Preview

We’ll depart from a fully uncontrolled, and arrive at a partially controlled field(s).  KDRO has no Ground/Tower controllers.  Nor is it served by an Approach.  KPVU has an Approach control, but is not served by Ground/Tower controllers.

We’ll look at entering Alternate Airport(s), general RC departure and arrival procedures for partially controlled fields including procuring the IFR clearance after airborne, NOTAMs, the co-pilot on comms and at aircraft controls, request direct waypoint/fix, Save/Load, crossing restrictions reference NOTAMs, and IAP & Visual approaches into Approach (non-Tower/Ground) fields.

The Plan

• 267 miles, prop (FS Mooney), 170

• Route: KDRO..ETL..OAB..PUC..PVU..KPVU

• Alternate Airport 1 - KSLC

Launch FS and position your aircraft at KDRO.  Start RC. Click the FS200x (*.pln) button, and choose the V4 8 KDRO-KPVU.pln.

Controller Info

Enter KSLC under Alternate 1 and click Find.  Enable NOTAMs for KDRO, KPVU and KSLC.  Enter 170 for cruise altitude.  We’ll make no other changes here for this flight. 

Click OK.

General Options

Use Mooney 31rc for this final flight’s call sign.  Select Prop for type aircraft.  Ensure the AI Chatter is checked and Holding is OFF.  Leave the three Deviations settings at default.  Along the right column we want Display Text and Pilot Autoreply unchecked.  Set Play Pilot Wavs, Interact with AI, Chkpt Ding, and Tune on Contact checked.  Enter 2 Souls on Board.

Click OK

On RC’s main Page click Start RC.

Maximize FS and Preflight

Load the V4 8 KDRO-KPVU.pln into your FS GPS.  Flights/Flight Planner/Load, choose V4 8 KDRO-KPVU.pln, click OK, and again OK. Place the FS GPS in the desired location on your panel.

Durango Weather (from Flight Service Station)

At airports with no ATIS available, you must call FSS for your weather briefing.  Press keyboard 2 to phone FSS.  Pay close attention to this briefing.  There is no Ground controller who’ll guide you to a preferred runway.  You’ll make that decision based on winds, and make position calls to the local traffic of your progress.

Clearance Delivery (IMC – from Flight Service Station or Airborne)

Depending on the weather, one of two things can happen:

If the area weather is VMC, you’ll see two lines on the AdvDisp - 4-CLR thru FSS, and 5-CLR in Air (freq).  You have the option to phone FSS a second time, or takeoff VFR and call the controller airborne.

OR

If the area weather is IMC, you’ll see only one line on the AdvDisp - 4-CLR thru FSS.  You have no choice but to call FSS.

In this tutorial we’ll takeoff VFR and call Center once airborne for the IFR clearance but before we do, (optional) pause the sim.  Save Flight and enter “tut8 1 KDRO on ground” (no quotes), click OK.  Return to this situation later, choosing to get your clearance through FSS for learning purposes.

Unpause.  Select 5-CLR in Air. 

Durango UNICOM (Ground)

Your AdvDisp shows all available airport runways.  Decide which you’d like to takeoff from (respect to winds in your briefing), make the selection, then taxi to that runway.

 While taxiing, prep the aircraft for takeoff and be into those checklists.  Set your brakes at “the end” for your run-up if you wish.  Remember, your co-pilot will not accept the aircraft controls/radios until airborne.

Provo UNICOM (Tower)

There is no need to “hold short” at uncontrolled fields.  Taxi onto the runway with respect to other traffic.  Select X-T/O Rwy X (your runway of choice). 

On the next menu, (ETL VOR is to the northwest), select 3-NW Departure and start down the runway. 

Durango Departure

Obviously, the KDRO airport is surrounded by mountainous terrain.  After taking off, stabilize the aircraft and turn left/right as necessary to remain clear of obstructions.  Remember, at this point you’re VFR.

When you’re ready select 1-Center on (freq), dial in the transponder code Denver Center gives you.  Shortly, Denver Center calls radar contact and issues your clearance.  It is important that you do as your clearance stated: “. . . advise the controller when you can proceed on course”.  That menu option is immediately available. 

Don’t be too quick to call ‘on course’.  If you’ve turned direct the ETL VOR, you may yet need to deviate until at a higher altitude.  So we can pay closer attention to what we’re doing, have the co-pilot take the radios. 

Select 3-NOTAM on Course when you’re able to accept all clearances verbatim.

Denver Center

Having checked the enroute charts for this flight prior to takeoff, we saw it necessary to file cruise altitude of 170, particularly for the first leg.  Before reaching ETL VOR, and between ETL and OAB the ground abruptly raises to meet us.  ATC was gracious enough to approve the WOFDOF altitude (Wrong Altitude for Direction of Flight).

