Now, for a couple of months I have been playing around with FSX, PMDG 737 and Radar Contact. What an amazing world J

 

I use SimBrief for flight planning, but I would like to raise the bar a bit and expect to buy PFPX.

 

Q1:

I would like to have updated navdata. I plan to get a subscription for Navigraph. On their web site I find updates for PFPX and PMDG, but FSX is not on the list. How is FSX getting updated?

 

Q2:

Does PFPX has any limitation (compared to FSbuild) concerning europe?

FSX does not need to be updated.  Just the addons like PMDG, PFPX, etc.

 

Read up on PFPX before purchase.  It is really raising the bar and it crashed my PMDG 777 as it throws in weights, fuel, passengers and makes the aircraft extremely realistic during flight.  I'm uninstalling PFPX as I cannot handle that much realism.  I have too many other things going on and do not have the dedicated time to study realism in-depth.  I'm going to see if I can trash the realism part and just get a simple and realistic flight plan.

 

Best regards,

FSX does not need to be updated.  Just the addons like PMDG, PFPX, etc.

 

 

What on earth are you talking about? Of course you need to update the nav data in the sim, as well as updated afcad files with the latest frequencies.

Now, for a couple of months I have been playing around with FSX, PMDG 737 and Radar Contact. What an amazing world J

 

I use SimBrief for flight planning, but I would like to raise the bar a bit and expect to buy PFPX.

 

Q1:

I would like to have updated navdata. I plan to get a subscription for Navigraph. On their web site I find updates for PFPX and PMDG, but FSX is not on the list. How is FSX getting updated?

 

Q2:

Does PFPX has any limitation (compared to FSbuild) concerning europe?

 

Q1:

FSX does and will not need to be updated by Navigraph because only those add-ons which use Navdata properly (such as PFPX, PMDG and many others) need regular updates.

Therefore You only get updates for these dedicated 3rd party add-ons which can use this data properly!

 

Maybe You want to update the magnatic variation and navaids in FSX though, which can be quite useful!

For further info please feel free to read here:

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/336155-magnetic-variation-updates-for-fs9-and-fsx/

 

Q2 - i can't say anything regarding FS Build, because i do not have it.

But so far i have not encountered any limitations in PFPX!

In fact:

I think it is a real fantastic tool!

But indeed:

It really takes some time and effort to get into it!

Maybe have a look at some of the videos and tutorials such as this one here at first (and there are many more):

 

But again - i like PFPX very much ... Only my two cents though!

Cheers, Christoph

 

What on earth are you talking about? Of course you need to update the nav data in the sim, as well as updated afcad files with the latest frequencies.

 

But this has nothing to do with what Navigraph does, as updating AFCAD files and frequencies and all that is something completely different!

 

Maybe i am mistaken, but i think You refer to updating magnatic variation data (as i have pointed out above too) and then updating frequencies and navaids and all that.

For more info, please feel free to have a look at this great website here:

http://www.aero.sors.fr/navaids.html

(It is also mentioned in the fantastic PMDG topic linked above, but to make things a bit more structured i think it is okay to mention it here too)

 

Anyways, again saying:

This all has nothing to do with what Navigraph (or any other Navdata provider) is supposed to do.

Again - only my two cents though!

 

Cheers, Christoph

 

 

 

 

 

 

What on earth are you talking about?

 

How wrong you are!  He is talking about NAVDATA from Navigraph, not new AFCADS.

 

Best regards,

What on earth are you talking about? Of course you need to update the nav data in the sim, as well as updated afcad files with the latest frequencies.

  .... and how do you propose doing that?   :Thinking:

To this day many are still confused about updating Navdata.

 

Unless you fly on a server like VATSIM, which uses updated data, you do NOT need to update anything because FSX uses it's own 7 year database that will never be updated, and thats ALL FSX reads.

 

It isnt current  but it is what it is, as far as FSX is concerned it's still 2006. Personally as long as FSX reads a frequency, I could care less what has changed, this ain't the real world, it's a sim, sorta :-)

But if you're reading current charts and flying offline there will be a discrepancy.  If all he does is use ILS and VOR approaches and non RNAV STARS/DP's he'll not really notice a difference.  But with RNAV many terminal procedures and RNAV STARS are available with updated navigraph for PMDG, Aerosoft, etc etc.

OK, just to clairy. I am using SID's and STARs.

 

The reason why I ask if FSX should't be updated is "Radar Contact". As I understand it, Radar Contact has it one internal database, build from the information in FSX. Thus if I use a flight plan tool with updated information, should Radar Contact also be updated with updated information from FSX.

 

I undestand that PFPX has a learning curve, but I accept this. PMDG 737 had a learning curve compared to the FSX 737, but now I would never dream about using the FSX version of 737 :-)

If you want to use up to date navdata for SID's etc. you have to purchase those from the various vendors that offer those.

