BeyondATC

Discussion Hub Tools & Utilities
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5733

Glad it wasn’t just me that was confused by that. Started to doubt myself and wonder if I’d been tuning into the Sim’s ATIS on com2 or something :upside_down_face:

5734

Does nobody read the announcements?

VFR Stage Two

Expanded Radios

To maximise the benefits of dynamic loading, we’ve enhanced support for the COM2 radio in your aircraft for both IFR and VFR. Instead of being restricted to ATIS frequencies, you can now tune to any frequency on your second radio, with support for independent volume controls and expanded ability to detect whether your radio is monitoring COM1 or COM2.

5735

Yes exactly - but it was not demonstrated in said video. That was the point I made. Nevermind.

5736

The video was made by a volunteer, not related to BATC, who did a great job to demonstrate everything he had found out and tested in de upcoming version. That said chances are that he did use COM2 in a slightly different way than the text in the notes.
But once more BATC shows that they listen carefully to the community by realizing another one of the most requested features.

5737

Just had the most immersive taxi and takeoff at EBBR. “Behind the departing A320, cross runway 25R”, I don’t remember the exact line used but this is cool. Then out of the grey comes a DHL Triple, and performs a butter landing on 25R (have they tweaked the flare??), and gives off some mist due to the damp surface.

This software continues to impress, remember back in the early days before traffic was even a thing? :laughing: We’ve come a looong way indeed.

5738

FR24 integration and how it is handled … is very impressive :+1:

First time ever i was in a “train” with more planes on the same star. Working beautifully

Some quirks now and then with traffic not updating but nice

Just finished a realtime 10.30 hour flight from EHAM-KDFW .. nice Atlantic traffic also

LOVE IT

5739

Major Version 1.10.0 Experimental

Stage Two of VFR is here! Stage Two represents the biggest leap for VFR within BeyondATC - dynamic airport loading, airspace rule awareness, a brand new Toolbar, COM2 support, new controllers, frequencies, en route services and more - represented across the US, UK and Australia.

A lot of these new systems encompass both VFR and IFR - you can read our VFR progress post to see what’s included in Stage Two here → https://www.beyondatc.net/post/vfr-stage-two-progress-update. You can also review a short video showcasing US VFR flight following here → https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/HzntRMNg1rk

Toolbar V3 Download - Note: to work correctly, this requires 1.10.0 Experimental; the toolbar will come to the EA branch in the next EA update. Download the new toolbar here → https://download.beyondatc.app/beyondatc-toolbar%20(V3%20BETA).zip

If you have feedback on VFR, please provide it via:
US → Discord
UK → Discord
AUS → Discord

If you come across bugs, please log a bug report here under the type ‘VFR’ → Discord

We’ll also be updating our wiki in the coming days to reflect the changes and additions in Stage Two.

e[1;35m​:world_map: Dynamic Airport Loadinge[0m
A dynamic airport loading system that allows VFR aircraft to tune to, interact with and land at any airport around them - loading airports and frequencies 100nm around the player.

  • With this we’ve added the ability to load at more airports - even those without taxi/parking data in VFR.
  • NOTE: Flight plans are still required that specify your starting airport.
  • NOTE: IFR flights must follow their flight plan; however, you can tune to and monitor any airport frequency within radio range (within 100nm for non-flight plan airports and 250nm for centres) - even if it’s not on your flight plan.

e[1;35m​:satellite: Implementation of Airspace Datae[0m
With our previous update about bringing realistic airspaces to BeyondATC, we’ve expanded this to VFR, including airspace classes. This lets us adjust rules and available actions based on the airspace you are flying in. Reworked departure and arrival flows across all three regions to fit new airspace data and procedures; for example, if you’re flying into Class D airspace in the UK, you’ll need clearance to enter the control zone - or clearance to enter Bravo airspace in the US.

e[1;35m​:toolbox: Toolbar v3e[0m
We’ve overhauled our toolbar with a new look, support for info boxes, COM2 and turnarounds, as well as support for starting and ending flights - or adjusting common settings - directly from the toolbar.

