So this is more of a hybrid question and bug and maybe a solution. I’ve been starting to notice that ATC will begin descent instructions roughly the same area as defined in the Nav Log. My question is, am I correct? Does the AI ATC use those values to determine where TOD is? Secondly, is the ATC or flight planning system calculating these values at a certain slope?
Third, if my assumptions are correct, we need to be able to edit those values somehow. The problem is since the flight planning engine makes these values, and plans them over a STAR or SID that has crossing restrictions, the planner can easily get the user and ATC into an undesirable state of being too high or too fast, or both. Perhaps when making these altitudes editable, that once a user altitude is entered, it calculates a slope looking back from that user altitude? That way, ATC knows “hey, he wants to cross this point at x feet”, and so on for every other step down.
Also we need to do something about these lagging step down altitudes. Since the AP levels off at a very slow pace, as it should, ATC will wait until the aircraft falls within that parameter. This can cause a situation again where a user will be too high to make a published restriction. Perhaps adding the clearance of “descend via the STAR” and allow the user to comply with the step downs would be better, and if they are not complied, then ATC starts barking at them?