Very often ATC gives me approach instructions only when I’m very near of destination, on even when I am flying over the airport at high altitude. It results on a high speed approach, wrong approach legs, and all other possible mistakes.
So, ATC is not working properly on approaches.
Example:default king air 350i using low altitude airways from SBKP to SBSP(Brazil).
Flying on Xbox Series X
You need to learn when to ignore ATC on approaches. If you are in the Neo, and using a flightplan the ATC often goes by the constraints (min elevations) on certain waypoints close (say 20-30 miles) to an Airport. Sometimes these constraints make sense, other times they don’t and are likely bugs. Unless you are flying into somewhere that has a very difficult/unusual approach, you should always aim to be at approx 3000ft 10 miles out and lined up to the destination runway in the Neo irrespective of what ATC is telling you /not telling you. You can’t go far wrong with that figure. Approaching slightly below the glideslope makes it far easier (and more controllable) to meet it than being high above it and using a faster descent.
An example of what you are talking about - I was flying into Lille today and ATC wanted me at 10000ft, I was 30 miles from airport and they kept telling me to go to 10000ft until I was just about on final. Fortunately I had already decided to ignore them and descend to 5000ft then 3000ft as I knew I’d need to be there to be able land. Had I not done that they would have tried to descend me from 10000->2500 10-12 miles out from the airport which is not possible.
The whole ATC system along with approaches is bugged in this regard, so just try to learn when to ignore it or as some others do turn it off completely. Perhaps also try using another flightplanner as many others do. Also check out approach charts for the airport you are flying in to they have elevation data for approach waypoints and this is real as opposed to what ATC thinks is real in FS2020.
Vatsim or Pilot Edge are an option.
I feel you. Yesterday, taking off VFR from SBMT to SBJD, I asked for an IFR pick up and the ATC sent me to 12000 ft, and I was in a Caravan… So I agree with the friend above, unfortunately we have to learn to ignore some ATC instructions.
Also, the last sim update brought an airac that is missing the Jundiai approach procedure, so be aware that more things must be missing in this region.
Thank you, but in this case I does not have this option, because I’m flying on Xbox series X.
Thank you, It’s the best option while Microsoft doesn’t fix this bug. I were used to fly on MSFS2004 and ATC worked much more better. So I think Microsoft should find out how to fix all those ATC bugs.
Thank you, frequently I get ATC issues flying over Brazil, but I really hope Microsoft fixes it as soon as possible. I can tell you that FS2004 ATC works much better then current MSFS.
Off-topic: Have you ever noticed that electric tower on 17R final of SBSP? And usually trees on final of many other airports ? Well, we have a lot of bugs to be fixed.
I’m doing a trip around the world going west ATC has put me into mountains at least two times as I was going up the Canadian coast. I’m in Asia - most of the China ATC is behind the plane. I’ve lost track of the times I’ve been giving wrong directions and altitudes. Just today flying from ZAJH → VYCZ. I was put at FL270. ATC at 80 miles out from VYCZ give me ‘vectors to visual approach’. Brought me to the city at same FL270. Small problem airport was a no show. Yup not in the sim anyplace. I have to re-direct to VYMD. It’s very fun to lose 20,000 ft in 10 or so miles…
So far my conclusion is most of China and Southeast Asia is not represented very well.
tw
On one of my very first flights on the XBox X in the Neo, and ATC vectored me straight through the blades of a windfarm. I’ve been suspicious of ATC approaches ever since.
Yes, these annoying obstacles really exist at many airports. Maybe it gets better when there’s a WU for Brazil
About the ATC problem, try to use this mod, it can help a lot:
In addition to improving the phraseology and solving some other problems, it also gives us earlier landing procedures (the radar is in charge of this instead of the tower).
Agree with that post, too many times, the ATC left us hanging high, then at the last minutes ask to go from FL 170 to 3000 feet in less than a minute, or, in some airports, like EBBR, the order to reach 3000 feet is given on-time, then the ATC asks to go to FL140 and same stuff, minutes to land, down to 3000 feet
I ignore atc totally I fly my route and then calculate my descent to get down to my ils approach altitude then fly approach & land. works for me till they fix it.
It’s the amount of altitude you want to lose divided by 100 and times 3 gives you’re top of descent in nm
ATC doesn’t always wait until too late. It also sometimes chimes in way too early.
Here we are still talking to the CLEVELAND ground ATC IFR , over 100 nm from when I would be passing over to a Canadian ATC on my way from JFK to YYZ.
And this CLEVELAND computer ATC guy is telling me to set up for an IFR ILS runway 23 approach to cleveland. I am not going to cleveland.
I have flown around 10+ flights now all set up in world map with the a320 using IFR low.
I leave destination on automatic runway/approach.
ATC has worked perfectly at giving altitude instructions. If anything as someone above mentioned they give the descend instructions a little too early sometimes.
Its also nice and steady, I could be at FL30, ATC requests me to go to FL24, then 16"000FT, 8, 4 and so on, not just a rapid descent anymore, its very good for me now.
I am someone who encountered atc issuing descend instructions way to late as well in the past, so Im pretty certain Asobo improved this massively in a past update.
To calculate descent it is altitude you want to lose multiply by 3 and then divide by 1000.
So I want to lose 20,000 feet - 20,000 x 3 = 60,000 /1000 is 60NM to start descent and your descent rate is ground speed times 5. Say ground speed = 400knots x 5 = 2000 fpm.
I have had issues as well, but a flight into Nassau in the Bahamas went off without any issues regarding ATC. Heck, I even got some ATC achievement, along with a Dead Stick one. I guess cutting the throttle to zero counts in this regards. LOL
I’ve never understood this bug even happening when you have a Flight plan. Why doesn’t ATC simply read out the callouts from there. Lol.
Seems a simple fix for that at least.
It seems strange to say “You need to learn when to ignore ATC on approaches.” Why not say, “Hey Microsoft! Fix the buggy ATC!”? Try being at your recommended “always aim to be at approx 3000ft 10 miles out and lined up to the destination runway in the Neo irrespective of what ATC is telling you /not telling you” when doing an approach in Paro or an airport in mountain terrain in the KingAir. If the ATC is wrong study the terrain and approaches first!
Order of fixes:
Flight Planning Engine - Working Title (NXi, CJ4, G3000, G3X) then move FP code in the Garmins to the sim core.
ATC - intertwined with FP engine. If the FP engine doesn’t understand all 32 AIRAC Procedures/Leg Types, neither does ATC.
Somewhere in there, they also improve all other FMS - 430/530, 7xx series, as well as other Premium and Deluxe a/c.
Interwoven with all of them is the WX Engine for things like deviations, vectors and altitude calls.
If you’ve followed the NXi journey - that’s easily more than 12 months work cumulative up there.
Nothing can be solved in a silo. Ten year journey. 'Nuff said.