  • UI overhaul to better match the BeyondATC UI
  • D-ATIS page has been removed in favour of a new frequencies menu which has the same layout as the main BATC UI
  • Added the ability to start and end flights from within the toolbar (When BeyondATC is open)
  • Added the ability to adjust common options from within the toolbar
  • Info boxes are now displayed within the toolbar
  • NOTE: BeyondATC must be running in the background to use the toolbar.

e[1;35m​:radio: COM2 Radio Supporte[0m
COM2 radio support has been expanded to allow tuning to all frequencies. We’ve also added better support for knowing which radios you are monitoring, so BeyondATC can dynamically turn your COM1 and COM2 radio off/stop generating transmissions when COM1/COM2 is muted. We’ve also made COM2 always show whether the radio is on, so you can see it can be used.

  • NOTE: You cannot transmit over COM2, only listen.

e[1;34m​:globe_with_meridians: Global VFRe[0m

  • e[1mDeconfliction logice[0m: we’ve expanded the deconfliction logic to give awareness to both VFR (player) and IFR aircraft on VFR traffic, in and around airports and when receiving the relevant traffic service or flight following. This system is still very much a work in progress - for example, you or traffic will not be given vectors to avoid traffic, even within controlled airspace; we’ll be continuing to work on this as VFR is developed in Experimental.
  • e[1mSelf-announcinge[0m: new handling has been introduced for uncontrolled frequencies, allowing you to self-announce using voice and buttons on frequencies like CTAF/UNICOM/MULTICOM/SAFTEYCOM
  • e[1mFlight rules outside the US/UK/AUSe[0m: a new ‘VFR Fallback Region’ option has been added to allow you to control which flight rules you fly under when flying outside of the US/UK/AUS. NOTE: This is a WIP feature, and because of how specific flows work, it may not always handle flights logically; for example, if the airspace data where you are flying doesn’t conform to what the VFR flows expect. Do experiment with it and report any issues
  • e[1mReport clear of runway buttone[0m: used to trigger a handoff or a taxi request (if no handoff is required)
  • ‘Return to field’ action when doing a VFR departure - useful for those short flights that always stay within controlled airspace.
  • Added tower controller issuing a go-around to VFR aircraft on short final
  • When two similar callsigns are on frequency, ATC will advise aircraft to use their full callsign.
  • Hidden acknowledgement requests have been added; “Roger”, “Wilco”, etc. should no longer fall through to the LLM.
  • e[1mVFR turnaroundse[0m: when landing and taxiing to parking in VFR, you now get an info box popup about turnarounds instead of the dedicated IFR turnaround button; to turn around in VFR, just request taxi again. NOTE: VFR turnarounds are still a WIP - we update your origin but cannot update your destination unless you redo your flight plan and load BeyondATC again; this may lead to your destination being used in calls, even after you arrive. We are looking into how best to resolve this.
  • Removed ‘Alright, we’ll taxi to..’ script from taxi readback script.

e[1;34m​:radio: Frequencies & Radiose[0m

  • e[1mFrequency normalisation systeme[0m: we’ve done some work to better match the frequencies we get from the sim, which are usually truncated, to valid frequencies seen on the charts. This also adds support for 8.33kHz frequencies in Europe. Ultimately, we’re still limited by the data we get from the sim, but the aim is to make more accurate frequency mappings available.
  • e[1m250nm max tune rangee[0m: frequencies now have a max tune range of 250nm; within this, they are subject to our pre-existing range degradation filter. When tuning to a valid frequency that is out of range, the frequency will display in the radio panel, and a ‘Not in range’ message will show in the actions page - instead of a ‘Frequency does not exist’ message
  • To complement the 250nm max tune range, BeyondATC will now periodically check if you enter the range of a tuned frequency and refresh actions as needed.
  • When flying outside the UK, under UK rules, centre frequencies are shown and available to use for VFR services. In the UK, centres are kept hidden.
  • When ATIS/AWOS/ASOS frequencies are transmitting, they will show their own type in ‘Transmitting’ instead of ‘TRAFFIC’
  • Added COM panel updating when ATIS updates at airports - fixing issue with stale COM label runway changes

