This post is not to bash MSFS 2020 but to provide an additional user experience
that I hope will help in resolving the weather issues with the simulator. During
a set of flights the past couple of days I’ve also noticed disconnects between the
weather reported by the ATIS, by the PFD wind indications (the TBM), the noticeable
effect of wind forces on the aircraft, and the behavior of the simulated wind socks.
The ATIS, when I departed KGYY, indicated winds of 237/05, and visibility of 3;
active runway per the ATIS was 30. Almost immediately upon beginning my
takeoff roll I noted that the plane was aggressively weathervaning to the left,
which indicated winds of far greater than just 5 knots. Upon lifting off I was
being blown strongly to the left, from the runway centerline. Definitely not
consistent with a 5 knot crosswind.
Throughout the flight, at FL180, the PFD wind indicator never showed a wind speed
of greater than 3-4 knots, but I could feel the aircraft autopilot compensating for
wind forces well in excess of just 4 knots, which one would expect in real life.
Yet the wind indicator continued showing between 3-4 knots, from the southwest.
On approach to DBQ I dialed up the ATIS, which indicated a wind of 200/12,
but that the visual approach for runway 31 was in use(?). Given that wind, the
assigned runways should have been either 18 or 13. Nevertheless I decided
to just set up for an ILS on runway 36 for the challenge of (maybe) dealing with
a quartering tailwind. During the approach it was clear that there were wind forces
acting upon the aircraft, but those all but ended beginning on short final and all the
way through touchdown and rollout; the “wind” was all but calm during those last
phases.
During my second leg from KDBQ to KBRL, I noted that the wind socks were
indicating no wind, yet again I had to really work the rudder pedals to keep the
plane on the runway centerline, as if there were indeed a stiff crosswind.
Finally a real eye-opener–please note the screenshots. On short final for runway
12 I noted that the runway windsock was almost horizontal, indicating a 15 plus
crosswind from my right. Instantaneously, it dropped to limp, yet the plane
weathervaned very aggressively to the left on touchdown, as if the windsock indication
before it drooped was correct.
This is, again, in the spirit of offering another data point in the interest of helping
in the solution to this issue.
