What's out there for ATC Add Ons?

[Tom_G_2010]

As much as possible I fly with live virtual ATC.  However, as has been discussed in other threads limitations in coverage times and areas don't always allow for that.  When no ATC is available I might fly uncontrolled (some would say I'm always out of control :p ) with call outs on Unicom, but I also fly off line and use FSX'x native AI ATC.  My problem is I find the FSX native AI ATC to be very lame and at this time the phraseology is out of date.  So I not on the hunt for another last minute item to add to Christmas list . . .

What options are out there for AI ATC Add Ons?  Text or synthesized voice, but obviously audible ATC would be preferred, and speech recognition would be great.  However, I know speech synthesis and recognition can bee a real CPU load and I want to be careful not to cause trouble for FSX.  And the biggest irritation to me with native FSX ATC, and therefore the one I most want to overcome, is flexibility to change up what I'm doing mid flight.  Nothing more frustrating than being up doing pattern work and touch and go's but not being able to request a departure from the pattern or full stop landing because the ATC menu simply does not have that as an option.

Are there any real good ATC Add On's?  What are there pros and cons?  I sim mostly GA VFR in the US but I'm starting to build my IFR skills so I want to be sure phraseology are current.  Do the synthesized voice and speech recognition Add Ons really work?  And top on the list, how flexible are the available add ons if I want to deviate from the scenario I'm currently flying?

Any and All input are greatly appreciated!!! Santa's waiting for my letter and it would be great to have  some ATC Add Ons to it.

[coma24]

This might not be what you were looking for, but here are some thoughts on synthetic ATC vs human-powered ATC as it relates to having a plausible, useful training environment in your sim.

Here's a bullet list of real world scenarios that can be accomplished with human-powered ATC that are not practical to implement with a synthetic ATC system:

Ground ops:
- "ground, is it a left turn or a right turn at this taxiway?"
- "ground, verify it's the 2nd left coming up?"
- "ground, am I ok to cross 25L?"
- "ground, we can take an intersection departure from here or the next one."
- "N123AB, can you maneuver around the Baron ahead of you? He'll be
another 5 minutes waiting for his release, we can get you out right
away."
- request local IFR or short range IFR clearances
- file IFR flights plans and call for clearance, receiving accurate
IFR departure instructions for that specific airport, and the
preferred route if one is published (TEC routes, especially).

Pattern ops:
- being told to widen the downwind for other traffic (other real
pilots in the system)

- being told to follow other aircraft in the pattern

- practice non-towered operations on the CTAF. Observe the changes in
landing/strobe lights on other aircraft as a form of non-verbal
communication, ie. student is on final at a non-towered field, and
aircraft pulls up to the hold short line and then the aircraft enables
the strobes and landing light. The student (on final) might then make
a call, "aircraft short of runway 24 at Oceanside, verify you see us
on short final?"

Enroute ops:
- request a pop-up IFR clearance in deteriorating weather, or ask ATC
where there is good weather

- request block altitudes, cruise clearance, or VFR-on-top

- "approach, I see two airports there, verify Hawthorne is the one to my right?"

- request and receive shortcuts on IFR flight plans once enroute

- practice published VFR transitions (see the far left corner of the
LAX TAC chart, such as the Coastal Route or Hollywood Park Route).

General advantages:
- can replicate _ANY_ human interaction between pilot and ATC

- work with different controller accents, temperaments, and workloads.
Experience the change in pace when the skies get busy and the
controllers start speaking faster.

- CTAF for non-towered ops

- full support for any and all IFR operations including clearances,
SIDs, STARs, full approaches (precision/non-precision), vectors to
final (precision/non-precision), and even non-gyro vectors

- other traffic flying in the system (real pilots or recorded VFR
flights that are visible to everyone and visible on RADAR, "squawking
VFR and not talking to anyone" in Class E/G airspace).

- your flights are affected by other pilots, and your actions affect
other pilots, just like the real world

- handle emergencies and allow pilots to use ATC as a resource. Pilots
can ask ATC to read them an approach plate (if they don't have it
themselves), find out where the weather is good, find out where the
nearest airport with a certain runway length.

Regarding coverage area....'flying is flying.'  VFR and IFR are pretty much the same wherever you go.  I actually learned to fly IFR online on the west coast shortly before starting my real world IFR training on the east coast, and the skills came across one for one. In fact, even after I started the r/w training, I CONTINUED flying online on the west coast while undergoing the r/w training.

Lastly, as I've flown my aircraft up and down the east coast, entering airspace that I'm completely unfamiliar with, I find myself completely comfortable and relaxed (enough, in fact, to fly my plane into Atlanta Hartsfield (video 1, video 2) as a result of 'flying out of my area'.

If you're at all serious about ATC interaction, I would absolutely recommend staying well clear of synthetic ATC products. Find an online network that meets your needs, and fly the heck out of it, whether it's VATSIM, IVAO, BVATC or PilotEdge.

[Joe Lavery]

Hi Tom,

I agree that nothing is goign to compete with live ATC but for those occassions when you don't have a live controller this is worth a look. I reviewed this some time ago and I know they've been constantly improving it. I suggest you have a look at the video on their website and make your own mind up.

I reiterate I have not used VOX ATC recently but have had good reports.

http://www.voxatc.com/Home.aspx

regards
Joe.

After posting this I found a review done by one of our other writers, it will give another slant on the porgram for those interested... Joe.

http://www.flightsimulatornetwork.com/topic/2713-voxatc-6-review/

[jackpilot]

Thanks Joe

Any report on Radar Contact.
I bought it but never used it ..yet.. as I rebuild my Sim.
Jack

[Joe Lavery]

Jack,

I think the last time anyone looked at Radar Contact was in 2009, and I see that their website hasn't been updated for some time. There's speculation on their forum about a version 5 but really it is just speculation.

As I recall it was quite a nice system but didn't use the same quality of voices as VOX does, so it tends to sound a bit robotic. But hey, if you've already got a copy give it a whirl.
Incidentally after looking further into VOX, I see you can try it for 7 days unrestricted. So it may be worth giving it a go to compare.

Cheers
Joe.

[Tom_G_2010]

I decided to take advantage of the free trial period on  VOXATC and it's a step up from the stck FSX ATC but still a bit rigid.  I read the write up on Radar Contact and if it behaves as described it would seem to be more flexible than VOXATC.  Although based on the You Tube videos I found I'd have to agree the voice is much more mechanical than VOXATC.

I also read on their site that a 3rd party freeware app is out there, SuperATC http://www.itsyourplane.com/press/2009-12-03.htm , that supports speech recognition for either Radar Contact or the stock FSX ATC but I haven't had a chance to look into that yet.  Has anybody tried if?