Have you thought about PF3? http://www.oncourse-software.co.uk/

You can use it in a number of different modes. Voice control if you want. No voice control if you don't want. It does IFR/VFR SIDs STARs Vectors etc. It is a very flexible programme and bang up to date with regard to FAA and ICAO terminology and support is A1++

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHhYduG53Ps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crpKtgPIptQ

I'm liking the look of this. Is there much limitation on the demo? I mean can I complete a full flight or does it stop after 20 minutes like some demos?

Take a look at PilotEdge.  It is as real as it gets.  The only drawback is that it covers the SoCal area only but you will find every type of available airspace in that area.  They do it by the book and you will learn a ton. 

I'm not really ready for any sort of online stuff yet, besides my internet connection isn't great, as I live out in the countryside.

Cheers guys. Yeah not having a demo is a bit of blow, but it looks good on YouTube. Also, I envisage me continuing to use PFPX for the planning element, and just exporting it to Pro ATC, so the planning part of Pro ATC doesn't really make any difference to me.

I think you have to use the planner, otherwise you can't start the flight. You make a flightplan, and you tell ProATC to start that flight. Otherwise ProATC doesn't know what your intentions are. Watch the tutorial to see what I mean.

I'm liking the look of this. Is there much limitation on the demo? I mean can I complete a full flight or does it stop after 20 minutes like some demos?

 

If I recall you are limited in only two ways. First a flightplan of 200nm and second only a limited range of voices.

Oh and since the videos that I linked there have been a lot of improvements!

 

 

I think you have to use the planner, otherwise you can't start the flight. You make a flightplan, and you tell ProATC to start that flight. Otherwise ProATC doesn't know what your intentions are.

You need to provide Pro-ATC with a flight plan, but you don't have to do the flight planning within Pro-ATC. 

 

Peter

You need to provide Pro-ATC with a flight plan, but you don't have to do the flight planning within Pro-ATC. 

 

Correct. I use PFPX and import into ProATC/X.

 

Pete

Thanks for all the info guys. I've been watching a few videos and I think the speech in Pro ATC is really good in the sense that it's not as "robotic" as Radar Contact.

Neal. It probably sounds 'robotic' because it's sharing the same CPU as FSX. I have never run RC4 on the FSX PC. I run it via WideFS on an i5 PC and the voices are generally realistic. Certainly when I hear my own voice instructing me I don't sound robotic.

 

You might also want to consider how realistic the instructions are compared to the real world. RC4 was designed with input from FAA and ICAO real-world controllers so what you hear is the same as instructions issued in the real world.

 

Whilst RC4 cannot issue SIDs and STARs you can either build these into your plan or alternatively, set the RC4 options so you have freedom to fly the SID as per the official route and RC will start monitoring you when you reach the end of the SID or 30nm from the airport whichever occurs first.

 

For STARs you can either fly the published STAR to the appropriate runway or alternatively, follow RC vectors. This happens 40nm from arrival when you contact Approach.

 

Whilst I was on the development and support team I don't receive any payment for sales so my opinion is just my opinion, You can read an independent review here. http://www.mutleyshangar.com/features/jda/rc4.htm

The latest ATC is PF3, an updated version of PFE. It is the only one to have over 100 voices from all over the world, making it more realistic. Also it handles AI aircraft perfectly well unlike some of the opposition.

The latest ATC is PF3, an updated version of PFE. It is the only one to have over 100 voices from all over the world, making it more realistic. Also it handles AI aircraft perfectly well unlike some of the opposition.

Yeah it has 100 voices, but I heard lots of them are bad. And if everything goes well, I'll be making close to 100 voices for ProATC. Of coarse, all sounding good  :wink:

Neal. It probably sounds 'robotic' because it's sharing the same CPU as FSX. I have never run RC4 on the FSX PC. I run it via WideFS on an i5 PC and the voices are generally realistic. Certainly when I hear my own voice instructing me I don't sound robotic.

 

It sounds robotic because the software glues separate words together to one sentence. That doesn't sound natural. For instance if you say "one two three" and "three four five", both "three's" sound different, because it's in a different place in the sentence. 

Yeah it has 100 voices, but I heard lots of them are bad. And if everything goes well, I'll be making close to 100 voices for ProATC. Of coarse, all sounding good  :wink:

 

So far I can count on one hand the number of robotic voices in PF3. There are different ways of setting up the voices depending on the realism you want.

There are people who think other voices are robotic but it is a subjective thing.  You certainly won't hear a robotic voice in the video links I posted earlier. In fact if you listen to the departure from Sanya for Kai Tak it's well nigh impossible to tell the difference between PF3 voices and the real ones. That's one of the reasons for putting up those videos. Oh and btw there 119 voice not 100. Finally if indeed you can't stand a particular voice PF3 allows you to exclude it.

 

 

And if everything goes well, I'll be making close to 100 voices for ProATC. Of coarse, all sounding good

 

 What happens when the developer adds new features, how will you record the missing bits when your voice actors have moved on to other things.

 What happens when the developer adds new features, how will you record the missing bits when your voice actors have moved on to other things.

 

I am in contact with the developer about this, asking for future changes. And it only can get better than what it is now, there are missing bits in some of the original voices already, filled-in by other voices. I added 700 call-signs alone.

I've been sitting on my hands on ProATCX.  It's looking better.  I've just been hoping that it would allow you to ask for other runways and procedures for arrival/departure (other than the opposite direction runway, of course).   

It does for approaches, There's options to assign an alternate approach and runway for landing. You can't however change runways/procedures for takeoff, even though I believe the manual says you should, The menu is blank.

 

 

It does for approaches, There's options to assign an alternate approach and runway for landing. You can't however change runways/procedures for takeoff, even though I believe the manual says you should, The menu is blank

 

Well, that's nice.  At least it's halfway there.

It sounds robotic because the software glues separate words together to one sentence. That doesn't sound natural. For instance if you say "one two three" and "three four five", both "three's" sound different, because it's in a different place in the sentence.

Question. Have you had first hand experience of RC4 or are you basing your comments on a YouTube video?

 

How else would you suggest instructions are given to a pilot?

 

For example, "Speedbird Concorde one. Contact New York Approach on one two one point nine."

 

How many separate words would you ask someone to record and how would you then input that instruction to an ATC program to output to the user?

 

It's easy to criticise something but not so easy to come up with a better solution.

I always get so excited when people talk about ATC addons, as I'm desperate for an upgrade. But there's always a ton of suggestions and never really a "go-to" default choice. Afraid of buying into a lemon.