Highiron

Hmmm, intriguing. It seems things have changed quite a bit since I last looked at fixing these issues about 7 years ago. The first link I recall using many years ago but it was no where near as extensive as it appears today. Thanks for re-introducing me to it. It appears I stand corrected on the ability for the magnetic variation and runway alignments on default nav data and airports, it can indeed be synced according to these links. It still doesn't solve the problem of 3rd party add-ons of a higher priority in the scenery files, but it's a step closer. I'm going to check out the FSAerodata/Navigraph combination. I believe it too corrects runway numbering for current magnetic variations, but I need to check to make sure. FSAerodata rates seem pretty fair. I like the idea I can pull the Nav data into present day. I'm not sure about the loss of those VOR's though that older aircraft that don't have RNAV capabilities depend upon. It's a challenging problem for sure. Thanks for the awesome links Paul 👍

Fully agree Paul. Last I dabbled in it, the core sim data could not be changed and is hard coded into the software. Only certain aircraft that are supported are able to have updated air navigation data. Has this changed? I know aircraft incorporating Navigraph (or Aerosofts equivalent) databases can have a current AIRAC installed with a subscription, but I don't believe this will help with aircraft that don't support it. They would be stuck with default data that if I'm not mistaken hearkens back to the FS9 days so that would be pre-2004. In fact my old maps that I used to fly with back then work perfectly in default Prepar3D. New maps on the other hand are a different story. It's true indeed that using current charts or SkyVector with an old navigation database is not ideal, but for the most part (99% of the time) works. I only find a few changes or differences from time to time, but most of the navaids remain the same. Some that are in the default data are no longer used and decommissioned while new ones on charts don't exist in Prepar3D at all. Perhaps someday in the future L.M. will change P3D so that the whole database can be current and not just on an aircraft by aircraft basis. For now I do the best that I can with the hodgepodge method that currently exists. The same can be said about the magnetic variation on runways. A current AIRAC cycle will include all the current runway numbering and heading based on current magnetic variations. In some cases whole airports have been renumbered such as mine at CYYC, but in the simulator, the runways are objects using an AFCAD that hard codes in the actual runway magnetic heading based on the variation at that time. AIRAC updates I don't believe change these values so there already is a mismatch. Not the best if conducting practice approaches to CAT III minima. IRL current publications always match runway magnetic orientation so this is never an issue. The same holds true for VOR's. Outbound and inbound radials are based on magnetic values that have been corrected from the magnetic variations. A new chart or AIRAC database will show current correct values, but in the simulator these new radial headings will not properly line up with the default data. Again not an issue if flying with GPS or FMS, but not ideal for VOR to VOR navigation. In essence we still can't use Prepar3D in such a manner where the current AIRAC data is used and all the airport data are in sync. It's not possible yet. I will certainly take a look at those links provided. Thanks

@skelsy Thanks Simon. I didn't mention that I was already using SkyVector but thanks for the input in case I wasn't. 😉 I did take a look at SkyDemon and Little Navmap. They too being vector programs tend to also have a bias to RNAV opreations. SkyVector still appears to be my best option as at least it has the LO and HE charts as they are sold in the supply stores. It appears that there are more detailed VFR maps but they are just not incorporated into SkyVector. I live in Canada and even in SkyVector 90% of the information is missing on the VFR side. Our charts are as detailed and information packed as the U.S. ones but you wouldn't know it going north of the border in SkyVector. The LO and HE charts however are the same detail as the paper charts I possess. I'm not sure why the difference in the detail, possibly accessibility and/or cost. You had mentioned that most VOR's and NDB's are being decommissioned. It appears this trend is happening at an accelerated rate in Europe over North America. Interesting point on Austria, Hungary, and Croatia being basically what we call "Free Flight". We still don't support that here for many reasons, concern over flight into terrain, workload on en-route controllers for traffic separation and fear of aircraft inadvertently straying into restricted or special use airspace (Class F) here in Canada. It makes sense with the shear density of aircraft in certain areas of Europe that VFR aircraft just avoid it altogether hence no airways depicted on VFR charts, just the airspace dimensions and classification. I tend to fly a pseudo VFR incorporating some IFR practices. Even when flying VFR in Canada and the United States I fly airways and air routes using the available navaids. Rarely do I go direct. This allows for a quick air filing of a IFR flight plan if the weather sours and no need to navigate in IMC to an IFR route which is a classic for a CFIT incident. It also keeps me clear of restricted airspace, both in Canada and particularly in the U.S. where MOA's cover the landscape. It also makes it virtually impossible to be lost or confused on ones position. I just assumed the same or similar practice would be used in Europe. It looks like to get fully what I need I'll have to take a look at the Navigraph/Aerosoft Charts subscription option again. I had Navigraph many many years ago, but found the interface cumbersome and didn't like the "credit" method of purchasing material, I may have to take a look at it again as well as the Aerosoft option. Other than that I will have to order charts on line and have a credit card that I'm ready to trash and patients to receive them in the mail, LOL. It's becoming more and more difficult to fly older aircraft with older navigation methods at a time when all the information provided today is catering to RNAV operations. Even an INS in a DC-10 still needs the waypoint Lat/Long to be entered to work and even that information is rarely available on most waypoints on current charts outside VOR's and NDB's. I'd love doing flights from Canada or the U.S. to Greece or Europe in a classic aircraft of the 60's and 70's, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to do so as there is a mismatch between the old methods of navigation and the new of today; so much so that Concorde would have a tough time plying the skies of today, its systems were so specific to type they couldn't be upgraded or modernized. The information and infrastructure to conduct these flights is becoming increasingly difficult as it is being lost in history. If everything I flew in the simulator had a FMS, FMC or a Garmin1000 I could fly anywhere on the globe with current information available, but if not, then... Thanks for your input. It's much appreciated. Much to learn about the differences of flying on the other side of "the pond". 🙂

