Laminar Research have pushed pretty hard with their latest update and X-Plane 12.1.3 has just arrived with a lengthy list of fixes and some new features including a revamped ATC system. It’s even got a new custom airport (ala the last X-Plane update and MSFS). Let’s check out the highlights!

A big update to air traffic control

I haven’t used X-Plane’s ATC much, not after it vectored me into the side of a mountain a few times. Fortunately, development work has been going on to revamp the system significantly with both support for IFR flights as well as VFR flights.

One of the biggest updates is the ATC system which has been massively updated.

The ATC system got a massive overhaul. You can now interact with ATC more realistically than ever before. Start your flight with a radio check, request your clearance, get the altimeter and weather updates from ATC and verify your current position with the controller. You can even report a transponder failure, prompting ATC to ask for position reports periodically.

You can now request a VFR departure and specify the direction that you’re heading out. The ATC can then give you taxi instructions and hand you off to other controllers. Apparently it will even correct you if you’ve contacted the wrong controller. Neat!

This next one is a little surprising to me but the ATC system now supports SIDs and STARs. Useful for your instrument departures in airliners. The system also supports copy and paste from Navigraph, Simbrief and other sources. The flight plan can be sent to the FMS, you can request alternate SIDs and STARs, request alternate altitudes for cruising, and request per turn instructions.

X-Plane have also added support for separate audio devices with ATC coming in over a headset while aircraft sounds are on your speakers. If you so desire.

Weather and scenery updates

X-Plane 12 has pushed the sim series forward for weather modeling but it’s also introduced a whole bunch of bugs and issues. This update seeks to redress many of them aiming to resolve the sudden altitude and pressure change problems (jumping from one to another suddenly causing adverse affects on simulated aircraft). METAR information is also being interpreted in new ways and they have fixed the NEXRAD G1000 display issues.

A dedicated weather update is reportedly on the way so this is a teaser of more.

New Downtown Manhattan Heliport (KJRB) airport scenery

I really like this one. X-Plane did a Caribbean update earlier in the year adding a couple of custom scenery airports to the core of the sim and now they’ve done it again with Downtown Manhattan Heliport (KJRB). The real airport services Wall Street and the Financial District with scheduled passenger services to JFK and beyond.

Read about the full update over here on the Laminar Research X-Plane blog.