Hi

I'm still an early learner so sorry if I'm asking a stupid question.

I'm buying one piece of software at a time, and after buying the 737, I want to buy something that will enable me to do flight planning. I watched Doofer911 video that helps you understand SimBrief, and that sounds good - I see you download the plan and put it into the
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\FSX\PMDG\FLIGHTPLANS\NGX" - directory.

My question is; how do you get this working with FlightSim itself?  The built-in air traffic control are going to need this too, so where do I put an identical flight plan for this route so that I can fly the route? When I'm setting up the flight, it's then when it wants to know the route, not after I've started the basic flight with no route (or a route that was just downloaded into the directory above).

I would really appreciate it if anyone can help getting FSX to follow the same plan as the one downloaded from SimBrief for the 737.  In the future I will be using other software for ATC, no doubt, so I need to take that into account, too.

Thanks!

2 minutes ago, Gary McCluskey said:

My question is; how do you get this working with FlightSim itself?  The built-in air traffic control are going to need this too, so where do I put an identical flight plan for this route so that I can fly the route? When I'm setting up the flight, it's then when it wants to know the route, not after I've started the basic flight with no route (or a route that was just downloaded into the directory above).

I would really appreciate it if anyone can help getting FSX to follow the same plan as the one downloaded from SimBrief for the 737.  In the future I will be using other software for ATC, no doubt, so I need to take that into account, too.

Thanks!

You have the right spot for the NGX. Just be sure to type out the same name for the route into the COROUTE field (KIADKLAX.pln would be KIADKLAX, for example, and then upselect it to the COROUTE field on the RTE page).

For the (awful) default ATC, simply tell SimBrief to create an FSX version of the plan. There's folder in your My Documents folder that's FS-related. Drop it in there. Once the sim is loaded, you can load the flight plan, either in the route planner, or even after you've loaded into your actual flight (just be sure to click the NO button when it asks you if you want to move your plane).

That's brilliant, I really appreciate you getting back to me quick.  I can now see that I can download it in the FSX format as you say - that's brilliant!

Have you got any advice on what software I should be using for the ATC?  I was having a look at Ultimate Traffic 2 and it looks good in the videos...

Gary

1 minute ago, Gary McCluskey said:

That's brilliant, I really appreciate you getting back to me quick.  I can now see that I can download it in the FSX format as you say - that's brilliant!

Have you got any advice on what software I should be using for the ATC?  I was having a look at Ultimate Traffic 2 and it looks good in the videos...

Gary

Welcome.

ATC is still done by humans in the real world for a reason, honestly, so I'd recommend something like VATSIM or IVAO for a more authentic experience. I think all ATC programs are awful, but I'm also comparing it to what I experience out in the real side of things.

UT2 isn't ATC, btw. It's just AI traffic.

Okay.

Again, thanks for getting back to me.

Years ago (when I was much younger!), I was seriously into FS, and it's been years since I've been able to be a part of it. I seem to remember building up so many addons, including one that seemed to be better at doing the ATC. It's a different world now though, so maybe you're right.

Thanks!

Gaz

There are ATC addons out there like VoxATC ProATC, Radar Contact etc. While they would arguably be an improvement over default ATC, it's like Kyle said, neither of them are very good compared to real human internaction.

 

 

Thanks for you both helping me on this, and I might give that other ATC software a go!

Anyway, I did as you said, Scandinavian13, and it seemed to be working, but the ATC was constantly telling me to re-direct myself, even though it had previously told me to proceed on my route and I engaged LNAV!

I have a screeenshot of what is happening, but this site is not letting me upload it! Looking at the map, my aircraft is slightly to the right of what I told ATC in the beginning (using SimBrief), but looking at the instruments in the cockpit, I am on the correct route. It would appear that for some reason they are not quite aligned. 

Why would it not be following the route in FSX?

19 minutes ago, Gary McCluskey said:

Anyway, I did as you said, Scandinavian13, and it seemed to be working, but the ATC was constantly telling me to re-direct myself, even though it had previously told me to proceed on my route and I engaged LNAV

See my earlier commentary on the default ATC being awful. My guess is that you're using a SID/STAR, which FSX does not understand.

20 minutes ago, Gary McCluskey said:

I have a screeenshot of what is happening, but this site is not letting me upload it! Looking at the map, my aircraft is slightly to the right of what I told ATC in the beginning (using SimBrief), but looking at the instruments in the cockpit, I am on the correct route. It would appear that for some reason they are not quite aligned. 

