ATC still messed up

Why is it still bugged when my Altitude is on EXACTLY 410 but ATC constantly keeps chiming in telling me to expedite to 410 over and over and over when I’m flying EXACTLY on that? Rather Annoying! I have to put my s*** on mute until its time for me to land :man_facepalming:t4:

Are you sure you have set your Altimeter Baro to STD setting ?
( FL 180 and above – in USA)

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As mentioned by N6722C above, in the sim, after you pass FL180, you need to set your Altimeter to 29.92 (101.3) which is the STD (standard) barometric setting.

In the real world, the STD altitude varies from area to area, but in the US it is FL180, so that is what the sim went with worldwide.

Most aircraft that fly that high have a STD button to push as you go through FL180.

Like all thing in Aviation, its a little more complex than just a Altimeter Baro setting.

“Deep dive into AP Baro settings”

You Altimeter is calibrated by its baro setting, that the pilot can adjust to the local Altimter setting, or to STD pressure above FL180.

But the Autopilot can either be connecetd to that Altimeter baro, or it can have its own Baro, that also has to be adjusted by the pilot.

ie Some installation of the Bendix KAP140

Then there is a Baro in the Transponder, that is always Calibrated to STD Pressure, by ground Techs, and is not alterable by the Pilot.

(with me so far ? Here comes the rub)

The keyboard “B” key sets all baros to the current weather’s Altimeter setting, INCLUDING some Baro in some transponders !! (which it should not). ie Asobo KT76C

kt76c
ie Even below FL180, (ie in this case NEAR 6500 ft) the Transponder display the FLIGHT LEVEL, – the altitude calibrated by STD Pressure)

IF the Transponder has a altitude display, it is should always be in FL, no matter what altitude, and thus always set to a fixed calibration of STD Pressure.

ATC receives that STD Pressure altitude from the Transponder, and it’s up to the ATC’s computer to convert that to Local altitude, when appropriate.

The what do the Vatsim & PE ATC systems do ???

I’ll leave you to figure that one out ( Not going there !! )

My point is, there are lots of ways you can be at an altitude that ATC sees you at, and thinks you are not at what you believe you are at.

TMI ?

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In MSFS transition altitude FL180 is everywhere, not just in US. This “sim” does not know there are different rules around the World.

Well, that makes thing unrealistically “SIMPLE”.

After 10 years, Not much better than FSX.

In the United States and Canada, the transition altitude is 18,000 ft (5,500 m).** In Europe, the transition altitude varies and can be as low as 3,000 ft (910 m). There are discussions to standardize the transition altitude within the Eurocontrol area.

Elsewhere, it varies:

  • Australia (10,000ft),
  • New Zealand (11,000ft),
  • Japan (14,000ft),
  • Papua New Guinea (20,000ft),
  • Philippines (11,000ft),
  • Nepal (13,500ft)
  • Kuwait (13,000ft).

There is also a distinction between

  1. “Transitions altitudes”
  2. “Transition levels”
  3. “Transition layer”

The transition level is the lowest available Flight Level for use. The transition altitude is the altitude at which you can set the altimeter to 1013hPa so that it indicates flight levels. The transition layer is the area between the transition altitude and transition level.

All this data is currently easily availabe worldwide, so there should be technical or logistical reason why this could not be modeled correctly in a modern flight simulator.

One assumes they the various division of Vatsim, model this correctly in their respective areas ?

For PE, (Only USA based), it’s easy … FL180