I just had a great flight from Yakutat to Sitka. The current weather had snow and 1.5 nm visibility and 200 foot overcast at my destination, so I went back a couple of hours and used historical weather which was much milder.

 

Everything looked really great. Smooth Cloud Transitions did a good job, except for a couple of things.

 

Twice I saw clouds popping while I was looking at them. Now, I'm used to seeing some cloud popping when I first look in a direction, but this was the first time I saw the clouds actually do a major change while I was watching. Also, after I landed (screen shot before I turned off the runway) the clouds changed by the time I got to the parking spot (with another screen shot). Not major, but quite different.

 

I was flying under some major clouds during the trip, and suddenly noticed they'd mostly gone away. A view outside the aircraft to the rear and around my plane showed the remnants of dissipating clouds. I'm assuming this is normal when a METAR changes somewhere, although FlightWatch radio still had the same report. Probably due to some advanced interpolation for my current position and a changed METAR somewhere else.

 

I got tired of waiting for Hifi to implement wind/baro/temp smoothing in Smooth Cloud Transitions and registered FSUIPC. This was the first flight with FSUIPC. I did notice the wind direction (with Shift-Z) fluttered around a lot, changing by a couple of degrees back and forth for a lot of the flight. I'm assuming this is a FSUIPC problem, but it's nothing to complain about.

 

I'm still amused the FlightWatch radio gives weather at the station on the ground now, rather than the weather at my aircraft's location and altitude. This is gonna make quite a change in flying.

 

So a couple of things: I'm wondering why I saw cloud popping at all (should change over 30 seconds in that depiction mode) and why Hifi didn't implement a similar method of wind/baro/temp smoothing as is used in FSUIPC. Two possible issues: historical weather and using FSUIPC's smoothing functions (although nothing else).

 

Hook

Some additional info:

 

I'd previously made five flights on the same route, this was my sixth. I did another three flights in the same area, all with Smooth Cloud Transitions. A couple of the flights were with historical weather. None was with FSUIPC. This was the only time I saw clouds change while I watched.

 

These were my first flights with Smooth Cloud Transitions; I had been using DWC previously.

 

Hook

Just did another flight, same route, same historical weather but an hour later so I could watch the weather deteriorate as I approached. I didn't see any cloud shifts or popping, but I did get to see clouds very slowly fading out as I passed a couple of times, which is a cool effect. Maybe the previous flight was a fluke.

 

Edit to add: I noticed after I landed the previous flight where the clouds popped, the BBQ place wasn't at the airport (PASI). My last fight it was there, and it's always been there before. Data corruption? Thanks FSX.

 

Hint: you don't want to try to land through hills with visibility 3/4, 200 foot ceiling and snow when your only useful instrument is an ADF. In a DC-3. Welcome to the wonderful world of Alaska bush flying.

 

I gotta say the SP2 clouds are gorgeous.

 

Hook

And fog, and turb + updraft / downdraft... Wind and temp aloft variation also extremely smooth...

Hi Larry,

 

Please check this link as it might explain why you are getting occasional cloud "pops" in smooth cloud transition mode, with a suggested resolution: http://www.hifitechinc.com/forums/showthread.php?293-Fixing-FSX-Cloulds-Pop-Flashing-In-and-Out-of-scenes

Please check this link as it might explain why you are getting occasional cloud "pops" in smooth cloud transition mode, with a suggested resolution

 

I checked that out but didn't implement it. Thanks for the info though. I remember seeing it on Avsim when it was first posted. I suspect it fixes the problem where clouds disappear and reappear in the same place, which I don't mind seeing occasionally. My problem with that the sky would change completely. If I see more of that, I'll try the fix.

 

Ok, with the newest beta version, 4726, I haven't seen any cloud changes like before. I've been alternating DWC and Smooth Cloud Transition modes on each flight. I've discovered that the clouds work great in Smooth.

 

For example, I take off with DWC and Prevent Cloud Redraws and Local Station Writes. The weather is clear. There are no clouds anywhere in the sky. After a while I fly into overcast and snow. I can see the buildup of clouds in the distance, but it's much smaller than I expect. When I get close, suddenly I'm under an overcast layer that extends in all directions as far as I can see, with no real transition. Not what I expected. The winds and visibility changes are quite smooth, though.

 

I take off on the same flight, same historical weather with Smooth Cloud Transitions, and while the sky is clear overhead, off in the distance I can see clouds from storms. There is also some random cloud coverage over the ocean in the other direction, and it's very similar in every flight. During the flight I fly through occasional cloud cover, probably generated because there are weather stations with some clouds off my flight path, as it's usually the same. The effect is very good, excellent, in fact. When I get close to the overcast and snow storm, I can see it building in the distance, and it's the proper size. Suddenly I'm in snow, and the visibility changes almost instantly. I get some bad wind shifts if I don't use FSUIPC to smooth the winds. I can live with the visibility change.

 

You can try the flight yourself. Fly from Yakutat to Sitka, PAYA to PASI, and follow the coast line. I fly about 145 to 155 knots TAS at 2500 feet, and it takes about 2 hours clock time. Set the weather to November 18, 2012 at 0600 GMT. FlightWatch radio gives reports from PAYA, PASG for a couple of minutes, PAEL for quite a while, then from PASI. There may be reports from other stations very briefly; I thought I heard PAOH once. There are large areas that are away from weather stations, and AS2012 in Smooth mode does a great job of interpolating the weather and displaying something that looks very reasonable.

 

You guys have done a really outstanding job here.

 

Hook

When I get close, suddenly I'm under an overcast layer that extends in all directions as far as I can see, with no real transition.

 

This is not normal in B4276. With IFR/High Alt profile, or with DWC ON, Prevent Cloud Redraws ON, and Local Station Writes with DWC ON, there should be a 30 second transition for any change in cloud formations. Station updates are also "suppressed" for any station within 20 miles. So any instant changing of cloud conditions at your position is not normal and cannot be duplicated here at this point, but if you can duplicate such behavior please provide details so we can investigate.

 

Thanks for the words!

I'll continue the DWC discussion on the official support forums.

 

Another thing that impressed me was flying the A2A Cub at about 3000 feet through Merrill Pass, from PASV to 9AK3, using Smooth depiction. About halfway between PASV and the lake at the southeast end of the mountains there were patches of ground fog, or at least some very low stratus clouds. This is 20 miles from the weather station at PASV and much farther from any other station. They have been there in a couple of flights in the same place, and one flight had more near the lake 30 miles from PASV and a third flight had more in the mountains to the south when I was flying the opposite direction. There is no way a METAR could suggest these unless there was some very sophisticated interpolation going on for areas outside normal METAR coverage.

 

Hook