10 hours ago, jrw4 said:

This subject has been debated endlessly on this forum. It appears that many MSFS users are reasonably satisfied with the default real-time weather system, while others have a different perception. I use the default system sometimes, and Weather Force others. Both are OK for what they do, quite acceptable for desktop simulation purposes.

Clear skies -- my airplane got flipped on its side by an instant wind shift (zero to 45 knots) passing through 11,000 feet.   That doesn't seem acceptable for desktop simulation purposes.

I'm not bagging on the sim -- I get it's only a year in --- and in FSX we had the same issue.  But this needs to be pointed out so at least something can be done about it.  I'm confident, as with FSX, something will be done, probably some fixes etc. with the weather system as things move along.  I remember by 2009 it was no longer a problem.

42 minutes ago, Mace said:

Clear skies -- my airplane got flipped on its side by an instant wind shift (zero to 45 knots) passing through 11,000 feet.   That doesn't seem acceptable for desktop simulation purposes.

I'm not bagging on the sim -- I get it's only a year in --- and in FSX we had the same issue.  But this needs to be pointed out so at least something can be done about it.  I'm confident, as with FSX, something will be done, probably some fixes etc. with the weather system as things move along.  I remember by 2009 it was no longer a problem.

Years ago, flying southeast across a lake level at 5000 in clear skies and relatively smooth air, I was hit with a jolt so severe that it bounced my head off the roof hard enough to leave a welt and almost cause me to lose consciousness.  I was able to continue the flight to an uneventful landing in an actual C-172.  Sometimes the coding in nature doesn't seem acceptable, either. 😅

54 minutes ago, Sigwolf said:

Years ago, flying southeast across a lake level at 5000 in clear skies and relatively smooth air, I was hit with a jolt so severe that it bounced my head off the roof hard enough to leave a welt and almost cause me to lose consciousness. 

I'm stun (no pun intended) with this story. Do you think it was a lighting strike from outside or static electricity building up (for example due to the aircraft moving in the air) and discharging inside the cockpit?

 

Edited July 24, 20214 yr by RXP

20 hours ago, Oldschool61 said:

Really, third party weather?   Not up to standard, are you high? The weather in FS20 is phenomenal compared to any other stuff I've seen.  And it doesn't cost extra.

 

If you're content with the current state of the game, good for you. I, and many others, are not.

Yes, it looks nice and everything, but for many of us, it's not remotely accurate. Maybe it is accurate for you.

There's a reason unlocking weather for 3rd party devs ranks high on the wish list of MSFS official website. 

Can somebody explain in what terms you consider MSFS live weather inaccurate? 

10 hours ago, RXP said:

I'm stun (no pun intended) with this story. Do you think it was a lighting strike from outside or static electricity building up (for example due to the aircraft moving in the air) and discharging inside the cockpit?

 

No, not an electrical occurrence.  Jolt was in reference to turbulence, but it was a singular event, which is pretty uncommon.  It happened right around crossing the shoreline coming from over the water.  I don't know if it was a sharp updraft caused by two airmasses meeting, or possibly warm air moving over cooler water, but I never experienced anything like it in over a thousand hours of flying.

31 minutes ago, Jeeeno said:

Can somebody explain in what terms you consider MSFS live weather inaccurate? 

I can only speak of myself. Wind is never accurate, not even close. The other day my local airport had 120 @ 4 and the sim was showing 340 @ some speed I don't remember.

1 minute ago, ar_0 said:

I can only speak of myself. Wind is never accurate, not even close. The other day my local airport had 120 @ 4 and the sim was showing 340 @ some speed I don't remember.

In real life I have seen wind shift at an airport, 30 minutes after the latest ATIS was posted, requiring a different runway. Not uncommon at all. 

Edited July 24, 20214 yr by Bobsk8

6 minutes ago, ar_0 said:

I can only speak of myself. Wind is never accurate, not even close. The other day my local airport had 120 @ 4 and the sim was showing 340 @ some speed I don't remember.

What source do you compare to MSFS weather?

The biggest advantage of MSFS default weather is the ability to depict entire weather systems rather than a patchwork interpolation of discrete METAR readings that change only once per hour.  I have used ActiveSky religiously in the other sims as there was no viable alternative.  I personally would only consider a 3PD weather software purchase if it improves upon the weather system concept.  Going back to interpolated metars would be a backwards step IMO.

Agree ...but there's got to be a way to have the big weather picture like you mentioned while allowing airports to have reported conditions. Hopefully  that's what they're working on :)

23 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

In real life I have seen wind shift at an airport, 30 minutes after the latest ATIS was posted, requiring a different runway. Not uncommon at all. 

I understand, and I have experienced that myself during my years of flight simming. But the weather in the sim is inaccurate a lot of times. It wasn't a one-time thing (or a momentary thing).

17 minutes ago, Jeeeno said:

What source do you compare to MSFS weather?

I check a few, just to make sure I know what the weather is actually like. Examples are: aviationweahter, getmetar, metar-taf

1 hour ago, Jeeeno said:

Can somebody explain in what terms you consider MSFS live weather inaccurate? 

Go to windy.com, or meteoblue, or any weather website that is showing current "live weather". All of those sources agree or show very very close to what is really happening in the real world. Bring up satellite/radar, then...pick an area with a "stand alone" or "isolated" thunderstorm, then load up MSFS and go to the nearest airport and apply real weather setting. Said thunderstorm is either non existent, or a bunch of lighting is all around with thin, wispy, transparent clouds scattered about. Sometimes a thin group of clouds about 500 feet tall have some rain bands stretching to the ground. That's not even close to what a thunderstorm should be... 

MSFS real weather seems to depict "large" weather systems very well (think fronts, or larger weather systems 100+ miles in length or diameter. If only Asobo could apply these to the scattered, isolated storms then I think we would be a lot closer to realistic weather!

Tall / towering cumulonimbus are no where to be found (again unless part of a large weather system). I've flown over 800 hours in MSFS and the weather is looking rather repetitive and dull. Sometimes low clouds that seem to be non transparent, only to become transparent once you get close to them and just merely like a slight "fog" once in them. Other times clouds are like lava lamps, quickly dissipating like water on to cotton candy.

 

 

Edited July 24, 20214 yr by KERNEL32

20 hours ago, BostonJeremy77 said:

The default weather right now is a mixed bag. It looks amazing visually... and I (*****I*****, not everyone else) don't care about it not being 100% accurate with what's going on outside my window this particular second, as long as the conditions approximate some sort of reality or currently forecasted weather, I am great with it.

I don't think anyone wants 100% accuracy.  But winds shifting from zero to 45 knots and then back to zero is a problem.  So are the temperatures.  You can't be 20degC all the way up to 40,000 feet.  These are bugs, not pleas for "accuracy" -- besides, there isn't 100% accuracy between forecasts vs. actual wx in the real world, either.

2 hours ago, Sigwolf said:

No, not an electrical occurrence.  Jolt was in reference to turbulence,

I was indeed mislead with the word! Thank you for the explanation!!