Hi all, This question pertains more to the European pilots or those who fly in Europe. I am a real world commercial pilot. I have flown throughout Canada and the Untied States. I am familiar with using our VFR Navigational charts, WAC charts, LO charts and HE charts. I am now getting interested in flying around and exploring Western and Eastern Europe within Prepar3D. I have avoided these area's for all my flight simming years due to the lack of proper aeronautical maps and charts for the regions. Today there are many resources available online to assist with this, however I find that the information that I am seeing in these charts are rather lacking. Am I missing something? The VFR charts will indicate terrain, alert areas, NDB's, VOR's and airports but I see no airways or air routes joining the navaids. In North America VFR charts show preferred VOR or NDB routes between stations with Victor airways (blue paths), I see nothing of this on European charts. In Europe does one simply create their own airway between stations when using VFR charts? If so, how does one know the outbound and inbound radials to select? I can see LO charts with Victor airways with the inbound and outbound radials but never the two together, is this normal for European air navigation? I am inclined to believe that if one flies in Europe both the VFR and LO charts are required in unison, is this correct? This too seems odd as the European LO charts seem more suited to RNAV operations. If I was to fly an aircraft equipped with dual VOR and one ADF these charts would still be difficult to use as they often don't provide any direct radials or bearings to or from stations but rather a plethora of waypoints in between them with little or no information. How the heck do European pilots do VOR to VOR navigation utilizing the VFR charts? I can certainly navigate using the VFR maps within the simulator to get around as needed but I would prefer to understand how to do it properly or true to real world operations whenever possible. I use real world charts and procedures when flying the simulator around North America, I would like to do the same for Europe. Any accurate information appreciated. Cheers!

Well Airdrie Alberta Canada actually, but with an outside temperature of -30°C (-22°F) tell me what the the difference is? On Hoth, the Tauntuans pack it in if left outside, here in Canada it's the cars...

It's 3:49 AM here in Hoth, Alberta and I need some sleep after trying to solve these issues for the last 9 hours. I'll check back here and my e-mail with regards to the OC ticket in 5 hours or so. Thanks for the help and response.

Chris, I sent the .cab file as requested on the ticket issue. I tried once again with Firefox. I made sure my cache was cleared. I logged in navigated to the DC-6 for Prepar3D and selected to buy, typed in the "YES" to the terms and added to my cart. The DC-6 showed in the cart and up in the basket icon tab on the top right. Selecting any checkout button cleared the screen and the message "your cart is empty / Continue Shopping" is displayed. The basket in the upper right now indicates "The cart is empty". I tried the "Save Cart" option and the page flips back to the main menu and again the basket on the upper right corner is empty. Selecting "View Saved Shopping Carts" displays the message "You do not have any saved shopping carts". I repeated the exact same process using Microsoft Edge and received the exact same results. The PayPal option works fine in both browsers.

