Pilot2ATC - Taxi Instructions & Gates

[skypilotYTS]

Good morning forum,

I though I would post this quick in the off chance there is someone else out there like me who has yet to read the P2ATC manual.

I was talking with the Dev (Dave) about some of the beta stuff and also asked him a quick question in regards to taxing as sometimes the instructions given do not line up with the airport (some taxiways don’t exist, etc…).

I asked if there was a way to update this and sure enough there is! It’s actually quite easy!

1. Download MakeRwys.exe

https://fsuipc.simflight.com/beta/MakeRwys.zip

2. Create a directory somewhere and export the contents of MakeRwys there. This is where all the data files generated will also get created

3. Right click MakeRwys.exe and set to run as Administrator

4. Double click MakeRwys.exe and let it run. This will find all your MSFS scenery (including addons) and grab all the required data from it.

There are also command line switches you can run if you want to grab extra data (water taxis, restrict taxiway length, etc…) All of this can be found in the manual

https://p2atc.com/Products/P2A_Docs.zip

The specific manual is “04.0 User Guide - Features, Functions + Operation.pdf” and starts on page 96

5. Now that you have the data extracted, start P2ATC, click on “TaxiMnt” on the right hand side and the Taxi Maintenance window opens.

From here you have a few options, can view current airport information / layouts, update a single airport, or update everything.

I updated a couple and tested and then updated everything.

6. Type the ICAO code for the airport you want to view in the top right and the map will open to it. Select Show Taxiways, Show Gates etc… to view the data.

7. Click on the “Import Scenery” tab.

8. Under “MSFS Folder with MakeRunways Files” browse to the location you ran MakeRwys.exe from

9. Then, you can either choose to import Single Airport Taxiways / Gates or all.

If you choose single, it will use the airport you entered the ICAO code for so make sure you update it to the one you want.

Also if you do single it will backup the airport data first. It will NOT do this if you do all so it is suggested to backup the SQL Database BEFORE you start any of this. It is found in the Data folder of your P2A installation.

Here are a couple before and after’s of the Taxiways and Gates updated for CYTS and KTLH

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I hope that helps!

[HalfwayMoney731]

Thanks a lot! I’m certainly going to try it. Taxi is the 1 thing with P2A that doesn’t work so well for me. I hope this will help.

[skypilotYTS]

Let me know how you make out and if you need any help.

[Crunchmeister71]

It worked like a charm for me. It takes quite a while to run both those processes ( I let the import data run overnight), but once you have it in there, it’s awesome.

Two airports I fly in and out of often are KAPF and KOPF. Taxi instructions for both of those were pretty wonky. Luckily I know those airports well and didn’t rely on the instructions too closely. After this update though, taxi instructions are now correct and pretty much perfect as far as I can tell.

It’s worth the time to do this.

[N347DT]

Thanks for sharing this!

The process also updated issues with LNM where some parking, gates and taxiways were labeled incorrectly.

[skypilotYTS]

With LNM also ensure you update the scenery DB (within LNM itself). So that it has all the latest data from SU’s, WU’s and any third party.

Let me know if you need guidance on that.

[HalfwayMoney731]

Woohoooww, this works perfect! Thank you SkypilotYTS, you’re a star!

[JWATTS0275]

There is also Taxiway and Gates on certain airports on flightsim to for pilot2atc.

[OmniGLH]

THANK YOU this was super helpful.

After landing at KORD last night and getting VERY confusing taxi instructions, I realized that P2A was using a VERY VERY OLD airport diagram. In my quest to find out how to file a bug with P2A I found this thread. Helped a lot and fixed most of the issue at KORD now (it’s got some runway R/L backards but otherwise the taxiways are good!)

[skypilotYTS]

Awesome, glad it worked out for you.

[Papasya9101]

Friends, do I understand right there is no taxiway info in P2C right after installation and procedure with taxiwaymaker is mandatory?

Thanks!

[Papasya9101]

And also I was sure the reason for AIRAC updates is to have actual taxiway schema, as in MSFS it’s often wrong or absent… But if we extracting taxiways from MSFS database - we getting back to the same problem…
Please advice

[JWATTS0275]

No, from my experince pilot2atc does give instructions to taxi, such as Alpha, Bravo ect…however some airports are not great you just get taxi to runway…if you purchase a 3rd party runway with say almost every detail with gates and runways…then you need to run Makerwys. and import it into pilot2atc.

