NZFF

Hi maniacs,

I have just a tiny question about the original ATC of FS9. If I make a flightplan (FSNavigator) and export it to FS9 and use the ATC then I get absolutely wrong vectors and the ATC leads me on an absolutely different path and rwy than it is in the flighplan.

Any ideas?

Cheers

Re the vectors, how wrong are we talking? And at what phase of the flight? If you mean at the start, it might be because the flight plan always wants to go from navaid/waypoint to navaid/waypoint. It always adds in a VOR as the second fix on the plan, so if you depart Wellignton for instance, the plan will be first NZWN then WN VOR then on to the route. This means if you are departing to the north that ATC will insist you head south to overfly the VOR then continue on your route. If you mean at the end of the flight when vectoring you for an approach, FS ATC does a pretty impulsive job of getting you onto the correct heading. Often you'll get issued a heading of 330, then 310, then 330 etc. It's not smart enough to put you on a heading somewhere in the middle.

The runway is dictated by whatever the prevailing wind favours. You might have it in your FSNavigator plan, but this is so you can tie it to your autopilot and have a full autoland. Runways aren't added into flight plans normally unless it's an airport like Wellington where the runway in use dictates which route you travel on and there are STARs involved. FS flight plans don't save the runway info, so you're guided by whatever wind is blowing at the time.

Hope this helps
Richard

FS9 ATC is an absolute shocker - better than nothing but a shocker. If you fly into or out of NZQN fs9 atc will fly you in to a hill. There are a couple of tricks to trick it but it will generally ignore the filed flightplan close to the airports.

chickenman wrote:

QUOTE (chickenman @ Feb 8 2008, 05:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

FS9 ATC is an absolute shocker - better than nothing but a shocker. If you fly into or out of NZQN fs9 atc will fly you in to a hill. There are a couple of tricks to trick it but it will generally ignore the filed flightplan close to the airports.

In fairness to MS, there are around 20,000 airports in FS.
I wouldn't expect 100% ATC flying in and out of local strips.
Queenstown is not a local strip? Think again, I can remember the first time they shoehorned a jet into it, everybody held their breath.
I still do, flying the Rwy 23 approach remains, um, interesting
I've never had a problem moving between any major airport pair anywhere in the FS world.
It's the reason I got back into simming, back in FS2002.
Within the limitations of what the sim can do, ATC is actually very good.

sorry but the generic ATC is an absolute shocker - I know it is a sim limitation but it really is abysmal and doesn't really come close to real ATC. I'm saving my pennies for VOX atc or something similar.

Charl wrote:

QUOTE (Charl @ Feb 8 2008, 06:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In fairness to MS, there are around 20,000 airports in FS.
I wouldn't expect 100% ATC flying in and out of local strips.
Queenstown is not a local strip? Think again, I can remember the first time they shoehorned a jet into it, everybody held their breath.
I still do, flying the Rwy 23 approach remains, um, interesting
I've never had a problem moving between any major airport pair anywhere in the FS world.
It's the reason I got back into simming, back in FS2002.
Within the limitations of what the sim can do, ATC is actually very good.

At the time FS2002 implemented ATC NZQN was an international airport. What it was doesn't matter - MSFS does not have the ability to accurately allow for terrain - local strip, regional, intl airport anything. The limitations of FS ATC is mainly to do with the fact that every airport in the world is treated like an american airport so that you are always under radar vectors. Why can't we change the transition altitude? At least in FS9 we got to be able to select approaches. But never got 11 active in CHCH - another local strip? How about wellington? Vectored into hills there as well by FS9.

I agree that within the limitations of FS the ATC is quite good (especially compared to FS5.1 ) It's just not to be trusted. I have been vectored into mountains, vectored into aircraft, not able to meet the descent criteria for the approach. It really hasn't advanced since FS2002 which is why external ATC add-ons such as radar contact are around, proving that atc can be improved but MS either won't or can't.

As for the 23 approach - I experienced my first RNAV apporach at the end of last year - the worst part of that was knowing exactly where we were! Very disorientating steep banking turns in cloud - and then popping through the cloud base and the hills definitely seemed bloody close!

FS ATC is better than nothing but there are limitations.

Jamie

I agree with what's been said here. FS ATC is better than nothing but does have limitations. One of the suggestions I've made to tell_fs@microsoft.com twice now has been to allow pilots to request visual approaches and fly them as they would in real life, rather than getting vectored to a 10 mile final.

I've never figured out why Christchurch only allows you to use runways 02 and 20, nor why Ohakea only allows 27 and 09, yet New Plymouth will happily give you the grass vector in a jet.

"I've never figured out why Christchurch only allows you to use runways 02 and 20, nor why Ohakea only allows 27 and 09"

FS9/FSX an probably other too use a thing called an AFCAD , every airpost you see has one
Its what the simulator ecogonises as what runway's, taxi ways, buildings, parking sizes S M L and pretty much all things to do with an airport in the sim..
Whe have the same problem with YSSY, YMML here in OZ where we get the main runway's but the crosswind runway is left out..
If you search something like AVSIM or FLIGHTSIM.COM search that particular airfield where the crosswind runway is missing..
And hope some clever fella out there has an updated AFCAD which can render the "extra" runway as working..

Ferget everything about flying IFE when you uses the FS9 ATC. It's horrible (already said). Fly VFR when you are flying with FSNavigator or FMC (PMDG, Wilco, Level-D or so). It's way better then the IFR way and you don't get upset becuse it gives wrong vectors.