Weather and Terrain APIs - Marked as "Fixed"

[Starlifter60 83]

Would it be an unreasonable request to at least have an inaccurate wx display to satisfy those who desire even a facsimile of a working radar to enhance their own experience? I'm thinking PMS50 and Carenado products. One would think at this stage of MSFS development, someone could offer that option as a temporary (or perhaps permanent) workaround until ASOBO and/or PMDG decide to cooperate with one another.

WX radar isn't a deal breaker but it seems unreasonable that we can have study-level accuracy even on the smallest of functions (many of which likely go unnoticed by the average simmer) but the two brain trusts in question can't or won't figure out something that is a major component of the 737. Would a real world 737 depart without wx radar? As real as it gets....

C'mon guys...hug it out and get to work.

[Gilandred 690]

1 hour ago, Starlifter60 said:

C'mon guys...hug it out and get to work.

Looks like neither Fenix nor PMDG are willing to budge on what they want, and Asobo on what they are willing to give.  But in the end it’s us customers that lose.

[G550flyer 1,014]

3 hours ago, Mark1616 said:

And moreover, if they are indeed playing by the SAFe book, they prioritize by WSJF. The real question is how they define the value of features, I.e. which customers they want to make happy.

Exactly. You try to make the best decisions based on the customers, resources, required effort and time boxes. It all comes down to compromise. A lot of debate happens during PI planning. I have seen one team's choice to slip a capability to the next PI impact the development of other teams in the starting PI. The good thing is that all features get there, but the question is always when and how well they are implemented.  

[G550flyer 1,014]

2 hours ago, sd_flyer said:

What if it frontal thunderstorms? Can't go around them , can't go above them.

At least you see frontal systems way ahead time and those should be accounted for during planning and the day of the flight. I receive DLNK messages from time to time where a dispatcher notifies me that they have adjusted my flight plan to go North or South of frontal lines. I have gotten those inflight when being re-routed around ash clouds. Those pop up storms are the ones to worry about, but usually can be by passed or you divert like those low fuel carrying airline peeps do🤣.  

[Stearmandriver 2,296]

Sure you can go around (or maybe over) frontal storms.  You can even pick your way through if the line hasn't solidified yet (say, earlier in the day.)

This is where datalink weather is a nice augmentation to aircraft radar.  A quick glance at the WSI app and you know how far a line extends.  Satellite internet means it's even useful in oceanic w/satellite imagery.  There's very rarely a scenario where a dispatcher won't have planned enough gas to cover such things, and if it happens you just order what you'd like... there's only one PIC, you aren't asking.   ;)

[sd_flyer 6,042]

1 hour ago, Stearmandriver said:

Sure you can go around (or maybe over) frontal storms.  You can even pick your way through if the line hasn't solidified yet (say, earlier in the day.)

This is where datalink weather is a nice augmentation to aircraft radar.  A quick glance at the WSI app and you know how far a line extends.  Satellite internet means it's even useful in oceanic w/satellite imagery.  There's very rarely a scenario where a dispatcher won't have planned enough gas to cover such things, and if it happens you just order what you'd like... there's only one PIC, you aren't asking.  😉

 

Reminds me infamous Pulkovo 612 crash which was trying to gable frontal thunderstorm  All other airliners in the area deviated. Pulkovo 612 pressed to go through. 

https://tailstrike.com/database/22-august-2006-pulkovo-612/

 

 

[Stearmandriver 2,296]

Yup, aviation is littered with examples of why you don't actually punch through cells. You can certainly use wx radar to pick your way around cells and through an area of wx though. 

Of course to use it effectively, some understanding is needed of the life cycle and behavior of various types of convection. It's really amazing how many pilots don't know anything more than "stay out of the red."  As an industry, we do a very poor job with meteorology training compared to, say, what mariners get. Both are businesses where you're operating within and at the mercy of the elements, but for some reason aviation met has been dumbed way down. 

[goodson1001 1]

16 hours ago, Fiorentoni said:

 

Uhm there is time acceleration in MSFS just like in P3D...?

True but then the weather is weird to me. You are getting daytime weather at night. In example. If you were to land at KFLL in May, and it was say 9 AM, barring any abnormal weather event, 80% of the time you are flying into 28L or 28R. If I am using realtime weather, but accelerated the time, it might in reality, be 6PM at KFLL. My flight, in accelerated time, is landing at 9 AM. Because it is using real time weather it ends up on 10L or 10R. It seems weird to me. That's all. Getting after noon thunderstorms in the morning. Stuff like that is not unheard of but flight after flight. It becomes odd. I wish they could open up the weather API to third parties, or get historical weather, is what I mean to say. This is the tread about the Weather API being locked.

