The pic below implicate there is an update for SimBrief.
But when i follow the link it lead me to …
So is there an important update or is it just a cheap trick to advertise?
You shouldn’t need to have a Navigraph Subscription to use Simbrief, but you likely won’t have access to up to date Navdata either. I have a subscription so I don’t know what exactly you would see.
That just seems like a nudge towards getting a subscription.
It is and makes sound business sense, to the OP simbrief continues to be free and it’s a great tool.
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As mentioned, Simbrief is free to use without a Navigraph subscription however your NavData / AIRAC will be out of date and static.
If you keep everything on the same version, then it really isn’t a problem, however it does start to become a problem when you build flight plans on an old Airac that doesn’t match what the sim or plane has.
If you fly on VATSIM, or another online network, it becomes more of a problem.
So i can update for free? Or is it just nudging as mentioned before.
No, you cannot update the Airac if you don’t have a subscription.
No, you specifically can’t upgrade your AIRAC data as that comes as part of the subscription. You can continue to use out of date data for free though.
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So how old is this “out of date data” if it never will be updated? 10 years? Older?
Have a look at the interface yourself. It will show you the cycle you are using.
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Just log into your simbrief, it’ll tell you
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Id like to note this is how it worked before Navigraph acquired Simbrief.
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Did not everybody who use Navigraph for free also get the same outdated data? I just want to know how old it is and if this will be updated too, or if it gets older a day every day?
Would have been quicker for you to have a look yourself than typing those 2 sentences
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Simbrief is free, but the nav data it uses for your flight plans comes from Navigraph (which now owns Simbrief). A static set of Navigraph navdata is available in Simbrief free of charge. No idea how old it is right now. AFAIK it’s updated occasionally, maybe annually, but don’t quote me on that. The point is that it’s static, and that’s what you get with Simbrief for free.
You can also subscribe to Navigraph, and that will give you a new AIRAC update every month. Simbrief knows how to validate your Navigraph subscription, and if you have one, it will use the latest AIRAC that your subscription provides instead of the older data it would use otherwise.
There is no way (that I know of, legally) to get new AIRAC data for free. Do they want your money? Yes, they certainly do. Simbrief is basically a loss-leader for Navigraph, that’s why they bought it. The revenue generated by subscriptions from people like me helps keep it free for you.
But if you want updated Navigraph navdata, in Simbrief or in your sim and add-ons, you’ll need to subscribe and pay.
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As we already stated, you can easily check the version you are on by looking on the simbrief page when you login. It’ll probably be in red and say “outdated”.
It will be 4 digits, the first 2 are the year, next 2 are the month.
They state it gets updated “ocassionally” however, if you created a new account today (which I did for testing). It is on 2203 (March, 2022) so 17 months behind…
It gets older every month as the AIRAC is released monthly.
To summarize…
If you do not have a Navigraph subscription, your simbrief flight plan is out of date to the Nav Data within the Sim (as the sim pushes updates) and your aircraft…
If you get a subscription, you can keep everything in sync, Simbrief / Sim / Aircraft / And third party (Pilot2ATC, LittleNavMap, etc…)
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But if its updated do i have to check it manually and update it manually or will it happen automatically? Subscribing to Navigraph is very expensive and no option to me.
Otherwise Simbrief is just worthless.
The actual AIRAC Cycle is 2308 (8/10/23 to 09/06/23). Simbrief seems to use 2203 (03/24/22 to 04/20/22). Since i cannot activate any newer cycle i guess 2203 is actual version for free version. The information about actual cycle for free (AIRAC 2203) is red out on my page.
If you don’t want to pay there is nothing to do, you get the old free AIRAC. You do not get and cannot update without subscribing.
I don’t really understand what you’re having trouble understanding here.
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For me personally, SimBrief has always been worthless without updated AIRAC, since they give out free flight planning for random AIRAC cycles. It can either match or mismatch your existing simulator (XP, MSFS, or P3D or FSX) installed AIRAC cycle.
MSFS do update AIRAC regularly, but not as frequently, let alone timely, as shown in this latest SU13:
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/sim-update-13-beta-release-notes-1-34-10-0-august-9-2023/604327
Navigation/Traffic
- Fixed a bug where airplanes didn’t slow down enough to turn while taxiing.
- Fixed a bug where airplanes performing a go around would go in circles forever.
- Update AIRAC cycle to 2308
The update you notice from SimBrief is of course, to notify you on the update of Navigraph data cycle - which SimBrief will automatically use when you plan a flight with their tool. Some people might forgot to check their Navigraph updater, and fly with outdated AIRAC cycle currently in MSFS (the SU13 is still in Beta). It might not contain the suggested waypoints or procedures that is in the latest AIRAC revision.
I assume that the update to the free data happens automatically.
I appreciate that everybody has their own definition of expensive, and of course it depends on where you live, currency etc as well as individual circumstances, but at the moment a Navigraph subscription is €82 for a year. For what you get, which is not just NAV data but also access to charts and procedures, it’s very good value for money in my opinion. To get the equivalent real world data via Jeppesen would cost thousands annually. Just look at the pricing for ForeFlight.
At the end of the day, you can absolutely plan and fly realistic routes using older AIRAC data. Don’t forget that the data in the simulator itself is not updated that often, unless you have Navigraph updates to apply monthly.