this question was brought up earlier but there didnt seem to be a response that seemed to work. I have FSUIPC (newest version) and use updated weather from Jeppessen and the internet. I also use the low FPS clouds. Today with both of my flights I noticed this and it really got under my skin. On the ground at DTW the sky was overcast and there was fairly low visibility, I'd say around 2500. After takeoff I approached the overcast sky. Here is the problem, as I approach, the overcast becomes not as overcast and the clouds break. The clouds dont seem thick either. Once I get over the clouds, it becomes clear or scattered clouds. The same thing happens as I get lower. It went from clear to a little cloudy around 5000, then when I get to 2500, the sky becomes overcast and lower visibility. I did another flight right after from ORD-ATL and the same thing happened. I want a realistic weather environment where I can fly in clouds for a while or not have a completly different weather scene just pop up at me out of nowhere. Would a program like active sky help? What should my fsuipc settings and FS weather settings be? ThanksBrad Zimmer

The weather is a mess in FS9. I've tried FSMeteo, Active Sky and numerous FSUIPC settings to straighten it out, no luck yet. The two biggest problems are wildly shifting winds aloft which can disconnect the a/p of the best add-on jet aircraft including PMDG and unrealistic display of overcast. Example, I flew into Boston Logan yesterday at the peak of the blizzard. As I crossed through CT I had "severe clear" all the way up New England...it was only when I got below about 5000 ft that I started to get reduced visibility and snow...by the time I got to Boston it was 300-400 yards vis and heavy snow, which is perfect for what the city saw yesterday. I took off again, and within 2 minutes it was severe clear again, I could even look back and see Logan clear as day over my shoulder.I'm hoping AS2 straightens this out. For me, the unrealistic weather dynamics (as opposed to weather engine) and the stutters I get every time new wx loads are my two biggest issues with FS9.regards,

The 'realistic' weather in FS9 is terrible. I echo Captain's observations - the slam bam, thank you maam wind shifts and the goofball, so-called overcast/reduced visiblity effects screw up make the sim completely unflyable for me. If visibility in FS9 falls below 20 miles it doesn't replicate translucent haze as it should, it makes a huge pea soup overcast regardless of actual sky conditions. It's like flying above a global marine layer - if you're above the vis layer you're in gorgeous CAVU, decend into the vis layer and it's like going into an instant wall of ground fog. It simply could not be more unrealistic. I've shelved FS9 at least until Activesky 2.0 comes out. If Activesky can't tame the weather engine in FS9 once and for all I will erase it and just go back to FS2002. Not as pretty but 100 times more realistic weather-wise.It also infuriates me how sites like AVSIM covienantly overlooked such blatant flaws as the FS9 weather engine and wholeheartedly endorsed FS2004's "amazing new weather" during pre-release reviews. The almighty buck takes precedence over objectivity. Programmers at Microsoft get away with their flawed software by letting 3rd parties fix and overhaul the development team's own mistakes. It's like buying a new Ford and then finding out the tires fall off at random times. Instead of taking the car back to the dealership for repair you have to wait until an independent mechanic can fix it for you. Far be it for Microsoft to actually put out a patch to fix these flaws, that would just be too taxing apparently.Microsoft - We don't care because we don't have to - we're Microsoft. :)