Flight Planning Assistance

I have now added heading and bearing information to the site descriptions in the Opus weather report windows. I will add similar information within the OpusFlightReport.txt file.

Hi Stephen,
Here is my current flight report, ( currently en route), Notice the US navaid fix, but I am flying between YMML and YBBN. Navdata error ?
Using NOAA and Vatsim. NavdataPro and Aussie met additions.
So, this is yet to be implemented, correct ?

OpusFSX Flight Plan Weather Report

Generated Tuesday Tuesday, 11 June 2013 10:49 PM Hrs

Route

YMML    MELBOURNE INTL A    LAT -37.673333 , LON 144.843333    Met Stn    
ML      MELBOURNE           LAT -37.660000 , LON 144.842220    Nav Aid   YM   Freq 114.100
H66     Nowata Mun          LAT 36.720922  , LON -95.625256    FSX Stn   United States
JCW     JACOBS WELL         LAT -27.761390 , LON 153.334440    Nav Aid   YB   Freq 116.500
BN      BRISBANE            LAT -27.365830 , LON 153.139170    Nav Aid   YB   Freq 113.200
YBBN    BRISBANE INTL AR    LAT -27.384167 , LON 153.117500    Met Stn

That is the latest beta. Always update , and this one was installed today. Have to update reg to keep up with ya :) Have never missed a beta since 5/10/2012

Ahh got ya. Thanks Stephen. Will download shortly for my flights tomorrow. What threw me was you stated many betas ago, and I mis understood.

Interesting, as H66 is a genuine airway on the Mel Bris route.
The waypoints within the airway are ML NONIX KACEY MDG TW PEBDO WHITI GAMBL JCW
ProAtcX picked up the airway from the same Navdata.

If I extract all the nav points between the entry and exit points along the H66 airway then I get,

We have asked Navigraph for our own airways Nav data file (ATS.txt). We are planning to include airways, decoding the standard ATS.txt Navigraph file in addition to recognising and accepting the PMDG Navigraph wpnavrte.txt file.

It will take us a little time to recognise and incorporate airways into the FP Assistant, so in the mean time you can either omit the airway code if it causes problems or enter the navigation points along the airway.

Stephen

P.S.

The usual good response from Magnus at Navigraph means we have a copy of the ATS.txt airways file we can add to our installation. Many thanks Magnus.

Sounds like all is going well Stephen

Would it be possible in the Flightplan report to have the route listed at the top in it's entirety and then the waypoints listed out instead of having each navpoint of the route listed without showing the airways? Easier to reference when putting into the FMC to have the airways still listed, and then the navpoints of those airways spelled out below.

My route is:
KSMF RBL J65 LMT J189 BTG OLM8 KSEA

The J65 and J189 is not listed but the navpoints in those airways are.

Thanks!

Opus Software wrote: Yes, I will see about doing that right now. Will post 3.10.4 when ready. Reminder ... Make sure you have deleted your GRIB data files.   Stephen

Just updated that posting, user error. Thanks for taking care of that small problem, least for me anyway.

And this is WHY you're simply the best. But you already know that. I would LOVE to see another developer put out a new update with a requested mod within an hour or so of suggesting it.

Our GRIB decoding format has changed which means the data files that are generated from the extracted and decoded GRIB data are no longer compatible with the new version. These files are generated by our FSDECODER program.

I was talking to a friend earlier today about the new changes that had been going on with OPUS and I was talking to him about the GRIB wind changes and it gave me an idea.

What if using the GRIB winds and the distances between waypoints and navaids of the route that the user could load fuel and then have OPUS read the amount of fuel loaded and calculate fuel burn just like in a real flight reports? The user could also supply a minimum amount of fuel that they wouldn't want to go below and then (somehow) using some sort of an average can calculate the average fuel burn of the selected aircraft factoring average winds and the distance to fly. If OPUS calculates a fuel burn below the minimum then maybe it could suggest a round about amount to add.
If I put in 5k pounds for my minimum start with 13k pounds of fuel in my tanks and opus reads my loaded fuel calculates all of the route and winds and tells me i'll get there with 4k pounds then it would suggest me adding another 1k of fuel.

Would look something like this from my past memory
KSMF  13.5 (Fuel) 170/10 (Surface wind)
80NM
RBL    12.0 (Fuel) 350/80 (waypoint wind)  
150NM
PDX   8.9    (Fuel) 271/65 (waypoint wind)

I am sure other better sources can be found of a airline dispatch report which shows much clearer what I am trying to convey. Basically bottom line is having a predicted amount of fuel at each waypoint in the flightplan from start to finish with a minimum that a user inputs based on the winds and the distance between each waypoint starting from the departure to the arrival airport.

soundrats wrote: Ok then I delete only the xxx.dat files. Regards Tom

Tom, delete everything in your OPUSFSX/GRIB folder except degrib.exe. Go into the GRIB folder, use the control A combo so it highlights everything and unclick degrib.exe and delete. Then install the new BETA.

This is really overlapping what your flight planning package should be doing.Its a good idea but the user would have to specify all the aircraft details (climb and descent rates, indicated airspeeds for climb and cruise, fuel burn at sea level, fuel burn at altitude, fuel burn during climb and descent, cruise profiles, etc.).

It is a nice idea and we have considered it.But seeing as the FMC provides a really good and accurate fuel burn forecast at each of the waypoints and provides details of the amount of fuel remaining on landing, plus gives warnings when your flight plan is going to eat into the fuel reserves; we would just be duplicating this information with a great deal of effort needed by the user to configure it all to boot.

Can't you just listen to the ATIS or contact ATC, or if at a small airfield just read the surface wind in the Opus weather report on the screen. The rest is pretty straight forward, I thought the FSX ATC menu gives a list of available runways in those circumstances.

If there are SIDs then just look at the headings and select a suitable SID group heading in your general direction if available, then knowing the active from ATIS, select any specific SIDs that may be more suited.

Stephen

Would be nice, but I don't think that information is available from FSX, I will check. If I can determine what runway FSX is using then I would provide details of this. I will look into it and see what info I can obtain. There are other Navdata files which provide runway details, what runways are available etc.. But I really need to ascertain what runway FSX has selected as active.

I could also show this info in the Opus weather reports if its available.

Stephen

Hi Stephen, Clive's idea for active runway to show up is an excellent idea IMHO if it were possible. I realise you are not designing a flight planner, but I'm thinking it would be nice in the destination report or SID STAR report. and you have a big workload as it is.
Phil

How would you like the altitudes bracketed, at the moment I just show 2000 feet above and below your specified Max Cruise Altitude. But I could quite easily list a wider collection of useful altitudes from 20000 feet upwards.

Stephen