OnCourse Software

Great, thanks! Actually, most flights I will just use the 'generic' option, with the checkboxes ticked for SIDs & STARs active, but this is good to know. Maybe I should try to read the user manual from cover to cover...

Now I have the STARs Active box checked, behaviour is of course slightly different: I was told to approach at pilot's discretion and to contact Tower when established. I was hand flying a slightly tricky approach (an a321 into VNKT Rwy20, no glideslope), and being rather busy, I forgot to contact tower on this occasion. In PF3 Mode 2, I assume I would have to tune to the tower frequency manually? (On landing and pulling off the runway, I got no further instructions from ATC, but I suppose that that was because I hadn't contacted the tower during my approach).

martinlest wrote:

In PF3 Mode 2, I assume I would have to tune to the tower frequency manually?

Usually not:
For ILS approaches your VCP notices that you catched the glide scope and contacts tower.
For visual (and probably other non-precision) approaches you can press 8 (Report airport in sight) and your VCP will handle everything else.

martinlest wrote:

In PF3 Mode 2, I assume I would have to tune to the tower frequency manually? (On landing and pulling off the runway, I got no further instructions from ATC, but I suppose that that was because I hadn't contacted the tower during my approach).

In my experience, this depends on the particular approach you are flying. As Thomas said, if you line up with the runway far enough out, PF3 will change the frequency to Tower and VCP will contact Tower. If your approach lines up too late, this won't happen. You can do as Thomas suggested, or another option would be to tune Tower manually and hit hotkey 1. I recently flew the RNAV runway 19 approach to KDCA and this approach lines up much too late. In your case, you probably had no further contact from ATC because you landed without proper clearance (has happened to me as well).

Ah, I hadn't thought of it as being time dependent. That explains why sometimes the VCP tunes to a new frequency, sometimes not.

Quote:

another option would be to tune Tower manually and hit hotkey 1

Yes, that's what I would have done, had I not forgotten

Thanks....

One other thing I've noticed. I don't seem to be handed over to a different centre now when I cross national borders. Just flown over from Nepal to India - no change of controller at all....

martinlest wrote:

One other thing I've noticed. I don't seem to be handed over to a different centre now when I cross national borders. Just flown over from Nepal to India - no change of controller at all....

That's almost certainly down to the json mapping. It's the same from Pakistan into India. Dave might be able to make a "fake" boundary. But I'm not too sure. Post your fpl and the contents of the FPP directory in the Flight folder in zip form and Dave will get back to you "if" he can make any adjustments or not.

OK, here's the zip file... Not Dave's top priority I'd think, but if it's easily fixable, so much the better. (I wonder what Dave will do with his time when PF3 reaches a state of total perfection!!),

Oh, and the VCP tuned me in to the tower frequency just fine on approach in my last flight. Must have been the timing previously...

Thanks,

Martin

Dave,
This json image shows one control centre for India, Afganistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal etc. I don't know if it can be altered or faked. India itself should be at least four zones. These are the Indian FIRs which also correspond to the ICAO regions VA,VE,VI and VO.