Flight planning with no tool

[Gaz 15]

Hi

I've always used an aircraft that I can create a flight plan with using the simulator itself, or a tool such as Simbrief. Unfortunately I have been taught to fly an aircraft in P3D but you cannot use any online apps to create the flight plan.

I am a complete starter to creating flight plans myself. I honestly wouldn't know what an airway was, for example.  I would really appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction for some help here - hopefully something on YouTube. I essentially need to understand how to create a plan and program the FMC manually.

Please help!  Thanks, Gaz

[thibodba57 462]

24 minutes ago, Gary McCluskey said:

Hi

I've always used an aircraft that I can create a flight plan with using the simulator itself, or a tool such as Simbrief. Unfortunately I have been taught to fly an aircraft in P3D but you cannot use any online apps to create the flight plan.

I am a complete starter to creating flight plans myself. I honestly wouldn't know what an airway was, for example.  I would really appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction for some help here - hopefully something on YouTube. I essentially need to understand how to create a plan and program the FMC manually.

Please help!  Thanks, Gaz

I'm a bit confused. Are you looking for a how to on programming the FMS or are you looking for something to plan a flight?  Two different things.

[diajohn 169]

Your question is too broad for an easy answer.  If you are using default aircraft,  then the Flight Planner built in will do an adequate job.  If it is an add-on aircraft then Simbrief will do all of them.  

 

Now creating an entire flight plan for an airliner is a complicated process, you need to break down into small parts.  Airlines have entire departments to do their planning.   Most of us do not do our own flight plan but may take a planner and do some customization or just take it as generated.  Only a few go to the effort to create from scratch.

[Gaz 15]

Hi

I'm looking on how to create a flight plan, and also how to enter that into the FMC, although just knowing the basics of creating the plan is the best thing to start off with.

 

3 minutes ago, diajohn said:

If it is an add-on aircraft then Simbrief will do all of them

That's not correct. I bought Carenado Premier 1A assuming that Simbrief would be able to create a flight plan that I could export and load into the aircraft, but I couldn't find the export option in Simbrief for that aircraft. I therefore contacted Carenado and they said there was no tool that is capable of creating the flight plans - it always has to be done manually on that aircraft.  I would love to hear they were wrong - please let me know if you know of a tool for this.

Gaz

[vgbaron 3,625]

Not to mention that there are different models and makes of FMC and all are not programmed the exact same way.

SUggest you hit google or youtube with the name of the specific aircraft and flight planning tutorial or something like that.

 

Vic

 

[vgbaron 3,625]

Gaz - you're looking for an easy out when you can learn to do it faster the hard way.  There are too many variables. Soimetimes when planner x doesn't generate a format specific to airplane y you can export it to a different form and then convert that one. it's trial and error.

As to how to create a flight plan -  simplest form is starting airport and destination.

Vic

[Gaz 15]

1 minute ago, vgbaron said:

SUggest you hit google or youtube with the name of the specific aircraft and flight planning tutorial or something like that.

Yeah, I'm going to look into how to program the FMC after I learn how to create a flight plan - which I guess is irrelevant for the type of aircraft?

I read somewhere that creating the flight plan is not done by flight crew in the real world, so maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. Maybe I should see if Simbrief can create the flight plan automatically for an aircraft before I buy it?

Gaz

[vgbaron 3,625]

No one tool will do it for you. I use Simbrief, LittleNavMap, PlanG, default, Aivlasoft EFB2, AOPA, RouteFinder, GTN750 and others. Depends on what type of flight and what type of aircraft. Sometimes I just take off and program the FCMS or GPS for a Direct to flight.

Pick the aircraft and pick the planner that best suits it.

Vic

[Gaz 15]

2 minutes ago, vgbaron said:

Pick the aircraft and pick the planner that best suits it.

Yeah - I think that's what I'm thinking. When I going buying an aircraft, I think I would like Simbrief (or one of the other tools) to help me out with it.

On a similar topic, I like to fly using a ATC. I have always used the built-in one (although, years ago there was a great alternate, and I don't remember what it was). I think ProATC might be good for me, but I also have Ultimate Traffic running and I like to be taking the other aircraft into consideration. I was told that wasn't possible with ProATC - is that right? Does it only handle your aircraft? Sorry for putting that question here - I think it would be good elsewhere. It is, however, relevent here because I should be able to give it the flight plan that has been created.

Gaz

[Patco Lch 1,465]

If you don't have it littlenavmap is a nice freeware tool you can download and use for creating your own flight plan and exporting it to the Sim. A lot of usefull features.

[thibodba57 462]

55 minutes ago, Gary McCluskey said:

I read somewhere that creating the flight plan is not done by flight crew in the real world

It depends on the operation. But both typically flight crew do not plan our own flights. Dispatchers do this with programs, these programs are replicated (mostly) for flightsim ( Simbrief, PFPX, etc).  

Now back to your original question, as I said you were asking two different things.  Planning a flight and entering the data.  I would suggest continue use of Simbrief and then enter that data directly from the OFP (Flight Plan).  It's the PDF document created by that document.  You'll have to follow the tutorial provided by the aircraft developer ok how to interact with that aircrafts systems as each interface can differ greatly.

[Gaz 15]

39 minutes ago, thibodba57 said:

You'll have to follow the tutorial provided by the aircraft developer ok how to interact with that aircrafts systems as each interface can differ greatly.

Yeah, I understand. I'll give it a go. Thanks for that - there is a tutorial for that one the plane I'm having issues with, so your suggestion may fix it. 

Gaz

[FalconAF 213]

5 hours ago, Gary McCluskey said:

I am a complete starter to creating flight plans myself. I honestly wouldn't know what an airway was, for example.

All of the previous replies offer great advice.  But my concern is the above statement you made in your first post. To me (as a former Air Force Instructor), if it is really true that you "wouldn't know what an airway was....", you don't even have the prerequisite fundamental knowledge of how the "going from point A to point B" in flying an aircraft works.  So how would you even recognize what a flight plan contained even if you used many of the recommended products to produce one?

My recommendation would be that you first search the Internet for "Airman's Information Manual" and read the chapters about Air Traffic Control and Navigation sections that describe all of the resources used to get from point A to point B.  If you don't already "know what an airway is...", you can't understand how to even begin to produce a flight plan yourself.

 

[Gaz 15]

4 hours ago, FalconAF said:

So how would you even recognize what a flight plan contained even if you used many of the recommended products to produce one?

I agree with what you're saying. When I look at a flight plan, I do get an idea of what an airway is, but with just a map, I'm not sure I could have produced that plan myself. 

There's a good few examples of this on YouTube, so I'll take more time on those.

After this fab day at the Farnborough Air Show, I'll start having a look!

Thanks, Gaz

Edited July 21, 2018 by Gary McCluskey

[thibodba57 462]

On 7/21/2018 at 1:51 AM, Gary McCluskey said:

I agree with what you're saying. When I look at a flight plan, I do get an idea of what an airway is, but with just a map, I'm not sure I could have produced that plan myself. 

There's a good few examples of this on YouTube, so I'll take more time on those.

After this fab day at the Farnborough Air Show, I'll start having a look!

Thanks, Gaz

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/

       -Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3B)

       -Instrument Flying Handbook

       -Instrument Procedures Handbook

       -Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25B)

That should get you started.  I would describe more specifically where to look. But that would take soooo much time.  Download them all. Reference them as you go.  Learning professional aviation is a long endeavor and is more about book knowledge than people will ever really realize.