FSINN will provide you with a METAR in a gauge, though I'm not sure if that works if you are not logged on to Vatsim. IIRC vasFMC if you can find it also provides METARS through a simulated 'ACARS link'.

Since I still haven't figured out how to use OpusFSX to check the Dest WX, I continue to use this site:

http://euro.wx.propilots.net/

I check it from my smartphone while planning my approach.

Since I still haven't figured out how to use OpusFSX to check the Dest WX, I continue to use this site:

http://euro.wx.propilots.net/

I check it from my smartphone while planning my approach.

 

Simply enter the ICAO code of your destination airport into the "Destination ICAO" box of the Weather Options page. That's it! When you open the Live Weather Report from the Addons menu in FSX, you will have the option to select your destination airport. Really easy.

"Simply enter the ICAO code of your destination airport into the "Destination ICAO" box of the Weather Options page . . . "

 

Agree. It's simple, easy and a great feature. What's missing though in terms of information is the airport's active runway(s). I also use PlanG and FlightSim Commander from which I can obtain the destination airport's ATIS frequency which I tune in my radio 1 or 2 which allows me to automatically get the ATIS broadcast when the frequency becomes available. The distance from the destination airport that the frequency becomes 'live' will vary but my best mileage so far has been 96 miles (or nautical miles - I forget which). And when more than one runway is active, i.e., two parallel runways, it's a pretty safe bet that the runway closest to the aircraft is the one the tower will assign you to; at least that's been my experience so far.

 

JJ

What's missing though in terms of information is the airport's active runway(s).

 

When a field is uncontrolled, there are no active runways.

Outside of that, FSX has horrible coding to determine what runways would be active, if it's a "controlled" field (I say "controlled" because the FSX ATC is hardly realistic). Further still, would you mind finding me the active runway config at IAD right now? Unless you have a login to Passur, or a similar service, you're not going to get it (outside of your best guess from looking at FlightAware tracks, perhaps). If you have access to SOPs (not likely), you could infer it from their Runway Tables.

 

All that to say, you're not going to get a solid active runway earlier than you can hear the ATIS. If you look at the METAR/TAF, you could probably infer the runway, but your guess is as good as anyone else's that far out.

 

This simism that you know the arrival runway hundreds of miles out needs to go.

Kyle,

 

Regarding your last comment, "This simism that you know the arrival runway hundreds of miles out needs to go.", you're reading something I didn't write. I said that I tuned to my destination airport's ATIS frequency and that when it became live, I could get the current active runway information. And the keyword here is 'current'. I fully realize that while en route to the destination airport, weather will be updated and as a result, active runways may change and that nothing is certain until I can contact the tower to request permission to land at which time the tower will assign me to an active runway.

 

JJ

Simply enter the ICAO code of your destination airport into the "Destination ICAO" box of the Weather Options page. That's it! When you open the Live Weather Report from the Addons menu in FSX, you will have the option to select your destination airport. Really easy.

Thanks, found it! Too bad it only allows to add 5 destinations.

Thanks, found it! Too bad it only allows to add 5 destinations.

 

You can change them anytime while in flight. What do you need 5 destinations for?

You can change them anytime while in flight. What do you need 5 destinations for?

Just for the convenience of not going to options very often.

Regarding your last comment, "This simism that you know the arrival runway hundreds of miles out needs to go.", you're reading something I didn't write. I said that I tuned to my destination airport's ATIS frequency and that when it became live, I could get the current active runway information. And the keyword here is 'current'. I fully realize that while en route to the destination airport, weather will be updated and as a result, active runways may change and that nothing is certain until I can contact the tower to request permission to land at which time the tower will assign me to an active runway.

 

I was referring to the simism in general. While it's true, you didn't explicitly say that, I question what the point of saying this:

What's missing though in terms of information is the airport's active runway(s).

...if that it wasn't your expectation to have this information well in advance. That's all.

 

In the end here, I'm trying to separate the issues of weather. I just happened to do so while addressing your comment.

 

 

 

For the reference of everyone:

You have preflight, departure, en route, and arrival weather, that you pay attention to for very small segments of flight. A lot of simmers assume that you get one report or two and you're done: one for the departure runway (which is always in line with the wind - false), and one for the arrival runway, which you pick up en route, no matter how far away (also false).

