Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) FAA Phraseology Mod ===================================================== Author ------ N316TS Purpose ------- As of publishing time, ATC in the sim is done through code that accesses various localization text files that translate phraseology and the user interface into different languages. Sim Updates 4 and 14 employed a handful of small changes to bring the sim's phraseology closer to what one would expect in American airspace. But even with those changes, there are still many other opportunities to bring the sim's phraseology closer to US standards. This mod seeks to do three things: 1. It picks up where the sim updates left off and adds additional customizations to the existing set of ATC localizations. 2. It removes the word "Generic" when ATC speaks with traffic. It replaces it with the word "Aircraft". 3. It corrects a number of ATC mispronunciations. Installation ------------ Notes: • You will need to reinstall this mod after every sim update (beta or otherwise) and hotfix, as the sim's updater overwrites this mod's changes. • Step 2, below, is a convenience function if you have a custom fs-base folder path. You do not need to do it. It allows you to install the mod quickly without having to locate your fs-base folder every time you run this. This step is recommended if your installation is in a custom location, and you intend to keep this mod for a while, as you will have to reinstall this mod after every update. Do this once: 1. Unzip this file on the PC where MSFS is installed into any folder you would like. 2. (optional) Edit the file faa-phraseology.ps1 and edit the line after the equals sign (=) to include the path to your fs-base folder inside the double quotes ("): $STR_YOUR_CUSTOM_FSBASE_PATH = "C:\Your\fs-base\path\here" 3. (optional) The mod gives you an option to call your aircraft by model instead of manufacturer name. You can toggle this option on and off when running the mod. However, if you strongly prefer one option over the other, you can also change the default by editing the faa-phraseology.ps1 file and setting the line "$BOOL_DEFAULT_USE_GA_AIRCRAFT_MODELS". (See "Limitations and Known Issues", "GA models", for more information.) $BOOL_DEFAULT_USE_GA_AIRCRAFT_MODELS = $true OR $BOOL_DEFAULT_USE_GA_AIRCRAFT_MODELS = $false Do this every time there is a sim update or hotfix. (This sounds more complicated than it is. If you don't like reading manuals, stop right here and just run the mod.): 4. Either: • Run the batch file, setup.bat (and say yes to any security warnings you may receive when executing the batch file), OR if the security warning concerns you, • Right-click the file faa-phraseology.ps1 and click, "Run with PowerShell". 5.1. Optional options: • A. Use GA aircraft models: Type "A" to toggle between using the aircraft manufacturer or model in your general aviation callsign. (The current value for this option, "Y" or "N", will be displayed.) See "Limitations and Known Issues" for more information. 5.2. Choose the location of your fs-base folder. • If you installed MSFS in the default location, you can choose either option 1 or 2 depending on whether you have the Steam or Microsoft Store version. • If you installed MSFS in a custom location, • If you did optional installation step 2 ($STR_YOUR_CUSTOM_FSBASE_PATH), above, choose option 4. • Otherwise, choose option 3 and locate your fs-base folder. 6. If you have run this mod before, you will be prompted on how to proceed. • If you would like to install the mod (😃), choose option 1. • If you want to uninstall the mod (😭), choose option 2. Uninstallation -------------- Follow steps 4 through 6, above, and in step 6, choose option 2, "I want to restore from backup and no longer use this mod". Frequently Asked Questions -------------------------- • Question: What happens if MSFS changes updates some phraseology and you run this mod? Answer: It will simply skip over the line it was supposed to change and not change it. • Question: Will this cause CTDs? Answer: Never say "never", but so far, this mod has never caused a CTD. • Question: Can I delete the installer after installing? Answer: Yes, but keep in mind that the sim overwrites these changes with every update. So you may want to keep it around because you'll need to run it for the next sim update or hotfix. • Question: How do I get support for this mod? Answer: This mod is available as-is and without any support. Sorry. The reason this mod isn't available on any addons site is because I don't want to support it. You can always uninstall the mod, if you would like. Limitations and Known Issues ---------------------------- This mod is not a comprehensive rewrite of ATC. It only has the ability to work within the confines of the existing localization files. • This mod will work with PC only (Steam or Microsoft Store). Xbox and Xbox Cloud Gaming are excluded. • This mod can only handle one phraseology because the sim can only handle one phraseology. So if you fly in Japan, for example, you will still hear American phraseology. • This mod will only work with English. • Most updates will overwrite the