I live in the UK, and so I can hear IRL ATC transmissions.
They never ever start with Cessna, or any other aircraft make, nor with Generic.
So why does ATC do it in MSFS? Is this something that is done in America? In France?
Topic moved into #self-service:atc-traffic-navaids which is more appropriate 
It has nothing whatever to do with installation, graphics or performance. I can’t think of a less suitable place to move it to
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Thank you, @beezzez! I had used the incorrect canned reply for this. I had meant to say ATC & Navaids.
Thank you for catching that!
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In the U.S. the FAA specifies that
“ 1. Civil aircraft pilots should state the aircraft type, model or manufacturer’s name, followed by the digits/letters of the registration number. When the aircraft manufacturer’s name or model is stated, the prefix “N” is dropped; e.g., Aztec Two Four Six Four Alpha.
2.EXAMPLE-*
- Bonanza Six Five Five Golf.
- Breezy Six One Three Romeo Experimental (omit “Experimental” after initial contact).
There are pages and pages of other types of call signs for various other types of flights (commercial airlines, military flights, medical flights, etc).
The term “generic” in MSFS is just a limitation of the sim due to the current state of ATC, licensing issues, etc.
Regards
That’s the plane contacting ATC for the first time. Not what I’m talking about, and even then, “Cessna” is not an aircraft type, is it?
I’m referring to what ATC says when speaking to the aircraft. I’ve never heard then mention the make of aircraft.
It’s not a type, but it is a “manufacturer’s name” per the guidance. The AIM specifies that controllers may omit that information. Over the years I’ve heard it called both ways quite a bit, so it’s not a big deal. Will be interesting to see how it’s handled when they actually update the in-sim ATC.
Regards
I have never heard the aircraft make in the ATC responses IRL.
It is a big deal: it’s irritating and extra noise.
It’s not as if SIM ATC takes any notice of aircraft type. They keep telling me to climb to 17,000 feet in a Cessna 172, but there is no “unable” response possible.
Seems like in US practice the prefix (i.e. November or manufacturer/model) is never dropped, not even in the abbreviated form: Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques (faa.gov) (4-2-4)
So it’s not wrong per se (at least not in this regard), you have just been listening to the wrong country’s ATC.
Yes, there is no question that the US is the wrong country.
I don’t do sim flights in the USA, the software is French, I am in the UK, yet I am lumbered with what is indeed the wrong country’s ATC.
There are a lot of in game ATC comms that US pilots consider extraneous or geographically non-relevant as well (for instance, the use of “decimal”).
In actual practice, our first call ups to a facility will be like this: “San Carlos Ground, Skyhawk November Six Zero Four Charlie Foxtrot ready to taxi, northeast departure, information Mike”
If they respond with “November Six Zero Four Charlie Foxtrot…” then I will continue to use all of the call letters in subsequent communications until they do not.
If they respond with the abbreviated “Cessna Four Charlie Foxtrot,” then that’s what I will (and should) use going forward until the next facility.
It’d be wonderful if the sim took regional, even local variation into account, but that’s a tall order, so they seem to be going to center-mass. That said, with the in-sim ATC being otherwise error-prone (as you pointed out), I never use it and instead opt to seek VATSIM sectors that are operational.
There’s a mod for European ATC phraseology around, you could try that. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if editing call sign procedure is beyond what’s moddable.