Best VFR and IFR Flight Planning Packages
Senior Member
Joined: April
Location: Grantham, UK
Points:
Posted: September at am
We would be very interested in all your recommendations for the best VFR and IFR flight planning software for FSX and P3D.
Senior Member
Joined: December
Points:
Hi Stephen,
For VFR : PlanG
For IFR : EFB from AivlaSoft (not yet compatible for Prepar3D but ).
For VFR : PlanG
For IFR : EFB from AivlaSoft (not yet compatible for Prepar3D but ).
Intermediate Group
Joined: January
Location: Sweden
Points: 64
I do most IFR flights.
I use Flight Commander to plan the route without SID & STAR, it can generate the route for you. Finding airways and navpoints. Then you do some adjustment to it if necessary.
Then I load that plan into EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) and plan SID & STAR, I keep EFB
open during whole flight.
If you have same AIRAC version in both and for the planes FMC it works great.
If I just doing a VFR it is enough with only Flight Commander, can find VOR ADF and ILS in it.
Can also connect FC to FSX so you see where you are, in case you get lost.
Normaly you should not if you know what you are doing.
My way. Also interested in if there are some alternatives that are good.
/Per
Sweden
I use Flight Commander to plan the route without SID & STAR, it can generate the route for you. Finding airways and navpoints. Then you do some adjustment to it if necessary.
Then I load that plan into EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) and plan SID & STAR, I keep EFB
open during whole flight.
If you have same AIRAC version in both and for the planes FMC it works great.
If I just doing a VFR it is enough with only Flight Commander, can find VOR ADF and ILS in it.
Can also connect FC to FSX so you see where you are, in case you get lost.
Normaly you should not if you know what you are doing.
My way. Also interested in if there are some alternatives that are good.
/Per
Sweden
Intermediate Group
Joined: August
Points: 40
For VFR, Plan-G V3. Ok the map is a bit limited through the use of OpenStreetMap (no terrain) and airspace is derived from FSX, so not accurate to cuurent standards, but it is very handy and of course free. I use it all the time. Skydemon looks great but too expensive for just flight sim use.
For IFR, I think that FSCommander and FSbuild are the best currently available and both have their strengths. FSC has a good in-flight map and is fairly easy to generate routes. FSbuild is better in terms of generating a navlog based on, for example, ActiveSky weather, and calculating fuel estimates. Both are a bit long in the tooth and we await the new product from the Topcat stable as it seems to have some very nice features. What I would like of course is FSbuild and FSC to be able to use weather from Opus in the interim as an alternative to ActiveSky.
For IFR, I think that FSCommander and FSbuild are the best currently available and both have their strengths. FSC has a good in-flight map and is fairly easy to generate routes. FSbuild is better in terms of generating a navlog based on, for example, ActiveSky weather, and calculating fuel estimates. Both are a bit long in the tooth and we await the new product from the Topcat stable as it seems to have some very nice features. What I would like of course is FSbuild and FSC to be able to use weather from Opus in the interim as an alternative to ActiveSky.
Senior Member
Joined: April
Location: Grantham, UK
Points:
I have emailed AiviaSoft and just about to email PlanG.
Senior Member
Joined: December
Points:
With AivlaSoft you've the possibility to test the entire software before to buy
Senior Member
Joined: April
Location: Grantham, UK
Points:
Copy of a previous post from Marc
In EFB check into Modules then METAR and on the right side you'll find a menu named "Weather provider" and then select "Online from NOAA".
That's it
That's it
Intermediate Group
Joined: January
Location: Sweden
Points: 64
Just checked out Plan-G web. Looks great and will get it and test it.
Looks great for VFR panning.
Thanks for mention it here
/Per W
Sweden
Looks great for VFR panning.
Thanks for mention it here
/Per W
Sweden
Senior Member
Joined: December
Location: Spain
Points:
Hello
for IFR: Routefinder only for getting all the waypoints/Airways then copying to SimRoutes to have it ready to be downloaded and imported (.rt extension) into the NGX FMC.
Fernmil / GCLP
Windows7x64UltSP1|RAM8GB-DDR3 |IK@GHz OCGHZ |Asus P8ZV LX|GeForce GTX |Prepar3D |FSXsp1+2 | SaitekX52PRO Throttle, Joystick and Rudder pedals
Windows7x64UltSP1|RAM8GB-DDR3 |IK@GHz OCGHZ |Asus P8ZV LX|GeForce GTX |Prepar3D |FSXsp1+2 | SaitekX52PRO Throttle, Joystick and Rudder pedals
Intermediate Group
Joined: January
Location: Sweden
Points: 64
Copy of a previous post from Paul In EFB check into Modules then METAR and on the right side you'll find a menu named "Weather provider" and then select "Online from NOAA". That's it |
Yes it is great but on some flights it have been a 30 min lag(older) compared to OpusFSX and
this page. Opus and this page are in perfect sync:
www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar
Otherwise EFB is one of the best addons I've got.
