56 minutes ago, s0cks said:

Yeah, LNM will even tell you best runways to use based on the weather.

I don't fly airliners, but I thought these days the FMS could show you weather and active runway?

The inibuilds A300 now has CPLDC, which can do that...although I haven't had a chance to dig into it too much.

In a plane that doesn't have CPLDC though, you could simulate it using LittleNavMap yeah.

I forgot to mention Pilot2ATC, which will assign you a runway, usually the best one (in terms of winds).  You can always request a different approach and runway of course but it's correct most of the time.

2 hours ago, Fielder said:

 I roll the bones.

Best choice if you're in a Rush!

I too, use FR24 most of the time.

I always check to make sure the wind in sim brief matches what is on the flight planner screen in MSFS.  Problem is FSLTL uses the internal engine so if real world weather reports the wind is 120 at 1 kt it will use runway 12 even if 30 was the actual runway being used by real-world traffic.  I have noticed that if your flight plan in the flight planner screen is at odds with the real world weather being reported by the sim you'll have traffic coming in from both directions.  This is something I hope beyond ATC can fix.  

Long story short If I get close to the airport and see some silliness I will reset the FSLTL traffic injection just before about 20-25nm.  Usually by then approach will be telling the aircraft which approach to expect.  Last flight coming into Minneapolis, this was the exact scenario I faced.

When approach told me cleared for approach 12L then I hear them give 30R to another airplane I just reset the traffic injection then listened to the ATIS. because the wind was 270 at 1kt it reset everything back to the 30s.  AI traffic still has a long ways to go but I have a lot of hope in Beyond ATC's traffic engine. 

 

I don't believe avoiding conflict with AI using opposing runways is possible.  MS assigns runways based on winds, but not always.  I use ForeFlight and check the best wind runway, however, many times that stupid MS ATC/AI system uses a runway that's wrong with a significant tailwind.  Now, landing with a tailwind of like 7 knots is not unrealistic though.  You really have to just choose what you want to land on and go from there.  MS ATC, and even online services, are not 100% favoring the winds.  For example, KBUR is often favoring runway 15, yet, runway 15 is not used very often over runway 8.  Runway 15 is a visual approach only with a somewhat difficult approach, whereas runway 8 is an ILS straight in approach. 

There are many services online that will give you METAR data and wind/runway selections.  A handful of larger airports have D-ATIS and that tells you the active runway.  Unfortunately, I have had stock MS ATC tell me to land on one runway and allow AI to takeoff the opposite direction.  It's just a very buggy system.  Hopefully Beyond ATC or others like it can change that.

Tough choice sometimes. I use Pilot2ATC for ATIS (which uses a variety of choices of weather selection) but initially simbrief for longer hauls. Both of these seem to keep the best active runway. AI traffic, regardless of using AIG or FSLTL can differ though. To be honest, most of my time is focusing on the flying part so if traffic is going opposite.....I delete the traffic hahaha

Thanks,  but not many useful answers/suggestions here. The problem remains: With low winds or crosswind conditions at the destination airport, it is not possible to find out which runway (direction) will be assigned by MSFS when you're on a longer flight and you want to program the FMC shortly after TOD. The only good alternative seems to be PSXT/Real Traffic. But that's a different story, because it takes out the MSFS traffic handling.

Edited April 11, 20242 yr by Nemo

8 hours ago, edpatino said:

https://runway.airportdb.io

Thanks. 

7 minutes ago, Nemo said:

Thanks,  but not many useful answers/suggestions here. The problem remains: With low winds or crosswind conditions at the destination airport, it is not possible to find out which runway (direction) will be assigned by MSFS when you're coming from a longer flight and you want to program the FMC shortly after TOD. The only good alternative seems to be PSXT/Real Traffic. But that's a different story, because it takes out the MSFS traffic handling.

It simply isn't possible.  If you are asking which runway will be allocated to you for landing, then it can only be determined when within range of the tower.  If you are using an IFR flight plan you will be directed to a runway that won't always make sense.  Once that runway assignment is given, the runway for AI traffic will change if the weather changes.  The problem is not just ATC/AI.  The weather for arrival is not injected until about approximately 20 miles out.  For example, I will tune an ATIS for an airport to see when it comes alive.  Approaching KSEA, tune in 118.00 and keep the frequency active on approach.  Looking at weather I will predict runway 16 L/R/C.  Yet, when the ATIS starts reporting at around 70 miles, it'll say a METAR that's invalid and often reporting "heavy rain" with runways 34 active.  Then on final I will hear the ATIS change to an accurate METAR and sometimes allow the proper runway assignment for the wind.

