ATC addons comparison (first draft)

[Gazzareth 808]

3 hours ago, tup61 said:

Yes, misunderstanding. 😉 

It is not ASSIGNED to you during preflight: ProATC simply figures out already what it probably will assign later on during cruise but that's something different. If you simply use ProATC as it is and don't dig for background information the STAR and approach ARE assigned by ATC during flight.

That's exactly the same as p2atc. I load my predicted STAR and Approach into the EFB but only commit it (or change it) when I'm given it by ATC.

 

G

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Gazzareth

[Virtual-Chris 682]

3 hours ago, Gazzareth said:

That's exactly the same as p2atc. I load my predicted STAR and Approach into the EFB but only commit it (or change it) when I'm given it by ATC.

 

G

 

If you put in an approach in your flight plan for 27R and the wind changes so that when you arrive, it would be better to land on 9L, does Pilot2ATC assign 9L?  Or do you get 27R anyway?  If you leave the approach out of your flight plan, will it assign 9L, or a random approach (could be either 27R, 27L, 9L, 9R)?

Edited August 18, 2022 by Virtual-Chris

[Gazzareth 808]

3 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

If you put in an approach in your flight plan for 27R and the wind changes so that when you arrive, it would be better to land on 9L, does Pilot2ATC assign 9L?  Or do you get 27R anyway?  If you leave the approach out of your flight plan, will it assign 9L, or a random approach (could be either 27R, 27L, 9L, 9R)?

There's a bunch of settings so you can change the behaviour of it.

In my case I import a flightplan with no procedures whatsoever. Then when I file it the screen will show me what I will probably get. If the weather shifts then you'll get whatever is appropriate, ATC tells you in time to program everything up. Occasionally it has given me the same runway but a different procedure, but always appropriate. 

Pretty sure it assigns the longest runway correct to the weather. If you don't like the approach it offers you can either go for vectors or cancel ifr and join the circuit.

 

G

[Virtual-Chris 682]

2 hours ago, Gazzareth said:

There's a bunch of settings so you can change the behaviour of it.

In my case I import a flightplan with no procedures whatsoever. Then when I file it the screen will show me what I will probably get. If the weather shifts then you'll get whatever is appropriate, ATC tells you in time to program everything up. Occasionally it has given me the same runway but a different procedure, but always appropriate. 

Pretty sure it assigns the longest runway correct to the weather. If you don't like the approach it offers you can either go for vectors or cancel ifr and join the circuit.

 

G

Awesome. That sounds like what I’m looking for. 

[Gazzareth 808]

5 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

Awesome. That sounds like what I’m looking for. 

Just to add - there is a demo available for it, so definitely try before you buy...

 

G

[tup61 1,542]

2 hours ago, Gazzareth said:

Just to add - there is a demo available for it, so definitely try before you buy...

 

I am looking at the P2ATC manual (demo) and read you MUST have a mic installed. I don't have one and don't plan on using one. Will P2ATC run without a mic installed or not?

[Gazzareth 808]

20 minutes ago, tup61 said:

 

I am looking at the P2ATC manual (demo) and read you MUST have a mic installed. I don't have one and don't plan on using one. Will P2ATC run without a mic installed or not?

I would have thought so, when I was buying it I had zero interest in SR so watched a bunch of videos where people didn't use a mic. Fairly sure it would run without one, although might be preferable to have a 2nd screen. 

Generally I find simple commands better by voice (Ready to Copy, New Altitude, Check Ins etc), more complex stuff I use the interface....

G

 

 

 

[Pete Dowson 558]

33 minutes ago, Gazzareth said:

Generally I find simple commands better by voice (Ready to Copy, New Altitude, Check Ins etc), more complex stuff I use the interface....

With Pilot2ATC you can assign a button or keypress (I use a quick press on my PTT button on the yoke) to operate "say it", which will handle all the responses you need. You really only need to say a few easy phrases yourself (like the "ready to copy", as you say, to get initial clearance).

I never need to use the P2A window itself. I display the Conversation Text file on a small in-cockpit screen using a facility designed for this in WideClient and a Lua plug-in.