e[1;34m​:united_states: United Statese[0m

  • e[1mFlight followinge[0m
  • e[1mAirspace handling for Bravo, Charlie and Delta airspacee[0m: including Bravo airspace breach monitoring. NOTE: Airspace breach monitoring will be expanded to other regions/airspaces as the system develops.
  • Transit requests through Class Bravo and Delta airspace
  • e[1mAWOS/ASOS stationse[0m: these are weather stations that provide less information than ATIS transmissions, usually at smaller fields. Where weather is not directly available, these will grab weather information from nearby fields. Where weather information is missing, they will report accordingly.
  • e[1mFSS (Flight Service Stations)e[0m
  • ATC can now ask you to ‘ident’ based on traffic conditions when checking in with centres for VFR flows
  • Request closed traffic button when departing from a field - allows you to change your mind if you want to join closed traffic instead.
  • When departing from a US-controlled field, instead of ‘Request frequency change’, you ‘request departure’ (with or without flight following)
  • Clearance Delivery now auto-tunes you to Ground (if the option is on) after ‘readback correct’
  • FIX: AI traffic taking off when a US VFR aircraft is added into the pattern after a go-around

e[1;34m​:united_kingdom: United Kingdome[0m

  • e[1mBasic and Traffic servicese[0m on applicable controllers
  • e[1mNew Frequency Typese[0m: LARS, AFIS, FIS (London and Scottish), AGCS
  • e[1mHandling for controlled airspacee[0m, including transits and zone entry and exit.
  • In the case of control zone transits, ATC can advise if there will be a delay or if it is not possible due to workload.
  • e[1mVRP (Visual Reference Point) mappingse[0m for entry and exit - with the ability to change them mid-transit. These can be used when requesting entry or exit in controlled airspace to aid navigation.
  • e[1mASR mappingse[0m, used to provide area QNH, notably by LARS and Information services.

e[1;34m​:australia: Australia & New Zealande[0m

  • e[1mFlight following (Surveillance Information Service)e[0m available on centre frequencies. NOTE: AUS SIS termination and sector handoffs currently follow the US flight following model. Further work is to be done here to bring phraseology in line with AIP
  • e[1mClass C airways clearancese[0m: ‘Request Airways Clearance’ before taxi at Class C fields
  • e[1mClass D handlinge[0m
  • Zone transits through Class C and D airspace
  • Inbound reporting points for metro Class D fields
  • AWIS stations in AUS and AWIB in New Zealand (automated weather broadcasts)
  • Phraseology ‘Start approved’ rather than ‘startup approved’
  • Flights in NZ will now use AUS rules

e[1;34m​:airplane: Traffice[0m

  • Fixed traffic volumes slowly draining away over the course of a flight - most noticeable in busy airspace.
  • Virtual airlines now park in the right places - when a VA is a different type to the real airline it’s based on (cargo vs passenger), parking decisions now use the VA’s type rather than the real airline’s.
  • Further performance improvements to traffic splines, helping prevent the occasional traffic jitter.
  • Refreshed the cargo registration mappings for airlines that fly cargo and passengers under the same ICAO, and made the lookup faster.
  • Corrected several airline codes that were wrongly classed as passenger carriers - they are now treated as fully cargo.

e[1;35m​:warning: Please Read - What Is Not Ine[0m
While Stage Two is the biggest leap we’ve had in terms of VFR within BeyondATC, it does not provide everything you may expect from a VFR - so to put it clearly, what isn’t in: some of these features will come with Stage Three; some features may not be scoped in for our VFR feature or may be something provided in the long term.

  • VFR Traffic - this will come with Stage Three
  • VFR corridors, pre-approved transit lanes, etc - we do not have the data for these at present; if this changes in the future, we will explore adding support for these.
  • SVFR
  • Deconfliction service in the UK
  • Special airspace handling (MATZ/MOA/RESTRICTED, etc)
  • Vectoring and altitude handling when within Class B (US) or Class D (UK) airspace where it would make sense - this is being developed and will come with future Stage Two updates.
  • Changing between VFR and IFR flight rules
  • Services around handling flight plans, NOTAMs, etc.

e[1;34m​:lady_beetle: Other Fixese[0m

  • COM radio not being fully muted in BeyondATC when volume was 0
  • COM radio name still showing instead of ‘Radio Off’ when radio is unmonitored on first load
  • Saying ‘Cancel’, ‘Nevermind’, ‘Disregard’, etc should no longer go down to the LLM when an option is pending that can be cancelled - this applies to requests from the pilot, not instructions from ATC.
  • Landing at uncontrolled fields now resets your VFR flight states; looking for issues with actions after landing at an uncontrolled field and then arriving at a controlled field.
  • ATC Intentions call being given after already providing intention in VFR start-up call when including words like ramp, gate, parking, etc.
  • Fixed pilot saying ‘safe flight’ to ATC in VFR Request frequency change script.
  • Mapped KODIAK 100
  • Mapped Lancair Legacy aircraft.
  • Further improvements to MSFS import model matching
  • Info boxes not capitalising abbreviations like TMA or AFB.
  • UI Bug where VFR options would collapse on top of each other on first load.
  • Duplicate approach and arrival frequencies showing up in the frequencies page under the TRACON group
  • Should prevent being given an alt after clearance to approach if a speed restriction is given / removed
  • Should prevent random resume normal speed calls during cruise
  • Latest Airline and Pronunciation data included
  • Added better timeouts to network endpoints

