OnCourse Software

Martin

PFE only knows the waypoints in the FS flightplan you have converted to a PFE. Whatever you may have in your FMC is irrevelant.

Takeoff vectoring has an aim to get you from the runway to the first waypoint. To do this I believe PFE uses the departure files that are built into FS9/FSX. These may appear at times to coincide with a SID you have in the FMC, that is a coincidence. At other times you may feel you are being vectored "away" from your first waypoint. You need to be patient and let ATC vector you according to the departures that are in the SIM.

As long as you have chosen correctly what is your first waypoint (not too close to airport), you will get vectored there.

If I am wrong on how PFE decides on vectoring perhaps Dave will enlighten us.

Peter

Apologies if I misunderstood; I thought Martin was following waypoints that had been added after his flight plan had been loaded in PFE, and which PFE would not know about. Apparently he is ignoring the added waypoints.

Dan

PFE only knows the waypoints in the FS flightplan you have converted to a PFE. Whatever you may have in your FMC is irrevelant.

Yes, Peter, I didn't see how it could be otherwise, as I said.

Not your fault Dan, I didn't explain myself properly,

Thanks again!

No problems. It took me a while to get the best out of PFE, but now I have the knack of it I am really impressed with this program.

OK, next thing (but am getting there!)....

ATC often asks me to descend way too late - on my most recent flight from FL340 only 40 miles from the airport. Is that purely because I have waypoints too close to the destination airport (on this flight, it was 17 miles), or could there be another reason?

Hi Martin,

Check your waypoint altitudes in the "adjust waypoint altitudes" screen in PFE (after you have loaded the flight plan) to see if you have a reasonable descent profile. Also, did you happen to request a change in flight level from ATC during the flight? This type of thing sometimes happens if you do.

Dan

Hi Dan.. thanks for the continued help...

I did check the adv file and adjust the cruise altitude. As far as I recall, descent profile was fine. I did in fact request a descent - mostly as I was getting nearer and nearer to the airport and wanted to test ATC was still working (it was)! I am also in future going to delete waypoints in the PFE_ flight plans that are less than, say, 25 miles from the airport, and see if that helps.

The "missing descent instructions" problem can occur if you request a change in flight level from ATC during the flight, particularly before you have started your descent from cruise. I try to avoid this at all costs. (Better to adjust the altitude of your waypoints in PFE before the flight.) It's not clear why this happens but sometimes ATC will neglect to tell you to start your descent if you have previously requested a flight level change. Peter and others have raised the issue in several forum posts. Check out the posts below. (Try some flights without requesting altitude changes from ATC and see what happens.)

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1290#p6355

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1312

Dan

Hmmm, how odd. I'll avoid this then. Thanks for the heads up.

Just want to point out that if you will be doing step-climbs in a fully loaded heavy, you can adjust the waypoint altitudes for your climb using the "adjust waypoint altitudes" screen in PFE after you've loaded the flight plan. This allows you to adjust your climb profile and level off without the need to ask ATC for changes. ATC will simply clear you to the next flight level according to your waypoint altitudes. I've been doing this for quite some time and never had problems with ATC neglecting to start my descent from cruise.

Dan