I fly only GA equipment - A2A C182, RealAir Turbine Duke, Just Flight Piper Arrow, etc. within P3D v4.5 and I wondered if any of you have any suggestions as to the best add-on ATC program to use. Obviously, with this kind of 'flying', SIDs and STARs are unnecessary and most of the flight planning capacity in the likes of ProATC and others is again unnecessary for me but I would like to get away from the default ATC.

I appreciate that there's also on-line ATC like VATSim and IVAO but I'd like to get used to just talking to the computer before I start talking in the 'real' world.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers

Edited May 17, 20197 yr by Highflyer48

I have moved your topic into the appropriate forum.

Pilot 2 ATC is the one I use more often. I also only fly GA as well. 

Been using P2ATC For at least a year now flying mainly GA and occasional longer flights with the Q400 or the CRJ and I really like it.

Great customer service from "Dave" at P2ATC as well.

I believe they still offer a 10 day trial version so you can give it a try before you buy.

Note: Just checked the P2ATC website. Its down right now but I suspect that's only a temporary thing.

...Lloyd

 

If you'll never use SIDs and STARs, there is really no net gain by using any of the 3rd party ATC products. The default P3d4 ATC does a capable job for your needs and it also controls and communicates with AI aircraft. I'm sure that some ATC "purists" will disagree with me but take this as advice from someone who regularly uses both P2ATC and VOXATC.

Now if you were talking about XP11 my answer would be different as the default ATC is awful.

5 hours ago, Highflyer48 said:

Obviously, with this kind of 'flying', SIDs and STARs are unnecessary

This false fact is stated a lot on various flight sim forums. It is not true. SIDS and STARS may very well be necessary based on the surrounding airspace, weather, and terrain. This is not based on GA/Airline, big/small, or slow/fast. If your talking VFR daytime only out of private fields then SIDS and STARS are not likely, but General Aviation does not mean no SID/STARS ever. 

5 hours ago, Highflyer48 said:

I would like to get away from the default ATC.

The problem is that the default ATC and the AI it directs, is so limited, there are not really any ATC add-ons that can fill the bill correctly. The ATC add-ons get limited by the default ATC.

That being said, you could try Radar Contact 4.3 for free:

 

 

Edited May 17, 20197 yr by pracines

Personally when I fly GA I normally just have LiveATC playing in the background since I’m VFR.  I use default ATC for airliners.

Edited May 17, 20197 yr by regis9

I'd recommend Pilot Edge.  They have a two week trial period.  It's perfect for GA flying...IFR, VFR, SVFR VFR on top haha!  The service smokes any software you'll purchase.

2 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

I'd recommend Pilot Edge.  They have a two week trial period.  It's perfect for GA flying...IFR, VFR, SVFR VFR on top haha!  The service smokes any software you'll purchase.

I strongly support Ryan's comments. PE is very realistic and very professional. 

4 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

I'd recommend Pilot Edge.  They have a two week trial period.  It's perfect for GA flying...IFR, VFR, SVFR VFR on top haha!  The service smokes any software you'll purchase.

The service also can smoke a wallet. 🤑

Either way I guess you did not read the OP, they made themselves quite clear:

15 hours ago, Highflyer48 said:

I appreciate that there's also on-line ATC like VATSim and IVAO but I'd like to get used to just talking to the computer before I start talking in the 'real' world.

 

28 minutes ago, pracines said:

The service also can smoke a wallet. 🤑

Either way I guess you did not read the OP, they made themselves quite clear:

 

That's a common misconception.  It's a sim....it's a valuable tool to learn with.  People should do their practice online....that's the whole point of sim vs real.

20 bucks a month isn't much... I bet people spend 20 bucks per week on coffee.

8 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

That's a common misconception.  It's a sim....it's a valuable tool to learn with.  People should do their practice online....that's the whole point of sim vs real.

20 bucks a month isn't much... I bet people spend 20 bucks per week on coffee.

Again read the OP - they make it clear that online ATC is NOT what they are looking for at this time, in this topic. 

15 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

I'd recommend Pilot Edge.  They have a two week trial period.  It's perfect for GA flying...IFR, VFR, SVFR VFR on top haha!  The service smokes any software you'll purchase.

As long as you don't mind flying in a small area of the country, but several hundred dollars a year is way too expensive for my taste. Another thing that annoyed me about it, was talking to the same controller, even when switching frequencies multiple times. 

Edited May 18, 20197 yr by Bobsk8

@Highflyer48

Hi,

If you want to familiarize yourself with phraseology by speaking directly with your voice, I would recommend either:

VoxAtc: excellent program but it seems to me that with each new update of P3D, some new "glitches" appear, the problem is that the developer is not very quick to fix them. It also no longer responds to users' comments (see the VoxAtc forum in Avsim). In addition, if you add additional voices, the price rises very quickly...

PF3: Good program also but if you want to answer with your voice it will be necessary to interface it with MCE (Multi Crew Experience), very good co-pilot program.

P2Atc: like VoxAtc you will have to use either Windows voices (if you have W10...) or buy voices separately, and there the price increases.

Radar Contact: this program is now completely free, I regret not having had it before. Although relatively old, this program surprised me with its simplicity and effectiveness.
Like PF3, you will need to interface it with MCE to be able to interact with your voice.

As English is not my native language, it is for me the only program whose voices I understand easily without having to read the answers or requests of the Atc, which was the goal for me.

I have all these programs, if I sometimes switch from one to the other depending on the mood and the type of flight, I must say that I use Radar Contact+MCE most often!

These 4 programs all have trial versions including MCE.

Richard.

Edited May 18, 20197 yr by DrumsArt

1 hour ago, pracines said:

Again read the OP - they make it clear that online ATC is NOT what they are looking for at this time, in this topic. 

A lot of people think that....he's also looking for the best ATC - that's Pilot Edge