Newest navdata

[Guest]

I'm an old PIC-expert :-), but now I've been flying with PSS320 and I'm not sure anymore who makes the BEST navdata for 767PIC. Is it Richard Stefan, Prabal or Jason?

[Guest KenG]

Jason is not providing updates for AIRAC cycles anymore. I've used Richard's files without any noticeable problems. I haven't used Prabal's for PIC (didn't know he was actively making them for PIC) but have used them for other aircraft.

[Guest]

Does that mean we can use the very same navdatabase with whatever aircraft PIC767, PSS series, etc... or flight planning applications FSBuild, etc...?Bien amicalementMichelKSEA

[Guest Martin]

Not really, since they don't use the same format, and the navdata is sometimes specialised to the different aircraft (like leaving out runways that are too short for the 767 for example).MartinIt's a lot like life and that's what's appealing

[Vulcan 14]

There are also differences between Prabal and Richard's data.I flight plan with FSNav (Richard's data) but if I try to input that flight plan into the PSS Airbus or DF 737 (Prabal's data) I often get errors with the airway/fixes, especially in Europe where these things tend to change with the monthly cycle.It would be so much easier if a/c designers used one common format of data so we would only need one set and maybe Prabal and Richard could work together and ease the workload on each of them.

[Guest MB327]

Many of us, including me, are using Jason's updated data that was released with the FS2002 patch. I have been all over and back with it and apart from a slight varation with the OBS for some runways, it is serving very nicely.Download item "9" from this page.http://wilcopub.com/nonfls/Download.htm

[ErnieAlston 33]

I think the problem would be worse if Richrd and Prabal were working together.If Richard depends on Prabal or visa versa then there's no update on either side if one of them is too busy with other things to do his part.Ernie.

[Vulcan 14]

Just shows you can put two interpretations on a simple idea Ernie :-)My thought was that as both are often away on trips if one or the other knew they would be away the other could pick up where the project was 'stalled'.However I have no idea what is involved with producing this data for us nor how automated the system is; this may preclude any handing over of tasks.

[Vulcan 14]

Mike,That 'original' data may be OK in the US where, I think, very little changes between AIRAC cycles, but in Europe things change at every cycle.Heck, I even have differences between what FSNav shows me and what the FMC's that use Prabal's data will accept, and that's using the same cycle!Rgds

[Guest jase439]

Your observations regarding Europe are perhaps one of the more frustrating aspects of maintaining accurate navdata on a monthly basis. Alot - and I mean *ALOT* - will buy European airway charts and *insist* up one side and down the other that such-n-such airway passes through waypoint X, not Y. I can't tell you how many, "you're wrong, I'm right, cuz my charts say so" mails I've received to this effect. Sometimes the data is legitimately in error - and where it is, I tried to correct it, but I would venture that 90+% of the e-mails I would get to this effect were due to the user's unawareness of a recently enacted NOTAM. I usually ended up doing the legwork and sending a copy of the NOTAM to the individual (which was almost always answered with silence :). This starts to get old in a hurry.Europe literally has scores of changes every cycle. I think this can be attributed to the sheer number of small countries, some with very dense population areas, all clustered together in a single geographical area of the globe. Every government has its own say about where an airway flows and how traffic moves in an out of its airspace.Contrast this with the US and Canada, where 2 government bodies control all of North America. You just don't see anywhere near the volatility that you see in Europe. Most of the AIRAC changes in the US pertain to local airport conditions (runway closures, construction, ILS freq. changes, etc...)J

[Vulcan 14]

Jason,I know your frustrations :D I try to flightplan as accurately as possible using FSNav and mainly fly in Europe from a UK base.Routes into and out of UK are easy to plan because we have access to an excellent free on-line rw resource. Problems started with the introduction of RADs. I have their web site bookmarked and can get the latest AIRAC cycle changes but have yet to find any 'preferred routes' for Europe.Out of the UK I now tend to let FSNav autogenerate the route, which will respect one-way airways, and then modify the route to take account of the latest AIRAC changes. The route is further modified when I try to enter it into any FMC that uses Prabal's data where the differences between the two sets of data show up.As I said in my post I have no idea how automated the process of changing the 'raw' data into 'usable' data is but if it is all done manually I don't envy you guys :-) but do value your contributions even more.UK Chartshttp://www.ais.org.uk/uk_aip/html/mainsel.htmUK Standard routeshttp://195.217.206.173/uk_aip/Srd/SRDDOC.pdfRADshttp://www.cfmu.eurocontrol.be/rad/index.htmRgds

[ErnieAlston 33]

>Just shows you can put two interpretations on a simple idea Ernie >My thought was that as both are often away on trips if one or the other knew they would be >away the other could pick up where the project was 'stalled'.That's a good point, if they were both using the same data source then that might be doable, but clearly they don't have the same source.I doubt Richard would be allowed access to the data Prabal has access to I think Prabal has access though his job. In Prabal's case if he were to switch jobs he might not be able to have access to the data anymore, then poof no more updates. So its probably good that we have more than one data provider.But still we are extremely fortunate to have access to this data, and have updates as well.My opinion is we should ony have updates once or twice a year instead of trying to keep up with every cycle. That to me is the real problem. As long as we are all using the same data it shouldn't matter very much if we are behind a few cycle it is. Its when some people are using the latest data and others are not that we have problems.Ernie.

[Guest Martin]

Also remember that many VATSIM division sites have flight plans in and out of their region, and usually they are pretty good.MartinIt's a lot like life and that's what's appealing

[Vulcan 14]

>My opinion is we should ony have updates once or twice a year instead of trying to keep up with every cycle. As long as we are all using the same data it shouldn't matter very much ...

[Vulcan 14]

First place I look Martin when planning a new route, but as you know Martin not all sites are equal :-)