Best of both worlds for planning and flight

[jaydor 345]

I am now again starting to settle down into my vflying after a recent home move. 

 

I had invested last year in Aivlasoft EFB but only now starting to learn it .  I have also just purchased PFPX and TopCat.

 

I am using all the latest downloads of the programs and EFB now allows you to cross fill PFPX routes into EFB.

 

So I do my initial planning in PFPX then save it into EFB as PFPX has a better route finder than the 2 in EFB

 

I will add here that TopCat is not required if you are using PMDG aircraft as PMDG use a different format in the take off input of information..  (Correct me if I am wrong someone) 

 

Below are the shots of a route from London Heathrow to Moscow Sheremetyevo.

Left window EFB, right window PFPX:

 

Hope this will help anyone who is thinking of using the 3 programs..

[Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142]

Looks like you're having fun, James!      I also use all three programs and I love 'em. The only thing that puzzled me a little about what you said —

 

> "TopCat is not required if you are using PMDG aircraft as PMDG use a different format in the take off input of information."

 

Er.... Not quite sure what you mean here. Perhaps you have in mind the fact that flight plans will not be accepted by the latest PMDG aircraft if they contain preselected SID and/or STAR information? (The same applies if you're using PSX, incidentally, although that simply filters the SID and STAR information out). This is true for the very simple reason that SIDs and STARs are dependent on the runway in use at each end of the flight, so if there's a change in the weather (and hence the winds) then your flight plan could easily be invalidated — hence in PFPX you need to create your flight plans as usual and then delete the suggested SIDs and STARs before you save the flight, ready to be imported into PMDG. As I wrote in my review of PFPX (http://www.mutleyshangar.com/reviews/bc/pfpx/pfpx.htm):

 

"... if you are using the PMDG NGX or 777, prior to exporting the route you must ensure that it contains no SID or STAR information, since otherwise it will be rejected. To make certain of this, just open the Route Editor and change the SID and STAR box information to blank ( -- ), then click Apply."

 

But this has nothing at all to do with TOPCAT which is all about take-off and landing performance information (not routes), so maybe I'm totally off-track. (It wouldn't be the first time).      

 

Cheers,

 

bruce

a.k.a. brian747

 

P.S. A not entirely irrelevant fact about Avliasoft EFB: if you use freeware airports then its ability to generate a map of the airport layout taken from the one that you have installed is gold dust, since many freeware authors tend to be a little cavalier about details such as taxyways and gate numbers. It has many uses, although I have to admit that I nowadays use PFPX for planning, and EFB mostly for its moving map (showing other aircraft, too) and provision of charts for the 'unusual' airports. OK, embarras de richesses, but that's hardly a problem.  

 

B.

 

 

[britfrog 180]

I admire anyone that can get their heads around these prog's i find flying around europe, as i do,  that the  planning on these progs takes longer than the flight

[jaydor 345]

 
But this has nothing at all to do with TOPCAT which is all about take-off and landing performance information (not routes), so maybe I'm totally off-track. (It wouldn't be the first time).      
 
Cheers,
 
bruce
a.k.a. brian747
 


Brian, It's the TopCat information on take off and landing that is irrelevant for all PMDG FMC/CDU, as the PMDG calculate a different way.. 

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

hmmm...thinking bout adding "Flight Plan Simulator" to my list of "Stupid Simulators" over in that area based on Nigel's comment "...that the  planning on these progs takes longer than the flight".

 

I also admire those of you with the patience to learn the intricacies of all the FMS/inflight computers/Onboard Magic Stuff.

 

I only flight plan using FSX's flight planner, set start and finish, find route, then drag the course line to each WP I wish to visit on the Flight Plan map.

I am only starting to consider VOR's as WP's and beginning to practice setting them into the Nav1/2 and auto-piloting between them with the Nav/Gps switch set to Nav...but...it does the exact same route except now I have to twiddle switches in flight...dayum...fine if I'm not watching a Netflix

 

Cheers.

That program does look nifty btw...if only for the much better overall route look of the maps. Not enamored of the FSX Flight Planner map.

[brett 2,314]

I like PlanG for its features and it's price.  Flying GA using nav is much more fun for me than using just the gps. Like Nigel said, the fancy planners are a handful so I have stayed with PlanG. If I fly the larger passenger jets I grab a flight plan from one of the free sites and hand place it into PlanG.

 

I used to use the in FSX flight planner at first but now I enjoy knowing where I am flying and what is below me, something the in game planner is lacking.

 

That said I can understand why the long haul flight simmers enjoy the detailed programs and like to fly by the book. There is a great satisfaction to be had completing a big dog passenger flight as done in the real world.

 

FSX is great to get your flight on, no matter what type of flying one enjoys.

[Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142]

Oh dear, it seems that this is going to be my night for politely disagreeing with people...    

 

 

@Nigel

 

> "...the  planning on these progs takes longer than the flight..."

