the most fitting tutorial quickly.

[MadDog 353]

ATC instructions will always override SID/STAR constraints in real life.

 

With that said, RC offers some options to accommodate canned procedures - departure procedures with and without controller altitude assignments can be selected in the Controller Info dialogue (if your first fix is within 30 nm, a DP/SID is automatically enabled).  This allows you to fly the published departure with little or no controller intervention.

 

For the descent, if you receive a lower altitude before you're ready to descend, you may request a pilot's discretion descent in RC.  This allows you to decide when to start down (but keep in mind that if the controller later tells you to descend "now", the pilot's discretion is cancelled and you must begin your descent immediately).

 

The default heading constraints are a little too strict in RC when crosswinds are a factor.  In the General dialogue, change the heading/altitude/speed numbers under "deviations" to higher numbers to minimize the controller complaints.  As mentioned before, if RC thinks you missed a waypoint, just request direct to the next waypoint rather than turning back.

[Sportsfan23 2]

I think every flight I have done with RC I have always been told to descend way before the TOD on the map of the NGX. I don't exactly know why this happens but I am guessing there is probably an option somewhere that I either have enabled or need to disable in order to be able to fly the route that is programmed. There have also been occasions where I have "asked" for pilots discretion and been told no haha. 

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

I think every flight I have done with RC I have always been told to descend way before the TOD on the map of the NGX. I don't exactly know why this happens but I am guessing there is probably an option somewhere that I either have enabled or need to disable in order to be able to fly the route that is programmed. There have also been occasions where I have "asked" for pilots discretion and been told no haha. 

 

 

I think every flight I have done with RC I have always been told to descend way before the TOD on the map of the NGX. I don't exactly know why this happens but I am guessing there is probably an option somewhere that I either have enabled or need to disable in order to be able to fly the route that is programmed. There have also been occasions where I have "asked" for pilots discretion and been told no haha. 

 

 

I think every flight I have done with RC I have always been told to descend way before the TOD on the map of the NGX. I don't exactly know why this happens but I am guessing there is probably an option somewhere that I either have enabled or need to disable in order to be able to fly the route that is programmed. There have also been occasions where I have "asked" for pilots discretion and been told no haha. 

 

 

As mentioned above the FMC TOD somehow involves a CDA like descent that's hardly supported by ATC IRL (only certain airports/certain hours).

 

Realworld ATC does want you to be lower earlier, and RC actually mimics that.

 

For the PDs: You can request it again and again and chances are, you'll receive the PD clearance on the 2nd or 3rd attempt.