David Vega

Ray, TopCat would do it, but only for a limited set of airplanes. Would Tweak Load be enough? It favors loading passenger and cargo, but there's something there about fuel too. Don't know if it would work for all types of aircraft.

From it's web page: FS Flight Keeper (FSFK) combines seven programs in one: A Logbook, a basic Aircraft Black Box, a Flight Weather planning tool, a Flight Information System (ACARS Device), a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), a Cockpit Sound Environment enhancement and Air TV. The Logbook keeps track of the flights you made. It stores Flight Times (also Day and Night), Fuel used, Pilot, Aircraft used, etc. Whilst the Black Box logs all aircraft events like autopilot settings, engine settings, weather, etc. FSFK also features flight weather planning (METARs, TAFs and ALOFTs), data export, configurable flight critique, World (Moving) Map display, Instant Messaging, Screenshot Manager and much more. FS Flight Keeper contains many features for Virtual Airlines (VA), which need a standardized way of logging, transmitting flights and even want to upload actual flight reporting maps. FS Flight Keeper can transmit fully customizable flight reports via Email or any available Web Service (page). FSFK also offers realtime (live) ACARS. This means that ACARS messages are created in realtime and automatically transmitted to an existing Virtual Airline Web Service. The service can then store and process the received messages. Virtual Airline (live ACARS) Traffic can displayed on the World Map. With the existing Virtual Airline Software Development Kit (SDK) and the contained example services and databases any VA can develop FSFK compatible web service in a really short time.

OP, I would recommend it to a simmer, but not to you, and only because you are asking if it would help you with pre-flight. FSFK's main use is as a flight log program. It has other tools, but nothing that you can't find as freeware, and nothing better. I have been using it since v1.0 to keep track of my flights for my VA. For my purposes, it is a very good program: performance is non-intrusive, support is outstanding, and it does what it does very well.

Yes to P3D compatibility and yes to hud. Suggest the Aerosoft "preview" forum. Information plus photos there.

Thank you Ron and Jim. I use AS2012, but not UT (WOAI for me). I've flown twice since I posted, and tried using AS to check weather at the destination airport about 170 nm out, and then using Refresh AI button. It could be a coincidence, but it worked OK both times. On the 2d flight, I was flying into KATL, where I usually experience the ATC chaos. I would be told to expect runway 26R, and I would hear ATC also telling AI to expect runway 8L. This time all traffic landed towards the West. Jim, I'll try your settings and report. Again, thank you.

Like many others, I'm very happy with RC4 and have been an RC user since the beginning. So, with this posting, I'm not asking for a fix to RC4, only seeking information that maybe could be derived from a civil and meaningful dialog. First the disclaimer for the forum police: I've searched this forum for this topic to the best of my abilities. I'm a real world private pilot, so I know some about aviation. Have been using flight simulator, and other flight sims, since the Commodore 64. I've noticed that occasionally FSX (and possibly RC) selects a runway that would not be selected in real life due to winds (beyond acceptable tail winds). Not an issue for me since I can always ask RC for a runway of choice. Is RC taking the lead from the default FSX ATC in determining the landing runway(s)? It is evident there's no ATC that is aware of all the airplanes in its airspace and that all ATC decisions appear to be stand alone, but not so much on the landing runway. Interested in what the experts know about this. Thinking that it would be great to "help" FSX ATC a little, besides modifying AFCAD files, is there a way to set the destination's landing runway ahead of time? I use AI Smooth to part the AI ways for me, so that's not what I'm asking. Regards

Besides Jim's good recommendation, another option. The parking position for each gate at an airport is coded inside a computer file, along with other airport data. This data can be changed, and some people use programs to do so. What's cool is that most of those people publish those changes for all of us to use. Those are known as AFCAD files. Really a misnomer, but that's for another posting. What's important is that you could search here in avsim for an AFCAD for a particular airport. It is likely the parking position data in those files has been corrected. Hope this helps.

Jesse, Thank you. Know about the Texture Bandwidth Multiplier, just couldn't make a connection with TBM... guess a "senior moment." Regards

Clauss, What is TBM?

