Flight Planning Assistance

Hi All

Is there any way, based on wind direction at a destination airport, to provide an entry in the destination weather report that states the current runway in use?

I know this can be worked out manually using an airfield layout chart and knowing the wind direction, but it would go some way to simulating a conversation on approach with basic ground to air comms at the smaller aerodromes.

Felt the need to contribute here.

I used to use F.O.C 2003 for my planning (currently waiting for pfpx release) and that would provide me with forecast winds for my route and each waypoint.

As a mainly long haul flyer I wouldn't be looking to use opus in any planning capacity. All I require out of it is that it displays reasonably accurate weather conditions outside of my aircraft wherever I am.

Cheers

Tim

Same as Borgfan says, but I'd like to get the METAR's and possibily the TAF's for the origin destination and alternate(s). Wind at destination is no big deal at the start of a flight, it might change along the route, especially if you're a long hauler, but a TAF on the other hand is very helpful.

A key or combo to have the OPUS weather forecast pop up in FSX (so without having to go in the menu)

I would like to be able to import a flightplan into LWE in the .pln format and have a report displayed that could be printed and the report would show the wind direction, wind speed, and SAT for for each waypoint of the plan at altitudes of 6000, 18000, FL240, FL300, FL340. FL360, and FL380. The most waypoints I have had in a plan was 91 from Bangkok to Helsinki.

Alec246 wrote: Just don't forget what is so great about Opus, instant weather, simple Menus, Report Window inside FS. No one wants to deal with that stuff that other developers do that loads outside the sim, but when it connects to it to place your plane in the map, it take ages to update, man, that thing is a nightmare!! Let the Flight Planning Serious stuff to PFPX, it's going to be amazing, what we need is Wind Aloft, Temperature, Metar of Destination and Alternate, every other information I think is going to go outside the scope of Opus.  Plus, Average Wind would require you to accept users own Routes, and that would mean a database for the Navaids, I like to think Opus is just like real Weather, it's there, it doesn't tell you how things are going to be, for that you check the METAR, the Wind Charts, the SIGWX. My opinion.

I agree, I think that the "other" weather engine has grown into a monster in its attempt to be "all things to all people". Weather generation, flight planning, pireps, cloud graphics etc. all in one package.... too much bloat and performance hit for my taste. Would rather have a lean and mean app like Opus that focuses on weather injection.

For years I used FOC to do my preflight planning. With current nav data and winds aloft import, plus very accurate aircraft performance tables, it was miles ahead of every other planner in its accuracy. Unfortunately, the nav data updates came to an end over three years ago, and the developers seem to have dropped completely out of sight, so it is now useless.

But PFPX looks like it is getting VERY close to release, and looks to be a game changer. It will make the perfect companion to Opus.

Given a departure and destination airport, it shouldn't be too hard for Stephen to use the downloaded GRIB winds to come up,with an enroute average speed and direction based on the great circle path between aiports, but for my own taste, I don't know if doing complete flightplan imports is really necessary.

"K"I"S"Stephen"

I use FSbuild for flight planning so it would be nice if Opus could work together with that or if a possibility would exist to download the winds aloft and metar data from departure airport before FSX is opent so we could use the data to fill in the flightplan from FS build.

Koyaan wrote: A key or combo to have the OPUS weather forecast pop up in FSX (so without having to go in the menu)

Hi,

Just provide your wind aloft data to FSBuild. That's enough for me.

Rgds
Reinhard

electric man wrote: A weather radar moving map displaying fronts and turbulence areas around your flightplan would be nice since the iFly didn't implement that on there B737 series due to frame rate killing. Herman

Sorry, can't agree with this suggestion. Lets keep the OpusFSX interface as simple and undemanding (on the PC) as possible. Since we're getting real weather, there are plenty of other resources to illustrate it for us without spoiling the efficiency of Opus.
Just my tuppence worth...

Understood Stephen 

Whatever you do, please, ensure the program continues to provide the high quality r/w weather with the same level of impact to the sim pc.  Opus is outstanding as a weather engine and I would greatly appreicate it remaining true to that purpose.

Stephen,
if I select the GRIB Weather, then I should see this in the report for the upper and lower level. I sholud see 2 reports there - the actual and the GRIB, isn´t it like this. But I see only the actual the space behind GRIB is empty although I enabled GRIB.
VERS 2.94.4 FSX
Cheers Tom

Opus Software wrote: You will only see the two sets of values (actual and adjusted) in the Upper Atmosphere Report when you have the Sim Friendly GRIB Forecast Data option set. This will be set automatically if you use the Adjust Settings Automatically, and Adjust Sim Friendly options ticked and specify a cruise altitude of at least 6000 feet.   Stephen

I would love, not so much as a flight planning utility, but rather a weather center where I can display my route and then gather winds aloft, turbulence, sigwx, icing, METARS/TAFs, etc in visual format along my route. If there was any way to print that information, that would be a bonus. Think of an Opus Pilot Weather Center feature.

Todd

Hi Stephen, yes to both questions,
Phil

Hi Stephen,

Stephen,

Great news. I know this still beta, but any way to include the option of using Aerosoft Navdata Pro instead of Navigraph? Doesn't really affect me personally but I know there are many who are not using Navigraph.

Todd