PMDG 737 Tablet updates are available

[ljk811 28]

1 hour ago, MDFlier said:

As a test, I turned off Simbrief downloader to see what changed. At the map screen, I realized that there was no flight plan saved anywhere for me to load up. I always load the flight plan on the map page because even though the Fenix and the PMDGs don't need it, MSFS does so that ATC will know what I'm doing. I ended that flight, and restarted the downloader. I changed the settings so that it saves the MSFS flight plan but nothing in the PMDG folders.  

After restarting the sim, I found that the process works exactly like it did before with the exception that it is now getting the information from Simbrief instead of the saved files. Enter departure airport and position on the pos init page. Click RTE at the bottom and type the destination airport code, which adds it to the departure airport code in the scratchpad. Press key next to CO ROUTE and then press FLT PLAN REQUEST key and it shows origin airport, destination airport, and distance on the next page. Press the select key and then press load and then the exec button after it lights up. Flight plan loaded. Simple. Then I press the DEP / ARR button and fill in the runways, SID and STAR. Continue with PERF, etc. after that. The only real difference that I see are there are 4 less files to clean up later.

You are wrong, there is essentially no difference. Clicking request on efb actually downloads the flightplan to the pmdg folder C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\packages\pmdg- aircraft-738\work\Flightplans

You can see that a new flightplan will be generated in this folder.

When I use simbrief downloader, I don’t even need to click “request”, which is a completely redundant step.

[RichieFly 737]

20 minutes ago, ljk811 said:

...

When I use simbrief downloader, I don’t even need to click “request”, which is a completely redundant step.

Unless you'd like to see the flight information on the tablet; or am I misunderstanding your point?

[Max Kraus 341]

My PERF INIT load from the FMC is always way off compared to Simbrief/OFP numbers (Cruise, CI etc) 

It also drops my Navigraph account requiring another QR scan. Will see if that happens next flight too.

[Beagle12 141]

9 hours ago, El Diablito said:

As good as some of the content creators are, they would've done the community a far better service if they had really detailed from A to B how this UFT works, they should've gone through every page in the FMC and shown clearly what's new and what's still missing, what gets imported and what doesn't, instead of just browsing vaguely through the various functions.

100 percent. 

[MDFlier 2,031]

5 hours ago, ljk811 said:

You are wrong, there is essentially no difference. Clicking request on efb actually downloads the flightplan to the pmdg folder C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\packages\pmdg- aircraft-738\work\Flightplans

You can see that a new flightplan will be generated in this folder.

When I use simbrief downloader, I don’t even need to click “request”, which is a completely redundant step.

Uhhh.. re-read what I wrote... "After restarting the sim, I found that the process works exactly like it did before with the exception that it is now getting the information from Simbrief instead of the saved files".

Where I come from, "the process works exactly like it did before" means the same thing as "there is essentially no difference".

It's possible that my description, "with the exception that it is now getting the information from Simbrief instead of the saved files" mislead you a little into thinking that I was saying that there was no .rte file in the flightplans folder. When you click "Request New Data from Simbrief" in the tablet, all it is doing is downloading the same exact .rte flight plan file that the Simbrief Downloader was previously downloading. Using the tablet actually adds an extra step since the .rte file just appeared automatically in the flightplans folder after generating the flight in Simbrief when using the downloader. If you key in a flight plan manually into the FMC and hit the save button, it will also store a .rte file in that folder.

Edited October 31, 2023 by MDFlier

[threexgreen 3,156]

7 hours ago, flyhalf said:

My PERF INIT load from the FMC is always way off compared to Simbrief/OFP numbers (Cruise, CI etc)

That's because it doesn't pull the numbers from Simbrief apparently. It still loads random values like it did before which is pretty much useless because you're not gonna use them for your flight.

This is a missed opportunity really. With the tablet and Simbrief integration, they could have implemented PERF INIT and TAKEOFF data uplink.

[ThomseN_inc 1,128]

The problem i have is that the Tablet gives me some weird VREFs upon landing. For example  Flaps 40 and a VREF of 147 kts. Cant remember the weight but it was something around 60 tonnes.

