Hi Mates,

Until recently, my habit was to buy 1 or 2 Navigraph AIRAC cycles every year or 2 years, mainly for my PMDG 777, PFPX, and FSTramp flight planner. Especially for PFPX flight plans and FMC programation to be consistent. That is to avoid the FMC issuing messages like "waypoint unknown'.

I vaguely heard of Fsaerodata now and then but did not pay much attention.

Now I know that Fsaerodata updates the stock P3D navdata to current AIRAC.

For liners, I use only the PMDG 777 together with PFPX and I've never had any issues or consistency with my flight plans or FMC programmtion.

For general aviation, I only use FSTramp that reads the P3D navidation data and I've never had issues with VOR, NDB, ATIS frequencies.

I fly mainly in the US, Western Europe, Asia, Oceania.

1) Fsaerodata  (8.50€*/3cycles) is not expensive but I am wondering what would be the interest in my case?

2) If I buy and install Fsaerodata, are there some 'side-effects'? I mean do I need to reset things in P3D or addons?

 

FSaerodata is needed if you need to use p3d built in gps.  It updates it but you also need Navigraph sub at the same time.

I had FSaerodata to be used with Vertx DA but I only did a 3 month subscription.  I do not fly any default aircrafts, either they are complex with full fmc or A2A birds which have Flight1 Garmin support.

My need to have FSaerodata is not that high as one navigraph update for my complex addons works great via fmc.

Thanks Skywolf for your return on experience.

I felt that Fsaerodata was not critical in my case.

I do have RXP GTN 750/650 and I never use the default P3D GPS.

If one flies to and from only up to date 3rd party airports, then fsaerodata is not needed. Any flights into either older 3rd party or stock airports could get rather confusing without fsaerodata, unless one just ignores the ATC, especially any 3rd party ATC add-ons. 

At this point I would be shocked if MSFS 2020 doesn't have revised ATC and navigation data, so maybe a shorter term fsaerodata subscription makes more sense.

1 hour ago, Simicro said:

Until recently, my habit was to buy 1 or 2 Navigraph AIRAC cycles every year or 2 years, mainly for my PMDG 777, PFPX, and FSTramp flight planner. Especially for PFPX flight plans and FMC programation to be consistent. That is to avoid the FMC issuing messages like "waypoint unknown'.

Unless you fly online ATC, the point of importance is to have all your utilities like active sky, payware ATC, PFPX, LNM, planes FMC and P3D navdata all sync to current AIRAC cycle, if everything is in sync you won't have any issues.

20 minutes ago, jabloomf1230 said:

At this point I would be shocked if MSFS 2020 doesn't have revised ATC and navigation data

That would be like buying a 2020 Lexus with a cassette tape player.

Below is a link to a free source of updates to VOR, NDB, ILS, and runway identifiers. 

https://www.aero.sors.fr/navaids3.html

Both updates from Herve Sors site (which is great) and also FSAerodata contain updates of the navigation aids (ILS, VORs, etc.) for the stock files of P3D.

If you have updated FMC-data for your planes you also would like to have updated airport navaids, because it may happen, that they don't match (e.g. you tune in an ILS-freq which is in your FMC, but the Navaid is not there, or the frequency was changed).

I really like the update FSAerodata provides. The good thing is, that it is on top of the scenery database and therefore has higher priority above all other navigational aids from other addons or stock files.

Herve Sors files will update all stock files and therefore other addons may have a higher priority and this may lead to problems too.

ORBX Vector and even OpenLC do provide new airport BGL-files and their navaids are NOT up to date, and they have a higher priority than the stock files in the end.

Therefore I would recommend FSAerodata, which can even be used together with Herve's updates in my opinion.
In my case I just updated to one of the latest cycles and will stay there for some time.
No need to be up to date all the time, but consistency is very important if you ask me 😉

Edited July 28, 20196 yr by Mischung

7 minutes ago, Mischung said:

Both updates from Herve Sors site (which is great) and also FSAerodata contain updates of the navigation aids (ILS, VORs, etc.) for the stock files of P3D.

If you have updated FMC-data for your planes you also would like to have updated airport navaids, because it may happen, that they don't match (e.g. you tune in an ILS-freq which is in your FMC, but the Navaid is not there, or the frequency was changed).

