"Airport is currently IFR, request denied.."

:confused:

So, I load up a perfectly capable B-52 at Fairchild AFB using weather from FSRealWx and request taxi to the active...and get shot down. :rolleyes:

The kicker is that I'm not dealing with a solid overcast or a wind hazard, I'm barely dealing with a couple of clouds and some snow flakes. There's AI traffic milling around above me. What gives? Are my settings wrong or is FS9 that much of an over-protective nanny? What does it take to shut down an airport in this sim and how do I fix it?

LOL This is what's wrong with the Sim's very mundane ATC. What's going on here is that you can't fly VFR and need to file a flight plan for IFR flight.

In other words. You need your hand held to rock and roll because the weather is too scary. Yeah, I know, all you have are a few clouds and some snow flakes, but the airport is in IFR mode.

Since I started to fly VFR more than anything now and when I do get that request denied I just taxi to the runway using my own best judgment based on ground traffic and wind direction and just take off and flip the bird to tower on the 8,000'/ minute climb out in my F-22. LOL

So you have two options:

1) Ignore ground and just taxi to the runway and takeoff.

2) Go and create a flight plan so you're in IFR compliance. Note that you'll have to contact clearance delivery prior to take off of course.

Gotta wonder if southern California has ever had to be in IFR mode due to smog? I suppose the smog I saw living there in the late '80s to mid '90s would be worse than it would be today thanks to better engines, hybrids and electric vehicles. But you never know. I haven't been back there since '94 and have no plans once so ever to return, EVER!

One of the fun things about Fairchild (if you're a masochist) is flying the KNOCK/RWY 23 TACAN approach as a pattern circuit for touch-n-go's:

https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2013/00553T23.PDF

Its even more of a hoot if you're flying the pattern at night or in low viz. It takes a while to get it dialed in, and I've flown it a lot, but every now and then I'll still find myself flaring over the runway... at KGEG. :o It gets better, KSKA and KGEG share the same outer marker (NDB "GEE") which is the final turn point for RWY 23. In other words, ALWAYS trust your HSI and course marker. KGEG looks "to good to be true" after flying the KSKA pattern for a while. :pilot:

LOL This is what's wrong with the Sim's very mundane ATC. What's going on here is that you can't fly VFR and need to file a flight plan for IFR flight.

 

In other words. You need your hand held to rock and roll because the weather is too scary. Yeah, I know, all you have are a few clouds and some snow flakes, but the airport is in IFR mode.

 

Since I started to fly VFR more than anything now and when I do get that request denied I just taxi to the runway using my own best judgment based on ground traffic and wind direction and just take off and flip the bird to tower on the 8,000'/ minute climb out in my F-22. LOL

 

So you have two options:

 

1) Ignore ground and just taxi to the runway and takeoff.

 

2) Go and create a flight plan so you're in IFR compliance. Note that you'll have to contact clearance delivery prior to take off of course.

 

Gotta wonder if southern California has ever had to be in IFR mode due to smog? I suppose the smog I saw living there in the late '80s to mid '90s would be worse than it would be today thanks to better engines, hybrids and electric vehicles. But you never know. I haven't been back there since '94 and have no plans once so ever to return, EVER!

actually this isnt "just" flightsim...you cant file a vfr flight and fly ifr in real world...you cant file ifr and fly vfr in rewal world either

I think what's really confusing you is that "ATC" thinks the weather is IMC, but the depiction of weather in the sim often doesn't show all the clouds, etc. that "ATC" think exist. In FS9 and FSX both I've had weather set to what SHOULD be IMC but it looks to me like VMC with just a few clouds here and there. That happens to a lesser degree in P3D V2, also, in spite of a lot of improvement in WX. One thing that might help is, if you are running with the weather sliders set low, to increase them, keeping in mind that performance will be affected. It's not a cure, but it might help you visually.

So, as others have said, your choices are to ignore the denial and go fly anyway or to file IFR.

actually this isnt "just" flightsim...you cant file a vfr flight and fly ifr in real world...you cant file ifr and fly vfr in rewal world either

I know that, but since we are talking about Sim land, I'm not concerned about violating the FAR or anything. Honestly, when I fly VFR (which is what I do mostly no-a-days) I'm not staying under cloud cover or so far adjacent to clouds, etc to adhere to some FAR. It's just a Sim and I'm just here to have fun. And for me personally, the nastier the weather the better. I've flown my F-22 into some of the worst weather ever without even the aid of an ILS and landed that sucker. I will also fly right through thunderstorms and into hurricanes. I do use third-party weather engines for FS2004 and FSX. In FSX I use Active Sky 2016 with Active Sky Cloud Art. I was quite surprised in how it created a cloud layer below me as I flew at FL500. Couldn't see a thing below me until I got below the layer which added to the whole trust your instruments approach (no pun intended).