Is there a way to have ATC provide headings in IFR flights without having to request it?

[TheRealJuralumin]

In FSX ATC would provide a heading to follow along with an altitude when flying IFR, but in this one they just leave it up to you to follow your flight plan.You can request vectors to a waypoint, but they never update you once you reach it. This makes lining up an ILS approach a nightmare without knowing how to program an approach in the flight computer. Is there no way to have ATC give me vectors without constantly requesting it?

[FlippinFlow]

Sorry, it's not much help but might save you future frustration... This ATC is nothing like FSX. It's really frustrating ATC doesn't even adhere to the flight plan you setup before the flight. I gave up on MSFS2020 ATC assistance with IFR landings (and flight for that matter). It's essentially useless.

Use your on-board flight computer and have a browser open to airnav.com (or similiar) so you can look up the airport's STARS. Then have the flight computer make your way in and you manage the altitude as needed with the STARS diagram.

Are you flying something without a G1000 (or something) or you just don't want to learn how to program it? If you setup your SIDS and STARS when flight planning on the map for IFR it'll load it into the flight plan when you start the flight. Might just need to clean it up a bit.

[Neo King Arthur]

The only way to make things work is by planning everything from your world map before you start your flight session.

1. Pick a Parking/Gate in your departing airport
2. Pick a parking/Gate in your arriving airport.
3. Choose either Low/High Altitude IFR.
4. Zoom in on your departing airport. Note the departing runway by looking at where the line go. This is the active runway for your departure airport. Select the Departure traffic pattern from the drop down menu next and choose the most optimal path you want for that active runway.
5. Zoom in to your destination airport. Notice the same thing applies here, your flight plan will direct you to a runway to the end then turn to your designated parking/gate. This is the active runway in your destination airport. Look to your approach drop down menu, and choose the active runway with the approach (eg. ILS 25R), then choose your arrival traffic pattern for the associated runway.
6. Start your flight. If things are well setup, the entire parking to parking flight plan would be loaded into the FMC including all the patterns and runways. All you need to do is Take off, engage the autopilot with the LNAV and VNAV. And your plane will follow the flight plan. You don't even need to ask the ATC about the headings for the waypoint, because you don't need to set the headings anymore. Your flight computer will turn to the next heading as soon as the waypoint is reached.
7. On approach, your ILS will switch on and you can capture the glide slope and the localiser using the APPR button. The airplane will line itself up to the assigned runway, and free to catch the ILS beam whenever you're ready. Again, you don't have to ask the ATC about the headings anymore.

[NicenJehr]

i did a go-around last night because a B738 was just chilling on the departure end of my runway, i asked ATC to assign me a different runway and approach which they accepted and then vectored me off into the middle of nowhere. I eventually canceled IFR and landed VFR

[TheRealJuralumin]

Well I managed to figure it out with the A320, selecting an approach from the flight plan is actually really easy, once you've done that the aircraft basically flies itself in line with the runway, and the game automatically tunes to the right ILS frequency, which is handy. Once it was all lined up I just flew it in manually (which I always like to do). I was struggling because i'd spent so many hours in FSX flying IFR, and in that game every aircraft uses the same GPS for selecting approaches, so I never actually used the flight computer to directly program an approach. But it turns out it's pretty simple.

I assume this is the same for the smaller aircraft too, haven't done an IFR flight with anything other than the A320 and 787 so far.

[FlippinFlow]

Originally posted by TheRealJuralumin:

Well I managed to figure it out with the A320, selecting an approach from the flight plan is actually really easy, once you've done that the aircraft basically flies itself in line with the runway, and the game automatically tunes to the right ILS frequency, which is handy. Once it was all lined up I just flew it in manually (which I always like to do). I was struggling because i'd spent so many hours in FSX flying IFR, and in that game every aircraft uses the same GPS for selecting approaches, so I never actually used the flight computer to directly program an approach. But it turns out it's pretty simple.

I assume this is the same for the smaller aircraft too, haven't done an IFR flight with anything other than the A320 and 787 so far.

Anything with a G1000 is pretty similiar, and once you do it a few times it makes sense. Biggest issue I find is sometimes I'll be fighting with something and find out later it's a known bug in that particular plane. That should be fixed in the coming weeks. I might have relied too much on ATC with FSX and made it a habit. But flight planning prior to the flight with online tools is more realistic i suppose. Just happy MSFS2020 supports SIDS and STARS.

[Neo King Arthur]

Originally posted by TheRealJuralumin:

Well I managed to figure it out with the A320, selecting an approach from the flight plan is actually really easy, once you've done that the aircraft basically flies itself in line with the runway, and the game automatically tunes to the right ILS frequency, which is handy. Once it was all lined up I just flew it in manually (which I always like to do). I was struggling because i'd spent so many hours in FSX flying IFR, and in that game every aircraft uses the same GPS for selecting approaches, so I never actually used the flight computer to directly program an approach. But it turns out it's pretty simple.

I assume this is the same for the smaller aircraft too, haven't done an IFR flight with anything other than the A320 and 787 so far.

I even got my A320 to do an auto-land procedure once I figure out the FMC and how to activate the Approach phase of the flight. Captures the localiser and the glideslope, softly brings it to final. At 400 TDZ callout, the Autopilot switches to LAND mode, and on 50 TDZ callout, it switches to FLARE mode and the aircraft flare until touchdown and switches to ROLLOUT mode to keep inline with the runway centerline.

The autoland procedure also manages your airspeed as you approach, automatically switches to another airspeed as you extend the flaps. I only need to manually ♥♥♥♥♥♥ the throttle right before touchdown.

I did a full IFR flight from YSCB - YMML on full autopilot and autoland without issues. I only need to manage my altitude depending on the ATC instructions.