I haven’t logged on in a little over a month. I loaded MSFS, simbrief from KIAD/KCLT, and when I started VPilot an “ACARS” messaged popped up saying KATL/KMCO. Can anyone help me to figure this out because I guess the controller can only see the incorrect flight plan and not the one I actually filed.
Did you log onto the network before you filed your flight plan or after, Robert?
I’ve always loaded the sim, generated a plan through Simbrief (never prefiled), and started VPilot entering the flight plan manually. ATC is automatically getting that ACARS flight plan possibly from a past flight forever ago.
No, flight plans only last up to two hours past the P-time or expire some short time after a flight is completed and the pilot logs off.
I think what happened is that you may have connected using a callsign under which someone else had pre-filed a flight plan but they hadn’t yet logged onto the network. Since PDCs in the US can now be sent before a pilot logs onto the network, it’s feasible that the ATL controller saw the FP and fired off the PDC before either of you logged onto the network and since you were on first, the PDC went to you. However, the developers are aware of this and have implemented a fix to prevent this from happening again.
I think that may have been the issue. I logged in under a different callsign and that ACARS message did not pop up. Fingers crossed for future flights!