e[1;34m​:hammer_and_wrench: Ops Updatese[0m

  • CYUL, LKPR

5740

Please add Japanese airports as well.
At the very least, include Narita (RJAA), Haneda (RJTT), Kansai (RJBB), New Chitose (RJCC), Naha (ROAH), and Fukuoka (RJFF).
At Haneda (RJTT), it is not possible to assign a specific gate after landing; they are all listed as “Ramp.”
At Fukuoka (RJFF), operations on runways 34R and 34L typically involve a visual approach.
Flying over regional cities offers a spectacular view.

5741

Excellent VFR flight with flight following. KPHX - KTUS - KSDL…Bravo that was a lot of fun!

5742

I did a VFR flight from Sea Ranch to KSFO. It was fun, but I don’t think ATC slotted me in with other incoming traffic very well. Lots of go around for AI traffic, and I had one airliner come right over the too of me while on final to 28R

5743

Tried several flights today but never got clearance. Just waited and watched as the other planes got clerance.

5744

I haven’t played with VFR too much. Find it weird that I need to file a flight plan every time - I use simbrief for the big iron and never remember to make a plan in MSFS (can simbrief do vfr plans?).

One feature I’m hoping will be implemented is on-the-fly IFR filing when weather gets bad, as well as being able to cancel an IFR plan towards the end of a cross country. We frequently cancel IFR as we get close to our home airport IRL (KFFZ), and I think ATC appreciates getting the GA aircraft “off the books” unless it’s a busy commercial airport. Makes sense in good weather as you approach a non-towered airport too.

I want to say that I do love the software - generally works well and adds to immersion, although it did try to vector me into a mountain when I was assigned a visual approach at KSLC.

5745

All you have to do to set up a VFR flight in BATC is set the starting and ending airfields on the MSFS flight planning page.

5746

Announcement from EnglishTea:

Hello everyone!

VFR Stage Two has launched into the experimental build! With new systems to improve your VFR and IFR flights, we’ve gone ahead and updated our Wiki to reflect what is now possible when flying VFR in BeyondATC - check out the updated Wiki here

Some notable features Stage Two brings:

  • Dynamic Airport Loading
  • Enroute Flight Following / Traffic Service
  • New Controllers
  • Airspace Rule Awareness
  • Toolbar v3
  • Expanded COM2 support
  • New weather frequencies

If you have purchased the supporters edition you can try out these new features right now. VFR will be released to to all customers for free once all three stages are complete. Our focus for VFR will now be to patch any release bugs found and start work on VFR traffic - we look forward to hearing your feedback on Stage Two!

–

Did we mention? We’re going to the FSimUK Expo at Bristol on the 10th and 11th of October, come say hi! Read our announcement here

5747

Fair enough. Why not just throw it in the startup page of the app itself? Origin and Destination boxes before you hit “Fly!”

5748

Tried a VFR flight from Dundee to Glasgow EGPF with just setting the start airport and end airport in MSFS.

Clearance instructions etc at Dundee seemed to go ok. But as I contacted approach at Glasgow there were no further instructions. I just landed straight in. I couldn’t see any options to say I was on final approach or my intention was to land.

Probably something I did wrong somewhere as there was a lot of options to choose from. I’m not using a mic at the moment do just choosing them on screen. Not sure if I was to choose from basic or traffic service. Think I tried both but there was still no instruction on if I could land or not.

5749

I keep getting assigned Visual approaches instead of ILS .

Very annoying.I assume there is no way of changing it.

5750

Same. Getting the visual approach 9 out of 10 times. Granted, weather has not been bad but seems odd.

5751

Flying where? I’ve not used BeyondATC for a few weeks, but tended to always get visual in the States and ILS in the UK.

5752

And isn’tthis exactly the normal procedure?

When the visibility allows it, you will get visual almost every time, while in Europe you will get ILS most of the time, no matter how the visibility is.