FMC vs MSFS ATC

[bigvern]

I note an increasing number of FS third party aircraft are shipping with FMC's (e.g. the excellent PMDG 737's). These are an excellent tool but I'm just wondering how they should interact with the ATC within MSFS. Forgive me if I'm wrong but the ATC keys on the route you set up in the FS Flight Planner so if you try and fly the FMC plan (including SIDS and STARS) this will be at odds with what MS ATC may tell you.

The only workround I can see is to tell FS your flight is VFR then apply the FMC flightplan once in the cockpit, but this is not the most realistic way of doing it and not suitable for poor weather conditions.

[Redbaron]

I've wondered about that before, and haven't come up with an answer yet. I would be interested to know how this is done in real life, as it seems to be the same problem as in FS, i.e. how can the flight crew predict and programme their exact route into the FMC beforehand, because they don't know what it is going to be, as surely all the approaches and headings will be assigned by ATC depending on what's going on at the time?

TBH, I have never got my head round an FMC since FS2000, when there was no ATC to make it complicated!

[Speedbird083]

I never bother with ATC for anything other than taxi, take off and parking clearances. Its utter tosh they come up with sometimes.
Unless you've a flight planner* which can build a replica of your FMC route into a format which the FS navigational database can handle its best to do without the ATC. The BAV OSP has such a feature.
The actual FS database isn't as weak as I once thought, it'll even accept NAT track co-ordinates.

I can't think of a freeware utility that's available.

[bigvern]

Hopefully someone will come out with a utility to integrate the two then. I'm wondering if the Airliner Pilot add on from Just Flight will rate you according to performance against a FMC so it won't be possible to use ATC with that either.

Redbaron does have a point reference real world FMC too, though I guess with two or three crew on the flightdeck who are familiar with the system and shortcuts it would be possible to input more data on the fly.

[Speedbird083]

I don't know whether STARs are selected prior to departure. I normally select one for the runway which I expect to land on but its easy enough to switch them and the transition point.

[Redbaron]

Hi - yes, I've just asked this question over on another aviation forum and I've been told that information is put into the FMC on the fly when it's received from ATC.

[martinhodgson]

I use the FMC, without touching the FS ATC. FS ATC has no regard for proper terminal procedures, wheras FMC's generally do (bar the FeelThere ERJ which has very few European procs).

If I fly on VATSIM, FMCs tend to agree with controllers, i.e. the procedure is fairly realistic!