I enjoy using World Traffic 3 with X-Plane 11, just because it gives the world some much needed life as you start up and arrive at airports. It is a definitely a ‘fiddly’ app, meaning you have to play with it to get it how you like it, but it’s quite clever on the things it does.
One essential thing is to get all the real-world routes, airlines and liveries used with it. That was surprisingly easy with a single download from here:
The volunteer group that maintains that does a great job, and it really increases immersion to see local carriers and liveries, following their normal routes.
Anyway, some screens to show it in action. This is XP11 beta, Mister X KSFO airport with Forkboy2 Ortho local tiles (all free as well).
Here I am at San Francisco International (KSFO) in the midst of the crowd during a busy day, somewhere at gate 56. Weather is a little misty today but nice enough.
Not my aircraft for today, but I have to admit we’ve been on this livery a couple of times taking the kids to Anaheim. These are all included in Airline updates in WT3.
Not the clearest evening tonight, but a good view of the city over the Park approach, with the Naval station on the top left. Lots of snakes on that hill at Cabrillo in the background, stood on one once. Neither of us enjoyed that.
Waiting for my take off slot as things taxi around. Virgin America is all but gone now, so a rare sighting, and probably the last one before they all get repainted in Air Alaska colors.
I use WT3 as well and think it’s a great product, as you said it’s not that difficult to set up. I do have to make a mental note to activate the route I’m flying.
How do you find it with the WT3 ATC commands? Do you use them, or just plough on regardless? Again I tend to forget and remember as I’m rotating at the wrong end of the runway.
I know you’ve said you use pilotATC, does that work with it?
I don’t use the WT3 ATC, but let Pilot2ATC do its thing. Because I am using Active Sky, then the weather is the same between them all, meaning the active runways etc all tie up. P2ATC reads in AI flights from X-Plane and WT3 is setting X-Plane AI flights as it works them out, so it all works together. It’s nice as even the TCAS lines up as well, plus numbering for take off and landing.
I don’t mind having to set up W3 activation, as I tend to cold start and do all the gubbins for setting up a flight, so that’s just one initial flight planning step.
Info on the the packages working together here:
What’s interesting is that the WT3 author has said that he intends to hook into other ATC packages some more, so the ideal would be P2ATC speech output talking to other WT3 flights for some busier realistic ATC radio noise.
Thanks @fearlessfrog, I think I need to look at PilotATC again.
- I’m glad it wasn’t just me. I signed up for the free trial and suffered. I don’t think I gave it enough justice. I’ll sign up with another email and try again.
- I’m glad it wasn’t just me. I signed up for the free trial and suffered. I don’t think I gave it enough justice. I’ll sign up with another email and try again.