/Per
Senior Member
Joined: December
Points:
Copy of a previous post from Paul In EFB check into Modules then METAR and on the right side you'll find a menu named "Weather provider" and then select "Online from NOAA". That's it |
Stephen,
It's not from Paul but well from Marc
Senior Member
Joined: April
Location: Grantham, UK
Points:
Sorry about that!
Senior Member
Joined: November
Points:
This one should be the best fplanner ever when it is www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar should be out soon.
www.cronistalascolonias.com.arNew Member
Joined: September
Points: 4
I actually sent an email to Urs @ Aivlasoft a few days ago with a link to your website asking him to look into it for his version 2 of EFB.
Senior Member
Joined: April
Location: Grantham, UK
Points:
Many thanks Jose
Regards
Stephen
Regards
Stephen
Senior Member
Joined: March
Location: France
Points:
Hi Stephen
Not really a flight planner per se even if it has flight planning functions, Ideal Flight is more a swiss-knife like front-end for FSX and soon P3D. It has a basic weather engine but it can disabled. And the developper is as quick to react to ideas or bug reports as you are It could be an interesting combination.
www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar
Jean-Paul
Not really a flight planner per se even if it has flight planning functions, Ideal Flight is more a swiss-knife like front-end for FSX and soon P3D. It has a basic weather engine but it can disabled. And the developper is as quick to react to ideas or bug reports as you are
www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar
Jean-Paul
Intermediate Group
Joined: August
Points: 40
While not a full-blown flight planning tool, FS Flight Keeper includes a "Flight Weather Planning Tool" and can interact with many weather sources. It would be very nice to have it support an Opus weather interface so that the two can remain in sync weather-wise. FSFK provides a comprehensive weather briefing and can display weather on a realtime map. I expect that there might be some overlap between what Opus will provide as part of the proposed "Live Weather Assistant", but having a supported interface between the two is a win all round.
As an illustration as to what weather features FSFK provides, I've included a piece from the user guide.
"Mode Currently there are ten different weather modes:
Live - This will download the METARs and TAFs from the configured weather server.
Offline - Allows you to download a weather cycle (hourly) or set a fix file that contains the METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs for all available weather stations (see below for details).
Flight Simulator /X - Delivers weather forecasts and live weather directly taken from FS or FSX
Note: FSFK will automatically create METARs and ALOFTs, but no TAFs. ALOFT reports are limited by the fact that FS/X does not simulate upper winds for the whole world, but only in the near of the aircraft (radius ~nm). FS/X weather themes are also supported. For backup reasons you can also select alternate weather server for downloading METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs, if they are not available due to the mentioned FS limitations.
Active Sky , Active Sky Evolution, Active Sky Advanced, Active Sky X, Active Sky Version 6.x, Active Sky Version 5 and Active Sky - Gets the weather directly from ASX (Offline or Live mode), so that the METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs in both programs are identical. There is no further configuration required.
Active Sky wxRE - Gets the weather directly from Active Sky (Offline or Live mode), so that the METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs in both programs are identical. Please note that you will need to turn on the FSFlightMax export option so that everything works properly.
If Active Sky (v and higher) is in online mode FSFK will read the current METAR from the file 'exp_www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar' that is automatically generated by wxRE. So in flight METARs are identical in both programs. Flight forecasts (METAR, TAF and ALOFT) will be downloaded directly from the configured weather server.
FS Meteo - Gets the weather directly from FS Meteo (Offline or Live mode), so that the METARs and TAFs in both programs are identical. Please note that you will need to turn on the FSFlightMax export option so that everything works properly. ALOFTs will automatically downloaded from the configured weather server.
Weather Center 2 - Gets the weather directly from WC2 (Offline or Live mode), so that the METARs in both programs are identical. Please note that you will need to turn on the 'Enable MET File Generation' option so that everything works properly. TAFs and ALOFTs will automatically downloaded from the configured weather server, if WC2 is not in Offline mode. In Offline mode TAFs and ALOFTs are currently not available due to some WC2 limitations.
Offline Cycle/File or Installation Folder
Depending on the weather mode selected you can configure the installation folder for Active Sky, FS Meteo or Weather Center. If the Offline mode is selected you can decide, if you want to use a file you have downloaded previously or if you want that FSFK will download a cycle. If you want to use a cycle, select the hour from the drop down box. If you choose '# Current Cycle #', FSFK will download the current METAR, TAF and ALOFT cycle available. These files will be downloaded from the public NOAA server and will be stored in the sub folder 'Weather' for later use. The following file formats are currently supported:
METAR Files (*.met )
These files only contain METARs and are used by a wide range of programs (e.g. FS Meteo, Active Sky and Flight Keeper itself) to store downloaded METARs. If there is a file in the same directory with the extension '.taf', then FSFK will read this file for the offline TAFs.
