FS9 ATC during approach

[Bill A 68]

Hi FS9ers

 

are there any tricks with the default FS9 ATC system during the approach phase of the flight where you can get less left and right turns when preparing to get close to the destination airport?  I was on approach and a was told to turn left heading 075 then turn right to heading 120, the vise versa....its like Im doing S turns to the airport ( St Martin Princess Juliana Airport from San Juan, PR).  I notice many of my approaches are like that..a constant back and forth on the same headings until Im told to intercept the ILS.

 

Thanks

 

Bill

[ronzie 21]

I auto generated a plan in fsbuild (AIRAC Jan 2013) from KMIA to TNCM. The link following has the FS9 .pln file and an extracted screen shot of an arrival:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/angj5lf7wy4tg41/KMIA-TNCM.zip?dl=0

 

From a real world article I recall unless tailwinds exceed maximum ATC favors runway 10 including the famous beach arrival. Real world there are protections for St. Thomas traffic and other island airports in that cluster. Note that you are arriving after the last STAR waypoint almost straight in.

 

Try that plan and see what happens. Just extract the plan into your Flight Simulator Files folder under your documents and you can then load it into the FS9 planner. It probably has waypoints introduced since FS9 was distributed however since the .pln file contains waypoint labels and coordinates for each it should load OK.

 

If you have AI active some of that detouring might be due to traffic separation.

 

TNCM ATC real world also handles approach for a few airports in that area that do not have their own facilities. The approach zone borders may be such that you are passed to various control zones (although the same controller) which might cause the effect you are getting.

[Bill A 68]

Thanks for the link, will try it out soon.

[ronzie 21]

I located TNCM charts that can be downloaded (free with free trial):

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/76806787/TNCM-Charts#scribd

[edetroit 933]

Hello Bill, I thought you watched my vidz?

 

I never accept vectors to an approach from FS ATC otherwise they will drive you mad sending you left, then right, then left ad infinitum.

 

I tell them I would like to select a different approach….usually an ILS approach and then select a transition (the IAF for the approach)

 

Once FSATC has cleared for this the will not trouble me again until I am close to the transition. Then they will clear me for the ILS approach via the transition and ask me to contact the tower once established on the ILS (that's it…no left/right bollox) 

 

The FS9 approach (STAR) database as you can imagine is very out date. So if you use up-to-date charts you may well find that some transitions (IAF's) do not exist…in which case you will need to add them.

 

You can do this by opening the Airport Afcad with ADE …go to approach mode and add the missing transition to the approach. (you do not have to write the full approach, just the transition and IF (initial fix)

 

When you write your fsflightplan. First check the winds at your destination airport so you know which approach to expect on arrival and the corresponding STAR (transition)…..and write the transition into your FS flight plan.

 

I update transitions all the time….and make them up sometimes (to trick FS ATC)

 

For example (according to the chart) an IAF (transition) may be far out from the airport and have an alt of 7000ft whereas glideslope capture should be 3000ft.

 

FS ATC will say "…..hold 7000ft until established" so I change the IAF alt to 3000ft or shift the IAF to a waypoint closer to the ILS/GS and alt 3000ft. That way FSATC gets it exactly right. 

 

Here is an example of an arrival into Heathrow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_azPqpb8qI&t=5m30s

 

EGLL ILS rwy 27R approach via OCK (Ockham VOR) transition. The OCK transition exists in the def FS9 database but it's alt is 7000ft (as it should be)

 

Now I know I should be at 7000ft by OCK but I want FSATC to tell me what height I should be to intercept the glideslope (which is 2500ft) so I changed the OCK transition height to 2500ft. 

 

 

 

So never accept vectors. In fact you then find FSATC has all sorts of approaches RNAV, DME ARCs etc etc.

It is pretty clever and best of all if you fancy it you can write them all…..or make them up yourself.

For example if you can make AI fly a curved approach a la Kai Tak/ Funchal.

[Bill A 68]

Thanks Ed, will give that a shot

[ronzie 21]

http://www.aero.sors.fr/

 

has in the form of scenery type .bgl files updates for fixes and navaids as free with optional donation.

 

Beware of updating magdec files as this can throw some navigation equipment in some advanced aircraft off. It caused parallel tracking with the PMDG B73x FS9 classic as I recall.  Default VORs are calibrated to the default mag variation individually as I recall in the unofficial PMDG B737 Classic forum here.

 

Please check the documentation for particulars.

 

I have been able to update some approaches that required these updated and navaids matching current charts using ADE's approach mode editor after opening an airport.

 

One thing to note is that sometimes you'll see a duplication of a default fix but they are close enough not to be a problem.

 

I use Plan-G to proof these approaches. If you want to add these updated fixes and navaids rename the files from http://www.aero.sors.fr/ prepending NAV to the file name in order to pull them in to Plan-G.