Hi,Sorry if I'm not in the good place for this question but I'm lookingfor a good flight planner to complete my flying experience with PMDG 737NG (These guys are amazing !)Anyone can help ?Regards.Andre Noel.

I use fsBuild 2.x It is bar far the best value for the money. You can create plans for PMDG 737 series, PSS's A3xx series, and almost any other plane you can think of. It uses the AIRC files for the data base. Check out [www.fsbuild.com] . It is 29 Euros right now but worth every centBlue skies and See y'all in Denver!Kevin

Andre, A good place to start is http://rfinder.asalink.net/free/fpl-cgi.cgiHas a pretty good setup for generating flight plans.It will list all waypoints etc. Plus it will give you a summary, example:Kbos DCT PVD J55 HTO J174 ORF J121 MILIE J79 OMN STAR KMCO.DCT means DIRECT to PVD (Providence VOR)!STAR means approach procedure.Now, heres the good part!You can enter the summary into the route page in the FMC. So if you enter PVD as your first waypoint (LSK on the right side. Then below it enter HTO. if you then enter J55 under VIA on the left side LSK your telling the FMC to fly from PVD to--> HTO and use J55 as your high altitude highway.But wait, after you do this if you look ay your LEGS pages you will see,KBOSPVDTRAITPARCHHTOThe waypoints TRAIT and PARCH are located on J55 so they are automaticaly inserted on the legs pages. This happens with respect to all the other Jxxx routes.Saves a lot of work, no. There are 25 waypoints entered but you only had to enter the ones noted in the summary.After setting up you flight in the FMC go to the DEP/ARR page and enter your STAR. Then on the EFIS panel put it in plan mode and cycle thru the legs pages and you will notice any DISCO's and you can see any gaps on the CDU. Correct em and your in businnes.Good LuckLink seems to be not working.http://rfinder.asalink.net

I tried both FS Build and FS Nav and I prefer FS Nav since it seems to have many more features. Makes great flight plans which export to FS2004 and the PMDG FMC, and it has a moving map with every bit of information you would ever need while you are flying. Sometimes I fly without a flight plan just using the moving map display, and can see ILS routes, Frequencies etc. You can download the demo version that is good for about 20 flight plans for free, to see if you like it. : http://fsnavigator.com/

I use both FSBuild and FSNav but for different purposes. FSBuild beats FSnav hands down as a flight planner whereas FSnav is great as a moving map and when you need fast access to frequencies, ILS inbound courses etc.FSbuild can be used as a standalone program while FSnav runs from within MSFS. That means you can sit at work, I mean...ahem... someplace else and make the flightplans. You do of course have to transfer the generated files with the flightplans to the computer running MSFS.Another advantage FSBuild has is that it takes into consideration wether a route is west or eastbound when you let the program autocreate the flightplan. As far as I now FSNav won't do that.Get both!

And here lies the problem: too many choices. Below is my opinion on what I've used:Built-in FS flight planner: let's move on shall we?FSBuild 2.x creates the best plans. Pros: creates stepped climbs/descent for aircraft, SID/STAR knowledge, works with most add-ons natively (= a format that can be loaded by the add-on), sizeable database of pre-made flight plans, designed by someone who knows ATC and flight planning. Exports to all specified add-on formats at once. Cons: horrible map, user interface is very odd. Occasional database error had me fly from Denver to Phoenix via Moscow once (was corrected quickly though).FSNavigator works inside FS, and has a moving map, can create ok flight plans if you know where you're going (it's automatic FP generation is not very smart), and using SID/STARs is a hit or miss thing. Its best feature is that you can use it as a GPS in that it will dial in nav freqs and set autopilot altitude / headings for you if your aircraft doesn't have an FMC. Pros: good moving map within FS, supports most recent AIRAC (need to rebuild database). Can be used as GPS for A/C that does not have an FMC. Cons: not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to automatic FP generation. Hiding the window takes forever (but loading is fast). Exporting to add-ons is done one at a time.FSCommander works outside FS (and via wideFS). Pros: one of the better moving maps out there, can display departure/approach maps for airport in your flight plan. Can run on separate PC. Cons: FP generation is not very good unless you know where you're going. I recommend it as an external moving map if you have more than one PC.My recommendation: FSNav is ok to get you started. FSBuild is highly recommended if you work with the NG or any Jet, or several add-ons.

Etienne, I have no desire to enter into the FSBuild/FSNav debate (I have my favourite) but I would be interested to hear how you find FSBuild at auto generating a route within Europe as opposed to flights in the USA?

I have generated FPs that weren't in the database for Australia from the west coast and it did come up with a good circle route, but I can't really say anything about Europe because I don't fly there much. Of course, this will probably change with the 747 :)

Hello,you might want to check out : www.pmfp.comThe good thing about the site is, it is for free and after planing your route you can print out a sheet with all the information on your flight; inlcuding aircraft type, registration, METAR, NOTAMS etc.Even an alternate route can be included.It has got an Auto Routing tool, which generates your route after selecting depature and arrival runway inlcuding SID and STAR. Only in a few cases it had problems finding a route and gave me an error.I only flew european routes with it so far, so I am not sure if it works for other continents and longer routes.Good Luck!

Christian

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/chrismo/sigsky.jpgVacation: wasted time between 2 flights!