I've noticed that in many U.S. airports, there is often a disconnect between the end of a STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival Route) and the beginning of the instrument approach procedure. The STAR route frequently ends far from the initial fix of the selected approach, resulting in unrealistic routing or sharp, manual course corrections to align the aircraft.
This issue is particularly noticeable at major U.S. airports like JFK, where most STARs do not seamlessly transition into the chosen approach. It can break immersion and requires extra effort to correct manually.
While this issue isn't exclusive to the United States, it's far more common there compared to other regions in the simulator, where STARs and approaches tend to connect more logically and smoothly.
I understand that fixing STAR-to-approach transitions across thousands of airports would be a massive and time-consuming task. However, a more feasible solution could be to focus on a selected list of major international airports where this issue occurs most frequently. Improving the continuity between STARs and approaches in these key locations would already make a noticeable difference in realism and navigation flow, especially for users who fly commercial routes. Perhaps an automated check for route continuity could also help identify the most critical mismatches.
Fixing these inconsistencies would greatly improve the experience for those aiming for realistic arrivals.