Why would it not be following the route in FSX?

It's not following the route in FSX because the more accurate one is the one in the FMC. FSX's routing is rudimentary at best. As I wrote above, it doesn't understand SIDs and STARs, and the nav data for the sim itself is over ten years old now (which is one of the many reasons the NGX has its own database, and does not rely on the sim's database of nav data).

The method I offered - saving one in PMDG format, and the other in FSX format - is going to get you the closest match, but it will not be perfect. When in doubt, trust the plane over the default ATC and default flight plan function, as both of the default functions are very, very basic.

Here's info on showing pictures:

 

Tell me if I'm wrong, but surely this means that we can never fly with ATC now - we simply have to without filling the flightplan! 

Sorry, but I was going to include the link to the screenshot:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qv02JCnSkX8eNOJR2

I think it would be a shame for data in the PMDG FMC to be brought up to date, knowing that the Flight Sim won't, and therefore the routes would not be the same (given that waypoint locations are changed).

Does that mean, if we are using ATC, we have to simply make it think that we're an aircraft doing a straight-out flight?

Thanks

I use Simbrief, and Pro ATC X. You can make a flightplan in Simbrief, copy and paste to Pro ATC X and download automatically to the FMC in the NGX. 

7 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

I use Simbrief, and Pro ATC X. You can make a flightplan in Simbrief, copy and paste to Pro ATC X and download automatically to the FMC in the NGX. 

Thanks, I'll take a look at it.

Gary

16 hours ago, Gary McCluskey said:

Does that mean, if we are using ATC, we have to simply make it think that we're an aircraft doing a straight-out flight?

That, or ignore the ATC until you're on your route. It should automatically figure it out when you finally pass that first point that it understands (though it'll pester you until you get there).

Again: you're trying to straddle two very, very different worlds. The built-in ATC is meant to satisfy the needs of people who barely understand the concepts of flying and ATC. The NGX is meant to satisfy the needs of people who are trying to get more into the simulation of flight, and realism.

It's like showing up to one of those casual softball leagues and expecting to play serious baseball, or a flag football game expecting to play full contact. The built-in ATC is like your casual soccer league, where people kick a ball around to have fun, whereas the NGX is like an adult soccer league where you specialize in a position, and actually compete.

They're built for entirely different audiences. If you want to use them together, that's fine, but as I said earlier: stop trying to force them to agree with each other. It's not going to work. You either confuse the built-in ATC that isn't smart enough to handle actual real-world flying concepts, or you'll ignore some of the realism of the NGX in order to bend to the simplicity of the built-in ATC. In this way, the default ATC is entirely pointless. It adds no real realism other than the concept of talking to someone over the radio. Its phraseology is awful, it can't vector, it doesn't understand STARs, it doesn't coordinate between facilities (in the real world, if you're on a sector border, you won't get passed back and forth like the sim will occasionally do - esp up near DC-PHL-NY-BOS), it has no concept of runway configs, and I could keep going. Just...complete garbage.

As an intro to the idea of ATC? Sure, while flying a 172 around for a bit to get an idea of the basics of things.
As a simulation of ATC on the level of realism of any study-level aircraft? Not at all.

I agree completely about the built-in ATC, but have had problems with VATSIM as well.  First, it's hard to find controllers in the first place unless you fly around NYC or some spots in Europe.  Second, many controllers don't understand what they are doing, i.e. telling me to fly  straight-in to the runway after giving me vectos to more-or-less intercept the localizer.  Third, they don't understand that the pilot is the boss, not the controller.  Yes, you have to follow instructions, but the word "unable" from the pilot should not be met with "you have to do as I say,"   That being said, many  VATSIM people are very good, real controllers in real life.

18 hours ago, Bobsk8 said:

I use Simbrief, and Pro ATC X. You can make a flightplan in Simbrief, copy and paste to Pro ATC X and download automatically to the FMC in the NGX. 

Do that.  I do the same thing and it works great (coming from an enthusiast that hasn't had real-world ATC experience).  Simbrief now has a downloader that will place the proper files into the specified folders.  Load the plan in ProATC and PMDG and you're setup (don't even have to load in P3D/FSX, but you still can).  It's a much better experience than default ATC and super easy once you figure everything out