G'day Einar and welcome to the Avsim fora where you will encounter all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures such as the etiquette police and the grammar cops, a few trolls , some pretty high-brow know-it-alls but in general you will find this a hugely informative and mostly friendly place.



The signing your posts rule is simply a way to promote an air of camaraderie among PMDG users. Yes, the mods may delete posts if they are not signed but as long as one is polite and non-aggressive in tone people really won't bother with minor details like that. In any case it's always nice to know who you are conversing with instead of some nameless faceless oddball nickname.

 

Had a good laugh reading this! Well written and perfectly summed up sir!

Hi Einar, and welcome mate. Here is what I use and there is a video link at the bottom to see it in action.

 

Flight Planning

 

Aivlasoft EFB (using the integrated flight plan generators)

 

PFPX

 

SimBrief ( http://www.simbrief.com/system/briefing.php ) it's free

 

ATC

 

ProATC (it's the only one as far as I'm concerned)

 

Interaction

 

FS2Crew (I cannot fly without it, try it once and you will see what I mean)

 

Opus (for weather and DHM cams, just amazing)

 

DreamTeam GSX (Watch the Vid)

 

FSCaptain

 

SimPhysics X

 

Virtual Airlines

 

KLM Royal Dutch Virtual Airlines ( http://www.klmroyaldutchvirtualairlines.com/ )

 

British Airways Virtual ( http://www.bavirtual.co.uk/index.php?r=site/about&view=about )

 

Virtual Norwegian ( http://www.virtualnorwegian.net/index.php/ )

 

FlyUK ( http://www.flyuk.aero/en/index.php?page=home )

 

FedEx ( http://www.fedexvac.org/ )

 

Jet Connect ( http://flyjcva.weebly.com/ )

 

Video

 

Instead of FSCaptain, I would suggest to join a VA, but thats your call:-) I for one, enjoy flying with a VA ACARS much more than I ever did with FSCaptain.

I agree totally with that, VA is defo the way to go. also RCv4 is dated but still pretty good and you can use SIDS/STARS with it. I tried the free trial of VoxATC and did not like it one bit, the voice activation is a disaster and very unrealistic clearances.

While I'm planning on eventually getting pfpx myself and getting on Vatsim, right now I'm "limping by" with simbrief and default ATC.  I've actually got it working fairly well in most cases.  If you download and install the intersection fixes update at http://www.aero.sors.fr/navint.html that will help you out in FSX being able to see all the newer fixes for the most part.  However be aware that especially since it duplicates a number of fixes in addition to adding the new ones it can severely break the internal planner's ability to auto-generate a route.  

 

It doesn't crash but much of the time it will tell you it couldn't find a route using airways and to try direct or vor to vor.  That's ok though, since simbrief (free) and pfpx will export the flightplan with most of the fixes already plotted.  Then I just open it up in the FSX flight planner and drag the route to included the fixes I expect to need for the desired SID and STAR and save it.  Also would highly recommend running over to Navigraph and do at least a one time purchase of updated nav fixes which will give you access to all file formats for that cycle and download installers for PMDG, pfpx if you think you might buy it, etc.  Between that and the FSX fixes update I linked above, everything will be pretty well in sync. 

 

As far as default ATC in this setup, I know it normally tells you to fly runway heading on departure, but I've had plans where the SID called for a turn to X heading after so much altitude and immediately arming LNAV and letting the PMDG follow it has caused no grief with the default ATC.  Probably due to plotting the full path already in the flight planner.  Approach/landing is a bit tricky and sometimes I just end up cancelling the IFR plan and contacting the airport when I get in range.  Usually I can just start asking ATC for reducing the flight level by 10K feet when I get to ToD and keep doing that the whole way down.  When it tells me to "turn to X for vectors to ILS X approach" I can usually find a somewhat close approach in the "standby choose another approach" option.  Once I do that ATC will typically leave me alone as far as headings and once I'm close enough send me to the tower for the final phase.  Sometimes it still complains about my altitude though and I just ignore it at that point.

Hi OP, for what you are describing, I'd recommend joining a VA and flying on VATSIM or IVAO.