Hey,

 

I'm trying to practice VFR navigation using charts and the magnetic compass, but does anyone know what year the magnetic world is based on? Normally you will map out the flight on a chart, measure the headings in true north and convert to magnetic north using the year the chart is published and the annual magnetic variation. I'd assume the FS2020 world is as of 2020 but if its been in development for some years it could be a few years old. Has anyone figured this out or seen it written anywhere?

In the nautical world, on charts the compass rose would also give you the magnetic variation and +/- of a degree in an easterly or western direction. This varies anywhere in the world and you would adjust your compass course from the magnetic course by what the compass rose states. Again, within the vagaries of a simulator, you have to take into account your true course.

I started my career in navigation flying in the FAA in the 1960s during the "Cold War". You only had a chart plotter and a slide rule and the same principles are applied as for maritime. Astronavigation and sextant being used in both disciplines.

Martin

1 hour ago, teenflon5 said:

Has anyone figured this out or seen it written anywhere?

there are files in P3D you can update to "current:" magdev so your trues can be adjusted to mags & match your charts ..... big help ??

i'm sure one year soon MSFS will be able to similarly

You can test if magnetic variation (or declination) is accurate by spawning on a runway that has a true direction you know (you can measure this in google earth if you don´t have charts that show this).

Then compare the magnetic direction as indicated on your planes instruments. The difference is the current variation (declination) as portrayed in the simulator.

To find the real variation (declination) you can either use aeronautical (current!) charts (like the VFR chart in Skyvector) or this link:

https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/calculators/magcalc.shtml

Cheers, Jan

 

We do a bunch of work with an external magvar library that uses the World Magnetic Model data for our flight plan system in the CJ4, in order to get accurate bearings and headings at arbitrary fix locations for various pieces of spherical trig that place leg terminations.

So far we've seen that the magvar data looks up to date (i.e. we're able to use the latest model data without alignment isauw) so my assumption is that the sim magvar is probably updated along with the navdata.

-Matt

Thanks all for your replies 🙂 will check my local airport magnetic heading is right, I hadn’t thought of it but as Matt says it’s probably not static anymore like it was in FSX 🙂 hopefully magnetic north will move or be updated every so often so it’s never out.