I'm having trouble with time and understanding it. I have got FS real time installed and always use that for my FSX, I'm here in the UK and my PMDG FMC shows 16:43 GMT but the actual time is 17:43 and PFPX shows 16:43 UTC so what clock am i supposed to go off when the FMC, PFPX, and the NGX are behind 1 hr from my actual time?

 

cheers

Currently in the UK local time is on BST which is one hour ahead of UTC (which as far as FSX is concerned is the same as GMT). You should always use UTC, not local time. PFPX and the NGX FMC are showing the correct time.

Ok do pilots use UTC all the time around europe

Ok do pilots use UTC all the time around europe

 

Pilots use UTC always, on Earth.

I have a similar issue although not sure if confined to my pmdg installs, in that i always have a 2 hour

difference showing on the clock either way of gmt /utc,clcks going forward or back the way, could this be a setting of time zones within fsx?  i do not use fsuipc or anything else to sync time. however any suggestions on how to rectify this  would be much appreciated. thanks.

 

best regards, graeme crawford

I have a similar issue although not sure if confined to my pmdg installs, in that i always have a 2 hour

difference showing on the clock either way of gmt /utc,clcks going forward or back the way, could this be a setting of time zones within fsx?  i do not use fsuipc or anything else to sync time. however any suggestions on how to rectify this  would be much appreciated. thanks.

 

best regards, graeme crawford

 

This is a bug in FSX by default. Load the default Cessna and you'll see the same issue. It does this around daylight savings time changes for some reason. You can avoid this by always just setting Zulu time and ignoring local.

I would certainly recommend FSX real time. So why do pilots use UTC kyle?

Hi,

 

The good point in using the UTC time is that it always allows a direct check of the real flight time. 

 

Let me gives you an exemple:

LFPG - KJFK (AFR8)

 

UTC times:

1710z - 0115z : flight time 08h05

 

Local times:

1910LT - 2115LT: time difference: 02h05

 

It is way easier to calculate all times at waypoints in UTC because you get rid of the time differences (especially when talking about ETOPS where you have to check the time availibility of the alternates and the times to ETPs).

 

if you had to work with local times, you would have to know for each points what is the time difference, and it would be a nightmare. The UTC time allows to work with the same time reference without having to take care of these time differences.

 

Hope it helps.

I would certainly recommend FSX real time. So why do pilots use UTC kyle?

GMT/UTC/Zulu time (they're all the same) is the same time all around the world. It doesn't change when you cross time zones. It doesn't change during daylight savings time or standard time. All METARS and TAF Are in Zulu time. And, like Romain pointed out, it makes life easier!

 

Zulu time is the universal time of aviation.

Just to add to what Romain and Devin said:

 

We use UTC/Zulu time for the sake of clarity and to reduce confusion. Using a common time removes confusion for pilots and ATC. Think of an international flight crossing multiple time zones and an en-route/oceanic controller located in a completely different time zone again - if you didn't use UTC, who's time would you use and how would you communicate that with ATC or other aircraft?

 

Here in Australia we have two enroute (centre) control centres - one in Brisbane that looks after the whole of Northern Australia and one in Melbourne that looks after the whole of Southern Australia. There are twelve time zones across Australian controlled airspace so if a pilot departing one city on the other side of the country falls under Melbourne Centre (located on the opposite side and three time zones away), who's time would you use for waypoint estimates? As an alternative the US has 9 separate time zones (although they also have more en-route control centres as well).

 

It's essentially the same as setting a standard pressure reference (1013/29.92) when operating above the transition level/altitude - it puts everyone on the same setting so there's no confusion. Or even using English as a standard language - again, if this wasn't the case International pilots would need to fluently speak hundreds of languages in a technical setting. 

Just to add to what Romain and Devin said:

 

We use UTC/Zulu time for the sake of clarity and to reduce confusion. Using a common time removes confusion for pilots and ATC. Think of an international flight crossing multiple time zones and an en-route/oceanic controller located in a completely different time zone again - if you didn't use UTC, who's time would you use and how would you communicate that with ATC or other aircraft?

 

Here in Australia we have two enroute (centre) control centres - one in Brisbane that looks after the whole of Northern Australia and one in Melbourne that looks after the whole of Southern Australia. There are twelve time zones across Australian controlled airspace so if a pilot departing one city on the other side of the country falls under Melbourne Centre (located on the opposite side and three time zones away), who's time would you use for waypoint estimates? As an alternative the US has 9 separate time zones (although they also have more en-route control centres as well).

 

It's essentially the same as setting a standard pressure reference (1013/29.92) when operating above the transition level/altitude - it puts everyone on the same setting so there's no confusion. Or even using English as a standard language - again, if this wasn't the case International pilots would need to fluently speak hundreds of languages in a technical setting.

 

Great post Haydn! Very well explained.

I would certainly recommend FSX real time. So why do pilots use UTC kyle?

Use some common sense and think for yourself and the answer will becomes obvious.

Use some common sense and think for yourself and the answer will becomes obvious.

 

The responses prior to yours were more than sufficient.

Driver170, on 07 Apr 2015 - 12:18 AM, said:

I would certainly recommend FSX real time. So why do pilots use UTC kyle?

Use some common sense and think for yourself and the answer will becomes obvious.

 

Trolling

Yeh very well explained guys thanks!

 

So what about PPL drivers that fly locally? Will they use BST in there log book etc as there staying around the airfield? Or is UTC standard throughout..

So what about PPL drivers that fly locally? Will they use BST in there log book etc as there staying around the airfield? Or is UTC standard throughout..

 

 

UTC/GMT/Zulu which are in effect all the same times are used in all aspects and at all levels of aviation. It is mandatory to use UTC/Z both in your log book and that of the aircraft.

Any clock on your panel that shows local time is in fact incorrect and should be changed to read zulu time.