It would be indeed nice if there were to be a program that would automatically update airports, in the same fashion as there are tools that update navigational data in flight management computers. But since there isn't one, we're left with two options: 1. wonder why, and 2. what to instead. I'm sure there are several reasons why we don't have such program, regardless of the time it would take to produce. One could be that this airport information is part of the airport scenery. It would be simpler if the data such as frequencies, gate numbers, runway direction, ILS alignment, were to be stored separate from scenery files. Perhaps if Microsoft, or someone else, were still actively supporting the product, it would be more likely the data would be closer to current. What else? Others have already posted what could be done instead. Best would be to do a quick review of the departure and destination airport before the flight. With weather data, you can estimate departure and arrival runways, and check that it's all there. What if it isn't? I would check if someone already has taken the time to update the airport, download the update, check for currency again, and go fly. Lastly, I would learn how to update the information myself using available freeware products already mentioned. This takes time to learn and to do, but it's all proportional with your desire to have currency on your airports. Have fun.

Read an interesting discussion about this elsewhere. Like with most things FSX, there are different viewpoints. Some scenery makers believe that the "look" of the FSX default jetways detracts from the rest of their work. In other words, great realistic looking airport, but the jetways do not match their reality counterpart at that airport. Another viewpoint is that the default jetways negatively affect the performance (they are not coded right, old code, etc.) Instead of designing moving jetways as part of their scenery, they design static ones. It just happens that one could purchase AES credits to "replace" the jetways, with moving jetways and the rest of the features in AES. GSX offers similar features, but does not replace the jetways. For pilots who prefer moving jetways as part of their immersion, the options are limited. Another pilot in this forum pointed out that his criteria was that if it did not have anything to do with "piloting" he wasn't interested. Taking that approach would eliminate this jetway issue because no matter how "low cost" the airline is, the pilots do not operate the jetway, open the jet doors, load/unload, refuel, etc. I would prefer a product that does all of this automatically. That would really be immersive.

Hope the Simmarket folks have a great weekend, returning happily to make a bug-free installer.

There is a way to manually build a transatlantic route using the FSX Flight Planner, but it is very tedious and time consuming. There are ways to get the route into FSX without using the FSX Flight Planner. Like Silicus said, for a realistic route, check www.flightaware.com. For example, today I see that British Airways flight 9153 is on its way from KMIA to EGLL, using: VALLY NUCAR A699 LOUIZ A699 SUMRS M204 BEXUM M204 SOORY 4300N 05000W 4700N 04000W 4900N 03000W 5000N 02000W SOMAX ATSUR GAPLI UL620 GIBSO M17 BILNI you have two freeware options: www.simroute.com. Click on "Generate Routes." Enter KMIA on Departure, and EGLL on Arrival, and then copy/paste the route from flightaware in Route. Click on the Generate Route button and you will see a page that has all kinds of information about the route. In this page you can select the aircraft type, estimated True Airspeed, and the format you want to use to save the flight plan (FSX, FS9, etc.) You can even see your route plotted in a map at the bottom of the page. Once you select the flight plan format, cilck on Download Flightplan and it will download a flight plan file to your computer. You can then load this flight plan from FSX. www.vroute.net. Download their "standard" or freeware program, and use it in a similar fashion as above, to generate a new route. A good thing about this program it gives you access to lots of ready-to-use routes, but you can also make your own. Like simroute.com, you can use this program to save a flight plan in FSX format. Hope this gets you going. Let us know if you are still interested in using the FSX Flight Plan to manually create a transatlantic route. It will require good knowledge of lat/lon, other helper web sites, and tons of patience. Regards,

Suggest asking FSGenesis support. I'm sure they can help you.

It does not exits. Requirements 4 and 7 are subjective. To meet them, the airplane would have to be made by Carenado and certified by a real (not virtual) pilot with actual experience on the real airplane counterpart. This is the kind of posting that eventually generate the "Risk of Closure" label.

Read the reviews. They seem to be getting better, but suggest not buying based on hype (imminent!), or just looks. Let the hype patrol go through the ever repeatable process of: Rush to purchase Complaint about servers being overloaded Complaint about registration/purchase process, etc. Complaint about bugs, and oh what a shame it is, and compare with other vendors Complaint about ...

Another good site for bad weather is http://www.badbadweather.com/.

Thank you Bob.

I do not have the program yet, but based on what I can see on their web page, it appears to calculate the fuel needed for your flight, but only for a set of aircraft types. It does sound like a very good program for airline type pilots looking for high realism in dispatch operations and products.

If you want to simulate reality, suggest performing in kind. Learning how to read taxiway signs and airport familiarization should complement your piloting skills.

A partial solution would be to update the FSX's VORs, NDBs, and fixes. Check this.

The skills are in you, not in the joystick.

Flightbeam's KIAD Dulles - Huge No FPS Loss

Thank you for posting this.

Thank you for the posting.