
Pressing the File button will register your flight plan with the X-Plane air traffic control. You must enter your departure and arrival points, in the same ID format as the points appear in the X-Plane maps, as well as your planned cruising (enroute) altitude. Thus, the first time you press Enter during a flight, the only option available will be “File Flight Plan.” Click that line of text to display the Flight Plan dialog box (shown in the image to the right). Note that the Local Map dialog box (opened from the Location menu) will display the relevant frequencies for any airport that you mouse over.Īs in the real world, any ATC interaction begins with filing a flight plan. When you get to a hold short line, ground control will hand you off to tower and then you’ll receive handoffs throughout the rest of your flight when necessary keep tuning to the proper frequency to continue to receive air traffic control guidance. After you get clearance, you tune to the Ground (if available) or Tower frequencies for your taxi clearance. However, once the flight plan is filed, you must tune to the Clearance Delivery, Ground, or Tower frequencies (if available, in that order as in the real world) to get clearance for takeoff. Filing a flight plan is independent of any controller, so that option is always available. In order to make a request or hear from the air traffic controllers, you must have your COM 1 radio tuned to the proper frequency for the request. Alternatively, you can use the Joystick & Equipment dialog box to program your joystick to access this menu. To access this menu, simply press Enter (Return) on the keyboard. Note: You will only be able to hear the air traffic control chatter if ATC audio output is enabled to confirm this is the case, open the Settings menu, then click Sound.Īll interactions with the air traffic control occur via the on-screen ATC menu. Although AI aircraft (i.e., those that you have turned on using the Aircraft & Situations dialog box) will always follow the guidance of the air traffic control, they will also work around your aircraft if you are not interacting with the ATC.

X-Plane 10’s air traffic control (ATC) system is powerful and realistic when you want to practice real-world protocols, but completely unobtrusive when you want to just fly.
