Radar Contact

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Radar Contact is the most complete Air Traffic Control (ATC) add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Previous versions of Radar Contact (RC) were based on adventures, which provided a realistic ATC environment. With the introduction of FS2002, adventures were no longer a viable option for RC. Beginning January 2001, we rewrote RC in Visual Basic. Version 3 was released in November 2002. Two years ago, we released Version 3.1 which supported Fs2004, and started working on Version 4. We believe that Radar Contact Version 4 will take Air Traffic Control to the next level. By implementing current 7110.65 FAA Rules, with more in-depth implementation of real world procedures, and many of the ICAO rules, Radar Contact puts you in the left seat where you will fly under today's current ATC jurisdiction.

Whether you like flying the heavies, such as the 747 or the Airbus 340, turboprops, or general aircraft, RC is ready for you. RC provides the appropriate controllers who give you the current weather, clearances, taxi instructions, takeoff clearances, ascent and descent clearances, vectors to the active runway, clearances to land, ground clearances, and traffic calls for any aircraft in your flight path.

RC allows you to fly Departure Procedures, will accurately handle emergencies, give you the option to file and fly specific approaches, allow you to practice those approaches, and allow you to fly to your alternate airport when the weather is below minimums. RC also supports an in-flight change of destination to any airport in the world.

Since RC is not an adventure, Flight Simulator’s AI traffic is active, and our controllers will give you traffic calls when an AI plane comes too close. RC will also move AI before they become a conflict, slow or speed up AI planes while you are on final, freeze ground traffic so they don’t cause runway incursions. In short, RC is as close an approximation of what real pilots experience as is currently possible.

RC is a program that runs with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and Flight Simulator X. Fire up FS, load a flight plan with RC and off you go.

Who Should Use Radar Contact?

RC is meant for people who take their flying seriously. If your idea of fun is crashing your plane as quickly as possible, this is not the program for you. If you are or would like to be a rated pilot, by all means, try RC. Doug Thompson, a real air traffic controller, is one of the developers of the program. A controller based in England, has helped with the ICAO rules that were implemented in Radar Contact. A number of real world pilots, in Australia, Europe, and North America are on the beta team providing John Dekker, the programmer, with feedback on real world procedures.

Be warned: RC is not a game. You have to be prepared for a learning curve. However, real world pilots go through one as well. It’s only after years of study that a fully qualified pilot is allowed to control a multi-million dollar aircraft with a couple hundred passengers, or even a small GA aircraft with no one else on board.

RC doesn't require years of study. Only a few hours reading this manual and flying the tutorials will provide you with a solid base of knowledge that will give you years of flying pleasure.

What's new in Version 4

The RC Airport/Runway database is built from your scenery files. Therefore, your add-on scenery’s information will be available to RC.
Save RC data (for future loading) can be done from within Flight Simulator using the semi-colon key (;).
AI interactions including:
- Ground traffic frozen to prevent runway incursions while you’re on final.
- Chatter appropriate to their actions.
- Detecting AI planes that will cause a conflict in the future.
- When you’re on final, slow faster planes behind you, and speed up slower planes in front of you.
Easy configuration of which Pilots/Copilots/Controllers voices you want to use on your flight.
For non-FAA airports, you will specify the transition altitude and the transition level will be calculated based on the local pressure.
Easier registration process.
Debug option to create a log, which can be analyzed to see why something happened
International phraseology and procedures.
Recorded center names, 109 of our favorite airports, and hundreds of aircraft names and carriers.
Centers are now divided into sectors, resulting in more enroute frequency switches.
Aircraft now identified by type of aircraft in traffic calls and during ground operations.
More realistic ground operations, including “Follow the”, “Give way to the”, “Monitor tower”.
Request that the initial descent clearance from cruise be a “pilot’s discretion” clearance.
New crossing restriction altitudes based on runway in use.
Enroute holds can be always on (for practice), always off (for quick, uneventful flights), or based on current weather conditions at the arrival airport (most realistic).
New Departure Procedure (DP) options – with altitude restrictions, or no altitude restrictions.
MSA for airports in your flight plans, allows you to control the lowest altitude given by a controller.
Option to have no speed restrictions below 10,000 at non FAA controlled departure airports.
Each center is classified as a FAA or ICAO center, resulting in different procedures and phraseology.
Cleaner, more consistent downwind/base/intercept/final vectors.
Ability to check for RC updates via the internet. New code and data can be downloaded and installed with the touch of a button.

