I’ve just taken delivery of a brand new 737 BBJ2 which I’ve picked up from the factory at Renton and am flying back to the UK. In order to get used to this new type I’m doing it in shortish legs and I’ve just completed a flight into Chicago O’Hare.
How on earth does anybody manage to actually fly in to here - well legally? ATC was going twenty to the dozen from miles away making it almost impossible to get calls, or even responses, in. And of course you have to wait until you’ve acknowledged the instruction before you are able to change frequency, even manually which is my preferred option.
Eventually I just continued with my flight plan, which for a change saw me landing with the planned approach (I got one call in long enough to get that), managing not to cause anyone to go around. Once clear of the runway MSFS then allowed me to contact ground for a parking space - and nobody shouted at me!
Just loving this PMDG offering but it sure is a step up from the A32NX! I’ll master it eventually.
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Simple answer, don’t. Try to use the smaller regional airports. For that plane in the Chicago area, use Midway. I fly GA, so I usually have plenty of options for smaller airports wherever I’m headed.
You’ll find enhancements such as AI Ground and AI Flow (assuming you’re flying with stock traffic) will help alleviate the Go-Arounds, slow-exits, some runway incursions, etc. ATC frequency jammed up is unfortunately the sim reality at the moment.
Because it’s a BBJ, I understand why you might pick O’Hare, but most executives/elite prefer landing at Executive airports or Regional airports. Easier to get in/out of and their SUVs can roll right up to the ramp hotspot so the client doesn’t have to spend one moment more than necessary on the unwashed concrete. You’d have to find/pick one that has the appropriate rollout and T/O distance, 'natch.
The smallest GA I’ve seen so far landing at O’Hare is a Cessna Grand Caravan, and those poor pilots are descending on final with the throttle pushed forward to not get run over by the heavies
I suppose it was a rhetorical question really, not expecting a definitive answer but nevertheless replies are interesting.
CasualClick is right of course, most executive aircraft will not use main airports like O’Hare - IRL I actually created and built the General Aviation Terminal at Newcastle International (EGNT), specifically for these types of movement, and modelled it on the US FBO. And future flights will of course be doing just that, but for now I’m just “delivering” the new baby home, doing 2 hour legs for the practice and getting to know it, no pax and no cargo. I chose O’Hare as I’ve not been there before and I thought it would be interesting.
I always like to have a purpose to my flights and the BBJ features strongly in an idea I have forming.
I’ve watched a few RL videos of folks departing Signature at O’Hare. On a good day, it’s at least a ten minute taxi to stack up with the departing traffic. On a bad, rainy/snowy day typical of a Chicago winter, you could chew up fuel for twenty minutes crossing taxiways and waiting out the jet blast because you’re surrounded by Heavies. No thank you!
Chicago does not have any SIDS or STARs and you typically are vectored by ATC at a certain point. It seems the in-game ATC doesn’t exactly know how to cope with this (in my experience).
So as a result ORD airspace is very congested and busy, as mentioned in a previous post its not uncommon to see a long line of aircraft waiting to leave
737 can also stop pretty darn quick. 5000 feet is pretty much the bare “safe” minimum runway but you can stop is under 4000 feet with the short field package and a willingness to melt your brake pads. This way you can save on landing fees flying into smaller airports
Upon picking your airport in the region, there is this nifty setting in the settings where you tell the airplane only to show airports that start with the minimum runway length you need for your bbj… so when you hit that apt button underneath the rangeknob you’ll only have the airports pop up that might actually be of interest to you… in case of an emergency i mean… as yer all into flightplanning. (but it’s a cool gimmick i tend to use alot )
Enjoy the new purchase, many happy airmiles!
Funny enough, I’ve never had a problem with ATC at O’Hare, for heavies at least, they seem to keep things pretty straightforward. When it comes to short fused ATC, JFK definitely takes first prize.
I fly in and out of KORD a fair bit. What I do in congested areas is simply hold down the ATC selection number key. Eventually there will be a break in radio traffic, and that will get you in to even the shortest breaks. You may have to wait for several other AI calls to process if they’re already cued up, but it works to butt in when necessary.
Otherwise you’ll just have to reduce the amount of AI aircraft so it’s not as much of a problem in the first place.
More pf a 2024 thought but it would be nice if the AI could slot you in at the cost of removing one of actual traffic.
Obviously this would by chance ruin any time your flight following a real flight because it would omit the plane you were following cause that’s how random chance seems to work with computers/games.
It doesn’t help that the ATC talks too slowly, needs to be more terse with its messages, and wastes a lot of time with junk messages such as traffic at 6 o’clock, nonsensical repeated frequency changes, or “exit runway” for AI planes that decide to taxi the whole runway slowly.
In combination with the game UI that leaves gaps plenty big enough to get in but doesn’t actually let you, and the on screen ATC menu that greys out even the non-speaking options while someone is talking, and resets the scroll position after each message, then often you do click on a response or press the key while it is active but then ATC decides to talk over you anyway.
And of course the game ATC gives you a command and doesn’t give you any opportunity to reply, then you can spam the response key all you like but like 20 seconds later ATC admonishes you for not responding when it’s simply been impossible to get a word in.
I don’t doubt it’s difficult to get heard on really busy frequencies at major airports IRL but I’m sure the game ATC is much more frustrating and doesn’t feel at all realistic.