I really like the update FSAerodata provides. The good thing is, that it is on top of the scenery database and therefore has higher priority above all other navigational aids from other addons or stock files.

Herve Sors files will update all stock files and therefore other addons may have a higher priority and this may lead to problems too.

ORBX Vector and even OpenLC do provide new airport BGL-files and their navaids are NOT up to date, and they have a higher priority than the stock files in the end.

Therefore I would recommend FSAerodata, which can even be used together with Herve's updates in my opinion.
In my case I just updated to one of the latest cycles and will stay there for some time.
No need to be up to date all the time, but consistency is very important if you ask me 😉

 

Nicely said.  One of the orbx products I have had - the FSaerodata created (created is wrong word here - it used the exact elevation as in real life which is awesome ) elevation issues and it got so confusing that I am at times disillusioned.  Each developer is saying it is the other guy's fault (they are right from their own perspective).

 

 

I was using fsaerodata for one year. It worked fine but I did not reactivate it on my new system. Currently, I don't miss it and there have  been problems with ILS off-sets of some add-on airports.

5 hours ago, FPStewy said:

That would be like buying a 2020 Lexus with a cassette tape player.

Don't be so sure. I've done a somewhat careful study of VOXATC which has the most realistic offline ATC and AI aircraft handling. The logic in VOXATC is quite elaborate and MS would do well to study it carefully. Since it's a .NET app it would almost make sense for MS to buy the rights to VOXATC.

That my most unrealistic idea since the time that I suggested to the developer of VOXATC that he do a version for XP11.🤪

1 hour ago, jabloomf1230 said:

Don't be so sure. I've done a somewhat careful study of VOXATC which has the most realistic offline ATC and AI aircraft handling. The logic in VOXATC is quite elaborate and MS would do well to study it carefully. Since it's a .NET app it would almost make sense for MS to buy the rights to VOXATC.

That my most unrealistic idea since the time that I suggested to the developer of VOXATC that he do a version for XP11.🤪

Hi Jay,

Please mention this on the MSFS2020 thread over there, as MSFS team is looking at the thread.  Those guys are here on avsim.com (I just dont know who it is).  Your suggestion is awesome and MSFS even LM should get VOXATC incorporated.  We need better ATC...

9 hours ago, Simicro said:

Thanks Skywolf for your return on experience.

I felt that Fsaerodata was not critical in my case.

I do have RXP GTN 750/650 and I never use the default P3D GPS.

It's important to note that FSaerodata also requires a subscription to Navigraph. 

On 7/28/2019 at 10:55 AM, Simicro said:

I felt that Fsaerodata was not critical in my case.

I do have RXP GTN 750/650 and I never use the default P3D GPS.

the GTN 750 as of right now is locked at 1809 so if you update fsaerodata today the navdata will be 1908 so they will still be out of sync. If you want the GTN to match you will need to keep a copy of the cycles you download and when the GTN's for example get's released to 1908 you can then P3D navdata with that cycle. But then updating every utility and planes to backwards cycles is a nightmare so it's a lost cause.

 

17 hours ago, jabloomf1230 said:

Don't be so sure. I've done a somewhat careful study of VOXATC which has the most realistic offline ATC and AI aircraft handling. The logic in VOXATC is quite elaborate and MS would do well to study it carefully. Since it's a .NET app it would almost make sense for MS to buy the rights to VOXATC.

Sorry but ATC is a sensitive subject with me and I try keep venting to myself and I'm sure that Vox is the most realistic but it doesn't carry it's own FMS data from Navigraph unlike ProATC and P2ATC, it's good at handling AI Traffic but the ones that it injects not the default AI Traffic, even if it's a .net app it's still nearly 10 years old and hasn't had a major update in nearly two years and support to fix present issues is non existent. Right now the cost is $80.40Cdn more than P3D $78.92Cdn which is to much in my book. I'm sure that it's good at what it does but let's face it, we need something better, something that's updated and something with ongoing support. I don't know who controls Vox but my recommendation would be to do the honorable thing and give it to someone who will update and support it and let Vox collect royalties or join Radar Contact. If MS or even P3D come out with a fully functioning ATC with Sids and Stars and ongoing support, payware ATC is no more.

Thanks again to all.

My questions have been answered.