Hi Captains,
I enjoy flying around IFR my Airbus in MSFS. However, I don’t like the way, the sim handles push-backs. The way I know it, GND or RAMP/Apron issues a clearance - but for the pushback (and direction) in general only. So I wish for a direct control of the pushback tug without instructions being transmitted via ATC. Anyone else who can understand my wish? 
Any Chance for a vote?
Cheers,
Jan
Look for ‘Toolbar Pushback’ on flightsim.to.
Oh yes, I understand you. Pushback has the behaviour of a pesky fly that you always have to shoo away.
Just use this mod.
IMO this is Asobos job to get the basics right.
I agree… But until then, this is what we have.
On a side note, though. If Asobo implemented exactly the same way as this mod does. Doesn’t it considered as “stealing”.
If they have to make it different… how do you make it different that’s better than this mod? Especially since the mod author already planning to make their pushback tool to work directly with joystick control so that you can ask for reverse and forward tug directly without opening any window and use the rudder to directly control it.
Maybe time to try the A32NX by Flybywire? It contains the Flypad, where you can control the pushback 
This A320 is available in the marketplace for free.
pushback with joystick control? That’s way too direct.
Once you have started pushback IRL you are basically commited and changes do are not immediate, if at all possible.
I’m an indie game dev and had a talk with a layer when I started out about copyright and what is and is not legal. (especially about people ‘stealing’ my stuff)
Programming something that does the exact same thing and looks the exact same is legal. (except for things you’re able to put a copyright on, but let’s face it that’s not possible for a generic UI) That’s not ‘stealing’, the only thing that is illegal is copying code directly and using that. (unless stated otherwise ofc) And even that is hard to prove that it’s stolen.
How is this done RL? I mean… sometimes the airplane needs to go left or right… I’m assuming the tug-guy or girl has instructions of some kind… from where? Directly from the pilot?
IRL you get the pushback clearance and in which direction from ATC and you relay this clearance to the pushback crew.
In some cases the pushback crews communicates direct with ATC and knows already in which direction and how far to push.
The only changes that usually happen during the pushback are the ATC wants you to stop the pushback earlier than planned or to extend the pushback further.
Things are getting interesting when there’s a misunderstanding e.g. get the clearance is ‘facing east’ but was meant to be ‘tail to the east’.
That one you, or better ATC, realizes only when it’s too late.
Thank you, Yoda! I‘ve been using the A32NX but just know I discovered the flyppad feature
Cheers,
Jan
See. New is not always better. What happened to the days when the marshall plugged his headset in a spoke with the crew? We would get pushback clearance and it went like this…
CREW - “Ready for pushback, departing East. We will be starting port engine during pushback.”
MARSHALL - “Roger, port startup. Departing East. Stand-by for pushback. Port clear for startup. Chocks clear. Release parking brake.”
CREW - “Roger, Portside clear. Brakes released.”
CREW - “Ready for starboard start.”
MARSHALL - “Starboard clear for startup.”
pushback is completed. with tail pointing West.
MARSHALL - “Pushback complete. Apply Parking Brake.”
CREW - “Parking Brake ON”
MARSHALL - “Tug is clear. Ramp clear for taxi.”
CREW - “Roger, Tug is clear. Ramp clear. Thanks, have a good day.”
MARSHALL - “Have a good trip, will signal when clear.”
… and back to ground ready to taxi for departure…
That would mean the pushback or ground crew would need to have some form of advanced AI implemented to them. So they need to take into account the ATC clearance given to us, while also being able to analyse the taxiway path that would lead us to face the right direction to our assigned runway and stop at the right place. And this needs to be able to be applied for both auto-gen airports as well as custom handcrafted airports too.
Then again, this new upcoming technology is coming soon anyway which will make pushback tug practically obsolete.
So the discussion is about AI?
“way too direct with joystick”. Well, you can see it as you taking the place of the tug driver for a while. He definitely has the steering wheel in his hands and can put you directly on the taxi line correcting as required.
As a pilot you are just a passenger during the whole pushback.
IRL this ‘uncontrolled’ movement is a strange feeling from a pilots POV.
With direct joystick control this is basically like taxiing backwards.
But I understand that it’s a nice feature for some in a sim.
I get it. So what you want is AI. Anything else would be you doing something (even that XPlane pushback thing).
And since Asobo hasn’t even figured out parking assignment for AI traffic you may have to wait a while for this to happen.
There were mods/tools (like AES from Aerosoft) for FSX that facilitated automatic push-back just fine. It’s not magic.
The tools would read the airport layout from the sim (AFCAD) and you could designate whether you wanted the tail to face left or right. The push-back then commenced with the appropriate callouts (even if they were slightly generalized).
There was some customization required on part of Aerosoft, but a lot of airports were supported.
Exactly, that’s another mods/tools or apps that does this.
MSFS has a lot of pushback tool mods too, I’ve used 3 different freeware tools for pushback, I also know there’s FS2Crew addon that also allows you to do pushback as well.
I’m just saying that even the best pushback are not exactly built-in to the simulator as a default feature. There’s always an external mod/tools out there somewhere that would allow you to do pushback the way you want it to.
That being said, I actually liked the WheelTug system, and I’m looking forward to can actually use it in MSFS.
Not with a PowerPushUnit (PPU) 
. PPU only pushes the aircraft back and relies on the aircraft nose wheel steering for control.