FBW A320nx on an IFR flight from KPHX to KLAX using the world map to create the flight plan (selected both SID and STAR). Previously, ATC would be very late providing altitude changes both on climb and decent. But now with SU7 they seem to have gotten their act together.
LAX approach was particularly good getting me down to the constraint at each inbound waypoint. And they had me ready to capture the glide slope when I was cleared for the approach.
I will next try a flight using the SimBrief import to see if they behave as well with an externally created flight plan.
After following comments on another ATC thread I took a break from Vatsim and tested ATC yesterday - CJ4 KBOS to KJFK. Did everything in the SIM flight planner (swear it gives better routes than Simbrief) and folllwed ATC without deviations. Was all fine. On the climb I simply dialled in my cruise altitude and didn’t have to break my climb at all as it stepped me up.
Got my descent into JFK in good time (110nm out at FL450 to 13000ft) and assigned a proper approach with transition far enough out to make entering into the FMC a relaxed business - even dealing with the fact all the STAR waypoints were loaded again (not an ATC issue!). It skipped one altitude restriction on the STAR, but got the key one right. All approach altitudes were as published.
Only problem was it was struggling with the volume of live traffic and sure enough started to issue go arounds.
The number of Freq changes in the FIRs was annoying, but I let the copilot handle all that.
I tried ATC for the first time the other day flying from Charlotte to Tampa using SimBrief. I never was told to climb to cruising so I manually had to ask. I was never vectored to the airport. It also asked when I did before the flight, to use Instrument flight planning. I also have AIG running and it was really busy. I will have to try it again.
It will never give you vectors unless you ask for them. Most of the time, they’re ok. But every now and then, they’re completely out to lunch and will send you out 50+ miles away before finally vectoring you into your IAF.
I was wondering if it would be possible to be able to be given a choice of which runway to land and take off from, especially for airfields with multiple runways and ATCs tendency to make you land downwind at times.
It would also be nice to have the option to request join overhead and descend on the deadside for, rather than be told to fly straight in, downwind, base, etc.
I agree it is getting better on public beta… Instructions were accurate and on right time and even if I were not prepared for approach in advance the ATC guided me correctly to land. Fingers crossed
You can already do that: you can select both a different approach and a different runway after being assigned your arrival.
Sometimes if you select an approach with a different runway from that first assigned, it will give you a ‘circle to land’. You can fix this by the then choseing the runway you want. You should then get it without the circle to land instruction.
Two points: in light winds the runway assignment by ATC may be based on ‘prefered’ direction (for noise abatement etc) rather than wind and if you chose your own runway and have AI traffic enabled you may be in conflict with other landing traffic.
Simbrief will use an outdated AIRAC if you are not a Navigraph user. Simbrief gives you multiple route options so you can pick a path that makes the most sense to you.
Default ATC is OK, but hasn’t changed much from what I can see. The main ATC problem right now (as described previously) is the ATC audio stopping along at the same time as losing the text ATC log when in Co-pilot ATC mode (co-pilot still ‘hears’ the ATC though). You can get the text ATC log back by switching Azure off, or better still switch the co-pilot ATC off at start of flight and do manual ATC then audio usually behaves. I do wish they’d fix (or even recognise) this bug as it is very annoying and I don’t always want to sit for several hours at a time hitting the ‘1’ key at every hand off.
I wasn’t exactly being serious. I am a Navigraph user. And I know Simbrief will give you options, but the in game planner will usually give you a more efficient route first go. Of course it doesn’t do anything else useful, unlike Simbrief.
