What is your flight routine like?

[RobJC 2,069]

I am curious to know how your flight “routine” compares to mine. Here’s mine…

1. Plan flight in SimBrief. Generate flight and export file.

2. Load Pilot2ATC. Import flight plan from SimBrief. Validate flight plan.

3. Load FSLTL but don’t start injector.

4. Load MSFS. 

5. From World Map load SimBrief flight plan. Select aircraft, set fuel, select gate. Click Fly.

6. Start plane from cold and dark state. Start FSLTL injector. 

7. Check flight plan in FMS. 

8. Connect Pilot2ATC to sim. File flight plan (buttons in Pilot2ATC).

9. Load Navigraph app. Import SimBrief Flight plan.

10. Contact ATC using Mic. Ready to copy…ready for pushback…Ready to taxi.

11. ATC provides taxi instructions. Write them down.

12. Load airport chart in Navigraph to figure out how to get to assigned runway. Taxi to runway.

13. Request departure clearance from ATC while holding short. Depart. 

14. Use AP to fly waypoints, following ATC altitude instructions.

15. Fly approach. This is the step i am currently struggling with. 

16. Taxi to gate using ATC instructions. Have not gotten to this stage yet. Stuck on previous step. 

17. After landing, shut all programs down. I usually only get one flight in per day. 

It sounds like a lot but things become second nature very quickly. 

What is your routine? 
 

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by RobJC

[Malaromane 422]

1. Fire up WIndows Mixed Reality client.
2. Start MSFS2020
3. Pick a plane, starting airport, time of day, and weather
4. Start flight.
5. Switch to VR.
6. Fly wherever I want and enjoy every second of it.
7. Land somewhere and shut everything down.

NOTE: I'm not claiming my routine is better or worse than yours; it's just different and that's what makes flight simming great. We can make it as detailed (complicated) or as simple as our hearts desire and get the same amount of enjoyment out of it.

Edited February 28, 2023 by Malaromane

[St Mawgan 1,375]

I get in the aircraft of my choosing at that particular time and think, where shall I go. I'll either put in a flight plan or just get going and see which direction looks interesting when I'm at 4,000 feet. Some of my best flights are the random ones. I usually start at one of a relatively small handful of favourite airports and have to really force myself to try somewhere completely new.  

[Noel 4,503]

22 minutes ago, RobJC said:

I am curious to know how your flight “routine” compares to mine. Here’s mine…

1. Plan flight in SimBrief. Generate flight and export file.

2. Load Pilot2ATC. Import flight plan from SimBrief. Validate flight plan.

3. Load FSLTL but don’t start injector.

4. Load MSFS. 

5. From World Map load SimBrief flight plan. Select aircraft, set fuel, select gate. Click Fly.

6. Start plane from cold and dark state. Start FSLTL injector. 

7. Check flight plan in FMS. 

8. Connect Pilot2ATC to sim. File flight plan (buttons in Pilot2ATC).

9. Load Navigraph app. Import SimBrief Flight plan.

10. Contact ATC using Mic. Ready to copy…ready for pushback…Ready to taxi.

11. ATC provides taxi instructions. Write them down.

12. Load airport chart in Navigraph to figure out how to get to assigned runway. Taxi to runway.

13. Request departure clearance from ATC while holding short. Depart. 

14. Use AP to fly waypoints, following ATC altitude instructions.

15. Fly approach. This is the step i am currently struggling with. 

16. Taxi to gate using ATC instructions. Have not gotten to this stage yet. Stuck on previous step. 

17. After landing, shut all programs down. I usually only get one flight in per day. 

It sounds like a lot but things become second nature very quickly. 

What is your routine? 

1. Load MSFS and nav to the WM Planner
2. Open A Pilot's Life v2
   1. Change planes as desired (it's an option in APL)
   2. Click its SimBrief link which enters the basics for this plan.
3. Enter plane, call sign, departure/arrival runways TWICE into the WM planner--this assures which runways ATC will use
4. Check if SimBrief has also entered the same runways as will be used by MSFS ATC
   1. Generate flight in SimBrief
5. Back to WM Planner to...
   1. input SIDS/STAR data from SimBrief
   2. choose a gate near the departure runway threshold
   3. enter flight cruise altitude
   4. Hit FLY
6. Start FSLTL's injector, Start Process Lasso, Request Boarding in GSX Pro
7. Prep the plane, fly the route including specified SID/STAR, disconnect the autopilot between 1000 and 500 ft AGL
8. GSX unloads the plane
9. Always aiming for a perfect 100% score in APL.  My current rating is 98.57%, down from 98.81% after a bad landing!  Have yet to break 99% but that is my goal.  Unfortuantely it's way too heavily weighted towards how you will piloting 100's of flight ago which I've brought up on their Discord but was cutoff at the pass by their gatekeeper who when HE doesn't see the point, simply kills the suggestion.
10. Repeat in any one of my four planes used in APL, whenever I can!!!!!!!

