6 hours ago, dmiannay said:

Hope you still plan to put a video together on this.

Yes, on my todo list ... ForeFlight combines several separate products into one complete package ... cloud based so all activity/customization will be saved on a server ... some of the features it has:

• Flight planning
• Real time global weather displayed on map with (rain, ice, snow, winds aloft, etc.)
• Full set of charts including approach and taxi charts (by region US and Canada), global charts but not as detailed
• Synthetic Vision build into mobile app
• SIDs, STARs, approaches, SAR patterns, traffic pattern entry
• Computes best routes/airways with up to date cleared ATC routes, real time wind optimization routes
• Current TFR (temporary flight restrictions), closed/unsafe, NOTAMs, PIREPs, SIGMETs, etc. will be notified real time
• Weight and Balance (over 100 aircraft profiles provide and one can create their own) with alerts if out of aircraft limits
• Checklists
• Terrain height maps
• Aircraft Performance profiles
• Fuel calculations taking into account loads, alt, speed, temps, winds
• Integration with FlightAware
• Integration with Stratus ADS-B (for real world traffic, can even animate ADS-B radar (but currently no Simulation AI traffic is displayed, only real world within about 180-200nm of receivers location, only semi-useful if you fly within that range of one's flightsim PC, but very useful in RW aircraft)
• Online, and iPad, iPhone, mobile device support ... do flight plan online, save, fire up the iPAD load saved flight plan and go fly (real or simulated).
• For simulation, about the only thing it's missing is monitoring of P3D/XP simulated AI traffic (I've put in a request to get that integrated, fingers crossed).

Prices is $100 to $400/yr subscription (both US and Canada) pending region(s) and version  ... US & Canada with (one costing additional $100) ... you still get Global charts just not as detailed as that provide by the regions.  It's primarily intended for real world pilots but they included support for simulators, P3D V4, XP11, AF2.

Here is ForeFlight being used real world (I follow the adventures of Steve) ... skip to 8:54 min mark to see Foreflight in use:

My dream job. ;)

Cheers, Rob.

 

 

 

I would love to use Fore-Flight, but as a global flyer, the cost would be prohibitive. 

As for flight preparation, it usually depends on the type of flight I am doing. Yesterday a did a long-haul EDDM-SBGR with the 747-400 and that took me about 1h:30min to plan and set-up the plane properly. I must say that I am really enjoying the new Oculus Rift update that allows you to pin charts and apps into the cockpit in VR. This has allowed me to do most of my flight planning inside the flight-deck! It is really a remarkable experience and it makes me think how far we have come since the early days of flight simulation.

15 hours ago, Rob Ainscough said:

Yes, on my todo list ...

Great to hear.  It'll be interesting to see how well they've integrated their product for the simulation environment when it's primary use if for the real world.

15 hours ago, Rob Ainscough said:

(I follow the adventures of Steve) 

My dream job. ;)

Yep, have also watched many of his videos.  He makes it all look so incredibly easy and routine, and never seems to get up tight about anything.  Dream job, indeed!

On 2/3/2018 at 5:06 AM, dmiannay said:

It'll be interesting to see how well they've integrated their product for the simulation environment when it's primary use if for the real world.

Yeah, just make sure you don't hit the Proceed to File button after you setup your flight plan as it will contact Leidos and possibly get approved by ATC or worse yet, you file VFR and never close the flight which triggers Search and Rescue (hopefully they call pilot first via provided contact info).

On 2/2/2018 at 10:09 PM, GCBraun said:

but as a global flyer, the cost would be prohibitive. 

Agree, definitely not cheap if you plan to do global via Jeppesen (a Boeing Company) integration into FF option -- Europe alone for IFR/VFR is $890/yr.  However, Australia $62/yr and New Zealand $72/yr are relatively cheap.

Cheers, Rob.

EDIT: On a side note, FF doesn't show ALL navigation fixes on the MAP, I can manually enter the fixes in the flight route and they will appear, but for some reason they are NOT visible on the map and no option to show fixes (fortunately the charts have all the fixes) ... like the approach to KTVL ... map didn't show OBAVE and SERVY fixes which is the standard approach for GPS RWY 18.

Depend on the objective.

For A320x mainly those days, the shorter is saved scenarios at the runway ready to go. I do it for short flight if I want to test rapidly different types of approaches or SID and STAR at specific airport. I recently done that for Monterrey which have very interesting and scenic approaches close to mountain and hold that can be added for variety ... 5 minutes to change SID,STAR and approaches ... I don’t use Vox on those quick flights.

if I want more complete flight, I usually use Simbrief to get an airliner type ofp.    and a uplink file. Sometimes i input the flight plan manually and sometimes uplink it. 30-40 minutes for preparation, fuel, etc..  Usually with Vox for ATC. Most of the time from cold and dark state. I skip some checklist and flow items like fire test, battery voltage etc...

I always use in parallel Foreflight for weather, airport information, Sid, Star and approach plates in Usa and Canada then moving map in flight. I fly RW also so I pay anyway for it. Navigraph for other regions.

I don’t like much very long taxi that consume too much of sparse time so, I installed this week-end littlenavmap who allow to see the parking spots and size. I plan to add a step in flight preparation to determine the closest spot to the active runway....  

 

For 744 , it takes me 90-120 mins . doing all the stuff and paper work and load the fuel by pmdg ground services .lot of fun for me to go realistic

18 hours ago, Samany69 said:

For 744 , it takes me 90-120 mins . doing all the stuff and paper work and load the fuel by pmdg ground services .lot of fun for me to go realistic

PMDG for ground services?

2 hours ago, 787WannabePilot said:

PMDG for ground services?

yes. Whats wrong with that ? it will bring all the pmdg Service vehicles and Fueling Service with time management system.

2 hours ago, Samany69 said:

yes. Whats wrong with that ? it will bring all the pmdg Service vehicles and Fueling Service with time management system.

Nothing brother...I do the same!  I have GSX, but it's a pain in the butt, and only works if the planets align properly (tongue in cheek...I usually have to spruce up the gate a little) and it keeps asking me to open this, or close that...or I forget to run a sequence. 

The PMDG service vehicles work every single time, no fiddling around.  They know the dance and we simmers don't have to set up gates, doors, etc.  Set it and forget it!

The only gripe I have is the lack of a paint kit for them...but that's just a small 1st world problem.  Lol!

Edited February 27, 20188 yr by netshadoe

28 minutes ago, netshadoe said:

  I have GSX, but it's a pain in the butt, and only works if the planets align properly

Oh ... I thought maybe GSX is an easy to use Addon :D when i saw pictures of it , it looked like a must have :D

19 minutes ago, Samany69 said:

Oh ... I thought maybe GSX is an easy to use Addon :D when i saw pictures of it , it looked like a must have :D

Don't get me wrong, it's not all bad!  lol!  I do like the push back feature, when it works.  It actually follows the taxi line, so there''s no guessing.

But for the rest of it, I prefer the PMDG set and forget service vehicles.  Like you said, you set a time and it does the fueling, the cleaning trucks, the catering trucks, the lav trucks, etc just show up and do their thing.  Nice.

1 minute ago, netshadoe said:

But for the rest of it, I prefer the PMDG set and forget service vehicles

yea ye .... I understand what you mean . well ... i can't afford the GSX at the moment . Saving all I can since i don't have any clue that if the 748 will be mid price or high ... I hope it doesn't jump up over 100 or more ....