It's not fair that in 2026 we still have to rely on payware add-ons in order to get a realistic IFR flight sim. 😃

Having said that, it's still an affordable way to enjoy our hobby. 

Here's my advice to Todd2:

Try BATC with the FSLTL fleet. Get yourself a headset with a mic, if you don't have one, and begin doing some IFR flights using BATC controllers and you acting as PIC. Practice requesting clearance and using standard phraseology to make all requests and delivering responses.

I start by creating a Simbrief FP. Save it. I load the FP into MSFS & AS and then go fly. I then load BATC, request clearance, and follow all ATC instructions. I listen and enjoy ATC Chatter and use AS to get the weather.

I'm always prepared to adjust my flight plan based on ATC instructions and follow STAR procedures. I intercept the LOC and line up with the runway and grease the landing. I always have a successful IFR flight.

I then taxi to parking and at the end I feel like I just completed a real IFR flight.

Trust me. It's an amazing feeling!

 

4 hours ago, blueshark747 said:

but at this point I really don't care to pay a monthly/yearly subscription for anything.

Only SayIntentions has such a model. The others are a one time purchase. The recurrent payments on BATC are only if you use up your premium voice characters and are not happy with the basic or local voice models.

BATC works fine in most but the most challenging mountainous arrivals and I haven't been vectored into a mountain for ages.  At this moment I am at cruise on the way to Bucaramanga's airport and as we know Colombia is chuck full of mountains.  We'll see in about...40 minutes how it goes!  This is a first flight for me as I've never flown into this part of Colombia ever, though do Lima to Bogota and Medellin pretty regularly w/o issues.  When I do Lima Cuzco we simply put BATC on ignore!

FSHUD

 

2 hours ago, Farlis said:

Only SayIntentions has such a model. The others are a one time purchase. The recurrent payments on BATC are only if you use up your premium voice characters and are not happy with the basic or local voice models.

How does BATC ai traffic compare to FSLTL?

You feel its current alpha state works good enough for basic flights? I'm mainly looking for the taxi traffic/comms immersion. Don't care what the ai traffic does or goes after take off as long as they don't do low flyby passes over the airport.🤣

Coming from default MSFS ATC I'm fine with any basic voice model as long as it doesn't come with a subscription.
 

Hmmm it may be time I hop in!

 

Edited February 19Feb 19 by blueshark747

13 hours ago, Sweetd31 said:

Sigh... i made a thread on ATC in hopes that one day it is buffed. Bummer everyone is just content with using third party

Well no one is really content using third party...the problem is we know from past experience default ATC just usually is not very good and only improved at a glacial pace

Whereas 3rd party tends to be a little better with a little more improvements over time.

Vatsim is really the only answer here.  None of the third party add ons work correctly either.  

[Misread the post I was replying to!  Deleted]

Edited February 19Feb 19 by JYW

13 hours ago, Stearmandriver said:

Vatsim is really the only answer here.  None of the third party add ons work correctly either.  

That's heavily dependant on where you do most of your flights and at what time of the day. Coverage can be very spotty. If I were living in the western U.S. I would probably pay a monthly subscription and get Pilot Edge instead.

Edited February 20Feb 20 by Farlis

Yup, I imagine PE is a good option too, I've always meant to try it.  I DO live in the western US so it would be familiar.  Just don't really have the desire to pay for sim controllers, but I've always heard they're very good. 

Vatsim is definitely dependent on coverage, but at least when it's there it works well.

I've found that default ATC can behave a little better if you periodically use your default EFB to send your flight plan to ATC. This works for 2024, of course. Not Ideal but it might help.

18 hours ago, Farlis said:

Only SayIntentions has such a model. The others are a one time purchase. The recurrent payments on BATC are only if you use up your premium voice characters and are not happy with the basic or local voice models.

Just to clarify, BATC has no subscription.  If you want the premium voices, it is an additional, but one time cost.  

18 hours ago, blueshark747 said:

How does BATC ai traffic compare to FSLTL?

I used FSLTL prior to using BATC, and even after picking up BATC I would turn BATC's traffic generator OFF because of very poor quality animation w/ BATC's traffic injection, and just use FSLTL and use BATC's ATC which does work, except you don't get coordination between you and other traffic, but it's not bad and animation is super smooth when using FSLTL's.  For awhile now BATC's traffic has been much improved compared to where it was many moons ago, so now I almost always use BATC's injection w/ FSLTL's models.  Of note, the more traffic you select in BATC the more you will notice poor quality animation so right now I have traffic sliders at 3, and parked at 5.  

1 hour ago, Noel said:

I used FSLTL prior to using BATC, and even after picking up BATC I would turn BATC's traffic generator OFF because of very poor quality animation w/ BATC's traffic injection, and just use FSLTL and use BATC's ATC which does work, except you don't get coordination between you and other traffic, but it's not bad and animation is super smooth when using FSLTL's.  For awhile now BATC's traffic has been much improved compared to where it was many moons ago, so now I almost always use BATC's injection w/ FSLTL's models.  Of note, the more traffic you select in BATC the more you will notice poor quality animation so right now I have traffic sliders at 3, and parked at 5.  

I set traffic at 3 too in BATC.  Definitely the sweet spot.   
 

I sometimes raise the enroute traffic setting only, in BATC -  if I'm flying somewhere 'quiet' (been flying airliners in Africa recently) and there's little or no other ATC interaction, other than me.

I agree that the sweet spot for BATC traffic is 3. Enroute sometimes at 5. Even with that setting I can still get very little chatter. That's when I open my ATC-chatter ap and enjoy some realistic ATC. It's also my go to ap for all my vfr flights.

Edited February 20Feb 20 by CFIJose