1.  

[RobJC 2,069]

36 minutes ago, Malaromane said:

1. Fire up WIndows Mixed Reality client.
2. Start MSFS2020
3. Pick a plane, starting airport, time of day, and weather
4. Start flight.
5. Switch to VR.
6. Fly wherever I want and enjoy every second of it.
7. Land somewhere and shut everything down.

NOTE: I'm not claiming my routine is better or worse than yours; it's just different and that's what makes flight simming great. We can make it as detailed (complicated) or as simple as our hearts desire and get the same amount of enjoyment out of it.

Exactly. This thread is about understanding how each of us use the sim, instead of claiming any way is "better." Because none of our ways are better. But seeing how each of us do it is interesting! 

[Malaromane 422]

I recently discovered an "around the world" flight plan that's done in 705 short hops. I modified it slightly so that it starts and finishes at my home airport (CYKF) and now each flight session I do the next leg. Haven't actually made it that far yet -- I've done the first 8 flights so far and made it as far as KJFK. But I've done each one in VR and have thoroughly enjoyed the virtual sightseeing along the way. 

I just need to press on and get further south so I can get away from all of this snow!

[MarioDonick 752]

First, wander two hours cluelessly around my room and can't decide for start / end airports 😄

When finally decided, study airport charts to get used to taxi layout, departure procedures, etc.

Then it depends:

VFR in GA: 

Uncontrolled airports mostly. Use a preferably printed ICAO chart and a paper sheet and flight plan table for planning a course, wind triangle, fuel etc. Execute flight manually (autopilot only if really needed), Navigate by landscape features, with GPS as backup. Track waypoints and times with a pen on plan.

 

IFR in airliner:

Use SimBrief to create briefing package, print it on paper. Sign it! (Really important that step. Without signing I can't fly 😉 ) Print and study required charts. in MSFS, program FMC by hand, execute flight according previously printed plan and charts. Track waypoints with a pen on the plan.

 

Usually I don't use artificial ATC, sometimes (less often than I'd like to) online ATC.

Edited February 28, 2023 by MarioDonick

[BrammyH 447]

1. Open up my massive Excel sheet where I have ingested -- no joke -- 20,000 entries of flight information.
2. Obsess over which route and airline I will run.
3. Enter there route in Simbrief and use the downloader
4. Open MSFS, SkyDolly, Volanta, and the injector.
5. Realize I forgot to have MSFS add-on minder actually install the livery I just downloaded.
6. Close and reopen MSFS. Go make a sandwich while this happens
7. Load the correct livery afters scrolling through a seemingly endless list while muttering "No, REALLY, I know I installed the foolish thing"
8. Load into the gate
9. do all the normal flight prep stuff.
10. Fly the route while forgetting to turn off the lights, the APU, and to set the transponder.
11. Screw up the approach while realize that, once again, I forgot to enter missed approach into the MCDU
12. Land the plane. Sometimes it's even close to the center line
13. Realize I forgot to look and see where the actual terminal is and pull off into the cargo terminal instead.
14. Shut down the engines and end the flight in Volanta.
15. Update my own records in Excel on the route and aircraft flown. Refresh the pivot tables.

[Gazzareth 808]

14 minutes ago, BrammyH said:

1. Update my own records in Excel on the route and aircraft flown. Refresh the pivot tables.

My daughter kept pointing out I only played games I could keep an excel spreadsheet for. Used it for years to keep my FS Logs.....

..... now moved to Access. No more pivot tables for me....

 

G

[Nuno Pinto 1,397]

1. Select random flight either from my VA, aircraft location (on VA system) or IVAO network tours

2. Plan either using SimBrief or manual if i have the patience to do it

3. Fire up MSFS, select desired (or required depending on flight) aircraft, connect VA ACARS and IVAO clients.

4. Get the aircraft ready for departure without any ground addons which i don't really care about (my work is in the cockpit)

5. Check for ATC online and if so request clearance, startup, taxi, etc or else configure departure depending on weather conditions.

