Gentleman, this software is just full of bugs (I'll get to that in a minute). But, per my last post, it should be perfectly acceptable to file a flight plan between KJFK and KIAD as "RBV Hyper6". That's the way it's done in real life, look it up on Flight Aware. Direct to RBV and thence via the Hyper6 STAR. RBV also happens to be the STAR transition. However, because PFPX never includes the waypoints of a STAR in an exported flight plan, the generated flight plan contains only one waypoint which is also designated as the STAR entry. Apparently PF3 doesn't like this. Well ... OK. So, what I did in PFPX is to include the next STAR waypoint (HIKES) as a normal waypoint and let the Hyper6 STAR commence from DELRO. So now the exported PFPX flight plan has two waypoints with HIKES designated as the STAR entry. The attached file PF3.png file shows what the flight plan looks like in PF3.
That's a pretty straight-forward flight plan that PF3 should handle right? Nope, it choked on this too. Let me get to the heart of the problem with this program. The XXX waypoint(s) PF3 generates are fundamentally flawed. There is no way one can fly a STAR the way one chooses without this program getting lost unless that STAR route, by some act of randomness, comes in close proximity to the hypothetical XXX waypoint (of which the user has no idea where that is). The enclosed flight plan and logs will show that once 3/4 of the way through the STAR, again (just like in the first post), I'm told by PF3 ATC that I'm off course (15 miles in this case). What course? I'm flying precisely to the STAR but apparently not close enough to XXX (wherever that is). That call came as I was descending to 10,000ft which also happens to be the assigned altitude for XXX. So, once I reach 10,000ft, I stay there, and stay there, and stay there as KIAD drifts below without another word from ATC. Same as last time. Look at the enclosed logs and flight plan.
Additionally, the VCP is another problem. When I started at KJFK, I had VCP OFF. I got the clearance manually, I got the push and start manually. Then, right after the push completes, the VCP calls ground for taxi clearance. The VCP is supposed to be OFF?? Then when I got to the active runway I turn the VCP on and dial in the tower frequency. The VCP then, unprovoked, calls the tower for taxi clearance (??? I'm laughing by now). I then intervene, hit 6 and ask for takeoff clearance and receive it. Now for some reason in flight, the VCP keeps reporting altitude to CENTER. In real life, you check in with CENTER once handed off and report altitude leaving and target, and only respond to CENTER requests. This program will do it two or three times unprovoked when on the same CENTER frequency. Initial check-in with CENTER is "New York Center delta 4 is with you passing 15,000ft for FL270. CENTER acknowledges. OK. But then unprovoked, the VCP calls again as "delta 4 is with you passing 18,000ft for FL270. CENTER simply acknowledges. Then the VCP will do it again before reaching FL270. Is this bugged or are you serious? This is unrealistic and sounds corny. And to add more insult to injury, when taxing on ground, the ground controller's clearance to cross runways works on some flight sessions and not on others. Either I get consistent clearance to cross runways as I approach or I get complete silence. Totally haphazard.
I've wasted enough time beta testing this software. You have a promising ATC program here that doesn't appear to be ready for market. The buyers of this don't want to have to mechanically alter real flight operations just to get the program to work. We've got FSX core ATC for that. The ability to work with SIDs and STARs is paramount yet this program simply doesn't. I don't want to integrate this ATC program into an otherwise outstanding simulation and feel like I'm walking on eggshells the entire flight hoping this program doesn't go bananas and ruin the entire experience.