Thinking of purchasing FSBuild

dlrk · **Joined:** Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:29 pm **Posts:** 11

I'm thinking of purchasing of FSBuild. I'd like to use it as a fuel planner//navlog tool for the PMDG NGX.

I've got a few questions:

1.Can FSBuild take winds aloft data into account?
2.Is an accurate performance file available for the PMDG 700NGX?
3.Is it an abandoned/ditched product? I see an apparently abandoned version 2.4 at the top of the page.

ubersu2 · **Joined:** Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:39 pm **Posts:** 349

dlrk wrote:

I'm thinking of purchasing of FSBuild. I'd like to use it as a fuel planner//navlog tool for the PMDG NGX.

I've got a few questions:

1.Can FSBuild take winds aloft data into account?
2.Is an accurate performance file available for the PMDG 700NGX?
3.Is it an abandoned/ditched product? I see an apparently abandoned version 2.4 at the top of the page.

1. FSBuild interfaces with several third party weather programs to obtain winds aloft. All ActiveSky products are supported.
2. No. However, the file available for the earlier PMDG 737's is very usuable. Fuel estimates are fairly accurate; if you want more detailed fuel and performance planning then I recommend TOPCAT.
3. No. The 2.4 version is the most recent and supports/requires the Navigraph provided AIRAC. I'm not sure why you would think it is abandoned.

DJ

aua668 · **Joined:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:59 pm **Posts:** 62

Hi,

I absolutely can recommend to buy this piece of software. It's the tool I always use to prepare my flight and it's very flexible to customize it to your needs. You must be aware, that you have to configure it to your aircrafts and to your flow. With the right set of adopted config files and one of the supported weather tools, it helps me to calculate fuel consumption and the flight time very exactly.

Rgds
Reinhard

dlrk · **Joined:** Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:29 pm **Posts:** 11

TOPCAT's not a fuel planner. Are you saying FSBuild can't plan fuel more accurately than the rough estimate provided by TOPCAT?

ubersu2 · **Joined:** Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:39 pm **Posts:** 349

dlrk wrote:

TOPCAT's not a fuel planner. Are you saying FSBuild can't plan fuel more accurately than the rough estimate provided by TOPCAT?

That's exactly what I'm saying - the performance files are (on the whole) user generated and will give you a good ballpark estimate in many cases. The file for the older PMDG 737 is particularly well done and works quite well. FSBuild is not a fuel planner - it's a flight path planner that happens to be able to give fuel estimates of varying quality.

DJ

dlrk · **Joined:** Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:29 pm **Posts:** 11

Ah, I thought it could be used as a fuel planner. I was hoping for something to use while waiting for PFPX

ubersu2 · **Joined:** Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:39 pm **Posts:** 349

dlrk wrote:

Ah, I thought it could be used as a fuel planner. I was hoping for something to use while waiting for PFPX

It can be for your purposes (the NGX). I've been using its fuel estimates and found them substantially better than TOPCAT's for the PMDG product and the iFly 737 series. The thing is, for perfect planning, you really need a specific profile for each aircraft model and as of yet no one has offered that out of the box. Unlike TOPCAT, FSBuild allows for profiles to be created and modified by the user based on available data and user measurements within FS. Based on comments on the TOPCAT forum, unless PFPX has obtained data from a number of manufacturers that is currently not available for TOPCAT, it is unlikely that current data will improve for fuel planning.

DJ

gmpost · **Posted:** Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:47 pm

I've found that once you've adjusted the available PMDG profiles in the fsb_aircraft.cfg file based on the new NGX weights and logged a few check flights to fine tune the fuel bias as described in the accompanying documentation, I can consistently get fuel predictions within 500 pounds or less of actual burn depending upon actual wind variations from forecast.

aua668 · **Joined:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:59 pm **Posts:** 62

Hi,

I produced my aircraft profiles out of this document:

http://www.eurocontrol.int/eec/gallery/content/public/document/eec/report/1998/015_BADA_Aircraft_Performance_Summary_Tables.pdf

With these values it's very easy to create very accurate profiles adjusted for the real aircraft. Then you might have to correct the consumption to the way, the programmer implemented the plane. You can influence this by factors after some test flights to get it even more accurate. But most of the good payware implementations are pretty near the original so these numbers worked well for most of my planes.

