So I’m looking at trying out vatsim finally but I’m not sure what to do about weather. I seem to remember in FSX using REX  for instance I could tell REX to use vatsim weather. Obviously msfs can’t do that on its own. So how do you handle stuff like QNH being a different value or things like winds that might affect which runway should be used?

 

edit: I mention QNH for example since I loaded into KJFK the other night to observe and listen from the ramp and the ATIS QNH for vatsim was very different than in the sim. 

Edited October 15, 20205 yr by flyinion

If your QNH doesn't match the Vatsim QNH then press B to reset the altimeter and you will then appear to be at the correct altitude to the controller and vs other a/c. Yeah it's an unrealistic workaround but it is the most practical solution until we can get Vatsim wx injected into the sim. So when ATC gives you a QNH you read it back correctly but use B even if it gives a different result and you will be in step with the system.

Wind is more difficult since there is no quick'n'easy workaround. If you're at a busy airport then it's important to go with the flow and use the assigned runway even if it means a tailwind approach/departure and try to live with it. If it's quiet you can always request the most appropriate runway for MSFS wind and they'll try and fit you in.

The other alternative if your wx is vastly different to ATC's is to fly on preset wx in MSFS, use B again for QNH.and it'll put you right.

 

consider this as the only reasonable solution at the moment https://unrealweather.blogspot.com/2020/09/unreal-weather-live-metar-released.html

this mod has slight problems with weather morphing during METAR station change but you can tweak it to be more smooth in corresponding config file (see guide on mod page). it will grant you 100% correct metar-based weather (you can set METAR update up to 1 minute).

 

 

Don't understand this obsession with "VATSIM weather" there's no such thing in my opinion. Some of the VATSIM clients did inject recent METARs but were frankly abysmal, and VATSIMs METARs were historically about 30 minutes behind reality. You just need weather to get close to current METARs, so what you're seeing matches the ATIS.

Edited October 15, 20205 yr by ckyliu

9 hours ago, ckyliu said:

Don't understand this obsession with "VATSIM weather" there's no such thing in my opinion. Some of the VATSIM clients did inject recent METARs but were frankly abysmal, and VATSIMs METARs were historically about 30 minutes behind reality. You just need weather to get close to current METARs, so what you're seeing matches the ATIS.

No obsession just trying to understand how me having different weather in the sim vs what the Vatsim controllers have will affect my experience if/when I decide to actually give Vatsim a try finally.

22 hours ago, ckyliu said:

Don't understand this obsession with "VATSIM weather" there's no such thing in my opinion. Some of the VATSIM clients did inject recent METARs but were frankly abysmal, and VATSIMs METARs were historically about 30 minutes behind reality. You just need weather to get close to current METARs, so what you're seeing matches the ATIS.

The weather that the controller has is what determines runway in use and that effects other controllers and traffic flows right back up the chain. Therefore Vatsim Weather (what ATC see) overrules what you see out of your own window and overrules what an airport is doing in the real world. If that's an hour behind rw then so be it, it's still in charge whether one likes it or not.

This is why Active Sky and Rex both had the option to use Vatsim Weather around airports to ensure that pilots and ATC were in step on the network and it worked, very well, for operations on Vatsim. There will always be pilots on the network that "know better" and want to use the real world runway in use but when it's busy that's just disruptive and rather selfish.