Approach Plates

[a1]

Are approach plates and other real world navigational tools effective in FS? If I am doing a VFR flight using the default ATC, will they follow the plates on approach and altitudes? The last time I used a plate it made me collide with traffic (it might be my bad flying but anyways...) and had me going way off the procedure of the plate.

[ThomasKaira]

ATC, though useful can not even attempt to try to be called real. If ATC were the way they are in FS in the real world, believe me, the aviation industry would cease to exist. If any traffic related problem crops up, it is ATC's fault in this game automatically, as the AI obey ATC without question.

To answer your question, approach plates and all those nice tools are indeed effective in FS (I flew two STARs just fine), you just need to keep a lookout and delete a few planes when things get really hairy, as it is not your flying that is at fault here. These "pilots" behind the wheel of AI planes have a loving tendency to continuously stall their planes. in the FS world, mid-air collisions are NEVER your fault if you weren't doing something obviously stupid.

Jet

[Rocket_Bird]

I have never been able to effectively use approach plates in FS ATC.  The ATC always radar vectors you this and that, no matter how you plan your plate out.  You can however utilize online ATC services like vatsim or ivao and fly with a controller who understands the plates if you wish to do that.

[garymbuska]

I have never been able to effectively use approach plates in FS ATC.  The ATC always radar vectors you this and that, no matter how you plan your plate out.  You can however utilize online ATC services like vatsim or ivao and fly with a controller who understands the plates if you wish to do that.

There is a simple solution to that problem. When you get close to you destination just cancel you IFR flight plan and you can make the approach you want. 8-)

[pepper_airborne]

Yeah, but then you might collide with vectored IFR traffic, my F-28 once got almost overrun by a 737. I literaly just passed over me.

[Brett_Henderson]

In the real world, the only time you'll fly the whole approach (procedure turns and all) is when you're at an uncontrolled airport, with little or no traffic, and ATC just says, "cleared for the approach", before you're near the airport. Otherwise, 99/100 times you'll be vectored to the final approach, and the only part of the plate that matters, is the decent profile (which is kinda moot if it's ILS).

Can you imagine a busy airport, where every plane flies to the IAF, and then works their way to the FAF; a big line of planes flying inbound/outbound and making the same procedure turn ?  They'd all be better off just diving to the airport, hoping to catch sight of a runway before having to go missed and then bunch up at the published hold... lol

In other words..  ESPECIALLY if you're flying jets into big airports... you'd almost never fly the plate.. So.. in an odd way.. MSFS ATC is kinda realistic.

[DaveSims]

Yeah, but then you might collide with vectored IFR traffic, my F-28 once got almost overrun by a 737. I literaly just passed over me.

ATC in FS does not provide traffic separation in flight, all they do is tell you where it is.  The only real sequencing you will in FS is when you take-off.

[a1]

Thanks all. Now I have to find something to fix all the go arounds I face during my flights.

[MattNW]

Check out AI Smooth. It helps a lot especially when you have a lot of AI. I can't find it here at SimV but it's over at AVSIM. Search for "aismooth".