These few things are happening constantly in the playground server, so I’m just clarifying for some people and hoping to spread the word.
You don’t need to keep announcing your position (specifically ‘on final’) after you’ve been cleared to land, even if you were cleared as ‘number 3’ etc. we know where you are, we can see you, we have cleared you on final all the way to the runway!
Only request takeoff clearance when first in line or at the hold short line
Don’t keep requesting takeoff clearance 3 - 4 times when you’ve been asked to hold short due to aircraft on final. Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you!
If you’ve been asked to ‘line up & wait’ you don’t need to again request takeoff clearance whilst you’re sitting on the runway waiting. Your broadcast says ‘xxxxx ready for takeoff at runway 27’… Thanks for the hot tip, we’ve just cleared you to enter the runway, we’re more than aware you’re ready for takeoff. We won’t leave you sitting there for 10 minutes, trust me.
When there’s no approach controller active to line everyone up on final, use some common sense and initiative. Use your map screen, look for other traffic approaching on final, and think ahead. There’s nothing better than having 4+ aircraft lined up on a perfectly spaced final, and nothing worse than having people cut into the middle of a perfectly spaced 4 plane final with cooperative pilots.
Due to the nature of IF ATC, duplicate or unnecessary messages makes life very hard! Even just running a tower like San Diego with a single runway can be hard to keep up with on a moderate day due to the nature of the menus on IF and the sexy robot voice only speaking so fast, (not criticising the ATC menus/interface, I actually think the debs have done a pretty good job) so Just relax and don’t be impatient, trust the controller - we know you’re there, we know you want to take off.
Nice post, well done. People these rules you should know and follow as very basic pilot. (To the people who think they are invincible, no you are not we know who you are, So before people stop respecting you, wake up, act like everyone else.)
Very useful tips. I’d like to add a couple things if that is ok.
-Plan ahead. If you are 20nm from airport then it is time to think about desending and slowing down. It makes sequencing so much easier for approach and tower when you enter at the correct altitude/speed.
-If you are being vectored by approach please stay on his frequency until you are lined up with runway/ils, or until he asked you to change to tower frequency.
That is all I can think of at the moment.
About point #4.
Some weeks ago on the Advanced server at KEWR the Tower controller asked me to line up and wait, and so I did.
After some time of waiting (maybe 1 minute?) on my screen appeared the message telling me that I can’t stay on the runway that long time and so I have been automatically disconnected.
Maybe pilots ask a second time for takeoff (and let things going faster) to prevent this.
I was of the opinion that only happened under Unicom? Is it possible the tower controller possibly disconnected and it switched to Unicom while you were in position? I’ve never seen that happen under ATC, and I’m sure I’ve had people in position for longer than a minute (had a Cessna taking off with an a380 in position) - but it was in playground server, maybe advanced is different, which is a problem because being in position for a minute isn’t uncommon
(@MitchellJames) Well said and timely. Suggest this topic be moved to Tutorial when it’s run it course in General. Bravo Zulu, Mitchell, Mad Max Sends w/Pleasure.
@blackbird71 Possibly - but that makes it worse. If someone taxiing onto the runway without clearance isn’t listening to ATC, they won’t listen to the plane on final. And the plane on final is just clogging up the airways, stopping the tower communicating with the plane now moving onto the runway. And, the points I stated all happened multiple times without your scenario taking place. I think patience is the key here for everyone in every scenario
@mhhodges76 that is certainly annoying or when they request the closed runway 5 times and you keep declining then they switch back and forth between you and tower. My beef is people requesting decent when it’s not time. When I’m on approach at ksan I take people about 5 miles past the ILS so they can one turn and two for spacing everyone wants to defend to 3000 when they are 10000 feet in the air and 40+ miles away. Then they slow way down and people behind them have to slow down and it’s a giant mess.
“Send the Malefactor to Parking”! (“Return to Parking” is on the Crash Screen it’s programmed to immediately teleport the aircraft back to its start point.
Add the preprogrammed procedure to all ATC menu’s with a why sub-text. It’s an attention getter.
Mad Max sends
@Brandon_Sandstrom. Somebody sent me a PM the other day they said I was a "Nasty, Old, Senile, SOB and the I must be Mad. He pegged me! So a new monicker. LOL
I just had the best ever ATC session happen on the playground some dude requested frequency change a hundred times I kid you not well within my airspace. Wow I’m done trying to learn on the playground.
Few days ago, I was flying to San Diego (coming from LAX).
As I was coming from west, It was easier for me to land on San Diego’s RWY 09 instead of 27.
I requested the ATC to give me the clearance for RWY 09. He accepted and asked me to descend and come straight into RWY 09.
Everyone else were landing on 27. When I was approaching the RWY ILS, I received a message:
" AF226 Heavy, please follow instructions ". I was quite surprised (I did not do any mistake - I was maintaining the speed and altitude asked by ATC). I then sent another message where I requested 09. ATC cleared me for 27. I had no other choice, I had to climb back (I was already at 1500ft on the GS, LOC engaged)…
Also don’t rotate at a speed of 200 knots, not any airplane does this. Normal rotation speed should be between 140-160 knots or less. ATC can only clear an aircraft to land on short final when the airplane taking off is airborne. So accelerating to unreal listed airspeed can eat valuable time.