ATC makes you climb during descent into airports

[CptHerewego]

ISSUE DESCRIPTION

Description of the issue:

On descent into airports during any mission, ATC will more often than not get an aircraft at FL300 to descent to, say, 15,000’ (all well and good), but then when well into the descent, ATC will get us to climb back up to like FL220, before descending us again to 2,000’ and we have to drop like a rock to make the runway.

If we don’t comply, we get dinged.

If applicable, which aircraft is experiencing this issue:
All aircraft

[PC Only] Did you remove all your community mods/add-ons? If yes, are you still experiencing the issue?
Never added any mods/add-ons

FREQUENCY OF ISSUE

How often does this occur for you (Example: Just once, every time on sim load, intermittently)?
Always

REPRODUCTION STEPS

Please list clear steps you took in order to help our test team reproduce the same issue:

1. Start mission
2. Get to descent phase
3. Observe ATC proceed to give unreasonable descent profiles

YOUR SETTINGS

If the issue still occurs with no mods and add-ons, please continue to report your issue. If not, please move this post to the User Support Hub.

What peripherals are you using, if relevant:
Not relevant

[PC Only] Are you using Developer Mode or have you made any changes to it?
NO

[PC, MSFS 2020 Only] Are you using DX11 or DX12?

[PC Only] What GPU (Graphics Card) do you use?
Nvdia GeForce RTX 3070

[PC Only] What other relevant PC specs can you share?

MEDIA

Please add a screenshot or video of the issue occurring.

[END OF FIRST USER REPORT]

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For anyone who wants to contribute on this issue, Click on the button below to use this template:

Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?
•

Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:
•

If relevant, provide additional screenshots/video:
•

[Ariana2022UK]

Exactly the same as 2020

Departures pretty good then ignore everything from TOD to arrival.

Also far too many hand offs.

I am impressed they’ve started to get SIDS in there, that’s some improvement at least!!

[Marklar666]

It has its flaws but it’s not a broken c..p. Most players just don’t know how to use it properly. I did over 500 IFR flights with default ATC in FS2020.

[RockinRowl]

Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?
• Yes

Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:
•
Was on career mode flight to KBHM. On final approach ATC instructed me to “climb to FL 340” which was my cruise altitude.
If relevant, provide additional screenshots/video:
•

[OrdainedFox3050]

More than a few times I’ve had ATC:

• Ask me to descend and maintain a lower altitude, then
• Hand me off to the next ATC controller, then
• Ask me to climb and maintain my original cruising altitude

Very annoying…

[CptHerewego]

Yes, this commonly happens to me as well.

[Chewwy94]

Thank you for the bug report.

We have created an internal ticket to see if our team already has this logged, and if not they will attempt to reproduce the issue and create a new bug report. This item is now marked as feedback-logged. If there is an existing bug report or one is created, we will move this thread to bug-logged

[TheM00ps]

Unfortunately this is nothing new in 2024. 2020 does the same thing. I’ve had ATC direct me to climb to 16,000 feet just miles from the airport in a 172.

[CptHerewego]

Yeah I know, but it’s a problem in this game, too.

[BeeJayHawk]

Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?
• Yes

Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:
• More so, in Airliner missions, the ATC gives descent instructions way too late for a save controlled descent in the MAX. An ATC option to report Ready for descent would solve this.

[JasonO99]

I get this during career in my C208. No particular pattern, I sometimes get cleared to FL150, then get told to go to FL160 and then I am asked 10+ times to go between the two flight levels. I may eventually get a clearance for lower but it’s often way too late, or just doesn’t come at all. It also doesn’t seem to care about altitude constraints in STAR’s either.

So far I’ve been changing to VFR and then taking myself down to avoid ignoring ATC and getting any penalty but that’s not really what I should be doing when it’s not VFR conditions.

[DeathBySybian]

A work-around is to pull up the radio com window and cancel ifr when you’re 20 miles out.

[BitQuill495721]

way too many handoffs

[ViccoIsCool]

I had a weird one along similar lines. KMIA/KJFK. ATC insisted FL23 then shortly before arrival, insisted on FL140. I ignored the latter for a perfect ILS landing. It might work properly one day. I’m sure you aren’t supposed to see the dolphins up close in CRZ phose.

[HyperSniper1972]

Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?
• I concur. Happens almost every time.

Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:
•

If relevant, provide additional screenshots/video:
•

[YourEmperor744]

Same issue. especially irritating in Career mode as I just got the PC-24 for my cargo company. wanted me to descend directly from FL400 to 6,000ft within 20 miles then land. Completely unachievable

[JM2355]

I was flying to LAX and was told to descend to 3700 ft at a reasonable distance, thought “is the ATC actually working as intended?”

Anyways, I was stabilized on approach, localizer and glideslope captured, airplane perfectly configured for landing. Then…it told me to climb to 3700 ft…on a stabilized approach. Was stupid of me to get my hopes up.

The only reason I even bother with MSFS 2024 (the career mode) is the biggest bugfest in the entire game. Free Flight seems to work better.

[Tommaso9996162]

last week it happen almost each flight

even illogical things like cruising at 16000 in last 2 hours
ATC: descend to 15000
you reply
then start the descent
ATC: climb to 16000
you reply
laugh
then climb back

fuel company pay atc to let you waste fuel!!

[OrdainedFox3050]

Funny you should mention that. I had that exact situation happen to me in the last day or two. I was cruising at 16,000, ATC told me to descent to 15,000, then no sooner had I acknowledged it, ATC told me to climb to 16,000. The only difference is I hadn’t started a descent yet.

[Capekk4584]

Welcome to the oldest bug in Microsoft Flight Simulator. It was carried over from FSX (Microsoft Flight Simulator number 10) . You often get sent to 5000 feet and then straight after to 30,000 feet, only to be sent back to 2000 feet 20 seconds later. Was that it ?