My Pilot2ATC runs on a separate WideFS client PC which is connected to my headset and overhead speakers. I use a Lua plug-in ("triple-use") to have three functions on the yoke's PTT button:

   Short single press = Say It (acknowledge in general)
   Press and hold = PTT
   Short double press = Say again?

These are assigned to keypresses via WideFS's "KeySend" facility.

Pete

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Pete Dowson

[Shomron 251]

I think an important thing to compare is ATC reliability like following examples I've seen in the past while using some of these programs (PF3, Pro ATC and also RC specifically in P3D)-

*Vectoring gets you from A to Z with no issues (no vectoring 20 miles away from the airport just to get circled back, not getting to downwind leg at 15,000 feet, not losing ATC contact during flight...)

*Correct transition altitudes given by ATC

*Correct step climbs and decents given by ATC

*Correct altimeter changes given in the correct altitudes 

 

I know I sound frustrated but it's important to me to know I will be able to complete a flight using the program without manual intervention by me 🙂

[Virtual-Chris 682]

2 hours ago, Shomron said:

I think an important thing to compare is ATC reliability like following examples I've seen in the past while using some of these programs (PF3, Pro ATC and also RC specifically in P3D)-

*Vectoring gets you from A to Z with no issues (no vectoring 20 miles away from the airport just to get circled back, not getting to downwind leg at 15,000 feet, not losing ATC contact during flight...)

*Correct transition altitudes given by ATC

*Correct step climbs and decents given by ATC

*Correct altimeter changes given in the correct altitudes 

 

I know I sound frustrated but it's important to me to know I will be able to complete a flight using the program without manual intervention by me 🙂

Right. This is my chief issue with the default ATC is the altitude assignments are sometimes way out of whack. 

[tup61 1,542]

Could anyone post a screenshot of the smallest possible window you can get with P2ATC? I have one monitor and don't use speech so I at least would need the part with 'say it' commands on screen whenever I want it: is that possible? Or will you always have the map and plan etc. on screen? That would be a mighty big window...

[Gazzareth 808]

2 hours ago, tup61 said:

Could anyone post a screenshot of the smallest possible window you can get with P2ATC? I have one monitor and don't use speech so I at least would need the part with 'say it' commands on screen whenever I want it: is that possible? Or will you always have the map and plan etc. on screen? That would be a mighty big window...

You can definitely just have commands up, because I use the advanced commands window. But I think you can also have a separate basic commands one.

I'm away from my PC until Monday though, so can't post a screenshot!

 

G

[Virtual-Chris 682]

Anyone else care to post a review? I believe there have been updates to at least Pro ATC lately? Which is a reassuring sign for those considering that app. 

[Sparkrite 188]

3 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

I believe there have been updates to at least Pro ATC lately? Which is a reassuring sign for those considering that app. 

Well, I'd hardly call them 'updates', more akin to patches/hotfixes to eradicate some bugs.

But as you say, it is somewhat 'reassuring' ,considering this addon's history.

[tup61 1,542]

I've been watching a few new video's this week in which ProATC is being used and it looks quite good but...

1. the voices are an absolute mess... specially how various voices are often used in a single sentence. Totally immersion killing. This is the main thing that is keeping me from buying it.

2. I do like how SID and STAR are assigned at the appropriate time which would be one of the reasons I WOULD buy ProATC anyway. However, I have not yet been able to find a video in which I can clearly see when ProATC assigns the approach (SID, transition and actual approach). I wonder if you will have time enough to enter everything into the MCDU (Fenix A320 here) and also to search for the charts and check things. I found one video in which an approach was assigned but that was without a STAR and the plane was already descending... which seems odd because the length of the flight depends on the procedures you use... Seems to me everything must be assigned, loaded and checked long before the TOD...?
BTW I am sure there are video's showing this but I don't like to watch video's that take hours and hours...

3. I also don't like the fact you can't hide the interface... small as it is. That's a big bummer because I don't like stuff on screen. Wish they would add an option to hide it like you can hide the default ATC window or FSHud.

Edited August 25, 2022 by tup61