PMDG 777: Miscellaneous Questions

[James Bennett 52]

I find it incredible that your government wants to spend so much money with such an ethically poor company.

[kevinh 409]

for efb feature of charts,you can use pdfkneeboard.dll (google it) and JeppView PC.jeppview is a program that jeppesen released for actual flying and more for briefing before flight(jeppfd-ipad is for flight).in jeppview you can print-pdf charts.i have both jeppview and jeppfd in my ipad and pc and i can print pdf charts you need(if iranair let me,i will ask them to make sure its not illegal to print them for other pilots-guys outside of iranair)!then you can use 'em in your fsx using pdfkneeboard!

Jeppview is a proprietary utility, you won't be able to freely distribute pdfs from it.

 

I know we aren't supposed to mention competing products, but another add-on supplier has offered a basic EFB in the form of a chart image viewer (the one thing it won't do is view pdf) with those charts sortable into useful categories. It's surprisingly useful, though time consuming to make the images from pdf beforehand. Far better than FSX keyboard as you can zoom and slew the images.

[Budbud 227]

Hi Ryan,

 

Do you suggest using TOPCAT [which is showing it's age a little] for the takeoff performance if not using the EFB in the aircraft? OR will pmdg create their own takeoff performance manager?

 

I second that. To me it is the most interesting part of the EFB, to be able to get all the t/o data directly in the plane.

[gman1986 14]

Boeing have a free performance calculator available for the 777 on the App Store for iOS devices at least.

I'm sure once the flightsimsoft guys have created PFPX we may see some TOPCAT profiles for the 777.

[MrPlaneDriver 41]

Ryan, what is PMDG's opinion on using Navigraph charts, for example, in the EFB? Maybe you could work with Navigraph to develop a tool that allows the user to export the charts he had purchased from nDAC to a format that your EFB supports. I believe licencing would be cheaper working with another flightsim company than with real world providers, and it would also solve the chart management problem that Kyle mentioned. It would be a solution somewhere between a simple PDF reader and an EFD with real data. It's a reasonable solution, in my point of view.

[KriVa 307]

Ryan stated before that PMDG isn't exactly keen on making you pay for another addon, a key feature of one of their addons...

I guess this falls well within that category.

[phrgflyer 50]

My question:  Is TOPCAT going to modify or add for the T7?

[MrPlaneDriver 41]

Ryan stated before that PMDG isn't exactly keen on making you pay for another addon, a key feature of one of their addons...

I guess this falls well within that category.

 

That's a point, but it would work pretty much like navdata updates, but for charts. You have to pay to either Aerosoft or Navigraph to keep your AIRAC current, so I don't see much difference in paying one of those companies to provide you with charts and keep them current. It's an optional service. Even if PMDG managed to convince a real world chart provider to supply charts when you purchase the EFB pack (assuming it would be sold as a separate pack), I'm pretty sure they wouldn't agree on providing updates for free. We still would have to pay someone for that.

[davidzill 8]

Will this aircraft have just as much extensive system modelling as the NGX?

[Ashatsea 7]

EFB won't add complete realism anyway. Even the rich airlines like Emirates are getting their new 300ER's and LR's without EFB's and using the portable EFB option. Soon to be iPad for charts once they get the approval. The Boeing version is a pretty expensive customer option.

 

Assuming TopCat add the 777 which I highly doubt they won't - will be a fairly realistic piece of software to use alongside, just like it is now with other addons such as the NGX.

 

The LIDO charts look excellent on the real EFB I must say - they're even customisable! Makes Jeppesen look like they're still stuck in the 1990's (-;

I couldn't agree more...It's my understanding most major operators still get there performance data while on the ground with dispatch why would you need this in the cockpit. Plus how fesible would the moving taxi map be in the VC. You would have to run 2 monitors to see the display and look out the windows while moving.

[sidh 29]

btw, is the inflight camera system included?  

[ajpongress 467]

 

 

What would you pick if you were in management at an airline - an extremely expensive manufacturer option that's unlikely to get significant software upgrades and features, or a $500 iPad (probably far less than this if they're getting an Apple volume discount, which I'm sure they are) that can be upgraded and added onto practically to infinity?

 

Does this mean PMDG will offer an iPad as an upgrade option for the 777 at a reduced owner's price?  B)

[Airbusman330 300]

btw, is the inflight camera system included?

Doubt it since the real LR doesn't have it, that pic is from the 300ER.

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Gents-

 

I am going to kill this thread.  (Sorry Alex...)

 

I worry about "collection threads" because they begin to take on an official Q&A appearance and because folks tend to lose the understanding of the thread...

 

Additionally- it means we have to continually police them for inaccurate information.  (Example:  Nobody told you this product was in beta testing.  We have specifically NOT shared phase-of-development information.)