BTW I will be following up on the MSFS thread to see if we can get them to listen about this issue. It is really the only thing holding them back in my mind. I like the flight models, now that PMDG is providing aircraft MSFS is going to be the place to be for me. They just have to give us more flexibility in the weather. It takes a lot away from the Tubeliner part of the sim not to have the flexibility to select a day and get the weather that happened on that day. IMHO.

[goodson1001 1]

20 hours ago, sd_flyer said:

 Really? Is that what you rational? I've been flying (IRL) without weather WX radar for 20 years, and haven't quit yet because of that LOL

Yes WX radar is cool thing to have. From my understanding API gives you horizontal sweep and vertical. I'm pretty sure savvy developers will figure out how to make it mimic more realistic echo . After all Fenix did make windshield wiper really wipe rain drops without any API.

Now to be honest. How many people in a sim flying from point A to B ever diverted when WX radar show big red blob in from of their flight path? I bet it would be opposite LOL

When I am pay attention, I do it all the time. Your not supposed to fly through the red blobs. I will say I usually try to divert around CBs when I am planning the flight. Sometimes the south in the summer does not cooperate.

[Fiorentoni 4,227]

6 hours ago, goodson1001 said:

True but then the weather is weird to me. You are getting daytime weather at night. In example. If you were to land at KFLL in May, and it was say 9 AM, barring any abnormal weather event, 80% of the time you are flying into 28L or 28R. If I am using realtime weather, but accelerated the time, it might in reality, be 6PM at KFLL. My flight, in accelerated time, is landing at 9 AM. Because it is using real time weather it ends up on 10L or 10R. It seems weird to me. That's all. Getting after noon thunderstorms in the morning. Stuff like that is not unheard of but flight after flight. It becomes odd. I wish they could open up the weather API to third parties, or get historical weather, is what I mean to say. This is the tread about the Weather API being locked.

BTW I will be following up on the MSFS thread to see if we can get them to listen about this issue. It is really the only thing holding them back in my mind. I like the flight models, now that PMDG is providing aircraft MSFS is going to be the place to be for me. They just have to give us more flexibility in the weather. It takes a lot away from the Tubeliner part of the sim not to have the flexibility to select a day and get the weather that happened on that day. IMHO.

I understand, you are talking about missing historical weather. Yeah that‘s the other thing that bothers me a bit with MSFS, apart from the missing WX radar. But historical weather will most probably not ever come for MSFS, so that‘s something I made peace with. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by Fiorentoni

[March Hare 720]

2 hours ago, Fiorentoni said:

I understand, you are talking about missing historical weather. Yeah that‘s the other thing that bothers me a bit with MSFS, apart from the missing WX radar. But historical weather will most probably not ever come for MSFS, so that‘s something I made peace with. 

Was I imagining it, or haven't they now put historical weather under investigation on the roadmap? Which would, I believe, mean they are now actively looking at development and implementation methods.

[goodson1001 1]

11 hours ago, Fiorentoni said:

I understand, you are talking about missing historical weather. Yeah that‘s the other thing that bothers me a bit with MSFS, apart from the missing WX radar. But historical weather will most probably not ever come for MSFS, so that‘s something I made peace with. 

THERE WILL NOT BE PEACE UNTIL I HAVE HISTORICAL WEATHER! Bend your pretty sim to my will Asobo!

[Pathfinder633 223]

Seriously there is much about what is already implemented in the weather aspect of this sim that could be improved/fixed, asking for more weather features seems  a little ill considered to me, having more options isnt always the snizz, a bit like TV Channels

[reecemj 146]

1 hour ago, Pathfinder633 said:

Seriously there is much about what is already implemented in the weather aspect of this sim that could be improved/fixed, asking for more weather features seems  a little ill considered to me, having more options isnt always the snizz, a bit like TV Channels

Am In the states but I love flying in Europe. With live weather am flying night weather in the day time. That’s where historic weather would help. 24 hrs would be good.

[goodson1001 1]

2 hours ago, Pathfinder633 said:

Seriously there is much about what is already implemented in the weather aspect of this sim that could be improved/fixed, asking for more weather features seems  a little ill considered to me, having more options isnt always the snizz, a bit like TV Channels

If they open the Weather API to 3rd party you will have a choice. You can be the smart one who uses what Asobo provides you, and have smooth sailing all the way, or you can be the rebel without a clue like me. A guy who loads, back alley 3rd party software from questionable bulletin boards and screws the whole thing up for myself. Then I complain on forums about how MSFS2020 is not as good P3D or XP12. We can both be happy.

Edited October 2, 2022 by goodson1001