BeyondATC is a tool which always keeps your hands full with air traffic control when flying in a flight simulator. For many, it is a great tool which is now becoming even better. With their recent progress in VFR capability, the developers are looking to introduce a whole new level of depth to the world of flying based on ground references.
So far, the tool has focused primarily on pilots who fly by instruments. Or, if you prefer, on airliners around the world rather than small general aviation aeroplanes, like a Cessna 152, around their local cities. With the update that is now in the works, BeyondATC aims to bring a realistic ATC experience to this group as well.
In today’s development update, the developers introduced several features we can expect. One of them is Dynamic Airport Loading, which promises to make your flight simulator experience truly open-world. With this feature, airports around you will be loaded dynamically, allowing you to tune into different frequencies, even at smaller airfields, as you fly around and practise procedures there. In doing so, the developers are filling a gap in the market that even online networks such as VATSIM or IVAO struggle to fill.
Joining it is a feature the developers call “Expanded Radios”. BeyondATC will now recognise a second radio (COM2) and let you monitor its frequency. This will come in handy especially when listening to automated messages such as ATIS or AWOS.
VFR flying is, in large part, about announcing your intentions rather than making requests to ATC. BeyondATC takes this into account and will add support for it in the upcoming VFR-focused update. Pilots will be able to announce their intentions on frequency instead of requesting clearances, preserving the immersion of real-world operations.
The update is built primarily around regulations in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, despite being available globally. Stage Two, which this is, does not yet include VFR traffic; the developers hope to look into it in the coming months and deliver it with Stage Three, the next update.
Stage Two of the BeyondATC VFR update does not have a firm release date. The developers are currently in the final stages of internal testing and hope to release it, with all the features mentioned above, as soon as possible. The full VFR feature set will be released to all customers once all three stages are complete.
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