Weather Center 2 Weather Archives (*.wca)
These files contain METARs (similar to the .met files) and ALOFTs and are currently only used by Weather Center.
Active Sky Weather Snapshots (*.dat)
These files contain METARs, TAFS and ALOFTs.
Weather Definition Files (*.wxd)
This file format was first introduced in Active Sky wxRE and contains links to METAR (*.met), TAF (*.taf) and ALOFT (*.wmo) offline files. Making it very simple to use complete weather sets for offline flying. FS Flight Keeper itself uses this format to make downloaded weather available for later usage.
Download weather for all Airports Automatically download the weather for the Origin, Destination and Alternate airports - So you don't need to manually download it in the Flight Editor
Download weather for navigation Automatically download the weather, if a navigation point has been reached or if there is no flight plan available it will download the weather every 15 minutes
TAF support Turns the TAF support on or off
ALOFT support Turns the ALOFT support on or off
Automatically decode and display If you turn on this option, FS Flight Keeper will automatically decode and display the reports for your Flight Plan
Display Pressure changes This will display any pressure changes detected by FSFK in the FS window - Very useful if you are using any of the known weather add-ons and want to correct your altimeter setting in time "
As an illustration as to what weather features FSFK provides, I've included a piece from the user guide.
"Mode Currently there are ten different weather modes:
Live - This will download the METARs and TAFs from the configured weather server.
Offline - Allows you to download a weather cycle (hourly) or set a fix file that contains the METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs for all available weather stations (see below for details).
Flight Simulator /X - Delivers weather forecasts and live weather directly taken from FS or FSX
Note: FSFK will automatically create METARs and ALOFTs, but no TAFs. ALOFT reports are limited by the fact that FS/X does not simulate upper winds for the whole world, but only in the near of the aircraft (radius ~nm). FS/X weather themes are also supported. For backup reasons you can also select alternate weather server for downloading METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs, if they are not available due to the mentioned FS limitations.
Active Sky , Active Sky Evolution, Active Sky Advanced, Active Sky X, Active Sky Version 6.x, Active Sky Version 5 and Active Sky - Gets the weather directly from ASX (Offline or Live mode), so that the METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs in both programs are identical. There is no further configuration required.
Active Sky wxRE - Gets the weather directly from Active Sky (Offline or Live mode), so that the METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs in both programs are identical. Please note that you will need to turn on the FSFlightMax export option so that everything works properly.
If Active Sky (v and higher) is in online mode FSFK will read the current METAR from the file 'exp_www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar' that is automatically generated by wxRE. So in flight METARs are identical in both programs. Flight forecasts (METAR, TAF and ALOFT) will be downloaded directly from the configured weather server.
FS Meteo - Gets the weather directly from FS Meteo (Offline or Live mode), so that the METARs and TAFs in both programs are identical. Please note that you will need to turn on the FSFlightMax export option so that everything works properly. ALOFTs will automatically downloaded from the configured weather server.
Weather Center 2 - Gets the weather directly from WC2 (Offline or Live mode), so that the METARs in both programs are identical. Please note that you will need to turn on the 'Enable MET File Generation' option so that everything works properly. TAFs and ALOFTs will automatically downloaded from the configured weather server, if WC2 is not in Offline mode. In Offline mode TAFs and ALOFTs are currently not available due to some WC2 limitations.
Offline Cycle/File or Installation Folder
Depending on the weather mode selected you can configure the installation folder for Active Sky, FS Meteo or Weather Center. If the Offline mode is selected you can decide, if you want to use a file you have downloaded previously or if you want that FSFK will download a cycle. If you want to use a cycle, select the hour from the drop down box. If you choose '# Current Cycle #', FSFK will download the current METAR, TAF and ALOFT cycle available. These files will be downloaded from the public NOAA server and will be stored in the sub folder 'Weather' for later use. The following file formats are currently supported:
METAR Files (*.met )
These files only contain METARs and are used by a wide range of programs (e.g. FS Meteo, Active Sky and Flight Keeper itself) to store downloaded METARs. If there is a file in the same directory with the extension '.taf', then FSFK will read this file for the offline TAFs.
Weather Center 2 Weather Archives (*.wca)
These files contain METARs (similar to the .met files) and ALOFTs and are currently only used by Weather Center.
Active Sky Weather Snapshots (*.dat)
These files contain METARs, TAFS and ALOFTs.
