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ErichB

Magnetic variation updates for FS9 and FSX

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I would really hope they would expand and provide updates to a region other than just western Europe. I never fly there. I have an annoying time trying to match fsx's flight planner nav log data to the data i get from route finder or flight aware. :(

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I just installed the updated magvar data file on that site. It does offer an update for VOR/NDB in Western Europe only but my understanding is that the magvar file is for the whole world. The download also includes a program to adjust magvar to a given year up to and including 2014 based on the author's mathematical algorithm. I was having a problem in that the FMC was setting the course heading on localizers according to the FSX menu map files for the airport. These can be as much as 6 degrees (Anchorage, for example) different from current RW. After installing the replacement file, however, though I notice that all my magnetic headings for the runways are appearing correctly in the FSX scenery, they still are showing wrong in the FSX menu map file and it seems that FMC reads the course settings from there. I went into FDE and noticed that airport properties was listing an out of date(?) variation factor so I corrected it, recompiled the airport and reloaded FSX but there was NO CHANGE= still wrong in the menu file! If a variation was coded into each original FSX airport file, wouldn't the corrected FDE file which loads on top of the original fix that or is that a hard coded value in the original Airport file that is not affected by any overlays? I am out of ideas, but think this is critical because adding new scenery files to keep abreast with RW will be useless if an outdated magvar of those airports for some reason is LOCKED into FSX.

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Interesting, but also problematic... unless you plan to update all the runway numbers by hand of those runways who's heading have changed enough to warrant renumbering...


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Seeing as my VFR Sectionals are from 2004/5 and my WACs from 2000, it's probably better to keep the old database :) But this is definitely something to look into for those that want maximum realism and accuracy.


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Interesting, but also problematic... unless you plan to update all the runway numbers by hand of those runways who's heading have changed enough to warrant renumbering...
If you renumber the runways then I belevce you have to change all the approaches that use them.

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Of course, there's always that old stand-by: Keep repeating to yourself "this is only a toy, this is only a toy, this is...."

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Guest jahman
Of course, there's always that old stand-by: Keep repeating to yourself "this is only a toy, this is only a toy, this is...."
And "MS FLight is just a few months away" :( Cheers, - jahman.

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And "MS FLight is just a few months away" Big Grin.gif Cheers, - jahman.
Yeah, that's what they said a few months ago too.

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Guest jahman
Yeah, that's what they said a few months ago too.
Well, it's as true now as it was then... :Big Grin:Cheers,- jahman.

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And "MS FLight is just a few months away" Big Grin.gif
Great, but I don't want to wait the next couple of years for good addons where in FSX still many many airports are missing i.e. It's not my intention flying with the Cessna lawn-mower over standard airports.LOL.gif

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Guest jahman
Great, but I don't want to wait the next couple of years for good addons where in FSX still many many airports are missing i.e. It's not my intention flying with the Cessna lawn-mower over standard airports.LOL.gif
True, provided FSX add-ons will be incompatible with Flight.Cheers,- jahman.

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Great, but I don't want to wait the next couple of years for good addons where in FSX still many many airports are missing i.e. It's not my intention flying with the Cessna lawn-mower over standard airports.LOL.gif
Great quote. Yeah simmers have had it good and so FLIGHT will need some Add ons pretty quickly instead of default crap.Hopefully they embrace the top developers early on.. If they havnt then that is a steaming bad move by MS.

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snip----------------- I went into FDE and noticed that airport properties was listing an out of date(?) variation factor so I corrected it, recompiled the airport and reloaded FSX but there was NO CHANGE= still wrong in the menu file! If a variation was coded into each original FSX airport file, wouldn't the corrected FDE file which loads on top of the original fix that or is that a hard coded value in the original Airport file that is not affected by any overlays? I am out of ideas, but think this is critical because adding new scenery files to keep abreast with RW will be useless if an outdated magvar of those airports for some reason is LOCKED into FSX.
The Mag values in the Airport AP9/APX bgls were not coded by MS per airport. They use the Magdec.bgl which is in Regions of the world for variation. MS did not make FS so we can update the Mag Variation since multiple BGL's have to be changed. Example: You cannot move a VOR, NDB, WAYPOINT or Marker because it will duplicate and cause a CTD. However you can change the VOR Mag Variation in the XML properties but the whole world would have to be updated so the headings from/to would agree between Regions. Each component that uses a Mag Value gets its data from different types of bgl's. The runway mag heading is a fixed value based on the true heading. The only way to change runway mag heading is to change true heading and that will then misalign the physical runway. Anytime someone says they have updated the Mag Variation of FS9 or FSX be careful when using the files. jim

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Mentioned on the PMDG forums by Ryan - in case no one has seen it. http://hsors.pagespe...fr/navaids.html
The Author of these Mag update files states there are known issues
KNOWN PROBLEMSReplacement of stock navaids BGL files has known side effects on FS generated flight plans and FS map display.Due to the fact FS9 also uses BGLs that contain airway definitions (not updated by this project) and that some airport BGL files may still contain invalid references to some nonexistent VOR or NDB, FS9 flight planning usually fail and may result in crashing the simulator. Loading an already existing PLN file may have similar effects. Switching to map view may also crash the simulator in some areas.In order to avoid this problem, as much as possible, you will have to deactivate airway depiction and sometimes also intersections on the Flight Planner and Map screens.
This warning should be for both FS9 and FSX. The end result is Navaids duplicate and cause problems in the route structure of the Victor and Jet Airways. The Companion WAYPOINTS for each NAVAID does not get moved and the airways causes FS to crash in certain areas of flight. jim

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