X-Plane 11 is now available. Please check the latest article Installing X-Plane 11 Free Demo and First Handson!

• Be sure to set the frequency correctly when communicating with ATC.

• Be sure to reply as soon as possible.

• For the Flight Plan route, use the ICAO format. Use VOR/NDB/FIX names or coordinates for each navigation node (use dd degrees mm minutes for latitude and longitude, in “ddmmNdddmmE” format).

• Currently, the system does not support SID (Standard Instrument Departure), so you will constantly receive “You are off course” warnings. You can ignore this warning for now, or input detailed node information in the flight plan. Additionally, the system’s support for flight plan routes is not very smart; if the aircraft is not flying on a straight line between the takeoff and landing points, the system will still issue a “You are off course” warning.

• The system does not currently support changing the cruise altitude (Enroute altitude). After exceeding the altitude specified by Control, you will repeatedly receive warnings to “Climb/Descend and maintain [altitude]”. However, ignoring this warning is fine for now.

• Currently, the cruise altitude uses QNH (corrected sea level pressure). If you use QNE (standard atmospheric pressure), you will receive frequent warnings. You can select “set weather uniformly for the whole world” in the “Environment > Weather” menu and set “baro pres at sea level” to “29.92 inch HG”, or tune in to the nearest airport’s ATIS to get the QNH setting.

• Currently, the system’s notification for landing preparation comes quite late. Generally, if you follow the system’s instructions, you won’t have enough time to prepare for arrival. Therefore, you can temporarily ignore the report “Report the field in sight” after passing over the airport, and wait for new entry instructions to continue the arrival process.

• The system currently does not support mountainous terrain around airports. If you follow the ATC system’s instructions exactly, there is a risk of crashing into mountains. Therefore, please pay close attention to the surrounding terrain.

• Airport data is incomplete for most locations, so ATC will often instruct you to stop directly on the Runway. You can ignore the system’s command and taxi to the Apron or parking spot yourself.

• There are some bugs with the AI aircraft control in the current system; they often block the way during taxiing for a long time. Consider setting “number of aircraft” to “1” in the “Other Aircraft” section under the “Aircraft & Situations” menu to remove AI aircraft that occupy the Runway for too long.

• Currently, the system has a bug where arrival guidance may point in the opposite direction of the airport. In this case, you can open the ATC menu, select “Cancel IFR”, and then proceed to land using VFR rules on your own.

• If you encounter other ATC bugs and are unsure how to handle them, consider quitting and restarting X-Plane.

• For general instructions on how to use the ATC function, please refer to the article How to use ATC Air Traffic Control on this site.