[DavidsWelt]

I can't believe this - somehow, I can't get ATC to work for me (X-P 8.10)

I was trying KSFO - KLAX, filing an IFR flight plan for cruise at FL330. I'm flying
the standard 747-400 that we're all given out of the box.

Getting up there is no big problem, I am cleared for FL330 pretty much after I leave the
airport. But what's next? Nothing! Any chance to get radar service?
Good, we're getting there by GPS direct. But getting close to KLAX, say, around 90nm, still
nothing. Shouldn't there be an ATC that would clear me down to, say, FL240?
When I get really close, say, around 40nm or so, X-Plane lets me request vectors to my ILS, which I gratefully do. Then they ask me to descend and maintain 6000 ft. And before
I'm even going through 240, down to 4000. Sounds like I'm missing my approach.

Next thing, I'm cleared for the KLAX 07L approach and get a beautiful "intercept localizer!" - and I get handed off to... a helipad tower! WTF??? In the radio window, I can't select anything else than
this helipad. Looks like I've already missed my ILS approach by now, so I do "request landing" for KLAX 07L. They make me do a 360, giving me lots of heading changes (is that what they would do in the real world?), until I finally get on the ILS to 07L. I'm still at 4000 (my mistake??) when I pass the middle marker, which turns out to be way too high... (wouldn't 2000ft be normal? help!)

Very frustrating.

And you know what? Whenever I tried with the latest X-Plane version over the past few years, I always ran into trouble with its radar service. What am I doing wrong? Where's the secret button? Is there some book I should read about IFR?

[brett s]

ATC sucks, always has - if you want reality, use the real-world charts, plan your flight & fly the approach you want.

airnav.com is a great resource for charts, and there's always GoodWay or Airplan to do the flight planning for you.

[aussi]

ATC sucks, always has - if you want reality, use the real-world charts, plan your flight & fly the approach you want.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And fly online with XSquawkbox.

[DavidsWelt]

ATC sucks, always has - if you want reality, use the real-world charts, plan your flight & fly the approach you want.

airnav.com is a great resource for charts, and there's always GoodWay or Airplan to do the flight planning for you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, I've tried GoodWay a while ago, and it did a great job. But I would have liked to learn more about radio comms. Oh well.

But then the thing is: I can't get a vertical ILS signal. The autopilot grabs the horizontal ILS nicely, but no glide path for me in 8.10. Again, I'm talking about the default 747, and an approach to KLAX 07L (ILS 110.10, right?). I used to be able to touch down there, so unless the autopilot has changed completely, I'm halfway confident that it's not my mistake.
I understand that Austin has separated horizontal / vertical ILS to be more realistic, but that can't mean that I still don't get a vertical indication when I'm passing over the middle marker, can it?

[brett s]

The autopilot buttons have changed, so you'd need to update the panel accordingly to use vnav - but you should still be able to manually fly it, the glideslope needle hasn't changed (are you seeing the needle?)

[Kumiankka]

Ah, that's got to be it. I was going to post something stupid about making sure to intercept the glideslope from below, but that makes more sense

<plug>
But Aussi is right, nothing beats a real person for ATC. There are the VATSIM and IVAO networks of course, but the X-Plane.org server also has its own virtual aviation server. We host fly-ins every weekend and everyone is welcome, if you get your account now you can still join us this Sunday in Saint-Barthélemy
</plug>

[DavidsWelt]

The autopilot buttons have changed, so you'd need to update the panel accordingly to use vnav - but you should still be able to manually fly it, the glideslope needle hasn't changed (are you seeing the needle?)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Update the panel? Why? Like I said, I'm flying the default plane that comes with X-Plane. Right out of the box.

I am seeing horizontal indicators - the glide slope "needle", however, behaves erratically, telling me to climb all the time...

[Kumiankka]

Exactly - the default planes are usually the ones that are the most outdated... don't be surprised if those planes are missing some vital systems as well (like anti-ice for a 747 )

[DavidsWelt]

I can confirm, it's probably the autopilot that's causing the trouble with catching the glideslope, not the ILS itself.

Either way, the fact that even the default plane is not up to date in a release version is, as they often say here in Britain, appalling. Graphics that don't produce anything but fog on my Powerbook of two years, bugs (like in the ATC) that have been there for ages (according to what people here are saying), an installation process that takes some 8 gigs of HD space without telling me beforehand and can't retry when it fails because the volume is full... And it's still asking for that DVD anyways, so why does it take up precious space on my HD?

too many gripes with version 8. I will need to write a long nasty rant on my blog next week. Made a screenshot the other day of Santa Monica, on final to runway 21, with a huge building almost at my end of the runway. Soooo many weird things and nasty bugs, while I'm trying out version 8 for the first time. Where's the quality control at Laminar... I hope somebody is relaying this...

[H2S]

I think you'll find that we, the users, are the Quality Control .. and just like the Real World, we may or may not be listened to.