Special Takeoff Situations

X-Plane offers several special takeoff situations that do not directly correspond to the real world, such as Air Start and Runway Start. In reality, you would not enter an aircraft already parked on an active Runway, so in the eyes of Air Traffic Control (ATC), these flights are already considered in operation.

For a Runway Start, if the airport has a Tower controller, you will be handed off to the Tower, since under normal circumstances, an aircraft cannot be stopped on an active Runway without permission from the Tower. In this situation, you are considered cleared for takeoff, even though this is an unscheduled flight. Since a flight plan cannot be entered in the main menu, this status is logical: you are already on the Runway, so you must be cleared for takeoff, but ATC does not know your Route.

If you do not wish to use the ATC system, you can take off immediately and fly freely. Tower will not contact you, nor will there be any penalties or prompts; you can completely ignore ATC. If you wish to file a flight plan, you can enter it via the ATC dialog box and request clearance as usual; Tower will adjust the takeoff clearance based on your plan. However, this option only applies to situations starting from the Runway, not to normal situations where you start at a parking spot and Taxi to the Runway.

If you wish to continue an unscheduled flight after a Runway Start and receive flight following services during the flight, you need to contact Tower before leaving the vicinity of the airport. This action notifies the system that you intend to use ATC services. If you do not make at least one contact to “opt-in” to the ATC experience, Tower will not hand you off to Center.

If you choose Air Start and begin aligned with the Runway (e.g., “3 NM from Runway” or “10 NM from Runway” start), you will initially be handed off to the airport’s Tower. Subsequently, you can make requests as usual, typically requesting Arrival or switching to an appropriate Center frequency. Of course, you can also completely ignore ATC just like in a Runway Start; the system will not send any further ATC prompts.

Arriving at Airports Without Tower Control

In X-Plane, regardless of whether you have filed a flight plan, you can set an airport without Tower control or one managed only by a Flight Information Service Officer (FISO) as your Destination. If a flight plan has been filed, Center or Approach controllers will guide you to the vicinity of the Destination airport and provide subsequent instructions. If it is an unscheduled flight and you are accepting flight following services, you need to request the controller to switch to the Destination frequency within a reasonable range of the Destination airport (usually 15-20 miles or closer).

For airports managed by FISO, since they do not have a data link with any centralized ATC system, you need to actively contact them and request to land. In reality, you might have already contacted them before the flight and informed them in advance; this is known as “PPR” (Prior Permission Required).

For airports without Tower control, you need to navigate and complete the landing on your own. Please note that UNICOM (Universal Communications) is not currently implemented in the simulator.

Interaction with Third-Party AI Systems

Currently, the simulator cannot directly interact with AI aircraft provided by plugins. If a plugin provides TCAS data, the simulator can know the type and position of these AI aircraft, but cannot know their intent. In some cases, the simulator will attempt to interpret the actions of external AI and issue proximity warnings to you. Additionally, when involving decisions regarding the use of active Runways, the simulator will also consider AI dynamics (if detectable).

However, ATC will not send instructions to external AI because these AI cannot respond to those instructions.

Ground Operations Dialog

The Ground Operations dialog allows you to interact with services before takeoff. When you request pushback, the initial call is sent via radio to the most appropriate controller at the airport, usually “Ground” control (if available). You can make this call through the normal ATC dialog box or by clicking one of the three “Pushback” buttons in the Ground Operations dialog. If you choose the latter, the primary radio will automatically tune to the correct frequency even if the auto-tune feature is disabled.

After requesting pushback, you can request “Stop Pushback”. If the pushback tug has not yet arrived, this request is also issued via radio. Once the pushback tug arrives, the system will simulate connecting the physical cable, after which no further radio communication is required.

