Looking for a Flight Planner

[bucifan 0]

Looking for a flight planner that is not imbedded in FS. I don't want or need a movign map, auto pilot, etc, just a good flight planner that is independent of FS. I was looking at FsBuild. It would be nice if they let you try it out first like FsNav. I can't even find a good review with photos of it.Anyway recommnedations would be appreciated!Rick

[egntpilot 19]

Hi Rick,I use fsbuild, has all of the features I want and need, I would recommend it.Steve

[mgh 89]

Try Super Flight Planner (SFP) which is free. It has some faults (what package doesn't) but if you don't like it you can just throw it away.It uses the stock Flight Simulator navaids (rather than the updated AIRAC ones) to create its own database you can add other navaids to the database. It also comes with SIDs and Stars for quite a few airpots. They are written in XML so you can change them too based on charts.

[zfehr 1]

Hi Rick,I use a combination of two flight planners. I am an AOPA member and that gives me access to their member flight planning utility that requires internet access. It does not have an export feature for MSFS but is a real flight planner with the logic engine used by Jeppesen for routing and altitudes. You can also download current weather maps and overlay them. I use it for real flights as well as in the sim.The other flight planner I use is Airplan sim edition which is actually the same program as is sold for real aviation but with a set of outdated sectional charts which are for sim use only. This gives full US sectional charts and worldwide nav data and has an export feature for flight plans into MSFS. You can read the review done just last year on AVSIM here: http://www.avsim.com/pages/0902/airplan/airplan_review.htm

[kerosene31 349]

I generate plans from this free website:http://rfinder.asalink.net/free/I take those plans and manually plug them into FsNav.

[Manny 1,293]

>Hi Rick,>>I use a combination of two flight planners. I am an AOPA>member and that gives me access to their member flight>planning utility that requires internet access. It does not>have an export feature for MSFS but is a real flight planner>with the logic engine used by Jeppesen for routing and>altitudes. You can also download current weather maps and>overlay them. I use it for real flights as well as in the>sim.>>The other flight planner I use is Airplan sim edition which is>actually the same program as is sold for real aviation but>with a set of outdated sectional charts which are for sim use>only. This gives full US sectional charts and worldwide nav>data and has an export feature for flight plans into MSFS. >You can read the review done just last year on AVSIM here:>http://www.avsim.com/pages/0902/airplan/airplan_review.htmRick,How you do DP and STARs in the AOPA Flight plannter?I have access to it to..but I didn't know how.Manny

[zfehr 1]

Hi Manny,You don't. In real life you usually don't put these into your flight plan as they are assigned to you depending on runway assignment and your planned departure routing. You will make your flight plan's first waypoint a common navigation point for your routing and use a common feeder point at your destination, that way you can either hand fly the DP or STAR or if you are using some of the newer GPS equipment it is an easy amend with a few button presses. Flying out of KHIO I frequently get assigned SCAPO or Farmington departure (depending on direction of flight) but enroute to the fix ATC will clear me to next waypoint. The sim and even the aftermarket ATC programs just don't give a realistic simulation of this cause there's just too many variables.

[Guest aca_dia]

Most pilots don

[ronzie 21]

I use fsbuild v2.22. It takes plans in a standard route format if you wish to type in waypoints into its route field. It also has fuel planning features with the allowance of adding times for alternate, taxi, and extra allowances. It also couples with Active Sky V4.5 thru 6 and earlier versions so winds aloft can be taken into account.You can look at the real current routes by flight number at flightaware.com and copy/paste them into the fsbuild route window with perhaps minor editing of a sid/star name and adding the departure/destination codes. If you get on the FAA preferred routes site you can get routes from there. It also comes with many routes, sids, stars. Many sids and stars are outgoing/incoming direction sensitive with regard to runway use over part of the procedure so inflight you would just leave that part of the plan as directed choosing perhaps an IAP to follow.It has an autoroute feature that does work but occasionally a waypoint out of the way needs to be changed. You can catch this via a displayed mao of your route.Airac updates are available.It runs without FS running and only needs AS6 or so running if you want winds aloft coupled for fuel planning. You do not need it running during FS.There is a bit of a learning curve but not too bad.Aircraft profiles can be built for fuel planning and it comes with popular ones.It exports plans in FS9, two PMDG formats for FMC loading, and others.Their support forum is here:http://www.fsbuild.com/forum/viewforum.php...5eaf0da83db365d

[wvernonc 0]

Just Google "flight planner" and use one of the many online planners.

[mgh 89]

RouteFfinder (and I guess other free route planners) need treating with some caution. For example RouteFinder uses the Biggin SID for general departures from Gatwick (EGKK). In the real world, this SID is only used for aircraft positioning to Heathrow or Northolt. As a result for Gatwick to Edinburgh it gives:BIG UT420 WELIN UN57 POL UN601 MARGO instead of:LAM UL10 BPK UN601 MARGO

[Guest G. Stone]

Go with FSBuild 2. For me all the features I need are there without all the extra work. Export options are good also.