localizations, and you will need to run this after every update. • This mod cannot modify procedures. Modifying procedures requires rewriting code. Examples of things that cannot be modified include, but are not limited to: • The requirement to enter class B airspace is explicitly being told that you are cleared into the airspace. Class C's airspace's requirement is only two-way radio communication. In the sim, the phraseology, and therefore the procedure, for both is exactly the same. • In the sim, departing on a VFR flight with a departure request that is not "straight out", tower will direct you within a few seconds of departing the runway. In real life, they will not micromanage your pattern unless they need to. This cannot be deleted in the mod (but we do change the phraseology). • When requesting a class D airspace transition, the tower controller always asks you to tell them when you have cleared their airspace. While it is true that not all class D airport towers may not have radar to track you, they may not ask you anything in real life if they have full situational awareness on your aircraft. • IFR is still extremely limited (although various changes have been made). • Sometimes, the word "Aircraft" will be capitalized when it should be lowercase. This word is a substitution for "Generic". When it was "Generic", it was always with a capital G. Unfortunately, the word is used in multiple contexts, sometimes where it should be lowercase. But there is no way to fix that, other than to make it always lowercase, which would also be wrong sometimes. • GA models: When using GA aircraft in real life, it is not uncommon for the pilot and ATC to refer to the aircraft by model instead of manufacturer (the point is to give ATC an idea of your aircraft's performance). In default MSFS, ATC will refer to both the Cessna 172 and 208 as "Cessna", despite their significantly different performance characteristics. The mod has an option to call your GA aircraft by their model names instead of their manufacturers, so that ATC will refer to you as "Skyhawk" or "Caravan" instead of "Cessna", for example. By default, this will be set to whatever $BOOL_DEFAULT_USE_GA_AIRCRAFT_MODELS is set to. (See "Installation", step 3, above.) But you can toggle it on and off every time you redo the mod. (See "Installation", step 5.1, above.) Why have an option, anyway? Why not have ATC always refer to the model and not manufacturer? Because certain models like "S R twenty-two" can be a mouthful for a pilot to say and "one fifty-two" could be mixed up with other numbers given by ATC and missed by the pilot). Additionally, some third-party MSFS aircraft do not even include a model number. Unfortunately, this kind of thing cannot [easily and correctly] be changed on an aircraft-by-aircraft basis. So, your only option is to choose your option and reinstall the mod. End of Life ----------- This mod is not meant to last forever. It is intended to last until the MSFS team makes a major overhaul to ATC. If that ever happens (however unlikely in Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) due to the upcoming release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024), it's possible that the overhaul may completely change the way these .locPak files work, and nullify this mod. If the changes are comprehensive enough, this mod would no longer be necessary. I look forward to the day when this addon is made obsolete. Disclaimer ---------- This was not built using the SDK. Because of that, there is no official Microsoft or Asobo support for any of these changes or any guarantees that this mod will still work with future sim updates. Any rearchitecture of ATC or sim localization has the potential to render this mod useless, though so far, no sim updates have. This mod edits eight files: your fs-base\en-US.locPak file, plus seven aircraft.cfg files inside your fs-base\..\asobo-aircraft-generic-* folders and nothing else. This mod has never caused any corruptions or CTDs, even during development. But in the unlikely event that it does cause any file corruptions that cannot be restored by uninstalling the mod, you can delete these folders in your OneStore or Steam folder and restart MSFS: • asobo-aircraft-generic-airliner-quadengines • asobo-aircraft-generic-airliner-twinengines • asobo-aircraft-generic-piston-multiengines • asobo-aircraft-generic-piston-singleengine • asobo-aircraft-generic-privatejet • asobo-aircraft-generic-turbo-multiengines • asobo-aircraft-generic-turbo-singleengine • fs-base and Flight Simulator's file integrity check will install fresh folders for you on restart. However, your use of this mod releases the author from responsibility for any CTDs, file corruptions, or other problems incurred by using this mod. You are free to examine all modifications performed by this mod before using it by opening the .bat and .ps1 files in a text editor. MSFS 2024 Compatibility ----------------------- ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But let's hope it's not. Distribution ------------ This mod is for private use and is offered free of charge. Do not alter any files when distributing, including this one.