Looking at getting Radar Contact so I took a look at the manual and have a flight planning type of question.Does RC support in-flight modification to an IAP ? For example, I am nearing the New York area from the west using the planned STAR KINGSTON EIGHT for landing at KJFK from the west (e.g., rwy 13L or 13R). While on route, the active rwys become 31R and 31L and now I would like to use the PAWLING TWO arrival for an approach from the east side of KJFK. I can change the STAR and the Approach using the aircraft's FMC (PMDG 747-400X). Will RC support this change ? It seems to me that this is a key requirement since you don't know at departure time what to expect at the destination ? If the answer is "no", how does RC handle this condition ? Being vectored-in (down wind leg, then turn to base and then upwind leg) sounds like it's more appropriate for smaller airports.The other question...what is the maximum distance from the airport that RC can tell me the active rwys of my destination ? Any comments/advice will be appreciated.Zach

what i would suggest, is make your plan agnostic to the runway in use.when you get your weather at 60 miles out, you can get a feel for what runways the ai are using. get it again at 50 miles outthen once you contact approach, if you want to fly a specific approach, request an iap approach, and select your runway.be aware, rc won't stop you from doing something stupid. if you want to land into the departing ai, who am i to say you don't know what you're doing? you went out of your way to ask for that runway...jd

I believe it is true that if there are no AI during the initial approach assignment and RC has used it runway/navaid/weather accommodation algorithms for assignment, during a certain range if AI start showing up going to a different runway, you will get a new expect assignment. Of course you must not have declared an IAP when that change comes about but be under ATC control.I have experienced approach runway reassignments a few times in very early vectoring stages, I assume due to the emergence of AI using different runways.

Thanks to the both of you for the responses but I have a couple of follow-ups:- Is it possible to get INITIAL weather conditions and rwys used for landing at the destination airport more than 60 miles out ? At jet speeds, 60 miles is a short distance and I need some time to select an approach, rwy, deal with route discontinuities, etc.- You use terms such as "if there are no AI" and "departing AI"....what does "AI" mean ? I thought it meant artificial intelligence but it does not seem to make much sense in this context.- If an IAP approach is requested, do you request a specific IAP by name or do you tell RC that you will using an IAP ? I am asking the question from the perspective of having the same IAPs available to both RC and the aircraft's flight planning/IAP specification capability, i.e., ask for an IAP that RC does not know it exists.Thanks

ai = your traffic add-on of choice. all the planes that are flying with youi use the runway the ai are using (even if they are laning with a 30knot tailwind). that way, i'm pretty assured that you won't be landing into the takeoffsi can only "see" the ai at the arrival airport, when i'm 60 miles or lessi suggest download and reading the appropriate sections of the manual, so you understand the terminology we're using, i.e. iap approach.the manual is at www.jdtllc.com/v4/rcv43.pdfjd

RC gets the IAP list from the files created by examining your airports with the Scenery Database Utility. I do not recall if it recognizes VOR or NDB approached for use ion menu terminology but since the result is the same, where you perform your own navigation, I did not worry about it.I do recall where there was an ILS at only one end of a runway where the wind demanded I land in the other direction RC took me to the ILS and then cleared me for a visual landing on the correct runway (in other words a circle to land). This was back in V3."ai" means "artificial intelligence" although the degree of intelligence of FS ai routing is questionable :) You have a slider in one of your FS settings regarding percentage of AI Traffic which means reading a portion of their schedule to control their maximum density around you. AI routes and attendant aircraft are compiled into traffic files. A default one is supplied with FS but third party commercial and freeware programs to create these or complete plans with AI aircraft models are packaged as payware and in some cases freeware. The compiled plans consist of information about which aircraft under which airline or tail number ID fly which airport to which airport how frequently, at what cruise levels, and how long do they stay at each airport on the route, and how often does the entire route repeat for that aircraft. As JD stated, these are the aircraft that keep you company both in the air and on the ground. FS controls these without your intervention (which is why they are dubbed "ai") all based on the time of day that you are flying.As to how AI interacts with you and how you interact with it via ATC is described in the RC manual including how RC ATC can protect you with synchronization and in a few cases modify high ai fly in your area.As JD stated, download and peruse the manual.

Addendum:Depending on how your aircraft's avionics database is constructed it may or may not match your scenery airport information, the latter of which RC uses.Just remember that if taking vectors the departure (SID or DP) procedure, or arrival (STAR) procedure in your avionics may in part or not at all agree with the instructions RC ATC gives which must be followed unless you request to do your own navigation. See the manual about departure and arrival choices. You can at your own risk request whether or not using vectors request specific runways for arrival and departure. Be aware that doing so may put you in conflict with AI operations which RC does consider in its runway assignments.