Ok, does anyone know what the best settings are for airliner/NGX high altitude type flying to stop getting almost literally spun around and falling out of the sky? I just departed from ESSA en route to EKCH using historic weather. I read somewhere earlier to check all options in the GRIB section(sorry, I don't remember what they all are right now but they are all checked) on the weather download options dialogue screen. My wind shifts on climb were worse than ever. Switching from 350/80 to 190/80 almost instantly. Then, not quite so instantly swinging all over the place going almost completely around the clock 360 degrees. My A/P switched out of VNAV SPD mode and I nearly stalled at FL280. I love Opus but this winds aloft stuff is really getting annoying now. I"m sure I am just not getting some of the settings right because I know it can't be this bad for everyone. I know we may never completely eliminate FSX's bug with this but I just can't seem to find the sweet spot.

I believe in some of the latest patchs they said to disable turbulence and thermals on aircraft in your fsx weather menu did you try that ?

I know for sure that thermals are off. I've never had those on. I believe I do have turbulence on right now. I've gone back and forth with that too as well as FSUIPC turbulence. I guess the only way to get turbulence effects with Opus is to set up a view. Believe I read that somewhere. I wish that wasn't the case but, it is what it is.

Kev hey thats my middle name lol yes you have to setup the views forgot about that good catch just got rock and rolled in ngx that must be it good luck.

I believe in some of the latest patchs they said to disable turbulence and thermals on aircraft in your fsx weather menu did you try that ?

Hi Rich,

I believe it is the other way around. Also, you will only get DHM, Auto head movement, turbulence and CAT by enabling LC. The LC set up guide tells you how to do this.

I have it enabled on the NGX using the Opus supplied 737 template and works just great.

 

Cheers

Julian

Hi Kev

 

Make sure you are using the latest beta since we have introduced some new lower wind targets. If you are still getting wind shifts after trying the settings outlined below then disable GRIB data and use our simulated winds instead.

 

The possibility of wind shifts cannot entirely be ruled out, this is due to bugs in the FSX/P3D code, that's why you should always disable the 'Aircraft stress causes damage' FSX option.

 

If you are flying with the sim rate speeded up, especially above x2 then it is possible to get wind shifts. Certain aircraft sims are more susceptible to wind shifts.

 

If FSX is struggling to cope due to the number of add-on packages, detailed scenery, high defintion high resolution cloud textures (we recommend non HD low resolution textures) etc then wind shifts are more likely.

 

If you are flying low level (below 20,000 feet) then tick the Disable Update on Approach checkbox. On approach, all weather updates will be disabled for Disable Weather Update For minutes (default 10 minutes) on the final descent as soon as you descend through Disable Update when Below AGL (default 1800 feet AGL). This process is cancelled whenever you climb above Assume Cruising when Above AGL (default 2000 feet AGL).

The Max Sped Change option allows you to fine tune the surface wind smoothing by specifying the maximum allowed wind speed change every 32km. You can also specify the Max Direction Change. The default values are 30 for speed and direction change.

If you do want to adhere strictly to the METARs (with a risk of wind shifts) then set the Forced Recovery altitude (see below).

A Forced Recovery altitude allows full recovery of the reported surface winds during the final descent. The full recovery may cause a wind shift at the configured altitude, if this is not acceptable then set the altitude to 0 feet to disable it.

 

If you are flying high level (above 20,000 feet) select the Enable Wind Stabilisation option, ideally select this on the ground before a flight not during flight.

The Recovery Altitude is where the winds will attempt to recover eventually to the true surface wind, default 19,000 feet. A lower setting is advised for those experiencing very serious wind shift problems. It will allow the stabilised winds to be maintained to a much lower altitude, probably at the expense of being able to recover the current surface winds reported in the latest METARs. Wind stabilisation is enabled automatically if the user climbs above the Recovery Altitude plus 500 feet.

The maximum permitted wind direction change, Max Wind Change, can be specified (default 30 degrees change). If you do want to adhere strictly to the METARs (with a risk of wind shifts) then set the Forced Recovery altitude (see below).

A Forced Recovery altitude (default 8000 feet) allows full recovery of the reported surface winds after wind stabilisation and during the final descent from 19,000 feet. The full recovery may cause a wind shift at the configured altitude, if this is not acceptable then set the altitude to 0 feet to disable it.

If you are using GRIB data for winds/temps aloft then Sim Friendly GRIB Wind Targets should be enabled along with the Wind Stabilisation option in the Wind Smoothing dialog. The Sim Friendly GRIB Wind Targets option causes the LWE to adjust any 'sim unfriendly' wind changes in direction and speed.

The Stabilised GRIB Data option goes a step further for systems experiencing wind shifts in the cruise, and makes the GRIB forecast data static, i.e. no further GRIB upper wind/temperature forecasts are downloaded during the flight.

 

If you wish to see wing flex then you must enable the 'Advanced Animations' option (in the FSX menu option - Options, Settings, Display - Graphics tab) and also FSX turbulence (which is set via the FSX menu option - Options, Settings, Display. Select the Weather tab), there is an option for turbulence and thermal effects on the aircraft.

 

Cheryl

Cheryl,

 

Your explanation for which settings to use depending on low / high flying are great. Maybe something worth considering is adding 2 buttons to the OPUS weather tab, "Defaults Low Flying" and "Defaults High Flying" (or something similar) which when pressed would apply the settings as you described above. This would make setting up a flight depending of flying style quick and easy.

 

Regards,

Serge

Thanks for the suggestion Serge, we used to have default buttons for low and high flyers but the latest options are mainly to try and fine tune systems with wind shift problems. So it is a case of aiming for more reality and then if your system can't cope then trying to tune it to be more FSX friendly.

 

For example for low flyers you could try Disable Update on Approach unchecked and only enable it if you have wind shift problems on approach or landing. You may also seperately look at whether you need to change the default Max Speed Change and Max Direction settings. A Forced Recovery may or may not be suitable for your FSX setup.

 

For high flyers you may not need to enable Wind Stabilisation if your system can cope without it. Simularly some systems can cope with GRIB data, some with GRIB friendly data, and some can't cope with GRIB at all and use our simulated FSX friendly winds.

 

So it is really a case of trying all options to see what suits your system best.

 

Regards

Cheryl

Fair call. Something I didn't consider. Thanks for taking the time to respond Cheryl.

 

Cheers,

Serge

It is also important to enter your destination ICAO.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Once again, excellent support from Opus!!! I am now using the Stabilised GRIB Data and that seems to work for me now. I've had no major wind shifts since switching to that mode. Thanks again!

Thanks for the feedback, I hope your system will continue to be stable. FSX wind shifts are more likely in certain weather conditions so you can be happily flying for days on end without problem and then one day you will encounter a problem when certain weather conditions are met. This is the joy of developing software for FSX.

 

Regards

Cheryl