Some airports I have been given some crazy taxi instructions (using navigraph). There is also a feature on pilot2atc which will show you directions to taxi.

[Papasya9101]

Thanks! Let me clarify my question: I was sure that AIRAC includes actual taxiways and this info to be used by P2A for taxi instructions. Meanwhile I tried and found 3 airports 3 different type: UKHH (free pack from flightsim.to), LHBP - oficialy purchased from MSFS store and KTPA - unchanged grom installation. All of them are missing info in P2A and I do not get taxi instructions, just “taxi to runway” comand. And all of them are included in AIRAC and for example Little Navmap sucessfuly reading all taxiways ang gates, Jeppeson I see have this info also.
So here either I do something wrong or P2A doesnt proceed AIRAC rigth. And that mean that it will not be automatically updated by Navigraph with actual info despite the fact it announced to be.
So shortly my question - what I’m doung wrong?

Thanks in advance!

[JWATTS0275]

Good Morning,

I just recreated a flightplan from KTPA TO KORD, at gat at ktpa loaded up pilot2atc and was given taxi instructions to runway (used simbried)

Have you dowloaded the latest airrac for pilot2atc.

Also make sure pilot2atc has the directory of mkerwy, run mkerwy then enter the airport on pilot2atc (tximnt) on the menu in pilot2atc, then press import single taxiway and gate. Then it should edit it. Apologies if I am teaching you to suck eggs. Hope you get it sorted.

[Papasya9101]

Thanks a lot! Will try to do same now. Main question - should it work BEFORE using MakeRunway? I didn’t yet import what it assembled… I think importing taxiways manually each time instead of AIRAC autoupdate and database reuse is not so much convenient
Does it work for you without manual import?

If so - I will reinstall from scratch P2A, if MR mandatory - will do it

Thanks again!
Igor

[JWATTS0275]

If you have run makerunway before you dont need todo it again unless you have changed scenery i.e new airport…then what I do is run makerunway then update pilot2atc…again PF3 ATC AT ITS BEST, FSHUD and Pro atc SR all use Makerunways file to change the database…

[Papasya9101]

What I’m looking for is matching P2A assignments with Jeppesen data, as it one of the main features of this soft, right?

I reinstalled it now from scratch and tried to repeat your FLight Plan, comparing it with Jeppeson official latest version (in ForeFlight)

What I see is that Jeppesen parking positions and taxiways are different from P2A

Here are screenshots:
Updated AIRAC to current

By Jeppesen finding right name for the parking gate:

This is how it named in P2A (G32 instead of G8)

Now assigning arrival gate in KORD:

It names differently in P2A (M14 instead of M19)

Checking now in MSFS - naming MATCHES Jeppesen, so wrong in P2A… Where it comes from - unclear, teoretically P2A using Jeppesen data

Visually checking where we are in MSFS - Gate 7

G1000 in cockpit shows the same:

Visually checking in P2A - position is the same, G7

Now getting taxi instructions from KTPA Ground TWYA11-C-P-RW10-RW01R

Watching assignment in P2A

Trying to find it on Jeppesen and can;t. There is no A11 and no P

Normally draw assignment must be TWYG2-C-RW10-C-C1

Note that I didn’t do MakeRWY procedures, just using P2A installed fresh + Jeppeson updated.

Same with most of other airports - TWY’s are NOT MATCHING Jeppesen, even after update. So my question was - am I doing something wrong? As it announced (and logically should ) match, for this we using AIRAC updates

Sorry for long story, I hope it will be interesting for people here and not boring

And thanks for you help anyway

Best regards
Igor

[JWATTS0275]

Aww thats interesting find, I would run makerunways at this poiint and import all gateways and taxiways see if that changes anything.

Unfortunately I am unable to investigate at this time…getting on a “real flight”
To South America, so will be grounded for 2 weeks.

Cheers

J

[Papasya9101]

Thanks a lot! Have Blue Skies

I will continue teorethical experiments meanwhile

Best regards
Igor