Pilot2ATC keeps giving me unwanted approach vectors with the following settings enabled in the Flt Pln tab:

• ATC assigns SIDs
• ATC assigns STARs
• ATC Assigns approaches
• Force STAR assignment

The rest of the setting are unticked.

I load a flight plan into my ATC, start flying it and a little bit before decent it informs me of the the STAR to expect. I input the STAR, start flying it and sometimes ATC informs me I am off course and need to follow heading X to return to the route without STAR. (I ignore that when it happens). When I am at towards the end of my STAR it suddenly starts giving me vectors rather than letting me fly the approach which transition.

E.g.:
Flight from KCRW - KMCO with SNFLD2 STAR and ILS36R approach (which even has a valid transition). This is why I have force STAR enabled in the hope it will stop giving me vectors while there is a STAR > Approach.

You will be given vectors when a STAR has a manual termination or when the intercept angle to the Approach is greater than 30 degrees.  In the example you cite, the intercept angle is about 130 degrees, so you will get vectors, regardless of your settings.  And, the STAR has a manual termination, so this would force vectors even if the intercept angle was more friendly.

To avoid off-course advisories when you get a STAR assignment, your flight plan should have the beginning waypoint of the STAR as the last waypoint of the route.  Generally, having the STAR as part of the initial flight plan is the best way to accomplish this.  If the runway changes, for example, the program will look for a STAR with the same Enroute Transition point for the new runway.

If you do your initial planning with a tool like SIMBrief, you'll notice the last waypoint is the beginning waypoint of a STAR that makes sense at the time of planning.

Dave

 

Hey Dave, as always, thanks for your detailed answer! 

My understanding was, from the manual, that the option "force Star assignment" cancels the behaviour of the intercept angle limit. Is this incorrect? 

What is P2A's behaviour when the approach it wants to assign me doesn't match with the transition point in my flightplan? 

I never included SID and STAR in my flightplan so it remains "dynamic" and a bit more realistic as I'd only know the STAR once ATC assigns it. 

Force STAR Assignment forces assignment of a STAR, even when a direct route to the Approach makes more sense.  It does not ensure you will get to fly the entire STAR. without vectors.

P2A tries to assign a STAR that links up to a waypoint in your route.  If none exists, it tries to assign a STAR that begins closest to your last waypoint.  Once it's assigned, if your new plan puts you too far off course, then you may get the heading assignment to return to course.  Just follow the instruction to get back on course and you'll get a "resume navigation" call and you can start following the new plan.

Depending on what you're flying, a SID and STAR request in you flight plan in the real world would be common practice.  It's a request to ATC for specific routing.  If they are there, and you get a clearance for "as filed" then ATC expect you to fly them.  They might get changed if conditions changed, but there's nothing unrealistic about filing a plan you want to fly.

Dave

Ah okay, I didn't know it was common practice to include SIDs/STARs in a real world flight plan. I learned something new! I will try this next flight and see if that works how you just explained it to me. 

Thanks a lot!