Kyle's Excellent PFPX Tutorial!

[Frankophile 1]

well for one is the realistic dispatch reports tailored to the airline. Winds aloft is another. there is more but obviously it wont matter here.

Well you are not quite right here Michael. I regularly print Ryanair and Lufthansa reports that are available if you look. Its unrealistic to think that individual reports would be available for every airline but more are coming onstream

well for one is the realistic dispatch reports tailored to the airline. Winds aloft is another. there is more but obviously it wont matter here.

Well you are not quite right here Michael. I regularly print Ryanair and Lufthansa reports that are available if you look. Its unrealistic to think that individual reports would be available for every airline but more are coming onstream

[elmucki 32]

Well you are not quite right here Michael. I regularly print Ryanair and Lufthansa reports that are available if you look. Its unrealistic to think that individual reports would be available for every airline but more are coming onstream

Well you are not quite right here Michael. I regularly print Ryanair and Lufthansa reports that are available if you look. Its unrealistic to think that individual reports would be available for every airline but more are coming onstream

Its unrealistic to think that individual reports would be available for every airline but more are coming onstream?

 

- i never said that. i said they have reports for the airlines they do have.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

well for one is the realistic dispatch reports tailored to the airline. Winds aloft is another. there is more but obviously it wont matter here.

 

Realistic dispatch reports are offered, and you can even create your own custom templates to match whatever airline you so choose.  I don't recall that being a function of SimBrief.

 

It's kinda nice, actually:

http://www.flightsimsoft.com/downloads/Flight_Plan_Template_Guide.pdf

 

Wind aloft reports (and calculations) are also offered.  I'm really curious as to how (or why, namely) someone would release something as in-depth of a product as PFPX without including a wind aloft report or calculation...

 

As I mentioned earlier, it's much more in-depth than SimBrief.  There are a ton more features that SimBrief does not have, but SimBrief is still a very good product, particularly because it's free.  The only categories in which it is actually better are access and price.  I can use it from any computer, and it's free (excepting the fact that you have to pay to update the AIRAC, but that's inconsequential if you have a subscription to Navigraph like I do).

 

I'd argue that it's better than anything else out there for the needs of your average simmer (you know, the ones who get bent out of shape if they fly a DAL flight with a UAL OFP because it's "not realistic," but then go and autoland 90% of the time), but I can't see how it's better than PFPX overall.

[SimBrief 25]

SimBrief isn't better than PFPX overall, it isn't designed to be either. I believe I designed SimBrief with a slightly different goal than PFPX's developers.

 

SimBrief is intended to replicate flight planning more from an airline pilots perspective. In real life, the dispatcher does all the flight planning, and the pilot simply gets to the crew room, prints/reads the OFP, and heads out. Unless they take issue with something the dispatcher planned, they don't generally participate in the flight planning process. I programmed as much automation into SimBrief as I could to achieve this "feel", at the expense of the level of customization (though I have been gradually adding more options as requests come in). PFPX lets you play the role of the dispatcher, and offers complete customization as a result.

 

Despite having less features overall, SimBrief does have a (slight) edge over PFPX in certain areas. I think what the earlier poster was referring to is that SimBrief's OFP layouts are truer to the real airline OFPs. While PFPX does offer the template system (which I think is a great feature), it comes at the expense of limited flight plan variables. In PFPX, some formats have little inaccuracies due to a variable not being available through the template system, or a variable that can't be customized exactly the right way. I also don't believe that PFPX can customize the NOTAM and weather section layout like SimBrief does, correct me if I'm wrong on that.

 

Please don't take this as "bashing" PFPX in any way, I own it and I think its a great program. Obviously I use SimBrief for my flights, but that's normal since I designed it to my own specifications.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

 

 

Please don't take this as "bashing" PFPX in any way, I own it and I think its a great program. Obviously I use SimBrief for my flights, but that's normal since I designed it to my own specifications.

 

I don't take it that way, and I'm hoping you saw my commentary similarly, despite the average simmer comment (that was aimed more at the fact that they probably wouldn't appreciate some of the advanced planning stuff in PFPX, and not at all at the idea that your site is gamey or child's play).

 

There's a reason I have an account and a current AIRAC updated on your site.  I use it because it offers what I need.  Great work, honestly.

[SimBrief 25]

I don't take it that way, and I'm hoping you saw my commentary similarly, despite the average simmer comment (that was aimed more at the fact that they probably wouldn't appreciate some of the advanced planning stuff in PFPX, and not at all at the idea that your site is gamey or child's play).

 

Thanks Kyle, don't worry I wasn't taking issue with any of your comments.

 

I do feel like SimBrief gets dismissed too quickly by some other simmers though. People assume that because it's "freeware", it must be less accurate and/or vastly inferior to PFPX, when in fact it's every bit as accurate, only less customizable, with a few less features, and a simpler UI. People are always quick to recommend PFPX right off the bat, but rarely do they recommend even trying SimBrief first. For the more casual or time-constrained simmers, SimBrief may well fit the bill and save them from paying for features they might never use anyways.

 

I don't normally post these thoughts since my intent isn't to "steal" PFPX's customers or otherwise affect their sales. That's never been my goal, it's just a bit unfortunate that we ended up releasing our offerings at around the same time last year. Hopefully my site popping up didn't cause them any distress, though I suspect they've still managed to do quite well based on the number of PFPX users out there.

 

Anyways this has gotten off topic, thanks for your contributions to the FS community! I think it's safe to say that few have helped as many simmers with your tutorial videos and forum posts as you have.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

 

 

For the more casual or time-constrained simmers, SimBrief may well fit the bill and save them from paying for features they might never use anyways.

 

Yeah, I have both, but there are certain days that I know I'll be pressed for time later in the day, so I'll plan the flight on a break at work (which I can even manage to do on my phone reasonably well, too, if needed) and pull it up on my computer at home without wasting the extra time with PFPX.  Like I was saying earlier, the portability is unmatched.  I definitely like that aspect of it.

 

 

 

Anyways this has gotten off topic, thanks for your contributions to the FS community! I think it's safe to say that few have helped as many simmers with your tutorial videos and forum posts as you have.

 

haha - wasn't even aware the illustrious Derek Mayer was aware of them.  Much appreciated!