Best Flightplaning software to use with RC 4.3

[Bill A 68]

Hi, just curious to know which is the best flight planning software to use in conjuction with RC and FS9. Plus is there one that can show me the weather conditions via active sky 6.5 on my route before my flight? I have just been using the default FS9 flight planner.Thanks,Bill

[nobleord 17]

Hi Bill,I have been using FSBuild for as long as I can remember. While it does not "display" weather conditions, it can import ASV data to add winds to the flight plan for computing flight times and fuel. The winds for each waypoint are included in the plan. It will also export the plan in a variety of formats including FS9 plan, FSX plan, PMDG737 FMC, LDS767 FMC, etc.I have attached a sample plan that I built using FSBuild from KORD to KSNA that I flew yesterday.

[Bill A 68]

Thanks for the info, does it caculate the fuel burn somewhat accuratly depending on what aircraft your are flying?Bill

[nobleord 17]

Hi Bill,It depends on the aircraft profile. I typically fly the PMDG-737 or LDS-767 and I have found those profiles to be pretty accurate. If I am flying an aircraft that does not have a specific profile, I try to find the closest equivalent and then adjust my fuel as needed. You can create your own aircraft profiles, but I have never done this, so can't really speak to what is involved in doing that.

[ronzie 21]

In AS6.5 if you are not aware of it you can process and print an enroute weather report.I too use FSBUILD 2.3. I start up AS6.5 and download and save the weather. This creates a "snapshot" file that you can set up FSBUILD to point to. In the FSB configuration you tell it to use the AS weather.When you build your flight, as Bryan sated, FSB will now fetch the available enroute METARS and winds aloft for each waypoint. It will calculate this into the fuel burn profile for the particular aircraft you have selected. In FSB on the aircraft tab where you set the type of aircraft, you also enter taxi time, "extra" time, reserve time, holding estimated time, etc. All of these are calculated into fuel quantities as shown at the top of Bryan's attachment which is the navlog printout of FSB.In FSB when you build select the option to export to FS200x (use FS200x for RC and AS6.5)or FSX, plus any FMC format that you might have that can import a route. Now that you have exported to FS9 for RC use, you can import that plan into AS6.5 by clicking the New Route tab, then Import selecting the plan. It then loads and you check your altitude and estimated TAS.Click on Process and a pop-up window will open and fill with terminal and enroute data. I choose to use the Print All button which gives loads of data including elements necessary to set up performance data for an FMC if you use it.You can check out some tutorials and features at www.fsbuild.com although the web site documentation is a bit behind the latest version. Notice also that the developer is providing at no charge fairly recent AIRAC data at no charge that sets up real world data for enroute and terminal procedures for FSB to use.I've been very pleased with FSB. Their web site also has a link to their support forum that you can browse.

[Bill A 68]

Thanks Ron...one more question:"I too use FSBUILD 2.3. I start up AS6.5 and download and save the weather. This creates a "snapshot" file that you can set up FSBUILD to point to. In the FSB configuration you tell it to use the AS weather."Do I have to save the weather (the snapshot file) or can I just minimize AS6.5 and will FSB pickup the latest weather doing it that way?Thanks,Bill

[ronzie 21]

You don't have to save it AFAIK but I do as a backup. I save it primarily because I reboot my pc, cut the internet connection, and shut down unneeded processes such as security to unload these from CPU processing before starting FS and add-ons. When I start AS I then load the archive or just gathered weather. I also take interesting real world situations and save them into organized descriptive folders such as TRWS NE US. When I'm in the mood for a challenge I load one of these into AS.Another thing I do with AS is figure out the approximate Zulu time of the flight in FS and download the current or previous day archived AS weather for that time. When flying other then local in provides the "then current" weather for the time of the flight at that location. I do this because as you know time-of-day influences weather greatly for winds, cloud layers, visibility, convective effects, and so on.

[nobleord 17]

>You don't have to save it AFAIKThat is correct, no save is required. I usually start ASV on my WideFS PC and let it download the current weather. I then pull up the ASV directory from my FS PC. I then run FSBuild on my FS PC and build my plan, and it pulls in the weather that was just downloaded.Everyone has their own unique methods. :-lol