FBW vs. Fenix for Casual Airbus Flyer

[Oldschool61 38]

On 6/13/2022 at 3:22 PM, tup61 said:

I think we can safely say the Fenix A320 is not for you. 😉

You can flight plan in ANY version of the 320 just the same way.  Entering flight plan is not flying

[Oldschool61 38]

On 6/13/2022 at 2:56 PM, sidfadc said:

Each to their own, I use Simbrief.  Hardly ever use the world planner at all, Simbrief does a much better job.  Most if not all aircraft have simbrief integration nowadays.

How does it do it better?  Ive used it and it doesnt include ILS approaches on any routes just gets you near the target airport.  With the flight planner I can select my sids and stars in the drop down with appropriate ILS approaches with a couple mouse licks and then its automatically entered into the FMC when I spawn.  Tell me how simbrief is better

[tup61 1,572]

10 hours ago, Oldschool61 said:

How does it do it better?  Ive used it and it doesnt include ILS approaches on any routes just gets you near the target airport.  With the flight planner I can select my sids and stars in the drop down with appropriate ILS approaches with a couple mouse licks and then its automatically entered into the FMC when I spawn.  Tell me how simbrief is better

You've got a point there. I use Simbrief because it is very easy and convenient to use in combination with the Fenix A320 but purely as a flight planner the default MSFS has its advantages: it's very visual and you can easily 'connect the dots' with it, specially when it comes to the arrival. SB only tells you the STAR and runway to use but what approach you use is up to you and also how you connect the two. I am always surprised whenever I am using default ATC (more often lately) it knows all by itself which VIA to use: something SB doesn't tell me and which may require (in my case 😉 ) quite some time figuring out studying charts. It's a pity default ATC usually is way too late with assigning the arrival and the appropriate VIA. Without Navigraph charts SB would even become a bit hard to use imho.

But... of course SB does more than planning of the route. 😉 It gives you a rather nice random load, calculates fuel, cruising alt, stuff like that... all in all it's an awesome tool. Whenever I do use default ATC I load the SB-plan into the MSFS planner: it's a nice combination.

[Oldschool61 38]

On 6/16/2022 at 3:04 AM, tup61 said:

You've got a point there. I use Simbrief because it is very easy and convenient to use in combination with the Fenix A320 but purely as a flight planner the default MSFS has its advantages: it's very visual and you can easily 'connect the dots' with it, specially when it comes to the arrival. SB only tells you the STAR and runway to use but what approach you use is up to you and also how you connect the two. I am always surprised whenever I am using default ATC (more often lately) it knows all by itself which VIA to use: something SB doesn't tell me and which may require (in my case 😉 ) quite some time figuring out studying charts. It's a pity default ATC usually is way too late with assigning the arrival and the appropriate VIA. Without Navigraph charts SB would even become a bit hard to use imho.

But... of course SB does more than planning of the route. 😉 It gives you a rather nice random load, calculates fuel, cruising alt, stuff like that... all in all it's an awesome tool. Whenever I do use default ATC I load the SB-plan into the MSFS planner: it's a nice combination.

I just fill fuel to the amount I need for the flight.  IF your not sure fill tanks up all the way.  The world planner will fill in all the SIDS and STARS if you select a specific ILS runway.  All you need to do is manage height and speed etc.  Even the auto land will bring you down if your not around.

Its the super nerds who think they have to manually do all the flight planning.  Flight planner makes it simple and imports it into the FMC automatically so you can concentrate on flying.

 

[Tom Wright 438]

I flew the FBW a lot but since the Fenix came out I've been flying that exclusively when I fancy flying a Bus (I also use the PMDG 737 equally too).

The Fenix is more feature rich a simulation - it has failure modelling and all that stuff - but really you can fly either pretty casually and I wouldn't say that the Fenix is any more difficult to fly. In fact the EFB and the seamless integration with Simbrief you can have a flight planned, loaded and airborne within about 20 mins. So don't be put off by the complexity of it! 

That's not to downplay the FBW. I think what the team have done and continue to do with it is awesome! The Fenix is definitely a more polished experience though.

[Tom Wright 438]

Sorry just read the post about MS flight planner integration.