 

For Radar Contact, make sure you run the little utility makerunways (this may not be the exact name, but I'm not at my sim PC right now. This utility will ensure RC knows of all airports/scenery installed (both default and add-on, incl. their AFCADS).

 

Once you plan your route with updated navdata, load it into RC and you should be good to go.

 

Cheers,

Pete

Radar Contact doesn't have a Navaid database that needs to be updated. It just reads the lat/long coordinates of each waypoint in your flight plan. That's how it knows where you are in relation to your flight plan. Only thing like that RC needs is the "makerwys" utility the previous post mentioned.

PFPX is an awesome program. Albeit it is a bit confusing at first put there is a very simple way to plan flights with it. I have used it exclusively with the PMDG 737 and have been very pleased with the results. 

 

I just need to learn how to set up the FMC correctly with the data that is put in there from PFPX and I think I will be good to go hahah. 

But if you're reading current charts and flying offline there will be a discrepancy.  If all he does is use ILS and VOR approaches and non RNAV STARS/DP's he'll not really notice a difference.  But with RNAV many terminal procedures and RNAV STARS are available with updated navigraph for PMDG, Aerosoft, etc etc.

 

Indeed Ryan

... and ...

 

To this day many are still confused about updating Navdata.

 

Unless you fly on a server like VATSIM, which uses updated data, you do NOT need to update anything because FSX uses it's own 7 year database that will never be updated, and thats ALL FSX reads.

 

It isnt current  but it is what it is, as far as FSX is concerned it's still 2006. Personally as long as FSX reads a frequency, I could care less what has changed, this ain't the real world, it's a sim, sorta :-)

 

... sure Jay:

It is (only) a sim, but(!):

 ... well talking about getting it all as real as it gets ... :wink:

... why spending so much time, money and effort for navdata such as it is provided by Navigraph for instance, so to be fully up-to-date in regards to current SID's and STAR's but then flying alongside a really outdated grid regarding magnetic variation in FSX and even worse - outdated navaids for instance?

Just one example:

If i recall correctly PANC, Anchorage Intl., does not(!) have the TED VOR at 113,15 available in FSX, but the TED VOR is very important for all kind of departurs and arrivals at PANC.

Well, updating the navaids changes this!

And the missing TED VOR (again if i recall correctly) is just one example as it is also true for many other navaids in the aging FSX.

 

Therefore i again want to point out this great site here, which i also mentioned in my previous post (i know i am repeating myself now ^_^) and although all this is nothing new, but anyways - and as i consider it really useful:

http://www.aero.sors.fr/navaids.html

 

... now i am mentioning this again simply because all it takes to get FSX "up to date" regarding magnetic variation and navaids and all that to better fit for all the data provided by Navigraph an other navdata provider, can be found there.

And it is quite an - overall - easy procedure, which just takes a few minutes.

So checking it out may realy be worth it!

 

And as pointed out in #10 by Pete here:

"Makerunways" is indeed a great and most useful - and easy to use - "tool" too!

 

And regarding PFPX ...

It takes some time indeed - also reading the manuals is a must and also doing some research all over the web might be required.

But once used to it, it is a real great tool which enhances the overall immersion of flightsimming significantly in my opinion.

I also found these two PFPX tutorials put together by one of the VATSIM members here very helpful:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSX5FZ5fNMM#t=224

 

 

Okay, after having repeated myself here in this post now but at least also having provided two links for, in my opinion, very informative, help- and useful tutorial videos, i think i have nothing else to add to this interesting and informative discussion here.

So:

Happy flyings and landings to all of You,

Christoph

I don't update Navdata every cycle but I've found it's worth syncing all your addons to the same cycle, so that you can be confident that the SIDs/STARs etc you get from FSBuild or PFPX are the same as NGX or Airbus uses.  

I've also used the free airport design editor (ADE) to update ILS frequencies and courses that FSX uses to match your Navdata.  I've come unstuck on a few flights where the FSX ILS frequencies don't match what the NGX database says and end up aborting the approach when the glideslope doesn't show up!

Just getting started with PFPX but having the weather maps and map to select the right SIDs and STARs is a big plus compared to FSBuild.

Just to stick in my Fourpenny's worth, I've just flown my 737-800NGX into JFK on a Parch1 STAR using the stock airfield provided by FSX.  I'm on Airnav 1310.  Yesterday  I couldn't work out what was happening, as when I activated VOR/LOC the A/C swung onto a heading that didn't align with the runway.  Weather was good, so flew it in manually, but also noticed no VASI/PAPPI lights.

I pulled up the stock airport on ADE, and found the ILS as supplied by Microsoft was misaligned and PAPPI lights were missing on 22R as informed by AIRNAV.  Reflew the same route today, and found that were I to use the NAVIGRAPH data to fly the approach, I would again miss the runway.  I plotted the coordinates given for MATTR and CORVT and they are displaced from the runway.  I checked the runway position, both with AIRNAV and Google Maps, but all was well, so I'm confused.  Nothing new there.  Anyone got any ideas?