Can anyone offer help with Pilot2ATC and FS2020

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I got the trial period up and running on Pilot2ATC, it connects ok with my FS2020 sim :slight_smile:

Trouble is, I need a lot more help with a workflow please…

I tried creating a flightplan in P2A, that worked ok, saved it, exported it - all good.

Loaded it into FS2020 - it showed up on the map ok, had to set the departure ramp though.

Tried loading it into my plane (Cessna CJ4/WT) and it only showed departure and arrival airports, nothing else, just a straight-line route.

I need to know how and when to use each program in the chain as it is totally new now and far more complex than just loading a flight and pressing “FLY NOW” - my elderly brain is having difficulty figuring out when to go to what stage in FS2020, when to connect, when to export, load and so on.

I think I could live with doing all my route planning in P2A even though I prefer to use LittleNavMap so that might get rid of one step but the rest??

I’m sure it’s not as complex/convoluted as it appears ?

Any help really would be much appreciated here :slight_smile:

Trouble is, I need a lot more help with a workflow please…

I tried creating a flightplan in P2A, that worked ok, saved it, exported it - all good.

Loaded it into FS2020 - it showed up on the map ok, had to set the departure ramp though.

Tried loading it into my plane (Cessna CJ4/WT) and it only showed departure and arrival airports, nothing else, just a straight-line route.

I need to know how and when to use each program in the chain as it is totally new now and far more complex than just loading a flight and pressing “FLY NOW” - my elderly brain is having difficulty figuring out when to go to what stage in FS2020, when to connect, when to export, load and so on.

I think I could live with doing all my route planning in P2A even though I prefer to use LittleNavMap so that might get rid of one step but the rest??

I’m sure it’s not as complex/convoluted as it appears ?

Any help really would be much appreciated here :

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Hi Dave. If you want to make it really easy to set up a flight plan in P2Atc then:

In P2Atc:

  • choose a destination airport
  • choose an arrival airport
  • press the AutoPlan button
  • export as .pln (I think) to a flight plan folder
  • press ‘connect’ to sim

In MSFS 2020 at the flight screen:

  • load up flight plan just saved above
  • choose to start on runway or on ramp
  • decide time/weather options etc
  • press ‘fly’
  • start engine/avionics

In P2Atc:

  • validate/file plan with atc
  • choose airport ground frequency and copy IFR clearence if you want IFR flight

This is from memory (not at my pc) so I might perhaps have missed a couple of things. If so, then apologies :slightly_smiling_face:

Anyway, hope it helps a bit and does’nt confuse.

If you want to set up your own SIDS/STARS/Waypoints/Altitudes etc then you can do that too :slightly_smiling_face:

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Thanks, i’ll try that flow shortly,

At what stage do you import into the avionics?
Do you have to re-save it inside the world-planner?

I think the CJ4/WT might have issues loading plans, hope not as its pretty much all i fly :frowning:

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If you load up the saved flight plan to MSFS 2020 (as exported from P2Atc) then the flight plan should automatically load up into your Avionics when you are in the cockpit (after starting engines and turning on avionics on your aircraft panel)

I never resave the flight plan in the world planner.

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I don’t fly the CJ4 so I can’t really help you with this. My current favorites are the BS King Air 350, Cessna 414 and Milviz 310 :slightly_smiling_face:

As regards the WT as shown in the MSFS 2020 ‘Content Manager’ I heard that there were currently issues with it (???) so at the moment I have uninstalled it (in ‘Content Manager’)

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Yeah I did read the issues bit, thats what made me suspect it.

Might have to pull the C208B or the TBM out of the hangar…

Thats presuming they work…

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7

Well it nearly worked.

There is definitely some issue with loading plans into the CJ4, it sort of worked with a plan from LittleNavMap but messed up the last few legs as the waypoints were missing, but the plan from P2A only loaded the departure and arrival airports, no rote at all.

I entered it manually just to test but even though I got a verified and filed flightplan in P2A, it refused to talk to me. I tried many messages, and the most i got was “Assigned Ctrllr: Tower on xxx.xx” in text in the msg box, no speech at all.

I did the flight manually anyway just because :slight_smile:

Went back to the world planner and then ATC starts yabbering on, speaking all the answers to the many messages I passed!

Now, I can’t figure out why it will not speak in the cockpit but will in the menu screen…

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8

That workflow sort of worked today, i wanted sim weather but it kept switching back to NOAA weather so the sim does not match.

It also connected once, somehow disconnected and failed to re-connect again. I did make a simple plan though and it did export & load into FS plus it also loaded ok into the CJ4 surprisingly.

No speech worked presumably due to the failed connection.

I gave up at that point, I have a lot of personal stuff going on at present (wife with cancer) and this seemingly impossible entanglement of apps and connections was raising my blood pressure so I shut it down for the night. It usually helps me relax but not this.

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9

I think (?) NOAA weather might be best for us in P2Atc unless we have Rex (??).

On your other mention I empathise :slightly_smiling_face:

Take care fellow simmer. Best wishes :slightly_smiling_face:

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10

Thanks, but how do we get NOAA weather into the sim - the two do not match otherwise?

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I just seem to recall from somewhere that the NOAA option in P2Atc is a pretty near match (or as near as we can get it at the moment) for the weather in MSFS 2020 so if we choose the NOAA option in P2Atc that is very roughly the sort of weather we will get in the sim. I could be wrong of course but that is what I understood :slightly_smiling_face:

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Ah, is that FS “Live weather” maybe?

I have always used custom weather and presumed P2A would take it from the sim.

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Yes, I think so :slightly_smiling_face:

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That explains it then,

I never use live weather as i tend to like scenic flights but fly at odd times currently so its always dark/raining/gale force winds :frowning:

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15

Yes, maybe that is the reason. I always use live weather myself so that could explain why it pretty much matches the sim for me :slightly_smiling_face:

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16

If you want to sync things up, consider using Rex Weather Force then set P2A to import weather from the Rex engine. P2A has a ck box for this. Rex will inject weather directly into the sim so now both are in sync.

Dave from P2A recommends building your flight plan in Simbreif then importing the plan into P2A and then into the plane you are flying. If there is no direct import to the plane, then just enter it manually.

Your flight plan and weather will remain in sync.

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17

Thanks, I just got this reply direct from Dave(P2A)

“Sim Weather works for X-Plane and FSX and P3D, but not FS2020 because Microsoft/Asobo doesn’t publish weather such that FSUIPC can pass it along. At some point in the future, maybe they will.”

I will look in to Rex Weather - do you know if it is stable with FS or one of these plugins that cause CTD’s etc?

They really should mention this weather issue on the download page as I would not have bothered installing then because I mostly do VFR GA flights at sunrise or sunset but I can only fly at late evenings presently so its always dark/wet/windy when i get the chance :frowning:

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I’ve been using REX now for a couple of years and the only time you have to be concerned is when a new SU comes out.

If you sign up to the REX Discord channel, they will advise what to do, generally, prior to release of the SU.

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