I strongly, strongly recommend you start using Simbrief instead. It's just as easy - input a departure and destination airfield, make up a flight number and leave everything else Auto. It'll find you a real world route including the SID and STAR and runways appropriate to the weather. Then you can just load it into the aircraft directly through the EFB, no need to manually enter all the waypoints.

[tup61 1,572]

1 hour ago, Tom Wright said:

Then you can just load it into the aircraft directly through the EFB, no need to manually enter all the waypoints.

You have to manually enter the departure runway, SID, STAR, VIA (which you have to figure out yourself) and destination runway (including the procedure which you have to pick yourself). I don't mind doing that and even like it but the default MSFS planner makes this easier, specially for a simmer like Olschool61. Depending on your use of MSFS using Simbrief isn't always 'just as easy'. 

[Tom Wright 438]

21 minutes ago, tup61 said:

You have to manually enter the departure runway, SID, STAR, VIA (which you have to figure out yourself) and destination runway (including the procedure which you have to pick yourself). I don't mind doing that and even like it but the default MSFS planner makes this easier, specially for a simmer like Olschool61. Depending on your use of MSFS using Simbrief isn't always 'just as easy'. 

Well yes there are a few bits of house keeping to do before you set off, but the difficult tasks like finding a route and working out how much fuel to load are all done for you.

I've never understood the point in flying one of the airliners if you're not even going to try to do it at least semi-realistically - you might as well just sit and watch a YouTube video of it if you're just going to let flight planner handle it all and sit and watch it fly itself!

[tup61 1,572]

16 hours ago, Tom Wright said:

I've never understood the point in flying one of the airliners if you're not even going to try to do it at least semi-realistically - you might as well just sit and watch a YouTube video of it if you're just going to let flight planner handle it all and sit and watch it fly itself!

Agreed. But to each his own. Some people simply like to take off asap and enjoy the actual flying and there is nothing wrong with that! ;) 

[Oldschool61 38]

On 6/21/2022 at 2:13 PM, tup61 said:

You have to manually enter the departure runway, SID, STAR, VIA (which you have to figure out yourself) and destination runway (including the procedure which you have to pick yourself). I don't mind doing that and even like it but the default MSFS planner makes this easier, specially for a simmer like Olschool61. Depending on your use of MSFS using Simbrief isn't always 'just as easy'. 

I dont have the time to sit around and do flight planning and picking sids and stars and learning all the data entry needed.  I want to click on departure and arrival airports and then select the ILS runway and then fuel up and leave airport.  Flight planner automatically inputs the SIDS and STARS for ILS approach etc.  And yes it is  updated airac data for the NERDS who think it isnt accurate (BS).

[Oldschool61 38]

8 hours ago, tup61 said:

Agreed. But to each his own. Some people simply like to take off asap and enjoy the actual flying and there is nothing wrong with that! 😉

It is a FLIGHT SIM after all.

 

[Oldschool61 38]

On 6/21/2022 at 2:38 PM, Tom Wright said:

Well yes there are a few bits of house keeping to do before you set off, but the difficult tasks like finding a route and working out how much fuel to load are all done for you.

I've never understood the point in flying one of the airliners if you're not even going to try to do it at least semi-realistically - you might as well just sit and watch a YouTube video of it if you're just going to let flight planner handle it all and sit and watch it fly itself!

Planning isn't flying.

[Bobsk8 12,735]

47 minutes ago, Oldschool61 said:

Planning isn't flying.

Part of flying, even when you get your private pilot license, you have to be able to plan a flight. 

[Bobsk8 12,735]

On 6/15/2022 at 5:27 PM, Oldschool61 said:

How does it do it better?  Ive used it and it doesnt include ILS approaches on any routes just gets you near the target airport.  With the flight planner I can select my sids and stars in the drop down with appropriate ILS approaches with a couple mouse licks and then its automatically entered into the FMC when I spawn.  Tell me how simbrief is better

Simbrief will give you sids and stars when available at the airport. 

[Gate99 246]

56 minutes ago, Oldschool61 said:

Planning isn't flying.

But irl without it there would be no flying.