Result was a nose down pitch attitude on approach. Seemed to be off from my perspective. :D

[DAD 2,659]

10 hours ago, ljk811 said:

You can see that a new flightplan will be generated in this folder.

that alone should be avoided. yes, this is how I did it since the 737 was released. but it clutters my harddrive with useless files. also wondering why they did not chose to pull the data from simbrief like (almost) any other developer does, this seems half baked to me. 

on a positive note, glad we have what we have so they can focus on the 777 and EFB improvements

[danhenri 24]

3 hours ago, threegreen said:

That's because it doesn't pull the numbers from Simbrief apparently. It still loads random values like it did before which is pretty much useless because you're not gonna use them for your flight.

This is a missed opportunity really. With the tablet and Simbrief integration, they could have implemented PERF INIT and TAKEOFF data uplink.

I think that this is a deliberate choice from the devs. In reality, you have to enter the zero fuel weight and the CG in the FMS. The same procedure is simulated in the Fenix (the pilot receives a loadsheet  to enter the data in the MCDU. The Fenix's EFB gives you the TOW calculated by simbrief, but it may not match exactly the data received from the loadsheet). The difference, at this stage, is that you have to enter the payload yourself in the 737 FMS menu (GSX does now that automatically for you when loading the aircraft). Then, you can get your TOW in the EFB to calculate your performance. I am not a commercial pilot, but it seems to me that this procedure is more realistic.

3 hours ago, ThomseN_inc said:

The problem i have is that the Tablet gives me some weird VREFs upon landing. For example  Flaps 40 and a VREF of 147 kts. Cant remember the weight but it was something around 60 tonnes.

Result was a nose down pitch attitude on approach. Seemed to be off from my perspective. 😄

According to what real pilot 737NGDriver says in his video, the FMS only gives you approximative speeds for take-off and landing, because it does not take into account the length and the condition (dry or wet) of the runway (as if packs or antiice are ON or OFF). That's why real pilots are needing a EFB...

Edited October 31, 2023 by danhenri

[ThomseN_inc 1,128]

4 minutes ago, danhenri said:

According to what real pilot 737NGDriver says in his video, the FMS only gives you approximative speeds for take-off and landing, because it does not take into account the length and the condition (dry or wet) of the runway (as when packs or antiice are ON or OFF). That's why real pilots are needing a EFB...

Not sure you got my post right. The VREF that i got from the EFB calculator seemed to be way too high for the weight the plane was. resulting in a strange nose (approx 5-7 degrees) down attitude upon landing. I never used the speeds calculated by the stock CDU.

[danhenri 24]

2 minutes ago, ThomseN_inc said:

Not sure you got my post right. The VREF that i got from the EFB calculator seemed to be way too high for the weight the plane was. resulting in a strange nose (approx 5-7 degrees) down attitude upon landing. I never used the speeds calculated by the stock CDU.

Sorry for my misunderstanding. 😔

[ThomseN_inc 1,128]

1 minute ago, danhenri said:

Sorry for my misunderstanding. 😔

No need to apologize though! 🙂

[ljk811 28]

2 hours ago, DAD said:

that alone should be avoided. yes, this is how I did it since the 737 was released. but it clutters my harddrive with useless files. also wondering why they did not chose to pull the data from simbrief like (almost) any other developer does, this seems half baked to me. 

on a positive note, glad we have what we have so they can focus on the 777 and EFB improvements

The improvement of EFB is an illusory promise, just like the improvement of pmdg777 VC promised by pmdg. pmdg keeps fooling everyone.

[Bobsk8 12,836]

6 hours ago, ThomseN_inc said:

The problem i have is that the Tablet gives me some weird VREFs upon landing. For example  Flaps 40 and a VREF of 147 kts. Cant remember the weight but it was something around 60 tonnes.

Result was a nose down pitch attitude on approach. Seemed to be off from my perspective. 😄

I have about 6 flights using the EFB and I have never seen that. The EFB Vref and the Vref from the FMC are pretty much the same thing if you select same flap settings in the EFB.

[ThomseN_inc 1,128]

1 hour ago, Bobsk8 said:

I have about 6 flights using the EFB and I have never seen that. The EFB Vref and the Vref from the FMC are pretty much the same thing if you select same flap settings in the EFB.

But if (as people said) the FMC does a very basic calculation leaving aside multiple factors like runway length, runway condition etc, why are the calculations of the EFB the same? Is the EFB as basic as the FMC? Doesn't make sense to me.