I would like to file and load a flight plan without using the FMC. Have ATC to give me instruction from the beginning to the end of the flight. Taxi to runway, cleared for takeoff, altitude and heading and then give me the headings and decent into my arrival airport including which runway to land.
Depends on the plane you use. All (AP equipped) base sim aircraft will automatically have the flight plan imported that you set on the World screen.
The ATC (while far from perfect) will give you IFR clearance, taxi instructions and basic ATC along the way (normally ācontinue as plannedā, it will not vector you waypoint to waypoint). It will assign an approach and runway for you to land on, and give you taxi instructions back to a gate (based on the mostly autogenerated taxiway numbers).
If youāre flying a third party aircraft like the CRJ; those donāt have a connection to the world map flight planner, so youāll need to manually enter the flightplan into the FMS, or load a Simbrief flightplan.
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Thanks for that information.
And to be frank ATC utterly sucks in FS 2020, have had an instruction to climb to an altitude lower than the airport I was taking off from, or frequently instructed to descend into solid mountains, like an ATC orchestrated controlled flight into terrain. Most often just switch ATC off. ATC in 1990s version of Falcon 4 was tons better. I find the best plane to fly on IFR flights is the A320, the MCDU is interesting and the calculated flightplans sometimes quite good.
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So, what you are telling me, there is no way to fly for my VA using MSFS 2020 like I have done in the past using FSX and P3D.
Though I donāt fly for a VA, I use the built-in ATC all the time to fly IFR. Yes, the default ATC will sometimes go a little crazy and give you inappropriate runways, altitudes, etc. I donāt find this to be an issue, if you follow your flight plan and fly the approach properly according to the charts.
- When I am given an inappropriate altitude, I ignore it and fly the proper one.
- When I am given an inappropriate runway I ignore it and use the most appropriate.
- If ATC continues to harp on me to change to the wrong altitude, I cancel IFR but continue to fly the IFR plan.
- If available, I switch to Flight Following which pretty much continues the IFR experience but without improper altitude assignments.
- If flight following isnāt available (it comes and goes as an option) I simply cancel IFR.
- If Iāve canceled for any of these reasons, I request IFR reinstatement as I approach my destination.
The ATC interchange (though faulty in many cases) still allows for a decent amount of immersion. Just donāt let the occasional error tick you off - continue to follow your flight plan and proper procedures.
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Hi there, If your interested in using another ATC program called Pilot2ATCā¦Itās definitely a great ATC program.
I pretty much do all of that. Itās not a stunning endorsement, but itās better then nothing. If Iām doing flight following, I will just load the appropriate procedures that match the clearances given.
ATC wonāt terminate if you cannot reach your assigned altitude, but they will if you get to your target, and then drift above of below that by 300ft, or outright ignore them.
P2A Rocks! 20 times better than the MSFS ATC and it will create a flight plan for you.
Shouldnāt need to use the FMC with this.
I use it to hone my rythym in between Vatsim flights. Itās an outstanding phraseology learning tool.
And while itās not perfect, itās the most realistic ATC and the best Iāve used.
When I understand you right you want the ATC to give you vectors the entire flight?
Iām sure the ingame ATC canāt do that. But Iām not sure if P2ATC can maybe be set up to give you vectors for the complete flight.
You can ask P2ATC for vectors anytime but if it does give you vectors all the time Iām not sure.
I wonder why after all the years since MS incorporated ATC in the sim they didnāt carry it over into the 2020 version?
Will ATC vector me to the next waypoint and assign me during the decent so I may intercept the localizer etc?
ATC will not vector you to the next waypoint by default. Instead it will only tell you to ācontinue as plannedā. But if you ask ATC to vector you, it will. There is an option in the ATC window (most of the time).
ATC will usually give you the STAR and the approach and will clear you to the first waypoint of the STAR or to the IAF of the approach if you do not use a STAR or there is none.
Thanks. I will give that a try.
I have had little luck with ATC giving me correct vectoring to intercept an ILS. Having gotten used to the method in FS9/FSX, which worked really well, it is a real bummer that FS2020 canāt yet get this right. I have also found several ILS frequencies that donāt even register in FS2020 but worked fine in past MSFS.
This is a major problem in a flight sim developed a decade after ones that have really good ATC.
If youāre looking for the most hassle free ATC within a flight sim you need to look into online networks dedicated to it (there are a few). Iāve been using VATSIM for around a decade currently using it for MSFS, XP and P3D and I honestly canāt see myself ever using something else. With the advent of MSFS and the partnership between the two many, many new members have joined the network, itās a real blast to use it.
Here is a video of itā¦
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Yup. The old ATC was a butt saver. I could take off and once told to climb to my cruising altitude and ATC would then tell me to contact center at a certain frequency, I would tune to that frequency but not contact them. From then on the aircraft would fly the planned route. I didnāt have to stay at the computer for hours. Once I was about 150 miles from my destination I would answer ATC and contact who ever I was told to contact and follow ATC to landing at my destination. Better than using accelerated speed and I would get credit for the whole amount of time instead of the compressed time.
In general, this is not the function of ATC. It is the pilotās responsibility to navigate the aircraft. There are really only a couple of times that ACT will āofferā a vector. When arriving, depending on the amount of traffic and what STAR you are on, ATC may vector you to the approach or to a waypoint other than that planned. This is usually done to expedite traffic flow within their control zone.
If you want vectors throughout a flight, the only way to achieve that is to request extraordinary assistance. Usually this will require declaration of an emergency or equipment failure.
It is common for radio frequencies to change. This is one of the reasons there are monthly updates to the nav data. It is also why there are regulations that require ācurrentā maps required to complete the flight are onboard.
āGenerationsā old flight plans should never be used without updating. There may be no change to airspace, navaids or obstacles but then again the old plan may take you into restricted airspace that will get you intercepted by a trigger happy fighter jet. Donāt recommend āout of dateā navigation aids.
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The problem with stock ATC is that itās not flexible, extremely basic and most of the time incompetent all of which donāt make for a good experience. This will more than likely never change with MSFS and this problem isnāt limited to the series. There is really no point to using it, itās best to search for alternatives weather it be online or offline.
EDIT: Shortened post.
What you describe is very close to real world ATC (incompetent, is maybe only descriptive of the sim ATC, but not always 
). As long as you have a well designed flight plan using altitudes appropriate to your aircraft and a planned approach that is weather and airport appropriate as well, the sim ATC will usually get you on the ground uneventfully. Much the same as real world ATC.
Try to avoid using STARS that end with āVectorsā without adding the continuity to the the FAF manually. Donāt use high altitude airways when creating a flight plan for your 172. Maintain situational and spatial awareness at all times for those rare occasion that ATC isnāt aware of the mountains. Donāt expect ATC to get you where you are going. That isnāt their job, ever. Their job is to ensure separation between you and other aircraft along your planned route. Remember, YOU are the pilot in command, not ATC. They are not Gods that will smite you for not following commands. They are traffic monitors. Never comply with an unsafe instruction. Advise and request alternatives. If ATC glitches, fly first and ask for forgiveness later.
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