 

Not sure what software you're using, but with PFPX my flight planning takes ten minutes to produce a flight plan which I then load directly into the FMC. But each to their own....    

 

 

@James

 

> "It's the TopCat information on take off and landing that is irrelevant for all PMDG FMC/CDU, as the PMDG calculate a different way..."

 

Hmm... Again, me 'ol mate, I'm not sure what you mean. You are not going to find the information for an assumed temperature take-off anywhere within the PMDG software, which is the prime reason why TOPCAT is essential. Unless, of course, you stress your engines out to the max for every take-off?         (You won't get a number of other things from PMDG either, such as the amount of runway left at each autobrake setting etc).

 

OK, I'll disappear now.

 

[Exit, pursued by a bear]

 

Cheers,

 

bruce

a.k.a. brian747

[jaydor 345]

 

Oh dear, it seems that this is going to be my night for politely disagreeing with people...    

 

 

@Nigel

 

> "...the  planning on these progs takes longer than the flight..."

 

Not sure what software you're using, but with PFPX my flight planning takes ten minutes to produce a flight plan which I then load directly into the FMC. But each to their own....    

 

 

@James

 

> "It's the TopCat information on take off and landing that is irrelevant for all PMDG FMC/CDU, as the PMDG calculate a different way..."

 

Hmm... Again, me 'ol mate, I'm not sure what you mean. You are not going to find the information for an assumed temperature take-off anywhere within the PMDG software, which is the prime reason why TOPCAT is essential. Unless, of course, you stress your engines out to the max for every take-off?         (You won't get a number of other things from PMDG either, such as the amount of runway left at each autobrake setting etc).

 

OK, I'll disappear now.

 

[Exit, pursued by a bear]

 

Cheers,

 

bruce

a.k.a. brian747

 

 

 

No, don't disappear, as I am learning from you.. 

 

I am only going by what I have read on the Aerosoft forum, also in the introduction manual of PMDG 777.

 

Also I notice on my version of TopCat, I have no PMDG 777 selection?

 

So any guidance from you is most welcome.. 

 

[Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142]

Hi James!

 

> "No, don't disappear, as I am learning from you..."

<grin>  That's most kind of you, my friend, although I'm sorry to hear that you're in such desperate need.  
 

The real trouble is, of course, that these days there are so many combinations of possible add-on products that for reasons of self-protection each one adopts a policy of having never heard of the rest of them. Add to that the fact that FSX development is continuing apace (happily), and the result is that any advice on the web more than about a year or so old is probably outdated and irrelevant — and so the situation gets even worse (or the Internet is increasingly clogged with crap, depending on your point of view. Or maybe both)..

So I'll try to be specific!  

As regards TOPCAT and the 777, before you can use it for that aircraft you need to *add* a very specific 777 aircraft of your own for it to use in its planning. On the TOPCAT Aircraft screen, click the Add button on the right and then fill in the details of your very own 777 (or 777F), choosing the nearest to your requirements from the Type dropdown. Here, all I have done is to make a quick start, the rest is up to you —

 

 

 

Then, when you plan your flight, request that specific aircraft and carry on from there.

 

A similar procedure applies in PFPX (which is written by the same author, of course) — in that case, from the Globe (top left-hand corner) use the "Select aircraft from template" option:

 

 

Then select a 777 from the available templates:

 

 

 

...and carry on as previously. Obviously <*cough*> it's rather important to keep the details of the aircraft in those two programs in line with each other....  

 

The rest is geography, as the late    Terry Pratchet used to put it.

 

One other possibly-helpful idea occurs to me: if you'd like a brief (well, less than 50 pages *is* brief, for me) account of a short trip from Vienna to Rome using TOPCAT and PMDG (albeit in one of my beloved 744s and not a 777), I did write YABT (Yet Another Brian Tutorial) on that topic a little while ago. (It was written in 2010, some time before PFPX was released, so I'm afraid you won't find any references to that). But if you feel that it might be in any way helpful to you, you're most welcome to download it (the dropbox link will remain valid until the end of the month). Be aware, though, that it was written with beginners in mind, and hence you will probably find that much of it will be skim-through-able!   

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/40ba4cxhil6lg16/Tutorial%20-%20short%20hop%20%28747%20flight%20from%20Vienna%20to%20Rome%29%20exp%2030th%20April%202015.pdf?dl=0

 

If you've any specific questions, please feel free to PM me if you feel that the length of this thread may be trying our genial host's patence!  

 

Cheers,

 

B.

 

 

 

 

[mutley 4,497]

I am very patient Bruce and please share for other interested parties too.

[jaydor 345]

Thank you Bruce, have now got the 777 into TopCat together with the Airbus 318/9.

 

Have downloaded the tutorial from DropBox and will read. 

[Bruce (a.k.a. brian747) 142]

Thank you, Joe: I wasn't for a moment suggesting otherwise!

But over the years I have found that people sometimes do appreciate the option of a private chat.

Cheers,

bruce

a.k.a. brian747