Free Route Planner

[Guest monnette]

Hi all, i just want to know if any of you guys know a free route compiler for the 744 FMC. Tried "fsroute" http://www.fsroute.com/ but for a reason i cannot load the plan that i created/downloaded from fsroute.So is there any other route compiler that is free..I just dont want to spend so much time for keying like 80 waypoints/fixes on the FMCI'm not a really serious simmer kind of person here. Please help dont want to be stuck on using the default FS9 planner and GPS flight. I just want to utilize the great use of the 744 FMC. Thanks in advance,Monnette Ara

[michal 44]

When you use any free route planner be careful and try it first if it gives you "reasonable" answers. I recall some free route planners I tried before would give you often silly flight plans specially on long-haul flights. For example KLAX-VHHH route was almost 1000 miles longer than necessary .. and then you are running out of fuel ;)I personally love this place: www.flightaware.com which gives you absolutely airline-realistic flight plans even accurate to specifc date. But unfortunately this site has nothing to do with flight simulation - you will have to retype this flight plan in your FMC.By the way, when you look at some of those real flight plans - they don't use "80" fixes - the flight plans look much more compact than what simmers often come up with. This was my major gripe with some free planners - many of their routes were way too complicated.Michael J.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/pmdg_744F.jpghttp://sales.hifisim.com/pub-download/asv6-banner-beta.jpg

[Tabs 2,790]

>I personally love this place: www.flightaware.com which gives>you absolutely airline-realistic flight plans even accurate to>specifc date. But unfortunately this site has nothing to do>with flight simulation - you will have to retype this flight>plan in your FMC.They're not just realistic, they ARE the real flight plans being flown by airlines. That site can pull up the IFR route for any commercial and most private flight in FAA airspace...I've found www.simroutes.com to be good for FS/VATSIM related stuff though.

[Olympic260 415]

I am using thishttp://rfinder.asalink.net/free/until now all the FP that I have used are spot on.Chris

[Guest monnette]

thanks both of you guys answered my prob..i gonna try the last suggestion since its free.. :-)monnette

[michal 44]

>http://rfinder.asalink.net/free/This is the site that gave me bogus flight plans between LAX and VHHH. Tried it also on some domestic routes and compared them with the actual flight plans used by airlines and they were way too complicated.Michael J.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/pmdg_744F.jpghttp://sales.hifisim.com/pub-download/asv6-banner-beta.jpg

[JayBirdski 1]

It's not perfect by any means but when you're trying to get from "Never been there" to "Way far away" with an ocean in between, it will at least connect the dots for you. The NAT's feature is pretty useful when crossing the pond. Given the cost of it, I don't think I'll be asking for any refunds. Jay EklundCAT VI Senior Captain KDENhttp://online.vatsimindicators.net/812321/764.png

[michal 44]

>feature is pretty useful when crossing the pond. Given the>cost of it, I don't think I'll be asking for any refunds. Being free is its only redeeming quality. I just tried it to generate me a flight plan between KSFO and EGLL. It came up with 51 fixes, real flight plans on this route rarely exceed 31 fixes. Not to mention that it put OAK as the first waypoint out of KSFO which is nonsensical to say the least (I asked for no SID/STARS). My point is that there are other free flight planners that at least give you a flight plan in the right ballpark.Michael J.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/pmdg_744F.jpghttp://sales.hifisim.com/pub-download/asv6-banner-beta.jpg

[lostmoon 0]

michael j,which other free flight planners are you speaking of? would you be willing to share?thanks.james

[Bina 59]

My Greetings to all Captains,Well, I can see there is a lot of discussion going on here re free flight planners. I personally use OFPlan.net which not only does provide me lots (more than 1300) realisic (!) flight plans stored in its database but also a feeling to try myself as a real flight dispatcher, i.e. it gives me an opportunity to construct the route from the very beginning starting from SIDs, calculating and defining the en-route waypoints given the up-to-date weather info from www.aviationweather.com (in pdf format) and also completing the route with reasonable (adjusted) STAR, etc. etc. It's a way to learn planning manually which is very important for me as i'm a rabid supporter of a realistic flightsim environment, i.e. i like pretending to be a real pilot behind my PC :(Good luck!Rustam

[Guest Lenny Zaman]

Used correctly, and in the european region, Routefinder provides you with very real routes. I can guarantee you that.but mind: USED CORRECTLY!I do see that in the US there are alot of preferred routes, there's even a database with those so why bother.For planning f.e. LAX - VHHH, try letting routefinder plan up to you 'entrypoint in oceanic airspace' and from the 'exit point of oceanic airspace' up to VHHH. Over the Ocean you either use the PATS or a random route segment which you can choose yourself.Best regards

[michal 44]

>Used correctly, and in the european region, Routefinder>provides you with very real routes. I can guarantee you that.I accept your guarantees. If it works well in Europe that's good to know, but I happen to fly 95% of time in the USA and I can guarantee you it doesn't provide you with real routes on this side of the Atlantic and this includes any overland portion of trans-oceanic routes.Michael J.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/pmdg_744F.jpghttp://sales.hifisim.com/pub-download/asv6-banner-beta.jpg

[SAS263 1]

FAA preferred routes database:http://www.fly.faa.gov/Products/Coded_Depa...s_database.html

[lostmoon 0]

michael j,what preferred route generator do you use when planning your simflights?tj

[michal 44]

>what preferred route generator do you use when planning your>simflights?www.flightaware.com, not sure I can call "generator" though.Michael J.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/pmdg_744F.jpghttp://sales.hifisim.com/pub-download/asv6-banner-beta.jpg