Sidestep?!

Here we are, more than a decade after FSX came out, and I've just had something new happen (okay it was with P3D, but that's just FSX with bug fixes.) I was given a visual approach, so I asked for a different one. I was cleared for the chosen approach, and told to sidestep the runway I had originally been given. A new one for me! Although I admit I usually fly VFR.

Reason number 600,000,000 no one has been able to produce a better sim, and why it's *still* a shame Microsoft abandoned this one!

Here we are, more than a decade after FSX came out, and I've just had something new happen (okay it was with P3D, but that's just FSX with bug fixes.) I was given a visual approach, so I asked for a different one. I was cleared for the chosen approach, and told to sidestep the runway I had originally been given. A new one for me! Although I admit I usually fly VFR.

 

Reason number 600,000,000 no one has been able to produce a better sim, and why it's *still* a shame Microsoft abandoned this one!

The "sidestep" will happen every time you ask for a different approach than what was given to you by ATC.

The "sidestep" will happen every time you ask for a different approach than what was given to you by ATC.

Not exactly.

A sidestep occurs every time when the rwy assigned to the chosen approach is different from the chosen rwy to land.

This can be avoided by requesting both another runway AND another approach.

For example: an airport has 14L and 14R, but only 14L has ILS.

ATC proposes you a visual approach to 14R, but you prefer an ILS.

So, don't acknowledge, but in the ATC menu request another runway: 14L.

Again, don't acknowledge yet, but request an approach for that runway: ILS 14L.

Now the ATC menu will give the option: request runway and approach from controller.

ATC will now give you ILS 14L approach to land 14L.

Acknowledge this, and no more sidestepping will be required.

Wim

Yeah, I always get that. I have a poor man's TCAS embedded in the GPS and when I see and hear several planes stacked and coming in on the runway I was assigned I switch to the adjacent runway instead. But I ignore the side step crap and just fly onto the runway.

I'll have to try that approach cheat.

There is a TCAS, a rather nice one, too, included in the whole minipanel3 install. You can separate it out and install it in any plane you desire.

There are a few pretty impressive "radar" available out there too. They can display airborne targets only, ground targets only, or both. You can "lock on" to a target, and get the info about it displayed. Altitude, airspeed, relative bearing etc. Really, rather handy.

Whatever you use, have fun!

Pat☺

Really I was pointing out how great the program is to have all this stuff. Imagine what we'd have today if it hadn't been discontinued.

Discontinued? What are you on about? MS sold the development rights for non-entertainment sim products to Lockheed-Martin, I can't think of a more fitting home, and frankly the differences between a 64-bit P3Dv4 and a hasn't-been-developed-in-a-decade FSX are patently obvious.

MS also sold development rights for entertainment titles to Dovetail Games in 2014 and likewise, FSW has emerged as a 64-bit simulator rooted in FSX but exactly what MS would have done had they chosen to keep going, but then we would only have one simulator, not two.

-1

Cheers,

There is a TCAS, a rather nice one, too, included in the whole minipanel3 install. You can separate it out and install it in any plane you desire.

There are a few pretty impressive "radar" available out there too. They can display airborne targets only, ground targets only, or both. You can "lock on" to a target, and get the info about it displayed. Altitude, airspeed, relative bearing etc. Really, rather handy.

 

Pat☺

Can I get a zip file name to this "lock on" TCAS? I'd like to throw that in my F22. Thx.

Maybe "fsx_minipanel_v3.zip"?

Cheers,

Maybe "fsx_minipanel_v3.zip"?

 

Cheers,

That doesn't contain any TCAS lock on gauge.

I beg pardon if I wasn't clear. I never said there was a lockable TCAS. I said there were lockable radars.

Minipanel3 contains A TCAS and A lockable radar. Not both in one.

Having said that, the TCAS included in minipanel3, for the longest time, was the leading TCAS available for flight sims. And yes, you can install it as a pop-up, or include it into the 2D panel fairly easily. VC's are a little more challenging to add gauges to that they weren't designed to accept.

A file you can dl for the TCAS alone, would be 971-TrafficRadar.zip

As to the lockable radar add-ons, there are a myriad (big word for the day!).

A really nice one is coos_bay_navrad_ver_1.5.zip. Ground Nav radar, similar to a GPS, but lockable onto airborne targets.

A decent radar for airborne and ground targets, like ships or planes parked at the terminals of an airport is ars_v1.00.zip. Available over on Avsim. The latest update I'm familiar with is ars4.zip.

A very popular one is PersonalRadar.zip, great for running intercepts and midair refueling for the military birds. You could also use it very nicely to avoid any plane closer than a given distance. Just select a course and altitude they aren't :)

The list goes on. Just googol "Radar FSX", or punch Radar into the search field of the various sim libraries.

Sorry I was slow getting back, yesterday was a busy day for me and I just didn't have time...

Pat☺