Is it me or is the stock ATC usually very late on giving the descend instructions? I usually have to ask to lower the altitude myself. I’d say 2 out of 10 times it does it right, the others it’s very late.

Default ATC sucks big time in almost all possible ways... So this TOD problem doesn't surprise me. If this is your only problem with it you are very lucky or not paying attention LOL

It is very late most of the time.  I typically don’t wait long enough to see how late I get the clearance (if at all) because I don’t want to overshoot my destination.  9/10 flights for me I ask for an altitude reduction and ATC never catches up.

I’m not sure what leads to the 1/10 times when I get an appropriate TOD clearance, I’d love to figure out if there’s a pattern so I can duplicate it

Edited August 28, 20223 yr by regis9

4 hours ago, Drumcode said:

Is it me or is the stock ATC usually very late on giving the descend instructions? I usually have to ask to lower the altitude myself. I’d say 2 out of 10 times it does it right, the others it’s very late.

I think so as well.  Asobo has just parked it in placeholder status and hopefully they will get back and work on it and I'll bet they will.

I noticed that the TOD was often late early on in this sim's release, but I haven't had that issue for some time now.  I've been calculating the TOD with the various nav systems (g1000 NXi, g3000, CJ4's FSC, etc.) and activating VNAV.

Ironically, the default ATC now requests decent prior to the TOD about 99% of the time...

Edited August 29, 20223 yr by RandallR

15 minutes ago, RandallR said:

I noticed that the TOD was often late early on in this sim's release, but I haven't had that issue for some time now.  I've been calculating the TOD with the various nav systems (g1000 NXi, g3000, CJ4's FSC, etc.) and activating VNAV.

Ironically, the default ATC now requests decent prior to the TOD about 99% of the time...

I wonder if it's somehow using the calculations you're doing in the avionics to figure out TOD.  If you don't calculate it, I wonder what it's using?

I get ATC call for descent early, late and even right on time when compared with my Simbrief flightplan. I use Navigraph navdata but I'm not sure if that makes much difference. I have got into the habit of inserting a hold along the way to deal with anomalies, as ATC has a nasty habit of waiting until the very last moment before it assigns the arrival and approach.

For people who are getting accurate or even early descent clearances, how do you set up your arrival airport in the flight planning screen?  Or to you choose an arrival or do you leave it so the sim selects it?  I’m wondering if there’s a way that make the descent clearance more reliable in setting up the flight.

18 minutes ago, regis9 said:

For people who are getting accurate or even early descent clearances, how do you set up your arrival airport in the flight planning screen?  Or to you choose an arrival or do you leave it so the sim selects it?  I’m wondering if there’s a way that make the descent clearance more reliable in setting up the flight.

I don't think there really is a way to make the descent clearance more reliable. No matter if you select an arrival or leave it empty or let MSFS pick one, it will use the same logic to come up with the TOD. If you leave it empy MSFS will simply give you later on what it would have given you if you had the planner pick it for you during planning. (That sounds more complicated than I meant to make it sound... 😉 ).

In all honesty... I am not sure how real world ATC handles this...? The crew knows best when it's time to descent, I imagine... You can't count on ATC to calculate the TOD for every plane out there, can you?

7 hours ago, RandallR said:

I noticed that the TOD was often late early on in this sim's release, but I haven't had that issue for some time now.  I've been calculating the TOD with the various nav systems (g1000 NXi, g3000, CJ4's FSC, etc.) and activating VNAV.

Ironically, the default ATC now requests decent prior to the TOD about 99% of the time...

Same here. I have been noticing subtle changes to ATC over the past few months. There have been no mentions of changes to ATC in any of the release notes I've ever read, but the most recent one is that it now seems to be reading the STAR that you are flying, and it is assigning all of the altitude reductions as you go. I just wish it would skip one or two when they are close together so you don't constantly have to reply while flying the approach.

My other wish would be for ATC to give instructions earlier during climb or descent. As it is now, it waits until you are within 200' of your currently assigned altitude before giving you the next altitude. Most of the time, the airplane is trying to level off before you get your next assignment.

8 minutes ago, regis9 said:

For people who are getting accurate or even early descent clearances, how do you set up your arrival airport in the flight planning screen?  Or to you choose an arrival or do you leave it so the sim selects it?  I’m wondering if there’s a way that make the descent clearance more reliable in setting up the flight.

