flight preparation as real as it can be

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Today 10:46 PM
Hi all!

Since I flight with virtual airline, I take for model the flight preparation from Air-France (as you know I'm French) real GEN-OPS.
However we don't have professional tools, so I try to approach the real "Flight flie" as it it can be with enable addons.

I propose to teach how I do that. OK?... Here we go

1- I Book a flight on Air-Child site and print the the flight plan once modified (fuel rounded up to the hundred kilo).

2- I use TOPCAT to generate a accurate loadsheet with the data found on Air-Child FP. Then I print it on the back of FP (To save paper).
I generate a take off report depending the weights and balance, weather conditions, airport and runway used. I print the report.
So I generate the landing report with estimated weight and runway will be used. I print it to the back of TO report.So we'll have flight and weight data on the same sheet.
I generate a weather report for departure, arrival and alternate (METAR and TAF, TOPCAT do that very simply. Moreover, we have the Air-Child FP one) and print it.

3- I download a SIGWX weather chart for the whole flight area at: and print it on back. So we'll have weather data on the same sheet.

4- I download a cruise altitude winds chart at: and print it.

I have now a complete pilot flight file. Then I can go on board with my crew like a real pilot.

TIP: To decrease the print cost, i bought a laser printer (around 100€ for simple B&W model with scanner). So the page cost is 0.025€.

Well, now you are ready to create the flight file.

Ho! I've forgot a little thing. I found on supermarket an erasable highlighter pen. It could be very usefull if you would draw the flights track on enroute chart. Several brand sell this kind of pen.

Have good flights
Pierre ;)
 
Great information, Pierre. Including some web sites I didn't know. Thanks!
 
Hello Pierre (ou plutôt...salut !!) ;)

Very usefull informations that you brought to us.....but honestly I'm not professionnal enough to be able to read those charts (weather and wind charts)...but I'd like to learn that...

Do you have a tutorial about that ?

Thanks a lot for your help (and thanks for the nice FS Flight Keeper french "manual"...that push me to buy the soft !)

A bientôt et bons vols !


Cedric
 
Cedric, I hope you are aware that the original post is one year old ... ;)

To add to this, I have to tell you that Pierre was not around for a couple of months now, because of health reasons. I cannot say much more, simply because we don't have much more information. We all miss him here and hope that he will be back very soon!
 
Hello there...

As I'm back in duty and read the Cedric's replies, I find his idea very interesting.
So, I will write a tutorial concerning the weather charts use in flight preparation.
I think some Captain's here will like this topic.
By now, FS9 and FSX use great weather softs like ASE, REX and more. So weather must be taken in account in flight preparation.

This tutorial will concern the basic knowledges to create flight plan as real as possible without having engineer formation (lol).

I'll keep you informed....

Cheers
Pierre ;)
 
Hi,

I've just begun to write the weather tutorial.
If you're all good, Santa Claus will surely gives you it around Christmas.... :)

Sweet Landings
Pierre ;)
 
Excellent Pierre !!

Je me réjouis !

I have all those links to those "weather websites" that you gave us on my desktop....but I'm not able to understand how to deal with them.

Merci beaucoup et bon courage


Cédric
 
Hi Cedric,
yes for the interpretation of windcharts you need some knowledge to read it. I found something which describes quite good how the windarrows tell you what is going on in the atmosphere. just look on the windmap, look at your route and your FL and read the arrows - then you know which wind is coming up for your flight preparation.

here a link for english:

Windarrows


and geramn from wikipedia



Cheers Tom
 
Thanks Tom for links,

The tutorial I propose goes further and wil be a meteorolgical course without all complex formula.
Just what a Pilot need to prepare and manage a good flight in best conditions.

I'll make it both French (Cedirc is French) and English (the aeronautical international language).
It has 20 pages (French version) yet and I work hard on it.

Cheers
Pierre ;)
 
Hi all Captains

I just achieve the French version of the weather tutorial.
I'm working now on the English version.
They will be published on FS-tutoriels.com

Here are the cover for both version:
3363_sanstitre2.png
2268_sanstitre.png


Keep on line...

Cheers
Pierre ;)
 
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