Weather Definition Files (*.wxd)
This file format was first introduced in Active Sky wxRE and contains links to METAR (*.met), TAF (*.taf) and ALOFT (*.wmo) offline files. Making it very simple to use complete weather sets for offline flying. FS Flight Keeper itself uses this format to make downloaded weather available for later usage.
Download weather for all Airports Automatically download the weather for the Origin, Destination and Alternate airports - So you don't need to manually download it in the Flight Editor
Download weather for navigation Automatically download the weather, if a navigation point has been reached or if there is no flight plan available it will download the weather every 15 minutes
TAF support Turns the TAF support on or off
ALOFT support Turns the ALOFT support on or off
Automatically decode and display If you turn on this option, FS Flight Keeper will automatically decode and display the reports for your Flight Plan
Display Pressure changes This will display any pressure changes detected by FSFK in the FS window - Very useful if you are using any of the known weather add-ons and want to correct your altimeter setting in time "
Senior Member
Joined: April
Points:
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for the opportunity to share information with you about the flight planners we use to establish a list of utilities that OpusFSX should be able to interact with or vice-versa. That's my understanding of the purpose of this post.
I use a newly introduced and very promising ATC program that has a built-in flight planner, ProATC/X, which, much like OpusFSX, is currently under constant and progressive development (www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar). In a recent exchange of information with ProATC/X's author, an area which will be explored further in the coming months once more pressing challenges are dealt with is the program's ability to select runways at both departing and destination airports that concord with FSX's active runways. It is in that context that I submit this information. In the meantime, I've elected to gather statistical information on ProATC/X's success rate at selecting departing and landing runways that match FSX's selection of active runways which, by the way, are not always correct when compared to information available from live ATC broadcasts. It may be evident that my knowledge in this area is shallow but from my perspective as a user, I want real weather injected into FSX but don't really care whether the runways selected by either a flight planner or FSX reflect 'real life'. What I am looking for however is 'concordance' and I think that your offer to consider having OpusFSX successfully interact with our utilities will help resolve present-day discordance.
And about your weather engine, 'just fantastic!' as other users have also claimed. Congratulations!
Regards,
JJ
Jean-Jacques
CYND Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
Server Computer (Home build) W7 64 Professional / iK (OC'd GHz)
Client Computer (Dell) W7 64 Ultimate / i7
CYND Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
Server Computer (Home build) W7 64 Professional / iK (OC'd GHz)
Client Computer (Dell) W7 64 Ultimate / i7
Intermediate Group
Joined: September
Location: UK
Points: 57
Fsbuild for IFR, as it comes with aircraft profiles, so isn't just creating a route, but also calculates fuel burn based on aircraft type and winds then imported from as Then gives you a full log. Other planners basically are just route makers generally and don't really take into account aircraft performance, weights etc. fsbuild is very old in the tooth now and like others waiting on topcats new offering. I use topcat also for planning purposes of derate/assumed temp. Based on weather again from as
For VFR I use skydemon. I also link this then to fsx to use it whilst flying. Sometimes also link to google, as I have airspace kmz overlaid onto google and is useful for some real life work on guidance on airspace boundaries and infringements.
For VFR I use skydemon. I also link this then to fsx to use it whilst flying. Sometimes also link to google, as I have airspace kmz overlaid onto google and is useful for some real life work on guidance on airspace boundaries and infringements.
New Member
Joined: October
Points: 19
It may take several weeks to test and implement, but I am supremely confident that AivlaSoft EFB 2 will support Opus' WX. (EFB 2 won't be available until , but that's another story altogether.)
Senior Member
Joined: April
Location: US
Points:
As Jean-Jacques previously mentioned ProATC/X while new, is certainly worth considering and it now uses NavDataPro from Aerosoft.
Best regards,
Clayton
Best regards,
Clayton
Win 10xGB Pro | P3DvGB Pro
Z XPower Titanium iK @GHz-Hi | 32GB TridentZ @MHz N
GTX Quicksilver
Z XPower Titanium iK @GHz-Hi | 32GB TridentZ @MHz N
GTX Quicksilver
New Member
Joined: October
Location: Rome
Points: 25
HI Guys,
I can confirm the good quality of ProATC-X, NavDataPro from Aerosoft works well for it. We have need this featuers. As far I have seen testing other weather products OPUS has no issues with ATCPROX in 'reading' weather.
Senior Member
Joined: November
Points:
I noticed 2 positive comments about this pro/atc on this very same page of this thread and this got me www.cronistalascolonias.com.ar would be actually the first time I see 2 positives comments one after another. From reading stuff on avsim and experience( I bought it when it was first released) the quality of the product and support was obscene at best.
Did they improve the software and are you now able to complete flights with proatcx ? (consistently and successfully not just one out of 6)
Did pointsoftware finally get a competent coder and pr ?
I really liked the idea behind the software.
New Member
Joined: October
Location: Rome
Points: 25
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