Requesting Vectors

[jesse]

???In the real world of flying, a pilot in communications with ATC can request vectors that will place him in a position to land on a certain runway. I have never used this feature in flight sim and I'm not sure it even exists. Does anyone know if requesting vectors is available in FS2004 and if so, how is it activated?

Thanks,

Jesse

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

If you are flying IFR with a flight plan and ATC control, I believe vectors from ATC is the default situation. I don't think you will get them any other way. Once ATC starts vectoring you, you can instead request a published approach, but then you have to fly it without help from ATC.

The easy way to fly a published approach, of course, is to load it into the GPS and let it fly the plane. This can be done with or without ATC.

Hope this helps,

[Randy_Cain]

Hi Jesse,

Yes and no. In the ILS flight planning and flight, you get "instructions" as to what to do when, but they don't actually hand out the radials for you to turn to. ...and if you have a slow machine, the instructions come too late for you to have a chance to follow them. It would have been nice.

That's one of the improvements that so many people requested for FSX, but, as is so typical, noone thought it was as valuable as shadows in the VC or moving cars, trucks and trains. Go figure.

One thing though, Kenny's site, FSVintageAIR.com has a bunch of folks that will be happy to provide ATC for you online. That was what their server was originally designed for. There are several qualified controllers there.

Yours,


lol...Hi Tom!

[jesse]

Okay. I guess I'll have to stick with the default IFR Flight Plans. I was familiar with the ATC vectors in that instance, but I was thinking that I would anticipate a wind shift, or perhaps my default runway was closed due to an accident or something else and then I could request vectors to a useable runway. Guess we are expecting a little too much from Microsoft. Thanks Tom and Randy.

Jesse

[sunny9850]

There is one payware alternative to the built in ATC that will do quite a good job with that and many other things so dreadfully missing or wrong with the built in ATC.

www.jdtllc.com/products.htm

Along with the better vectoring you can also declare emergencies and depart from the planned route to avoid Wx instead of getting yelled at by a bit-bite controller if you don't want to fly through a cat4 cell.

I mainly purchased it because it was thought to increase the unbearably slow speech pattern of FSX ATC.....when compared to the improved version of FS9 thanks to EditVoicePac.
It is a little faster but not much....but still well worth the investment if you fly IFR a lot and like to have it as real as it gets.

For VFR the built in one does a better job.

Stefan