I’m using the latest .31 beta, have the WinWing MCDU which is fantastic, along with FCU/EFIS and Fenix A320. I just subscribed to Navigraph.
Am I correct that SimBrief does not do approaches at all? In which case it is an incomplete planner for many airports.
For example landing at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle LFPG 09L, the SimBrief STAR takes a direct line to the airport:
What is needed is an approach via way point FG09L, to line up with the runway for final approach. I can go into Navigraph charts to pick FG09L, but have to manually paste FG09L into SimBrief, which seems a bit clunky. Even then it gets confused connecting that waypoint to a STAR., so I can only do this:
MAXI1F MAXIT Y803 MID L612 BOGNA HARDY UM605 BIBAX FG09L
There needs to be a STAR between BIBAX and FG09L. Yes I can cheat, but for me its fun to try and learn what real pilots do.
The planners built into MFSF support STARS and approaches, but only Asobo planes support Send To Avionics. For Fenix, and most other planes, one can only import from SimBrief…which turns out to be very limiting for an Airliner.
Is there a better workflow?
The actual Approach is never part of a flightplan, and the real life workflow is: You will get the approach assigned prior to the approach by ATC… Simbrief, Fenix are working as they should and the ingame flight planning is the wrong way
Thanks Dave for coaching me on the real life workflow.
I looked into approaches to fix the FLT PLAN Discontinuities in the MCDU.
Maybe one could program an approach before takeoff to get total distance, and then review it when assigned by ATC.
I’ll see what A330 Driver recommends on YouTube for approaches.
You actually do this to get the distance, the DISCO in the MCDU is absolutley correct…you enter your expected aprroach on flight preparation while still at the origin airport
But, there are apporaches with DISCO in between even you enter them, they are never to deleted… You can ident them by viewing on the charts… commonly there is something like arrows pointing further the last waypoint and a comment like: Expect vectors after … / on dowinwind … etc
They exist e.g. on transitions to final
They look like this on on the charts, e.g. transition NAPSA 08 into EDDM
In the MCDU its look like
DM450
MANUAL
----- DISCONINUITY ----
DM440
Again: Those DISCO have to remain in the MCDU, never connect the waypoints before and after
Other Discos will connect automatically once you selected the approach
To get the distance you pre-select an approach that you expect (according to the current ATIS of the destination airport) and once done the DISCO is removed unless it is an indended (like the EDDM example, the DISCO is if you will part of the apporach)
But remember: The approach you pre selected prior departure might change during your flight to a complete different approach (e.g. wind change, night time restrictions (but they should be known to the pilots and already selected if you will arrive during the time they are in use, e.g. at EHAM).
So review your pre-selected approach while you prepare yourself and the aircraft for arrival before starting the descend into your destination.
