Hello,

I have noticed that the ATC does not tell me what heading to turn to unless I specifically press "Request Vector To Next Waypoint". In FSX ATC would tell you where to turn as the flight went on. The ATC has told me to climb to other heights but have yet to have it tell me which direction to go without any input of my own. I am using IFR high altitude airways. Is this a setting somewhere?

I did a couple of short IFR flights and wasn't amazed at all by ATC:
- voice doesn't work most of the times (it's ok, they will iron this one out, I assume - I can use text)
- I had the impression transition altitude is still like FS9/FSX: fixed - need the verify (same for QHN)
- most of the time I get "continue as planned" and I never got any vectors (I selected SID/STAR during planning, so I was expecting them mainly during approach)

Overall, I don't really see where the big improvement should be, compared to FSX. Who had good experience?

I also noticed that ATC seems ported over from FSX. Very disappointing. 

Actually, the plus side is that ATC at Paris didn't give my 787 the old: 'fly this heading', 'now fly this heading', 'now this heading', 'ooh, back to that heading again' nonsense it does in FSX and P3D, where you and up going along like a yacht tacking into a headwind all over the region near the airport because its rubbish at calculating a suitable vector to line you up and eventually ends up steering you into a mountain. Instead I got 'cleared visual 26R, report airport in sight' and then they left me to it and that suited me just fine.

Edited August 20, 20205 yr by Chock

You are expected to fly the flight plan you filed with ATC. They aren't there to give you headings to fly the flight plan you filed. As mentioned above, however, if you need help with lateral navigation, there is an ATC menu option to request a vector to the next waypoint.

Does ATC in real life actually vector you to every waypoint? 

 

Thats new to me, but I'm no expert. 

9 minutes ago, JughedJones said:

Does ATC in real life actually vector you to every waypoint? 

 

Thats new to me, but I'm no expert. 

No, they are not. It's primarily clearance for altitudes if your departure is according to a SID. Different thing on approach, where vectors are the norm (for spacing or simply because the STAR ends at a point, see EGLL, and vectors are expected from there).

4 minutes ago, Nik_LSZH said:

No, they are not. It's primarily clearance for altitudes if your departure is according to a SID. Different thing on approach, where vectors are the norm (for spacing or simply because the STAR ends at a point, see EGLL, and vectors are expected from there).

Thats what I thought.   

 

 

1 hour ago, Nik_LSZH said:

I did a couple of short IFR flights and wasn't amazed at all by ATC:
- voice doesn't work most of the times (it's ok, they will iron this one out, I assume - I can use text)
- I had the impression transition altitude is still like FS9/FSX: fixed - need the verify (same for QHN)
- most of the time I get "continue as planned" and I never got any vectors (I selected SID/STAR during planning, so I was expecting them mainly during approach)

Overall, I don't really see where the big improvement should be, compared to FSX. Who had good experience?

I Completely agree. ATC is useless (the lack  of transition level/altitude management drive me crazy...), as it was in FSX. In P3D I use pro-atc or RC4, but I don't think we well see any of them on MSFS.

I guess best is to wait for the VATSIM integration that is due and use their coverage. Yet I haven't given up hope completely they might improve stock ATC a little bit over the time.

5 minutes ago, igorbischi said:

I Completely agree. ATC is useless (the lack  of transition level/altitude management drive me crazy...), as it was in FSX. In P3D I use pro-atc or RC4, but I don't think we well see any of them on MSFS.

I dont mean to be contratian, but I just did an IFR flight from Seattle to Portland.  

 

I was told to go to the first couple waypoints on my departure, then set loose to follow my flight plan at altitude.   Gradually bringing me up to cruise.  

 

When I got near PDX and my STAR was about to start, they brought me down gradually until I was lined up with approach...     Then it's up to you, right? 

 

ATC isn't gonna hold your hand all the way down.   I believe you're expected to know how to bring it down. 

 

Again...  I could be wrong.   But I don't think you should expect the tower to tell you precisely what altitude to be at unless there's traffic that needs to be negotiated.  

 

 

Please correct me if I'm off on this. 

Hm ok. FS2004 and FSX are the only FS games I have ever played, and I have been playing FSX since launch in 2006 so it was weird to me to not get directions during an IFR flight like in those 2 games.

22 hours ago, Donstim said:

You are expected to fly the flight plan you filed with ATC. They aren't there to give you headings to fly the flight plan you filed. As mentioned above, however, if you need help with lateral navigation, there is an ATC menu option to request a vector to the next waypoint.

Most STARS have an end point,usually on the downwind to the assigned runway,with radar vectors to the final approach course, I wonder if they can manage this thru the coming navdata?

18 hours ago, BIGSKY said:

Most STARS have an end point,usually on the downwind to the assigned runway,with radar vectors to the final approach course, I wonder if they can manage this thru the coming navdata?

True. What I've experienced in MFS with my limited number of flights with STARS is that they merely link up the end of the STAR with the beginning of the approach. Not great, but you can switch to a heading select mode or fly that part manually using the map.  Would be nice if ATC was upgraded to give you vectors at that point (from the end of the STAR to the beginning of the approach).

What I was commenting on previously was my understanding that previous posters expected ATC vectors between every waypoint on your flight plan.

On 8/20/2020 at 2:08 AM, M3Stang said:

Hello,

I have noticed that the ATC does not tell me what heading to turn to unless I specifically press "Request Vector To Next Waypoint". In FSX ATC would tell you where to turn as the flight went on. The ATC has told me to climb to other heights but have yet to have it tell me which direction to go without any input of my own. I am using IFR high altitude airways. Is this a setting somewhere?

Real world ATC doesn’t work that way. It’s not supposed to be like a GPS navigator in your car that gives turn-by-turn directions.

I never used the built in ATC in FSX, but if that’s how it works, it’s not realistic.

Once you are in the enroute phase of the flight, the expectation is that you (the pilot) will do your own navigation in accordance with your filed flight plan. In cruise, about the only time you would get a vector would be if ATC needed to separate you from conflicting traffic.