OnCourse Software

Is there a way to tweak the spot at which PF3 asks you to contact the tower, for takeoff, (on an airport-by-airport basis)? it should of course be at the hold short point between the taxiway and the runway (never enter an active runway without ATC permission!), and usually that is how it is (Mode 1): but sometimes there's nothing from PF3 at the hold short point, and before you get any instruction, you have to throw caution to the wind, & enter and taxi along the runway until you reach the 'trigger' point.

For me, this is in X-Plane, so not sure if it depends upon the airport file. But maybe someone here is familiar with XP11 and knows how this might be done.

Thanks.

Have you tried contacting Tower and asking permission for take-off? I'm afraid I can't speak for X-Plane but in FS, key 6 is the solution.

The only time I find this necessary is if the airport layout requires you join the runway at a point which isn't the start location. Key 6 cancels the TGS, requests permission to take-off, and instructs you to "position and hold" and clears you for take-off as soon as you are facing the correct direction. The latter is conveniently clever, it allows you to start your take-off from where you are, if you so choose, if you feel you have enough runway to do that.

John

martinlest wrote: *

Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:39 pm

Is there a way to tweak the spot at which PF3 asks you to contact the tower, for takeoff, (on an airport-by-airport basis)? it should of course be at the hold short point between the taxiway and the runway (never enter an active runway without ATC permission!), and usually that is how it is (Mode 1): but sometimes there's nothing from PF3 at the hold short point, and before you get any instruction, you have to throw caution to the wind, & enter and taxi along the runway until you reach the 'trigger' point.

For me, this is in X-Plane, so not sure if it depends upon the airport file. But maybe someone here is familiar with XP11 and knows how this might be done.

Thanks.

Just contact Tower

Thanks. For whatever reason, at some airports, contacting the tower (that's my first instinct when this happens) meets with no response from PF3 (NZAA yesterday). I'll send you a log when I can set up such a situation.

Quote:

For whatever reason, at some airports, contacting the tower.. meets with no response from PF3

This is undoubtedly the 'fault' of the aircraft I am flying - one or two of which do not respond properly to the PF3 VCP. The Flight Factor B777 for example: if you enable the 'radio plugin' for that aircraft, then the VCP will autotune the radios for you, but with the plugin active, you cannot manually adjust them. So when I get to a runway and hear nothing (original question) and press my usual shortkey, all I get is a radio check. And I can't retune the radio to the tower frequency myself: that only happens automatically (VCP) if I find the trigger spot.

Well, I guess this is all 'X-Plane stuff', but one way around it would be to move the trigger point to the end of the taxiway, rather than a runoff point at the far end of the runway. But I am not sure what PF3 is looking for within the XP11 files which will initiate the 'contact tower' instruction.

Quote:

Key 6 cancels the TGS, requests permission to take-off, and instructs you to "position and hold" and clears you for take-off as soon as you are facing the correct direction. The latter is conveniently clever, it allows you to start your take-off from where you are, if you so choose, if you feel you have enough runway to do that.

Thanks. But presumably, if I am still forcibly tuned to Ground, as per the above, rather than Tower, it's not going to be available.