MSFS flight planner and Navigraph questions

[robert young 2,897]

Hello, I wonder if someone with experience of this subject can chime in:

I just started a Navigraph subscription, but I am unclear whether the standard MSFS world map/flight planner is truly updated with the latest data. Why would I want to still use the standard planner over the simbrief/navigraph planner? Because it is the only way I can find to plan a departure gate to destination flight without simbrief's planner mucking up some waypoints and altitudes. Even more important, when using the latest FBW A320 I have to be at a gate in order to load passengers but a simbrief flight spawns on the runway. If I use the FBW fkyoad to "sync" to MSFS then the VFR map is completely ruined with crazy waypoints. It is not made clear whether the standard MSFS planner really is using the latest AIRAC.

Let me give an example: If I load the FBW A320 then request a prepared SImbrief/Navigraph plan it seems the flight spawns on the runway. I can only load passengers if I am at a gate, but if I set up a gate I have to use the MSFS flight planner because that is the only way to spawn at a gate. If I do that it looks like the whole flightplan is reset.

While it's great to see the Navigraph charts etc, I can't actually see any advantage in not using the native MSFS flight planner, particularly because it links to MSFS's ATC. Is there a way to solve these issues?

Edited February 1, 2022 by robert young

[vcarlo 529]

When you get to the Welcome screen, choose your airport and starting position (gate, ramp, etc.) DO NOT load a destination airport (that info is not required).  Once you're happy with time, weather setting, etc, click FLY NOW.  Once you are loaded at your gate, you can begin loading your flight plan into your MCDU (either manually or pulling from SimBrief ).

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

The MS flight planner is under re-write by the folks at Working Title (hired by MS).  

As far as I'm aware the Navigraph navdata overwrites the sim navdata.  That doesn't mean the default flight planner still won't contain errors and the default ATC AI system (also under re-write) uses the flight planner, IRRC.

In any case, as you've subscribed to Navigraph and are using Simbrief, you'd probably be staying with that.  That's what I do, and what I would always do regardless of how good the default flight planner would be.  It's not a feature that is important to me unless I'm just puttin' around the 172 maybe.

Edited February 1, 2022 by Jeff Nielsen

[robert young 2,897]

Thanks for replies!

[Maxis 1,877]

4 hours ago, vcarlo said:

When you get to the Welcome screen, choose your airport and starting position (gate, ramp, etc.) DO NOT load a destination airport (that info is not required).  Once you're happy with time, weather setting, etc, click FLY NOW.  Once you are loaded at your gate, you can begin loading your flight plan into your MCDU (either manually or pulling from SimBrief ).

Added to that ive been able to sync the flight plan to  ATC by importing the flight plan into the mcdu, init page from Sim-brief, complete the departure and arrival legs then file the flight plan with atc. The only thing after that i will  need to be on top of is the altitude. Your going to have to request the altitude up to your flightlevel shortly after takeoff and if your someone who likes to be a step ahead request your descent to the beginning of your star but apart from that as long as the winds don't change much en route you get the runway and approach you want. If I don't get the runway i desire and its a parallel i simply request it from atc and request the approach as well. If the winds have completely shifted then i adjust the approach  accordingly. I dunno i guess i have learned to work around its limitations to the point the in game ATC isn't too much of a nuisance or hindrance.

[tup61 1,586]

Take note that if you do it as Jeff and Maxis told you MSFS ATC may give you another departure and/or arrival runway than Simbrief gave you... so you may have to alter the plan in the MCDU. MSFS ATC also has a tendency to command you to altitudes you didn't ask for.

Apart from all that: whenever I do want to use ATC with the FBW A320 I load the exported Simbrief plan into the MSFS planner and use a starting position from the dropdown menu (so NOT by clicking on the map): ever since SU7 this should keep the flightplan as it is. Advantage of this is:

1. ATC knows the cruising alt and you won't have to take care of that;

2. the SID and STAR are already in the MCDU right from the start;

3. ATC will use the SID and STAR and arrival as selected on the MSFS planner so no surprises anymore.

But in all honesty... lately I stopped using Simbrief altogether and let the MSFS planner create the plan for me. This simply works the easiest and fastest and best with ATC. 😉 Navigraph also updates the MSFS database so it all should work perfectly fine together. Simbrief doesn't offer me anything I actually use or need so... why bother with it. 😉

[DAL488 2]

11 hours ago, tup61 said:

and use a starting position from the dropdown menu (so NOT by clicking on the map): ever since SU7 this should keep the flightplan as it is.

Yes, that's what I have been doing.  Works pretty well.

[Oldschool61 38]

On 1/31/2022 at 7:59 PM, vcarlo said:

When you get to the Welcome screen, choose your airport and starting position (gate, ramp, etc.) DO NOT load a destination airport (that info is not required).  Once you're happy with time, weather setting, etc, click FLY NOW.  Once you are loaded at your gate, you can begin loading your flight plan into your MCDU (either manually or pulling from SimBrief ).

Be even simpler if they just allowed the in game planner to auto enter the in game planner data into the planes system like all the default planes.

[PHLMerc 9]

You can just download the FS20 flight plan from simbrief.  From the welcome screen press the space bar to download the flight plan.  Simbrief will place you on the runway however you can just change to the gate to where you want from the menu.  FS does not change the flight plan as much as it had with earlier versions.