How to turn off (completely - even the text boxes) ATC

I get enough chances to interact with real ATC every time I fly, so I really don't need it in FS. Up to now there was always a way to completely shut off the in-game ATC, but in 2020 there seems to be no way to get rid of it altogether. Oh, you can disable the voices, or tune to 121.5 (assuming MS has not reached the level of realism that would have ATC looking for you on that frequency!), but apparently you can't shut off the text version, at least until they tire of trying to reach you and you still have to deal with them working other AI airplanes.

How on earth did this happen? We have so much control of so many things in this sim (one might say too much control for intelligibility in many aspects, but that is another rant for another day), you'd think turning off ATC completely would be a given. Yes, I know you can't do that in the real world without a wing-side visit from some sort of heavily armed high performance airplane (and I get to do that too, in CAP!). But in here that is gilding the lily a bit too much.

What have I missed? Is there indeed a selection somewhere that I can turn OFF ATC completely?

Not that I know of.

Have you also turned the setting to automatically handle ATC?

Are you asking is there a way so you don't hear it?

If so, yes. I have done it (please don't hate me). I prefer to fly my way, land etc. :)

It's somewhere in the settings menu ingame, think ATC (for a search)

I usually let the AI copilot handle it. And mostly ignore it if not trying to fly to a busy place. There are times when I have taxied from a

ramp to the runway when I hit the throttle and get going and get a message box about not being authorized on the runway. I try to ignore it and nothing seems to come of it.

The ATC window can be opened from the Tool Bar at least to confirm the dialog options are there but, for now ATC comm is not worth using. More variety in controller voices would be nice, they all seem to match the tone of pilot voices. I click the exit button then, no part of ATC is enabled.

I usually let the AI copilot handle it. And mostly ignore it if not trying to fly to a busy place. There are times when I have taxied from a

ramp to the runway when I hit the throttle and get going and get a message box about not being authorized on the runway. I try to ignore it and nothing seems to come of it.

To be quite honest, I do my own thing when I'm flying. For me, I like to start on the runway and just take off. I ignore the ATC 100%

I have a hot key assigned to the Scroll Lock to bring up a program showing my temps, CPU usage and of course, the ATC window comes up. I just close it down and MSFS still allows me to fly :)

There are no sim consequences to ignoring or even defiantly disobeying ATC commands. In real life the FAA might be knocking on your door one day with an angry-looking agent (or whatever your country's flight regulation agency is). In the sim, the absolute worst thing that happens is an ATC communication saying, "You were not authorized to land. Please contact ground at ...."

Or if you are in the air, "ATC services terminated."

Another suggestion btw: if you turn the COM dial so that it's not actually tuned in, then ATC actually cannot speak to you in the first place. When you hit "fly" and are loaded up at the runway, you are telling the sim to tune your COM in automatically. Just tune it out and voila.

Well, looks like I'll have to try to keep tricking it, perhaps tuning 121.5 as was mentioned somewhere else. It is nothing short of ridiculous that you cannot completely disable both the voice and the text versions. That might free up some much needed resources to handle the remainder of this beast in a reasonable manner.

Where were the beta and alpha testers when all of this was being developed? I would have melted the lines to Asobo and MS over this and a few other issues!

A far better way to give yourself some ATC would be to find a real airline flight to where you want to go at the same time, and use Live ATC.net to actually listen for it. Simply follow that flight through the frequency changes and do what they tell him to do! Much better and more realistic in my opinion. Then you can graduate to VATSIM or Pilot Edge.

Well, looks like I'll have to try to keep tricking it, perhaps tuning 121.5 as was mentioned somewhere else. It is nothing short of ridiculous that you cannot completely disable both the voice and the text versions. That might free up some much needed resources to handle the remainder of this beast in a reasonable manner.

 

Where were the beta and alpha testers when all of this was being developed? I would have melted the lines to Asobo and MS over this and a few other issues!

 

A far better way to give yourself some ATC would be to find a real airline flight to where you want to go at the same time, and use Live ATC.net to actually listen for it. Simply follow that flight through the frequency changes and do what they tell him to do! Much better and more realistic in my opinion. Then you can graduate to VATSIM or Pilot Edge.

If you're choosing to hit "fly" while loaded up and ready to go at the runway, which is obviously not very realistic, you're also choosing to set the frequency to ATC. The two super easy ways to not have ATC at all are (a) start cold and dark, in which case your COM won't be tuned to ATC unless you do it on purpose, or (b) if you are loaded up on the runway, just turn the COM frequency by as little as a single notch. ATC gone.

I agree that the ATC AI sucks. Lots of good alternatives for those who want better ATC experiences though.

Ah.....! Now that (start ready equals ATC tuned) is news to me! As a RW pilot I'm not a big fan of cold and dark, as many of you may know, but it may be worth it in this instance. I'll have to give that a try.

Thanks!