One example of improper active runway assignments is FlyTampa KLAS.  It makes no difference what the wind is doing, it'll give me runway 26 for landing or takeoff.  It could be 190/15 for wind, but it will not give you runway 19.  My assumption is that it falls on the scenery/AFCAD data.

There are many dynamic reasons why the active runway won't make sense.  In the real world, often times the runways for takeoff and landing are not wind specific.  Other times the winds change while on final.  Unfortunately, the sim is not able to correct for certain issues to maintain a consistent runway assignment for traffic and the end-user.  We hope add-on programs can correct for this, your only other choice is online with Vatsim/IVAO/PilotEdge.

For myself, I look at the likeliest winds forecast in the METAR and TAF and program accordingly.  If the winds are low, then I choose the most straight-in approach so I'm not eating up more time going downwind to a base.  At the end of the day, you simply cannot force this sim in its current state to abide by wind direction, traffic flow, or consistency.  I have had this program give me a runway assignment 20 miles out, only to tell AI to takeoff in the opposite direction.

This is my favorite :  https://metar-taf.com/

 

If you enter your departure and destination airports in the World Map before your flight you will see which runways that are in use by MSFS, but it's a bug in the system, to be 100% sure of getting the right information, you have to reset flight plan ones and type it again, reset it again before you start if you like to program your destination in cockpit.

Edited April 11, 20242 yr by Ixoye

When using the 73x during manual flight planning I try if possible to pick an arrival that is compatible to all approaches with an arrival transition that matches the approach transition. Or at least does not require a 180 10 miles from the airport. Then I either leave it blank and drop the active runway approach in after clearance or pick the shortest approach but be prepared to switch it out if clearance wants otherwise. I pick the shortest approach because a longer last minute assigned approach won't leave me at transition altitude with 10 miles to final fix 😉. 

25 minutes ago, Ixoye said:

If you enter your departure and destination airports in the World Map before your flight you will see which runways that are in use by MSFS, 

Ah, thanks. This appears to be a very useful advice. Normally, I don't use MSFS flight planning features. But I will try it, especially when I know that the wind conditions at the destination airport are not clear enough to decide which runway direction is going to be used by MSFS.

Edited April 11, 20242 yr by Nemo

I've yet to find anything that will avoid sometimes getting a plane taking off or climbing out straight at you. Even when you use the ATC assigned runway it can happen! (when close enough to get it). 

In real life, this is obviously more important, because I understand in they have to follow procedures in case they get blamed if they overshoot or have to go around.
But in flight sim, I don't worry about it so much and I barely notice any difference.  I don't use ATC or active AI traffic in MSFS, so I just pick the most convenient landing direction based on my approach. 
I have never had a problem landing with a light / moderate tail wind in either GA or Airliners, maybe due to the safety margins (basically length) built into most runways.  

So if you are a stickler for procedures, I suppose you will be looking at it, but I don't in light / moderate winds, just like I don't waste my time doing a magneto drop test in aircraft that don't simulate magneto failures .

If you are landing on ridiculously short runways like Saba, then or course, it helps greatly to take wind direction into account, but for most runways, no, not in MSFS.

I have flown into Skiathos quite a few times (in real life), and I would say the difference between landing uphill or downhill has just as much affect (if not more) as wind direction (in light / moderate winds).
I have only experienced one downhill landing there in real life (most are uphill for obvious reasons) and it is what I would call a significant gradient, but even then, our fully laden B737-800 managed to stop before the (roughly) half way turn off taxiway to the terminal.

I have tried to simulate landing downhill at this airport in MSFS with the PMDG 737-800, with a moderate headwind, and it is quite difficult to make the turn-off point, so our pilot on the day must have been quite skilled and accurate on his touchdown point.  Most similar type aircraft I have seen land there (A320's etc.), have to use the turn around point at the end of the runway. 

6 hours ago, Orlaam said:

I don't believe avoiding conflict with AI using opposing runways is possible. 

I’ve given up trying to avoid conflicts with AI. I use whatever Navigraph Charts recommends, except some runways where only one landing direction is possible. Or sometimes I feel mischievous and just disregard all common sense - it’s a sim 😜