Hi Chris. I wasn't having any issues adding things to my cart. For me the issue was making a credit card purchase through the checkout function when the product was showing clearly in the cart. It kept repeating my cart was empty when my cart and the upper tab was clearly indicating it was not. This issue persisted after logging in and out on several occasions. I did see in other posts some time ago that it was recommended to clear the browser cache, but I can assure you my browser cache was indeed cleared of any history. It's been something like 8 months since I last accessed my PMDG account and over that time my browser cache has been cleared out umpteen number of times. I'm still having zero success updating any of my PMDG products through the Operations Center. The liveries started to download for me for the 737, 777 and 747 but the DC-6 is still a complete no go for liveries.

Anders, thanks for confirming that you too had to reset/confirm your password when you logged on. I never tried using the PayPal function for the purchase as the DC-6 was being gifted to me through my friends credit card. The credit card purchase did take properly through the newly created account I started but it didn't work through my existing one. The shopping cart indicated an item and its details but selecting "checkout" kicked back a message that my cart was empty. Clearly not just me. Jovabra, I am already using the latest Firefox browser. Microsoft Edge is useless for trying to pull up pages and making purchases, it blocks just about everything from working as it should.

The Operations Center is refusing to update any of my PMDG aircraft. I just installed the 737 NG packages, 777 and 747 v3 as well and I'm getting the same failure to download any notification updates or liveries. The download status bar pops up then closes immediately. Something is very amok. Peter, I went around the mulberry bush a few times with my password to my PMDG account. I even wondered if something had been hacked to get my password to access my products and product registration keys, but the link provided in my e-mail looked legit as far as I could see from it and it was impossible to gain access to my account without following through with it. The first time I went through the process last weekend my confirmed password refused to work yesterday, the first time I tried logging in since then. I then ran through the "click here to reset your password" and was e-mailed another link where I changed it and then was asked to confirm it with another e-mail link when I tried to log in with it again and then finally I was able to access my account. Something about this smells very bad, especially since I see no mention of this "new" confirmation requirement anywhere in the forums or a statement on the PMDG site that is obvious to a user. Very troubling... To make things more confusing, when I went into my account user profile the old password was still in place in the "password" field. For extra measure I changed this too and then confirmed it. I'm concerned my account has been hacked and my updates won't work because there are multiple installs of my products and the Operations Center is denying access to my updates. I sure hope not.

Thanks for the reply Michael. I did try to register but that too failed because my e-mail address is already in their system. I selected the "forgot password" option expecting to get another go around with password confirmation and changes but low and behold it sent me back an e-mail with my username and spelled out password. Indeed it was not the same for the site and my order account. Unification of these two would make more sense to me, but it's not my site so I play the game. Cheers.

I'm not sure if anyone else is encountering this or not. When going to the PMDG site and logging in I'm getting a confirm password request and e-mail to verify. I added the DC-6 to my cart and when selecting purchase it states the cart is empty. The process loops around and around. Haven't been on the page for ages so there wouldn't be any cache of it. Tired of being unable to access my long standing account, I created a new account that I could access and finally purchased the DC-6. Installed it and ran it in Prepar3D after entering the registration code successfully. Open the Operations Center and I am advised that a update is available for the DC-6. Strange that I just downloaded a outdated version, but OK, I run the "install update". Update window shows quickly but downloads nothing and then displays "you have no notifications" even though the old version still hasn't been updated. When I go to the liveries section and select "download" nothing happens but a red message pops up and then disappears stating there is 1 notification. Going back to the notification page still states "you have no notifications". If I close the Operations Center and re-open, running as administrator of course, the notification for an update to the DC-6 re-appears. No update, no liveries. When I go to login to the PMDG support center I attempt to login using my username and the just recently confirmed password and I'm told the username/password is incorrect. I'm at a total loss as everything seem to be borked with the PMDG sites. Logins not working after confirmation e-mails being responded to and the Operations Center being completely dysfunctional. The only thing it did correctly was update its self. Anyone else?

In a heartbeat, YES! I still prefer it over the rest, but like so many other favorites OOM's always ruined it... The DC-10 is why I became a commercial pilot, but they were phasing out by the time I was ready and the MD-11 was just getting started when Boeing bought out McDonnell Douglas and removed it from the production line due to its commonality with the 777. There will always be a warm place for it with me because of this.

This is GREAT! I've been waiting over 7 years for this, I can now use a PMDG aircraft with all my other add-on crap without an OOM. It's like Christmas in June. Thanks a lot Robert and team for a quick release on this bird. I'm going to have some serious fun with it. Can't wait for the MD11 in the next... oh, right, almost forgot...

Clearly it has wing flex. But, will it have engine nacelle wobble?... Looking great!