Just wondering which program FS2004 users are using for weather in 2011. I haven't tested ASE in it's 3.0 reincarnation, since it's always been a title heavy and overloaded with unnecessary items for me. Thanks for your opinion. Dmitriy

Just wondering which program FS2004 users are using for weather in 2011. I haven't tested ASE in it's 3.0 reincarnation, since it's always been a title heavy and overloaded with unnecessary items for me. Thanks for your opinion. Dmitriy

I use ASV6.5 for FS9 and ASE for FSX - both are good, but ASV allows you to submit GEPro textures to FS, based on weather along your flightpath. ASE uses a different system that's kind of a pain to use. DJ

I use ASE 6.5 along with the included but optional ASE Graphics with its cloud set set to Weather Influenced. Some complain of cloud popping but I've never been bothered. ASE is known to be more CPU intensive but can be more visually appealing. In FS9 all interfacing to to FS weather is via FSUIPC3 and AS65 and ASE will register the features they need. Unlike FSX there is no need to use Global Weather mode which causes the entire FS world to have the same weather that is at you aircraft location. For ATC applications that look at AI patterns patterns to assign runways at destination when the assignment occurs the pattern may be established by winds when you about forty miles out instead of winds that will be effective as interpreted by the destination METAR causing a user aircraft AI conflict in runway assignments (again in FSX only). I fly routes originating in several international areas. All my saved parking states have FS time assigned weather and season with the clear weather theme. I download the weather archive for the departure Z time of the saved flight. This way the solar weather effects are for the departure time. Besides via AS65 settings, in FSUIPC you can set wind drift smoothing and speed smoothing to eliminate those sudden wind changes that can occur when crossing reporting station boundaries resulting in unstable aircraft operation due to rapid airspeed changes. I suggest you visit and browse the hi-fi sim support forum here on AVSIM to see how ASE performs. I still use Win XP on a P4 3.2GHz processor and clouds from the AS65 graphics application are not causing me any concern. Here is a sample of the complete enroute weather report for AS65 that helps with aircraft FMC setup if you have that type: If you happen to use FSBuild for a flight planner it will see this report (actually the ASE world weather snapshot) and apply it to its fuel calculator to determine enroute fuel consumption.

ASE will also integrate with GEPro for ground texture submission.

What´s about going freeware with FSrealWX lite?