I am getting flights suggested by your tool that include airports that Simbrief doesn't know. Is that supposed to happen?

1 minute ago, Rob G said:

I am getting flights suggested by your tool that include airports that Simbrief doesn't know. Is that supposed to happen?

Hi Rob, yes, that can happen as SimBrief does not include all airports that are included in MSFS 2024, or in VECTOR's database. SimBrief relies on commercial databases (like Jeppesen) meant for commercial aviation, whereas MSFS 2024 generates its scenery from a much broader geographical dataset.

This is also why I provide a link to download an MSFS .pln file that can be imported into MSFS directly and used together with the EFB Charts and Maps.

Edited June 29Jun 29 by toby23

New in VECTOR - Airport map for the full database.

All airports in VECTOR’s database are now on a shared Google Map you can open straight from the app.

Airports are separated by Third Party, Hand-Crafted, Gliderports and Small Detailed Airports to make it easy to find what you are looking for.

In VECTOR, click 🧭 Map of Airports in Database. You can also view the maps in Google Earth if you prefer.

Use it to see which airports VECTOR includes in each region, plan routes, or check coverage before you dispatch. Screenshots below.

As always, feedback welcome!

Wow. Vector is rocking! Thank you.

Edited July 3Jul 3 by cowpatz

VECTOR v2.3 is online!

For anyone who followed along back in June: thank you, genuinely. This started as a "why doesn't this exist yet" idea and turned into a lot of long days and late nights getting the numbers right. Since then I've found a new job, so I won't be pushing updates at the pace I was over the summer. VECTOR isn't going anywhere though, I'll keep it maintained and I've still got a couple of features I want to add when time allows.

What's new in v.3:

• Only use Navigraph airports as an optional toggle.

• Job tickets show what approaches are actually available at the destination, so you know before you fly.

• You can now select VFR or IFR to set correct altitudes and there's a "prefer lower altitude" option for anyone who'd rather stay under class A airspace.

• The biggest layout change: you get three job tickets to choose from now instead of one, so there's actually choice involved instead of just accepting whatever the dispatcher selects for you.

Underneath all of that, most of the actual work this cycle went into the dispatch logic itself, not the interface. Runway suitability, MLW on arrival after fuel burn, payload versus what the airframe can lift, cruise altitude versus terrain and aircraft ceiling. None of that is visible in a screenshot but it's the part that decides whether the flight VECTOR hands you is one you could genuinely fly, not just a route with numbers attached. More details can be found in the updated README. And if someone had told me at the beginning how much information needs to be analysed and calculated to dispatch a flight accurately, I'm not sure I would have started this project. It's been an unforgettable, incredible journey and a definite highlight in the 18 years or so that I have been simming.

Same as always: runs in your browser, nothing to install, no account, no telemetry, and yes, it's still free.
Toby

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by toby23

Thanks again, Toby, for your time, effort, and continued enthusiasm in supporting this great tool. Are winds aloft factored into determining route suitability? For heavy aircraft especially, fuel burn per nautical mile can change a lot with fuel burn-off en route. Is that taken into account? If not, I suppose it would err on the conservative side but limiting maximum range and reducing pairing possibilities. Also, is fuel tank capacity considered as a limiting factor when calculating range? I understand this tool is an options generator, with final route viability determined through the Simbrief flight planning tool, but it’s helpful to know the limitations. As a suggestion, could some variables be made selectable with checkboxes? For example, ignoring an aircraft type ban, which might restrict options due to noise limits rather than runway constraints (like the FSS 727 and other older classics).
And congratulations on the new job—great news!