About 22 miles from ETL you will switch to a new Denver Center sector.

As you progress the ETL VOR, press Ctrl-Shift-L to set the Nav radios to the new frequencies.  Though our next checkpoint (OAB VOR), isn’t within reception range yet, we see Nav2 light up with checkpoint #3 info (PUC VOR), bearing 295° at approx 140 miles. 

Press 9 to go to page 2 of the menu 

Press  1-Dir Ckpt

Press 1-<PUC> 148m/11550

 If the controller denies that request, ask again when told to do so.

Now we’re flying direct PUC.

Enroute to KPVU, Save Flights as often as you wish, at whatever altitude you wish.  Use these files to experiment with the various RC enroute options.  Look at Change of Destination, Emergencies, Dev for Wx/Turb, etc. anything you’re not clear on, or would like to see from an angle not covered in the tutorials.  As always, our forum is at RC Support Forum for individual help.

Particularly on longer flights, you'll transverse through any number of Centers.  Expect to be switched to these different centers/controllers from time to time.  Some will require transponder code changes.  Simply dial the new code in when it’s assigned.  If your co-pilot has the radios, he/she will do this for you.

About 115 miles from PUC, you will change to a new Denver Center sector.

At a point approx 85 miles southeast of PUC VOR, the MIA charts show the minimum safe altitudes to be far lower than where we are.  Let’s get out of some of this head-wind. 

 Press 5-Req Lower

Select 3-14000.  If the controller denies that request, ask again when told to do so.

Time to Start Down

Knowing KPVU (our home) is surrounded by obstructions and mountainous terrain, we made sure to enable NOTAMs for this arrival airport.  Before you progress PUC VOR, Center reads the NOTAM advisory and issues the standard crossing restriction.

From this point on, all altitude/heading clearances will be prefaced with “if feasible”, “if able” or “when able”.  You are solely responsible for . . . well, you know.  Further, you do not have to “Unable” that crossing restriction.  You do not have to meet crossing restrictions at arrival airports with NOTAMs enabled.

Arrival Preplanning

Glance at the KPVU VOR Rwy 13 approach plate provided (below).  The upper-right corner of the plate displays a circle with radials and altitudes.  This indicates the MSA (Minimum Safe Altitude) within 25 miles of the PVU VOR, with respect to what direction you’re approaching from.  In this flight’s case, the MSA is 12,200 ft.  KPVU airport elevation is 4494 ft.  Pretty obvious, we needed NOTAMs.  Base your decision on when to begin a descent on this information.  Good opportunity to use Save Flights.

Salt Lake Center

About 40 miles from PUC, you will be switched to Salt Lake Center

As you progress PUC VOR you will be switched to a new Salt Lake Center sector. Also notice our final checkpoint (PVU VOR) isn’t within reception range.  We know from our flight plan, we can track outbound on the PUC 297° until we receive PVU suitable for navigation.  Do this, or use the FS GPS to remain on course.  The heading display in the AdvDisp is a no-wind heading. 

At 50 miles from home, the co-pilot tunes in and listens to ATIS.

Provo Approach

At 40 miles, the Approach controller greets you and advises which runway to expect.  Pause the sim, Save Flight and enter “tut8 2 KPVU Apch (early)” (no quotes), then click OK.  Return to this file at a convenient time, practicing the various options: Visual Approach, the ILS, post-Missed Approach issues, etc.

Unpause when ready to continue.

All Approach altitude/heading clearances will be prefaced with “if feasible”, “if able” or “when able”, as was Center’s.  You do not have to turn or descend.  Accept the ILS rwy 13 approach, or advise the controller you’d like to shoot “the full” (IAP) VOR Rwy 13 approach.  It’s your choice.

• You can request an IAP or Visual approach anytime in Approach airspace.  The options remain available, even after the vectors begin.
• After having requested a Visual approach, the IAP option remains available.
• You can request vectors to the preferred runway (only when there’s an Approach controller), even after having requested an IAP.

KPVU has no Tower/Ground controller services.  About 7 miles from KPVU, you’ll hear Approach terminate radar service and “. . . cancel in the air or on the ground through FSS…”, as you did in tutorial #7. 

Closing a flight plan is an FAA requirement.  This is accomplished automatically upon landing at airports served by Tower controllers, by you contacting the local FSS via telephone when you’re on the ground when there’s not, or by canceling IFR while still in the air (immediate shuts the RC program down). 

Again, it’s your choice.  Use your tools, use Save Flights!  After touchdown and slowed, taxi to the ramp (or FBO) and choose between Flight Critique for a flight synopsis, or End RC to close the program.

Questions or comments?  Your RC staff and veteran users are ready to help.  The RC forum is at RC Support Forum.  There are always several RC users there, eager to assist.  Thank you for using RC!