I use Simbrief to create and download the flight plan so the STAR gets imported as well. If you are planning your own flight, find the winds at your destination airport, pick a suitable runway, and then see which STAR works to get you between the end of you mid route waypoints, and the beginning of your approach.

1 hour ago, regis9 said:

For people who are getting accurate or even early descent clearances, how do you set up your arrival airport in the flight planning screen?  Or to you choose an arrival or do you leave it so the sim selects it?  I’m wondering if there’s a way that make the descent clearance more reliable in setting up the flight.

If you plan an IFR flight in MSFS and select both a STAR and approach, I find ATC is more likely to give rational descent clearances. Especially if the STAR has some altitude restriction, which they often have. I've had approaches where ATC have been spot on clearing me to descent in stages as per the IFR charts. 

But more often than not descent clearance is all over the place. Like someone else mentioned, I've also practiced putting in a hold within say 20nm of the airport or so. Or ask for a lower "cruise" altitude. They will usually accept this down to 8000ft or so. If they don't let me descend further I just cancel IFR. 

33 minutes ago, MDFlier said:

I use Simbrief to create and download the flight plan so the STAR gets imported as well. If you are planning your own flight, find the winds at your destination airport, pick a suitable runway, and then see which STAR works to get you between the end of you mid route waypoints, and the beginning of your approach. E

That's a better way of doing it. Wouldn't make sense to plan the approach before departure on long-hauls. Even then, pre-planning a hold within ATIS range can be a good idea, as it gives you the time to set up for an approach and request it. Even though you can always check the METAR, ATC often makes nonsensical decisions in regards to choice of runway. 

Edited August 29, 20223 yr by Cpt_Piett

33 minutes ago, MDFlier said:

There have been no mentions of changes to ATC in any of the release notes I've ever read, but the most recent one is that it now seems to be reading the STAR that you are flying, and it is assigning all of the altitude reductions as you go.

I wonder if that's realistic though...? The whole idea of procedures is that a pilot can fly them himself so ATC won't be bothered with it. ATC should only interact during that phase of flight in case of vectors afaik. FSHud clears you for the STAR and then let you fly it yourself: the next altitude it tells you is when it clears you for the approach. (BTW FSHud also sucks at calculating the TOD: I usually start the descent myself at the calculated TOD and usually FSHud will catch up with me later on.)

Edited August 29, 20223 yr by tup61

32 minutes ago, MDFlier said:

There have been no mentions of changes to ATC in any of the release notes I've ever read, but the most recent one is that it now seems to be reading the STAR that you are flying

Pretty sure it's been doing that since launch.

8 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

I wonder if it's somehow using the calculations you're doing in the avionics to figure out TOD.  If you don't calculate it, I wonder what it's using?

I'm not certain - I've pretty well incorporated a Simbrief/Navigraph route for flight-planning and have used that approach for some time.  I've just noticed that there have been some changes in how ATC responds.  Overall, it's doing better, but it still messes up big-time on occasion.

2 hours ago, regis9 said:

For people who are getting accurate or even early descent clearances, how do you set up your arrival airport in the flight planning screen?  Or to you choose an arrival or do you leave it so the sim selects it?  I’m wondering if there’s a way that make the descent clearance more reliable in setting up the flight.

I do most of my planning in Simbrief, then import it (which will include SIDS, STARs and runways) into Navigraph.  In Navigraph I select the approaches and transitions I want to use, then verify the STAR/Direct assignments are still there from Simbrief after I import the Navigraph FP into the flight-planning screen.

Most of the time the flight-planning screen will now be identical to my original flight plan, but I always check as it will mess up from time to time.  The most common errors it makes are:

• Adding a STAR where the original FP called for the departure or arrival to be Direct
• Using the wrong STAR
• Replacing my approach with the wrong one
• Not even having the appropriate STAR in its inventory.  I find this surprising as my Navigraph subscription, I thought, was supposed to add the missing SIDS/STARS/ IAPs?

I correct approaches/transitions in the aircraft before TO rather than in the flight planner.  I don't know if all of this has an affect on the ATC timing for the TOD call-out, but it's been a little early on average for about a year.