6. Engine start, taxi, lineup, takeoff, fly.

7. Prepare for arrival when that phase comes (can be anything from 20 minutes to 12 hours) and start descending.

8. Perform approach as per the published charts, land, taxi to gate, shutdown engines, submit flight to VA.

9. ALT-F4 on MSFS and it's done. If it was an IVAO tour, also submit PIREP on the website.

 

During flight, if very long, i usually do other stuff like go for a run, bike ride, make lunch, whatever needs to be done. I never ever use time compression.

Edited February 28, 2023 by Nuno Pinto

[Gazzareth 808]

5 minutes ago, Nuno Pinto said:

During flight, if very long, i usually do other stuff like go for a run, bike ride, make lunch, whatever needs to be done. I never ever use time compression.

I've never understood why people seem to think there's something wrong with using time compression, but will happily go AFK for extended periods to the point they'll set it to pause at TOD. 

Makes zero sense.....

 

G

 

[TomCYYZ 215]

I first decide what VA I am going to fly for and where, prepare the appropriate Flight data in Simbrief. If I happen to be flying an aircraft that uses the TDS GTNXi  I will start that app as well. (same goes for Fenix).

1. Start 2nd computer, and load Navigraph Charts 8 & Aivlasoft EFB2.

2. Start Aivlasoft EFB2 Server & FS Realistic, as well as fsltl-traffic and the VA ACARS app.

3. Open MSFS Addon Linker and choose the Departure and Arrival Airports and or Aircraft & Livery I will be flying.

4. I now start MSFS, wait for it to load, click on World Map.

5. Choose Aircraft & Livery, desired Departure Airport and Gate or Ramp

6. Set desired time at Departure Airport, Click on "FLY".

7. Check Cockpit View, test tobii Eye Tracker, hit F9 to toggle back to fixed view.

8.Start PILIOT2ATC and load Simbrief FP,  & FSFO (Flight Simulator First Officer Next).

9. Go over to 2nd monitor and setup Aivlasoft EFB2 (start Simbrief Downloader and 'export FP to EFB2)  & setup  Navigraph Charts 8.

10. Start FSFO "Flows and Checklists", the FO will enter the cockpit & begin the process of powering up the aircraft and going through the flows and checklists before and after engine start (such an invaluable app to lessen the cockpit workflow!).

11. Get ATIS and Clearance info through PILOT2ATC, then usually ready to taxi within 20-30 mins. after entering the cockpit.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by TomCYYZ

[PDX Flyer 111]

1 hour ago, MarioDonick said:

First, wander two hours cluelessly around my room and can't decide for start / end airports 😄

When finally decided, study airport charts to get used to taxi layout, departure procedures, etc.

Then it depends:

VFR in GA: 

Uncontrolled airports mostly. Use a preferably printed ICAO chart and a paper sheet and flight plan table for planning a course, wind triangle, fuel etc. Execute flight manually (autopilot only if really needed), Navigate by landscape features, with GPS as backup. Track waypoints and times with a pen on plan.

 

IFR in airliner:

Use SimBrief to create briefing package, print it on paper. Sign it! (Really important that step. Without signing I can't fly 😉 ) Print and study required charts. in MSFS, program FMC by hand, execute flight according previously printed plan and charts. Track waypoints with a pen on the plan.

 

Usually I don't use artificial ATC, sometimes (less often than I'd like to) online ATC.

Not sure what you mean by signing the SimBrief package?

[MarioDonick 752]

18 minutes ago, PDX Flyer said:

Not sure what you mean by signing the SimBrief package?

Depending on airline format of the generated PDF file, there is a line for the Captain to sign the plan 😄

[BrammyH 447]

51 minutes ago, Gazzareth said:

I've never understood why people seem to think there's something wrong with using time compression, but will happily go AFK for extended periods to the point they'll set it to pause at TOD. 

I think it's a VA thing. Most VAs are very, very specific on this thing. The line is usually "don't have time for a 6 hour flight? Then don't book one."

That said, I tend to fly routes that are 1-2 hours in length and I enjoy watching the scenery go along.

Also, some aircraft get really unhappy with a sim rate over 2.