 

Preflight (here's where you get your Outlook Brief or Weather Brief from the FSS), I'm concerned with the broad overtones of the flight. If the SID/STARS are runway dependent, which one might I get. Is there turbulence, icing, a head/tailwind? Will this require a reroute around poor en route weather? Will it likely end in a visual or instrument approach? In general, I expect the flight my flight to go off as generally good or bad.

 

Immediately prior to, and at Departure (here's where you're getting actual information over aviation weather broadcasts like ASOS/AWOS/ATIS), I'm concerned with the actual weather specifics of the flight. Primarily that of the departure weather, though some en route weather as well (mostly wind, though some en route weather if the front is large enough). Of immediate importance, are wind, temp and icing. ISA dev at top of climb and average en route winds are also helpful for the automagic.

 

En route (here's where your weather forecasts, printed before the flight, or any data feeds you have access to come into play), I'm concerned with checking the nav plan to ensure that the planned en route wind matches the actual en route wind. If I have access to weather data, I may ACARS it, or get it from Flight Watch. Closer to the destination, I'll pull up whatever layered wind I have access to and factor it in on the DESC FORECAST to get a better descent profile. ISA DEV and altimeter at the destination also aid in this. Also, if your STAR has different instructions for different runways, I always choose the option that is shorter, or shows lower altitudes. It's always easier to shallow a descent, than it is to increase it and maintain your path. Why? If you've been watching the METAR, you can assume one runway or another, but you're never sure until you're told, as I mentioned.

 

Arrival (here's where the ATIS and controller instructions come into play), I'm primarily concerned with wind versus my expected/assigned runway at that point, but also ceiling and visibility if I'm going to be making an instrument approach. Altimeter setting is both broadcast on the ATIS, or spoken by the first sector controller in the TRACON.

 

Again - spoken to everyone, and no one in particular - no pilots in the real world are told what runway to expect hours away from the destination. You can guess from the METAR/TAF, but that's not actionable. It's not like you're going to want to set that into the automagic and expect that you're going to get that (and if you're flying on VATSIM/IVAO, that's not an excuse to get huffy with a controller when they assign you another runway).

 

You're flying a flight sim to simulate being a pilot. Part of being a pilot is being flexible to the continuously changing National Airspace System (NAS) picture. You set a runway/approach in there, and the weather changed?

 

...and make the appropriate adjustments:

DEP/ARR, select the new approach. 30 second fix. You're done. You don't need to set it hundreds of miles in advance. I don't know why people want to. If you're too busy to select a runway in your descent, you're not properly managing your aircraft.

The thing with vatsim is that we can obviously look up the current atis at our destination airport, even if still far away, by using clients such as vatspy or qutescoop.

 

In real world, do dispatch have access to atis for any given airport like this ? I mean is it published somewhere on a central website or network ?

Internet Explorer.

 

go to www.google.com

 

type in the ICAO code of the airport you want to look up and "METAR"

For example:

 

KPHL METAR

 

In the case of USA, I use flightaware for checking weather.

 

Of course looking it up straight from ActiveSky is an option.

METAR is not ATIS

 

I was actually talking about ATIS, saying "Runway 10 in use" or whatever...

Many ways to get Metar info.

 

Opusfsx, Fsinn (if you fly Vatsim), active sky, the NOAA website, plus the dozens of other websites that provide metars.

 

I don't know of any gauge that does it. There was a program that allowed the default fsx kneeboard to access web pages as a very primitive browser.

You could possibly set re default kneeboard page to a site that provides a metar lookup.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone...typing errors imminent

Yes I am aware of the atis and all above methods my question is there like a gauge that u could pop info into get report last time I saw pilots have ability to get weather print in cockpit. Fsx atis not to great as it if not mistaken gives you info only 120 miles out or less. By which time u already start decent depending on cruise altitude etc.

 

So far from all answers I see everyone gets reports in various ways.

 

 

Thx

 

Andrei.

 

Then, you need "Real ATIS" for FSX. you can listen your ATIS arrival airport as far as 300nm

 

http://secure.simmarket.com/skytalkteam-real-atis-fsx.phtml