What a thought provoking and highly intuitive article.
Having recently returned to flight simulators (it is most definitely not a game any more), the technical advances are truly staggering. My first flight simulator ran on my state of the art pc (for the time) that had a chip capacity of less than half that of my current mobile phone! The jittery graphics and limitations gave me headaches ....... but I loved it and was hooked.
Whilst the aeroplanes, scenery and the general technical appearance have moved on out of all recognition, one aspect that is sadly lagging way behind is the realism (or lack of it) from ATC.
I use both MSFS and X Plane 11 and both have their advantages and disadvantages. And as this is a site concerned directly with X Plane, I will confine my comments to it. I should point out that I am by no means an experienced simmer or real world pilot (although I have flown a 1944 dual control Spitfire), and my comments therefore should be taken as those made by a keen amateur who is confused and oftentimes frustrated by the wishes and inane prattling from the X Plane ATC controllers ( I use the word “controller” advisedly).
Once I’ve loaded my SimBrief flight plan (a brilliant bit of kit btw) and taken off, all goes well until I approach my chosen airport. I have used the correct app charts and STARS in the planning of my flight.....and chosen likely runways in use, taking into account prevailing wind direction at my destination.
Why then, when about 15-20nm from the airport, does CharlieFred, ATC controller, come on the radio and a) try to vector me to a completely different runway, and b) ask me to increase my given altitude to a level that’s going to take forever to get to? If I choose to ignore the idiot, he repeats the request every 20 seconds or so until ( having lost the will to live) I switch him off and complete my RNAV APP (or what ever type of chosen procedure) in silence.
So let’s have a revamp of the whole ATC sim experience. Let’s tear up the existing format and start afresh.
If, for example, you are flying into an airport that is always super busy (until COVID that is), like JFK, Schipol, or Heathrow, why can’t ATC insist on you entering a holding pattern at one of the stacking points around the airport. The fact that in both MSFS and X Plane, the software used in the FMC has virtually every SID and STAR for all major airports, then the addition of the use of holding points should not be an issue. And, to allow more experienced ( or less experienced) simmers to choose whether or not to use this feature....a simple filter can be written into the set up. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make the entry into holding patterns available in the FMC, so let’s add a touch of realism and get ATC to use them?
I appreciate that the algorithms required to individually cater for realistic responses to a vast variety of flight plans is a daunting challenge, but surely someone will pick up the gauntlet.
Finally, I hope that I have totally missed the point in my comments above, and that the answer to my problems has already been dealt with and because I haven’t read enough, I just don’t know about it. In which case I apologise, and wait with baited breath for the barrage of replies informing me of the error of my ways 😊
