pfpx vs fscommander

[RotorWash 1]

Hi guys,

 

Thinking of purchasing a flight planner, have fscommander (free), really like the interface (only used it a little). Just wondering, is there is any reason not to buy the paid version, or should I buy pfpx (NGX & Q400 are my primary A/C, A2a 172, cherry and dodo are my secondary) ?

 

Cheers

 

Ivan

[scandinavian13 5,192]

 

 

or should I buy pfpx

 

While PFPX is very capable, and will give you basic numbers if that's all you want, it's really geared more toward realism. If you're not concerned about destination alternates, possible entering tankering fuel, or dealing with ETOPS, or playing the role of dispatcher, I'd go with something simpler.

[FlyingAxx 2]

Ivan, as Kyle said PFPX wants to be as close to professional planning as possible. This means vice versa that there are not to many different aircraft models implemented. Furthermore you will not find all airports too, just those knowing some commercial traffic. For your fleet I would recommend FSC9 as PFPX would produce plans for your NGX only.

[RotorWash 1]

While PFPX is very capable, and will give you basic numbers if that's all you want, it's really geared more toward realism. If you're not concerned about destination alternates, possible entering tankering fuel, or dealing with ETOPS, or playing the role of dispatcher, I'd go with something simpler.

Thanks Kyle, don't fly that much in Europe so ETOPS is not such a big deal. Barely have enough time to play captain, let alone dispatcher. I would like accurate destination alternates and fuel planning, does FSC9 not provide this ?

 

Ivan, as Kyle said PFPX wants to be as close to professional planning as possible. This means vice versa that there are not to many different aircraft models implemented. Furthermore you will not find all airports too, just those knowing some commercial traffic. For your fleet I would recommend FSC9 as PFPX would produce plans for your NGX only.

Thanks Axel, I did not realize that PFPX was NGX and commercial airports associated only,I need a planner for all my A/C and airports, so your recommendation is looking more likely. I hear that FSC9 fuel planner is very inaccurate ? Any good fuel planners out there that take payload into consideration. Not very realistic, but like to plan a low fuel warning on approach ?

 

Cheers

 

Ivan

[max2770 75]

PFPX can certainly produce plans for many aircraft including the Q400 and GA, but you could always try Simbrief, which is quite powerful and free.

[RotorWash 1]

PFPX can certainly produce plans for many aircraft including the Q400 and GA, but you could always try Simbrief, which is quite powerful and free.

Thanks Max, glad to hear it supports more aircraft, what about non commercial airfields and aerodromes ? SimBrief is indeed a quite powerfull flight planner and has been my predominant planner for many years, however, it does lack the bells ans whistles the payware provides ?

 

Cheers

 

Ivan

[SimBrief 25]

Barely have enough time to play captain, let alone dispatcher. I would like accurate destination alternates and fuel planning.

 

SimBrief is designed more as a pilot tool than a dispatch tool. Which is to say, a lot of work was put into automating the role that a dispatcher would play so that you, as a pilot, would only need to input the basic flight info. In return, you get a full briefing generated for you containing valid alternates, ETOPS, payload/fuel figures, etc. all pre-chosen for you by the system. If you wish to invest a bit more time planning your flight, the auto-selected parameters can be overridden in SimBrief's Dispatch Options page.

 

The interface in PFPX is much more reminiscent of real dispatch software, which makes it ideal if you wish to play the role of both the dispatcher and the pilot. It offers many more options (the learning curve is a bit higher as a result), but it can also be used to quickly churn out dispatch releases once you get a hang of it. One could argue though that if your only intent is to quickly generate a dispatch release without using the advanced options that PFPX offers, you might not be using the program to its full potential and might want to consider other, less expensive options.

 

With regards to accuracy and aircraft profiles, SimBrief's fuel planning calculations are just as accurate as PFPX's when comparing detailed aircraft profiles. All of PFPX's profiles are detailed, whereas SimBrief's profiles vary in detail and therefore in accuracy (currently about 50% of SimBrief's profiles are detailed, the rest are basic profiles). This use of basic profiles means that SimBrief can offer more aircraft types, though not all of them are guaranteed to be a 100% match to the real aircraft. A full list of available aircraft profiles for SimBrief can be found here; note how each aircraft is labelled to indicate how detailed the profile is.

 

As far as aerodrome availability goes, I have never heard of PFPX offering less airports than any other software. It uses AIRAC cycle data like every other program, logically it should therefore contain every airport/navaid/airway that the other programs do.

