Flight planning

[Gandalf 45]

Hi All 

Was wondering which flight planning software you would recommend, either freeware or payware, that gives the best RW routes?

Apologies if this has been asked before, but couldn’t find anything with a search

Thanks for any replies 

Regards

G

 

[downscc 1,327]

SimBrief is free (although they appreciate donations) and easy to use.  I prefer PFPX (Aerosoft) because it is much more robust and complex and suited for long haul routes where re-dispatch planning is important.  FlightAware is a good source for some real routes being flown now in most parts of the world such as the US and Pacific.  Europe is paranoid and getting today's routes is not easy.

[Mace 1,902]

For European routes I use EuroFPL.

[fluffyflops 1,847]

Lido but on a fast connection  😀

But seriously go to 

https://edi-gla.co.uk/login.php?go=/fpl_requests.php

Then put the route string into simbrief

That's what I do 

[fluffyflops 1,847]

8 hours ago, downscc said:

 I prefer PFPX (Aerosoft) because it is much more robust and complex and suited for long haul routes where re-dispatch planning is important.  

Do you actually run reclear on pfpx?? 

Most pilots at my place would load their pants if I gave them 3 ofp's

I've never really used pfpx much but I've seen their commercial product which is identical

 

[Gandalf 45]

Thanks for the replies guys, I’ve been using SimBrief but wasn’t sure how accurate the resulting routes were. Also used routefinder in the past...

Regards

G

[fluffyflops 1,847]

40 minutes ago, Gandalf said:

Thanks for the replies guys, I’ve been using SimBrief but wasn’t sure how accurate the resulting routes were. Also used routefinder in the past...

Regards

G

They are only as accurate as the previous flightplans that people have used.

also as you know for long haul flights the routes change daily.  like i said pop over to edi-gla.co.uk put in a request for flight you want and one of us will pull it off the atc system if we can.

cheers 

Edited June 9, 2019 by fluffyflops

[skelsey 765]

I have PFPX but I prefer Simbrief's paperwork (and, as noted, in reality at an airline pilots aren't going to be too involved in the actual flight plan creation side of things!). We have an integrated system at our VA which also does a lot of cool things like statistical contingency and taxi-out fuel etc. For the FSLabs Airbus I find the Simbrief fuel predictions absolutely spot on, usually to within a few tens of Kgs.

The downside of Simbrief, as others have noted above, is that it is not a hugely powerful route planner (though it does provide the ability to CFMU validate the route if you are flying in Europe). For short-haul stuff that's normally fine as @fluffyflops notes it is usually possible to pull a real route off edi-gla or Flightaware etc. For long-haul planning, particularly over the Atlantic where routes are variable on a daily basis, I normally use PFPX to generate a valid and sensible route then paste that in to Simbrief to actually generate the documentation!

[Bobsk8 12,578]

Simbrief is free and does everything that a paid version does. 

[fluffyflops 1,847]

3 hours ago, skelsey said:

I have PFPX but I prefer Simbrief's paperwork (and, as noted, in reality at an airline pilots aren't going to be too involved in the actual flight plan creation side of things!). We have an integrated system at our VA which also does a lot of cool things like statistical contingency and taxi-out fuel etc. For the FSLabs Airbus I find the Simbrief fuel predictions absolutely spot on, usually to within a few tens of Kgs.

The downside of Simbrief, as others have noted above, is that it is not a hugely powerful route planner (though it does provide the ability to CFMU validate the route if you are flying in Europe). For short-haul stuff that's normally fine as @fluffyflops notes it is usually possible to pull a real route off edi-gla or Flightaware etc. For long-haul planning, particularly over the Atlantic where routes are variable on a daily basis, I normally use PFPX to generate a valid and sensible route then paste that in to Simbrief to actually generate the documentation!

for once we agree on something

1 hour ago, Bobsk8 said:

Simbrief is free and does everything that a paid version does. 

i agree ive been dispatching 10 years this march and I only use simbrief. 

As i mentioned before a few weeks ago, I can run a plan at work on either sabre or lido and then put exactly the same inputs and routing into simbrief and it will give me pretty much the same fuel burns, total fuel and timings as lido or sabre does

[downscc 1,327]

12 hours ago, fluffyflops said:

Do you actually run reclear on pfpx??  

Re-dispatch planning could save a lot of money by reducing the required contingency allowance.  Why wouldn't you use it?

[Gandalf 45]

Thanks for all the suggestions, registered with https://edi-gla.co.uk/login.php?go=/fpl_requests.php as suggested by fluffyflops, will give it a go 🙂. Off to the States tomorrow so I’ll have to wait...

Regards

G

[fluffyflops 1,847]

9 hours ago, downscc said:

Re-dispatch planning could save a lot of money by reducing the required contingency allowance.  Why wouldn't you use it?

coudlnt agree more.  but trying getting pilots to use 3 flightplans and understand the concept every single sector, espically the older ones,  they simply wouldnt do it. 

Theyd some how manage to twist it into saying the company should reinvest the money saved by complaining about their crew food, annual leave, or roster.

as Ive said a million times before come into an airline occ for the day, listen to the phone calls and read the acars we get, you'd never get on an aircraft again.

Edited June 10, 2019 by fluffyflops

[Gandalf 45]

 

2 hours ago, fluffyflops said:

as Ive said a million times before come into an airline occ for the day, listen to the phone calls and read the acars we get, you'd never get on an aircraft again.

Thanks!!! I’m getting on an extremely old 747 in a couple of hours!😂 😂

[downscc 1,327]

15 hours ago, fluffyflops said:

as Ive said a million times before come into an airline occ for the day, listen to the phone calls and read the acars we get, you'd never get on an aircraft again.

Something I learned in the USAF was that if the troops were not complaining there was a problem.  Is it pleasant to listen to?  Not at all but it can get really bad if you don't hear it.