Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler - Problems with route plotter

Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler | Airline Operations | Problems with route plotter

DVA10139
Captain, B737-800

Joined on September 04 2011
50 State Club

"Love to fly"
Jacksonville, FL USA

64 legs, 100.3 hours
14 legs, 21.9 hours online
61 legs, 97.8 hours ACARS
3 legs, 5.5 hours event

Posted onPost created on November 21 2011 12:18 ET by Gary Buska

Let me start by saying if this is the wrong place for this post feel free to move it.
I have used the rout plotter to down load several flights for FS2004 using the altitudes suggested by route plotter the problem I am having is when I flew these flights off line using FS2004 and loading the flights into fs using the on board flight planner. In both cases I have had to file for a missed approach because it waited to late to have me descend on the last flight I was at FL 230 and I was giving clearance to land. Needless to say that was impossible so I filed a missed approach and was able to land on the second attempt.
I have had to do this twice which is the only times I have downloaded a route from the route plotter.
Is this normal or should I not download flights confused

Gary Buska

Captain, B737-800

DVA043
Senior Captain, MD-11
OLP

Joined on June 10 2001
Event Half Century Club
Online Double Century Club
50 State Club
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary
Everett 1500 Club
Bi-Millennium Club
Four Million Mile Club

"Col. Panic"
Marietta, GA

2,317 legs, 9,330.6 hours
240 legs, 553.9 hours online
1,975 legs, 8,123.7 hours ACARS
75 legs, 196.3 hours event
2,353 legs, 9,465.5 hours total
91 legs dispatched, 66.4 hours

Posted onPost created on November 21 2011 14:25 ET by Luke Kolin

The DVA route plotter doesn't plan your altitudes for you....

Cheers!

Luke Kolin

Senior Captain, MD-11

Posted onPost created on November 21 2011 20:53 ET by Gary Buska

I never stated that it did I said a SUGGESTED altitude.
I also just discovered that both flights were never approved one flight it did not have any hours for nor it it know which flight simulator I used, the other had hours but was never approved either for reason I do not know.
No big deal I have deleted both flights and I just will not trust the downloaded flight plans. I have no idea as to why either flight was never approved and if it was some unknown issue with the route plotter or not your guess is as good as mine. I just mentioned it so some one might want to look into it that is all.

Gary Buska

Captain, B737-800

Posted onPost created on November 21 2011 21:05 ET by Luke Kolin

Gary Buska wrote:

I also just discovered that both flights were never approved one flight it did not have any hours for nor it it know which flight simulator I used, the other had hours but was never approved either for reason I do not know.

The route plotter will merely pre-populate a flight report for you. I suspect that's what happened because a draft flight report won't have a simulator or any hours attached to it - which makes sense, since it hasn't actually been flown yet.

No big deal I have deleted both flights and I just will not trust the downloaded flight plans.

I don't understand why you wouldn't trust them.

I have no idea as to why either flight was never approved and if it was some unknown issue with the route plotter or not your guess is as good as mine. I just mentioned it so some one might want to look into it that is all.

A flight report that was never submitted won't ever get approved. By deleting them unfortunately you've ensured that we're never going to find out what was really the case. frown

Cheers!

Luke Kolin

Senior Captain, MD-11

Posted onPost created on November 22 2011 00:05 ET by Gary Buska

Sorry about that I thought they were flights I submitted using the file off line non ACARS flight with
Now I understand what you are saying I was not aware that the route plotter made a entry in my log book.
If you look at my logbook flight DVA5873 KBOS to KIND and zoom in on the destination you will see where I had to go around this was due to the missed approach that I was talking about I was to high when I was cleared to land.
And what I meant was that I was not going to download the route any more I will just write down the legs .
It is my guess that FS does not know how to deal with the imported flight plan.
If you save a route from the route plotter and then use the flight planner inside FS to load it I noticed that it keeps the altitude until it gets very close to your destination within 20 NM and at FL 320 needless to say you will never get down quick enough to land.
It has been my experience that this is a common problem with the flight planner inside FS it is picky as to what type of flight plan you put there it is a format problem from what I was told I had a similar problem years ago.
I think that the fact it saves the plan as a text file and not a flight plan file is probably the problem.
Fs flight planner converts it to a flight plan file and it misses something in the process.

Gary Buska

Captain, B737-800

Posted onPost created on November 22 2011 10:42 ET by Luke Kolin

Gary Buska wrote:

And what I meant was that I was not going to download the route any more I will just write down the legs . It is my guess that FS does not know how to deal with the imported flight plan.

FS can deal with the imported plan just fine, it's just abysmal at calculating Top of Descent. That's not going to change if you enter in the route manually. The PLN file if I recall correctly contains no vertical guidance at all. Manual entry in fact won't work for most modern RNAV terminal procedures because the waypoints aren't in the FS9 or FSX navigation databases.

I think that the fact it saves the plan as a text file and not a flight plan file is probably the problem. Fs flight planner converts it to a flight plan file and it misses something in the process.

Flight plan files are text files. They're just useful for lateral guidance, not vertical. You need to plan your descents yourself.

Cheers!

Luke Kolin

Senior Captain, MD-11

Posted onPost created on November 22 2011 13:20 ET by Gary Buska

No problem that is exactly what I have been doing since the incident I just wanted to make sure there was no problems here.
Thanks for the information. cool

Gary Buska

Captain, B737-800

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