FearlessTower
03-01-2006, 02:02 PM
Well, I figured it was about time to put in my dream sheet of things that I would like to see in FSX, so here goes:
1. Improved ATC. Please don’t get me wrong, the guys at MS have been making great strides in improving the ATC realism with each new version of FS. FS9 has brought some great improvements over previous version, but there are still some aspects that could be improved. To begin with, it would be nice to see some kind of ATC traffic separation services in FSX. It’s great that we get traffic advisories, but in the current version, there is no system of vectoring aircraft for traffic. I’m not sure how difficult it would be to program, but it would be nice to have ATC actually vector both the user aircraft AND the AI aircraft away from each other. Most of us have had more than one experience of close calls in the terminal area and even the occasional Learjet that flies right up your rear end while you are on final in a prop!
On the subject of ATC, since FS already has the ability to distinguish between different aircraft types form a contact reporting standpoint, I think the next level is to have the ATC engine programmed to differentiate between aircraft types when it comes to approach and departure vectoring. As a propeller aircraft arrives into the terminal area, it would be nice if ATC assigned it an approach profile that was appropriate for that type of aircraft and similarly if the aircraft is a jet. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been vectored over 30 miles away from the destination airport to end up on a 25 mile final in slow flying prop. Also, and this may be more of a stretch, but it would be great to add in the element of assigned speeds in Class B airspace (ie flying out of Atlanta in a jet, ATC directs you to accelerate and maintain a 250 kts minimum until 10,000 feet) or ATC assigns minimum speeds to the user and AI aircraft while approaching Class B and C airports. I don’t know if the average FS user is ready for that level of realism, but there are many of us who would enjoy the challenge.
2. In-flight weather services. We have had ATIS and AWOS for a while now, so why not take the next step and add in things like TWEBS and HIWAS. The Nav radios in FS are programmed with an audio feature to allow for hearing the morse identifiers, so all we need is some form of automated, enroute weather broadcast added?
3. Wake turbulence. This might be a stretch to model at this point, but it would be a nice addition to be able to have realistic wake turbulence modeled in FSX combined with an ATC ‘caution, wake turbulence’ advisory. Basically, it would be nice to have some consequences for flying into a busy jet airport a dot or two below glideslope!
Anyway, I’ll stop dreaming now. I just wanted to pass on a few of my thoughts on how to make FSX ‘as real as it gets’.
Andrew
1. Improved ATC. Please don’t get me wrong, the guys at MS have been making great strides in improving the ATC realism with each new version of FS. FS9 has brought some great improvements over previous version, but there are still some aspects that could be improved. To begin with, it would be nice to see some kind of ATC traffic separation services in FSX. It’s great that we get traffic advisories, but in the current version, there is no system of vectoring aircraft for traffic. I’m not sure how difficult it would be to program, but it would be nice to have ATC actually vector both the user aircraft AND the AI aircraft away from each other. Most of us have had more than one experience of close calls in the terminal area and even the occasional Learjet that flies right up your rear end while you are on final in a prop!
On the subject of ATC, since FS already has the ability to distinguish between different aircraft types form a contact reporting standpoint, I think the next level is to have the ATC engine programmed to differentiate between aircraft types when it comes to approach and departure vectoring. As a propeller aircraft arrives into the terminal area, it would be nice if ATC assigned it an approach profile that was appropriate for that type of aircraft and similarly if the aircraft is a jet. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been vectored over 30 miles away from the destination airport to end up on a 25 mile final in slow flying prop. Also, and this may be more of a stretch, but it would be great to add in the element of assigned speeds in Class B airspace (ie flying out of Atlanta in a jet, ATC directs you to accelerate and maintain a 250 kts minimum until 10,000 feet) or ATC assigns minimum speeds to the user and AI aircraft while approaching Class B and C airports. I don’t know if the average FS user is ready for that level of realism, but there are many of us who would enjoy the challenge.
2. In-flight weather services. We have had ATIS and AWOS for a while now, so why not take the next step and add in things like TWEBS and HIWAS. The Nav radios in FS are programmed with an audio feature to allow for hearing the morse identifiers, so all we need is some form of automated, enroute weather broadcast added?
3. Wake turbulence. This might be a stretch to model at this point, but it would be a nice addition to be able to have realistic wake turbulence modeled in FSX combined with an ATC ‘caution, wake turbulence’ advisory. Basically, it would be nice to have some consequences for flying into a busy jet airport a dot or two below glideslope!
Anyway, I’ll stop dreaming now. I just wanted to pass on a few of my thoughts on how to make FSX ‘as real as it gets’.
Andrew