Version 4 System Requirements:

Microsoft Windows XP (English) or Microsoft Vista (English)
A personal computer capable of running Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 or Flight Simulator X
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, Flight Simulator X
For FS 9 - FSUIPC version 3.74 or newer available from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html
For FS X - FSUIPC version 4.1 or newer available from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html

IMPORTANT NOTE – You do not need to purchase FSUIPC separately, RC will install a copy that will provide the necessary functionality for RC to run. If you need features that are provided by the full FSUIPC package, you will have to purchase FSUIPC.

Any planner that can save or export FS2000/FS2002/FS2004/FSX plans, such as:
- FS Navigator
- NAV 3
- FS2000/FS2002/FS2004/FSX
- FlightSim Planner / FlightSim Commander
- Super Flight Planner
- Flight Manager
- IFRPlan 2000
- FSBuild
- Jeppesen FliteStar
RC version 4 has been tested with the following add-ons:
- FSMeteo version 7
- ActiveSky version 4, 4.5, 5 (disable the item titled “Voice ATIS/Flightwatch” as well as check the box “Disable Text Messages”)
- Ultimate Traffic
- My Traffic
- Traffic 2005
- PMDG 737 (no rc co-pilot functionality)
- PMDG 747-400 (no rc co-pilot functionality)
- LDS 767 (no rc co-pilot functionality)
- PSS Concorde (no rc co-pilot functionality)
- Dreamfleet A36, A37, 727 (no rc co-pilot functionality)
- Carenado 182
- Flight 1 172R
- CH Control Manager
- CH USB Yoke, Pedals, Throttle Quadrant
- FS Dzigns Constellation
- Tom Gibson’s DC7B
- FS Flight Environment
- Ultimate Terrain USA
- FSGenesis
- Flight 1/DreamFleet ATR 72-500
- Dreamfleet Cessna 310, Cardinal, Archer
- PSS Dash 8-300
- Eaglesoft Hawker 400 XP
- Eaglesoft DG Citation II SP/2
- Dreamfleet FFX Boeing 737-400 Peter McLeland merge (no rc co-pilot functionality)
- Reality XP GPS 530XP, WX 500, JetLine 2
- FS Skyworld 2004
- ScotFlight 2.1
- Simflyers KJFK, KORD, KEWR, KIAD, KLAX, KLAS, KPHX, KMCO, EDDF, CYYZ
- OSS EGKA
- Gary Simmons' UK2000 airports
- FS Autostart
- FS Realtime
- AISmooth 1.11
- Autosave 1.5
- GPSOut 2.58
- Trafficlook 1.54
- ShowText 1.102
- WideFS 6.5
- FS9 Configurator
- FlyTampa sceneries (all)
- Samsoft Shanghai 2004
- PFC Equipment
- All Project Magenta software
- FS Co-pilot
- FlightKeeper
- FlightDeck Companion
- MegaSceneries (all)
- MegaCities (all)
- Horizon’s VFR Chicago
- Active Camera Pro
- FS Passengers
- Lago FSE
- FS-Interrogate2
- Over 20 freeware sceneries
Radar Contact will not work with the following:
- FSHotSeat & FSHotSFX (more information in the Quick Start Guide, Step 5)

(Learn more....)

Winner of AVSIM's Reader's Choice - Best Commercial Utility

Version 4.3 is available for download

Radar Contact Version 4.3 is now Available. Order here. CD or Download

SuperATC^© permits you to speak with the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) using "real world" communication protocols. The SuperATC system listens to what you say, parses the phraseology, then automatically makes the appropriate Radar Contact menu selections for you.

It's truly amazing to see how it works!

http://www.itsyourplane.com/press/2009-12-03.htm

Radar Contact

Who Should Use Radar Contact?

What's new in Version 4

Version 4 System Requirements:

Winner of AVSIM's Reader's Choice - Best Commercial Utility

Version 4.3 is available for download

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