OnCourse Software

I don't know if it is me doing something wrong or the program is messed up but I have read and reread the manual. I performed all the actions listed in this forum to correct a bad instal. I am running version 2.14 on Windows 7 Professional 64bit. I have PFE installed in C:\PFE as suggested. I'm as sure as I can be that I have covered all the bases but am still having problems.

I'm having a terrible time getting from the final waypoint in my route to the approach. I have done several flights and its just not working. The latest one I was landing at Amsterdam from the west. The approach controller said maintain present heading, which was west, and cleared for the Sierra Tango for the approach at pilots discretion. Contact tower when established. Then no further instructions. My present heading would have taken me north of the airport and I was landing 36R so I just self vectored to final. I guess that's what you have to do if you've selected a STAR that doesn't end at the approach. Once established my VP3 did not contact tower so I manually dialed the frequency but tower would not respond. I could hear AI chatter but could not get PFE to talk to me any more. I had that happen once after I requested a visual approach too.

When I don't have a STAR selected the vectors PFE gives me are pretty bad. If I am arriving on the general heading of the landing runway it seems to get me there sorta ok but it doesn't clear me for the approach until I am practically crossing the center line which causes an over shoot. When I'm arriving from a heading that is around 90 degrees off the runway heading or more it has problems. I've been doing the same London to Amsterdam flight to keep the route consistent. On one attempt it turned me to a 075 heading for landing on runway 22 and then told me to contact tower when established. That's 145 degrees off of runway heading. The next time landing 18R after giving me seemingly random left and right turns it vectored me over the top of the airport then north just to the east of RWY18R center line then turned me southwest and then cleared me for the approach. Already being so close to the center line going the wrong way there was not way I could intercept the localizer without going way past it then having to come back. The program just seems incapable of giving realistic vectors to the approach for me.

Another thing that happens pretty much every arrival is that it will assign me three different runways. Most of the time the third assignment is back to the original runaway but that close in having to set the FMS over and over is a pain. At this point I have no ideas what to do differently to get the desired result. Any idea where I may be going wrong?

What type of airplane are using? And what type of airplane did you select in pf2000?

Sierra Tango is the default STAR from PFE,you it's yours to fly how you like till you reach approach and then contact them as per instructions.
Another thing to look at is your flightplan,sounds like it needs to be re-compiled using your flightplanner,if using FS Build make sure you have Sid/Stars option removed from your plan.
What Amsterdam scenery are using default or 3rd party..?
What altitude are you on approach,if too high you will get nothing and an overshoot...
Are you getting runway change instructions,also are you using a weather programme?
Let us know how you get on...

I am using the PMDG NGX. I checked which plane was selected in PF2000 and it was the 737 but when I investigated further I saw that it had 4000fpm for the average climb and descent rates. I changed them to more realistic number and re-flew the flight. It worked perfectly that time. PFE cleared me lower in plenty of time to make the crossing restrictions and gave me very nice vectors to final. That was just one flight but hopefully that fixed my problem.

That's both posts sorted then..

Ralgh wrote:

I am using the PMDG NGX. I checked which plane was selected in PF2000 and it was the 737 but when I investigated further I saw that it had 4000fpm for the average climb and descent rates. I changed them to more realistic number and re-flew the flight. It worked perfectly that time. PFE cleared me lower in plenty of time to make the crossing restrictions and gave me very nice vectors to final. That was just one flight but hopefully that fixed my problem.

I am glad it worked for you. Also, check if the cruise speed matches your plane if you change the plane in the future. One more thing, Whenever you make any change in PF2000, close the program and reopen it again before you compile an adventure.

I did another flight and it worked as advertised so you problems sorted. I did adjust the cruise speed too. I inadvertently did the shut down and restart but I'll do it intentionally from now on. Thanks for the help.