 

Hope this answers some of your questions,

[RotorWash 1]

Thanks Derek, I can't thank you enough for providing this superb freeware, i have used it as my preferred flight planner for many years. I guess I'm allways looking for challenges and seem to have grown a bit of a fuel fetish recently. When ever I fly, I like to try and hit the final approach fix with a low fuel warning, this is just my way of confirming my clculations are accurate. However, I'm not very good at it lol. I use SimBriefs estimates, and adjust them according to how I think ASN live weather and random payloads will effect the burn. I have hit the mark a few times, but more often than not, may have fatally injured most of my passengers on board lol. I guess I'm looking for a fuel planner that has payload and environmental options, so I can tweek my final approach fix results, if this makes any sence lol.

 

Cheers

 

Ivan

[FlyingAxx 2]

As far as aerodrome availability goes, I have never heard of PFPX offering less airports than any other software. It uses AIRAC cycle data like every other program, logically it should therefore contain every airport/navaid/airway that the other programs do.

 

Derek, FS Commander generates its database directly from your FS. Of course it's somehow not realistic and in most cases aged data too. However, as long as you don't have the chance to update all airport and navaid information within your sim it might happen that you are approaching towards a non existent runway. Principally you are right that most other planning software uses data being derived from the present real world situation (there are not too many sources).

 

 

Thanks Axel, I did not realize that PFPX was NGX and commercial airports associated only,I need a planner for all my A/C and airports, so your recommendation is looking more likely. I hear that FSC9 fuel planner is very inaccurate ? Any good fuel planners out there that take payload into consideration. Not very realistic, but like to plan a low fuel warning on approach ?

 

 

Actually, you can add "unknown" airports but up to now it only is possible to add them as waypoints. Regarding the variety of airplanes I'm not quite sure what Max is referring to when writing that planning for GA and other types is possible. You'll find the full list of templates attached.

 

[FlyingAxx 2]

I have to correct myself (too late for just editing my previous post). I just checked PFPX again and obviously the variety of selectable aircraft is meanwhile better than the templates may suggest. Max is right with his statement.

[downscc 1,327]

I really like PFPX not only for it's "dispatch" features but also for the route editor, which makes it very easy to use either a route library or create a new route. The best user interface I've seen for selecting SIDs/STARs, a drop down box lists the procedures and the direction if any then selecting instantly portrays the selection on a map to make it easy to pick the best one.

 

If I were planning a flight for a GA aircraft, I'd still use PFPX for route building but for these aircraft I've always used time for fuel planning. It has worked real world for decades for the types that I fly (piston below FL250).

[FlyingAxx 2]

I really like PFPX not only for it's "dispatch" features but also for the route editor, which makes it very easy to use either a route library or create a new route. The best user interface I've seen for selecting SIDs/STARs, a drop down box lists the procedures and the direction if any then selecting instantly portrays the selection on a map to make it easy to pick the best one.

 

If I were planning a flight for a GA aircraft, I'd still use PFPX for route building but for these aircraft I've always used time for fuel planning. It has worked real world for decades for the types that I fly (piston below FL250).

In principle you're right. However, for me PFPX is now just leaving the Beta-phase. It has in my opinion still some inconsistencies and even missing functions. For pure chair pilots like me I would wish to have explaining tool-tips even for the used abbreviations rather than the need to search for external handbooks of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in order to decipher error messages. At least it's now more stable. Even if FSC9 is far away from being really comfortable, it allows to visualise immediately SIDs and STARS as well - admittedly not as close to the charts as PFPX does.

 

I'll try to find out how to plan GA flights with PFPX, too.

 

Well, I think we're quite off topic here and should close this thread.

[RotorWash 1]

 

Why, I'm still deciding, and no responses regarding fuel calculators ?

[Ecosse_821 24]

Thanks Derek, I can't thank you enough for providing this superb freeware, i have used it as my preferred flight planner for many years. I guess I'm allways looking for challenges and seem to have grown a bit of a fuel fetish recently. When ever I fly, I like to try and hit the final approach fix with a low fuel warning, this is just my way of confirming my clculations are accurate. However, I'm not very good at it lol. I use SimBriefs estimates, and adjust them according to how I think ASN live weather and random payloads will effect the burn. I have hit the mark a few times, but more often than not, may have fatally injured most of my passengers on board lol. I guess I'm looking for a fuel planner that has payload and environmental options, so I can tweek my final approach fix results, if this makes any sence lol.

 

Cheers

 

Ivan

 

 

   I do an occasional "mid-air refueling" for the same reason! 

[downscc 1,327]

Why, I'm still deciding, and no responses regarding fuel calculators ?

PFPX is very good at fuel calcs for B737.  As a plus, it interfaces with ASN giving the planner the same weather as the flightsim.