Troubleshooting

The following are common issues and suggested solutions: • No available call options If there are no available options in the command list of the ATC dialog box, it means you have tuned into a controller’s frequency, but you are currently still “handed off” by another controller. When changing frequencies, you must interact with the current controller unless they explicitly instruct you to change frequencies. Please return to the previous controller’s frequency (if unsure, you can use the auto-tune function) and inform them that you are leaving. • Sub-option filtering for certain commands Some commands display sub-options for a list of Runways or airports, but they are filtered according to the specific situation. For example, if you are flying a large aircraft like an A330, many smaller airports may not be suitable and therefore will not be listed as options. • Filtering of “Nearby Frequencies” options The frequency list in the “Nearby Frequencies” tab of the ATC dialog box is also filtered. The auto-tune feature will always select the correct frequency, regardless of whether it is displayed in the list. If you need to contact an airport not in the list, you can first interact with the current controller to inform them you are leaving their frequency, then manually disable auto-tune and set the radio frequency. • Slow aircraft unable to use SID/STAR procedures For technical reasons, slow aircraft currently cannot use SID (Standard Instrument Departure) or STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival) procedures. These aircraft cannot file plans containing SID/STAR, and controllers will not assign these procedures. • QNH/Altitude settings Under any circumstances, the QNH (barometric setting) or altitude values provided by the controller are the ones you should use. These data may differ from local readings, especially for values provided by large Center controllers. • ATIS weather information update delay Weather data in ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) broadcasts may not match current conditions because ATIS usually updates only twice per hour unless significant changes occur. • Unable to call “Downwind” position If you are unable to call “Downwind” when performing a circuit or arrival pattern at a small airport, it is almost always because your flight position is incorrect. Especially when circling the field, turning immediately after takeoff is usually not permitted. Please expand the circuit range and ensure you reach the standard circuit altitude (usually 1000 feet AGL). Also pay attention to the circuit direction instructed by Tower. • Incorrect airport control level The simulator may incorrectly judge the control level of an airport, resulting in communication methods that do not meet expectations. The correct control level (such as Control Tower or FISO) can be set via WED (WorldEditor). If you find an error, please report the airport issue through the X-Plane Scenery Gateway. • Incorrect Taxiway and parking spot names Taxiway and parking spot names are defined by each individual airport; the simulator’s ATC system merely reads this information. If names are incorrect, please also submit an airport issue report via the X-Plane Scenery Gateway. • Runway allocation differences The Runway assigned by the simulator is based on the simulator’s weather conditions and airport traffic definitions, which may differ from reality. Do not expect the simulator’s active Runway to match the actual Runway displayed on online flight tracking or planning systems.

Error Reporting

Since the ATC system needs to handle complex and variable situations, it is inevitable that incorrect handling will occur. To help improve the system, please submit detailed error reports explaining how to reproduce the problem.

Please note that temporary feedback on public forums is not considered an error report and usually cannot be conveyed to developers. Simply put, if you do not formally submit a report, it does not count as a bug. The official error reporting tool can be accessed via the following link: X-Plane Bug Report Form.

Precautions for Submitting Reports

1. Log files X-Plane 12 generates two log files in the simulator executable folder: “Log.txt” and “Log_ATC.txt”. When submitting useful error reports, you must include both files.
2. Situational issues If the problem might be related to the specific location at the time, it is recommended to send a screenshot of the simulator map, ensuring the “Flight path” checkbox is ticked. Before taking the screenshot, it is recommended to temporarily enable “Developer Menu ➞ Toggle Air Traffic Paths” to display air traffic paths. If in doubt, it is best to send this screenshot as well.
3. Runway issues If you need to report a problem with a specific Runway, please use the “Developer Menu ➞ Dump to Log ➞ Dump Weather State to Log” option to record the weather state.
4. Real-time reporting If you encounter a problem during flight, such as during a long-haul flight, you can use any “Developer Menu ➞ Dump to Log” option to ensure the logs are fully written to disk.

Notes

• The log will be overwritten every time the simulator or related tools are started. If you send an empty log or a log that does not correspond to the reported problem, it will greatly increase the difficulty of troubleshooting. • Providing as complete details as possible, including log files and relevant screenshots, can significantly increase the speed and efficiency of problem resolution.