Flight Planning w/PFPX and the 737/777

[gpbarth 12]

This is a question for those who use PFPX and the PMDG planes. Recently I switched to PFPX for my flight planing, and I really like it. Coupled with TopCat, it really plans the flight using not just the routing but everything else in between. And then it exports the plan to my PMDG aircraft.  But right now, I'm a bit confused about how to use this application with the 737/777.  If I run PFPX first, and use it to populate the pax, cargo and fuel, then I have to go into the FMS and manually change the data there.

 

OR - should I launch FSX and the aircraft, create the load figures (fuel, pax, etc.) and then go to PFPX and enter that data manually?  PFPX doesn't differentiate classes or types of pax, PMDG does. So I'm asking if anyone up here has a preference with this stuff. Would it be better to build my load on PMDG and then carry it over to PFPX, or create the figures in PFPX (i.e. random) and then manually enter them in PMDG?

 

I'm going to post this to the PFPX forum, also.

[AirborneZed 168]

There is no need to manually enter PAX and cargo. Do this:

 

Just plan your flight then in in PFPX. Then while you're planning it, in the payload section enter in a zero fuel weight. (which is all PAX and cargo without the fuel.) OR, Click on random on the above tab.

 

 

Say it gives you 392,595 in the Zero fuel section. 

 

You then enter that in the payload page of the FMS where it says ZFW. So you would enter : 392.6  

 

(Look in the Introduction manual Page 114 if you can;t find it)

 

As for the fuel, you do the same for the release fuel on the OFP, but plug that into the FUEL page. (Intro manual page 113)

[Seme 6]

Hi Gary,

 

As David said, that´s a very good approach on how to fiddle with the weights. That´s the way Im doing it as well. Im also using FSCaptain, so that will give me the payload. I will use this figure with PFPX on the planning stage, then enter the values in the FMS as David pointed out.

Works like charm.

 

Cheers

 

Thomas

[aceridgey 330]

I would also agree with the above however I do it slightly differently.

 

I get a ZFW in mind (a range depending on what kind of flight it is) and then click random (in PFPX) until it get's roughly to where I want it 

 

Then, because the PMDG aircraft will always give you roughly the same CG for the 777 (has this changed for SP1 Ryan?) I populate cargo and pax manually until the ZFW matches up. This will give a different CG and therefore a different Takeoff Trim

 

 

Alex

[AirborneZed 168]

I would also agree with the above however I do it slightly differently.

 

I get a ZFW in mind (a range depending on what kind of flight it is) and then click random (in PFPX) until it get's roughly to where I want it 

 

Then, because the PMDG aircraft will always give you roughly the same CG for the 777 (has this changed for SP1 Ryan?) I populate cargo and pax manually until the ZFW matches up. This will give a different CG and therefore a different Takeoff Trim

 

 

Alex

I actually do the exact same. I randomize until I get a realistic ZFW scenario. Because sometimes it gives me one that's nearly empty.

[gpbarth 12]

Thanks, all! Now I have a better idea on how to use all this. Between TopCat, PFPX and PMDG, I'm feeling more like I need to go and apply for a job with one of the major airlines. B)  It's easy to spend several hours planning a flight between JFK and LAS, getting the weather, doing the routing, W&B, fuel calculations, and then entering all of the pertinent info into the 777 FMC, and contacting VATSIM for the ATC involvement. And then my wife wonders why I'm up here in the den for 4+ hours "doing nothing but playing on my computer!"

 

I love her, anyway! :wub:

[Fadamor 6]

My order of ops (737NGX) is to start ASN to get the live weather, start PFPX and plan the flight (using random payload and ASN's weather), export the FP to PMDG and print the FP. Fire-up vPilot and FSX, then when setting up the FP in the CDU I am putting in the information found on page 2 of my printed flightplan.  I enter ZFW rather than Gross weight in the payload section. This will probably result in a different amount of PAX than is in my PFPX flightplan, but as long as the weights are the same I'm happy.

[pcubine 143]

This procedure applies only to the 777 since PFPX has the capability to export winds aloft and the 777 FMC can import those winds. Correct me if I am wrong. Once a route has been built by PFPX and exported, it goes to MyDocuments/Flight Simulator X Files, PMDG/FLIGHTPLANS/777, and PMDG/WX. So the winds aloft in WX are from PFPX and are allegedly forecasted winds for the time you will arrive at a particular waypoint in your route. Next you load the flight plan into ASN. This is then exported to WX automatically. The ASN winds are a snapshot of the current winds aloft. They have over written the PFPX winds in WX. Now do the export procedure again. The ASN winds in WX will be over written by the PFPX winds and will eventually be imported into the 777 FMC.

 

So it is a question of which winds do you want to use. Snapshot (ASN) or forecast (PFPX). I used both last fall but for the past 6 months I have used PFPX winds. I don’t remember what ASN winds were like in terms of a destination ETA at TOC on a 12-16 hour flight. I know PFPX winds provide a reasonably close ETA estimate like maybe 0-20 minutes. Time acceleration will effect this comparison because you are arriving at waypoints when the forecasted winds are relatively recent.