Rgds
Reinhard

dlrk · **Joined:** Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:29 pm **Posts:** 11

Reinhard,

If you've made an NGX profile, any chance you could post it?

aua668 · **Joined:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:59 pm **Posts:** 62

dlrk wrote:

If you've made an NGX profile, any chance you could post it?

Hi,

I am on FS9 at the moment - so I don't have a NGX profile. Sorry.
But to give you an idea, how to create such a profile out of this tables, I add here my F100 profile. You will find these values in the file mentioned above. The conversation to the FSBuild format can easily done by Excel or some other spreadsheet program.

(1) Entry in the fsb_Aircraft.cfg file:

Code:

[F100 / MK650-15]  -- (R. Brantner) ---
WeightUnit=LBS
OperEmptyWeight=57342
PayloadWeight=23356
HoldFuel=:20
TaxiFuel=33/min
ReserveFuel=%6
AlternateFuel=
ExtraFuel=:45
ApproachFuel=0
Imagefile=F100.jpg
Callsign=AUA668
DefaultTOFlaps=0
DefaultLDGFlaps=42
PerformanceData=F100.prf 
ToldData=F100.tld
ClimbFuelBias=+0.0
CruiseFuelBias=+0.0
DescentFuelBias=+0.0
MaxTakeoffWeight=97994
MaxLandingWeight=88000
MaxCruise=35000
FSKneeBoardNotesFileName=\navlog.txt
MaxZeroFuelWeight=80997
MaxFuelWeight=17297
MachCruise=70

(2) F100.PRF in the Aircraft folder:

Code:

[F100]  ----------------- F100 (Created by R. Brantner) --------------
[UNITS]
FUEL=kgs/min
WEIGHT=KGS
MACHCRUISE=70

[CLIMB]  
;ALT   TAS   ROC   FUEL
0   148   1960   83.8
500   149   1920   82.9
1000   150   1910   81.9
1500   156   1970   81.1
2000   157   1960   80.2
3000   180   2210   78.7
4000   215   2500   77.3
6000   272   2630   74.4
8000   280   2490   71.0
10000   289   2350   67.7
12000   332   2120   64.8
14000   342   1950   61.7
16000   353   1790   58.6
18000   363   1620   55.6
20000   375   1440   52.7
22000   386   1270   49.9
24000   398   1100   47.2
26000   411   930   44.6
28000   416   1080   42.0
29000   414   1020   40.7
31000   411   920   38.2
33000   407   820   35.8
35000   403   700   33.5

[CRUISE]
;ALT   TAS   FUEL (Mach .70 cruise / (GRWT)
[GRWT]          30   38   43   
35000   403   24.7   28.2   30.7
33000   407   26.1   29.3   31.6
31000   411   27.7   30.7   32.8
29000   414   29.6   32.3   34.2
28000   416   30.6   33.1   35.0
26000   411   31.7   34.1   35.9
24000   398   31.8   34.2   36.0
22000   386   32.0   34.3   36.1
20000   375   32.1   34.5   36.2
18000   363   32.2   34.5   36.2
16000   353   32.3   34.6   36.3
14000   306   27.4   30.2   32.3
12000   297   27.4   30.3   32.3
10000   289   27.5   30.3   32.3
8000   280   27.5   30.3   32.3
6000   272   27.5   30.3   32.3
4000   233   23.4   27.0   29.6
3000   230   23.4   27.0   29.6

[DESCENT]
;ALT   TAS   ROD   FUEL
0   139   640   28.4
500   140   660   28.1
1000   146   710   27.8
1500   157   750   13.0
2000   189   1090   10.7
3000   230   1380   10.7
4000   233   1390   10.7
6000   240   1420   10.7
8000   280   1810   10.7
10000   289   1850   10.7
12000   332   2360   10.7
14000   342   2400   10.7
16000   353   2440   10.6
18000   363   2480   10.6
20000   375   2520   10.6
22000   386   2560   10.6
24000   398   2590   10.6
26000   411   2620   10.6
28000   416   3400   10.6
29000   414   3300   10.6
31000   411   1280   17.4
33000   407   1250   16.3
35000   403   1230   16.3

[Altitude]
; --- Altitude Capability (Max at ISA)
;Altiude  GrossWt
33000     44000
34000     42000
35000     36000

(3) F100.TLD in the Aircraft folder:

Code:

[F100] --------- F100 -------(Created by Reinhard Brantner)------
TempUnit=Celsius
;
;------------------------------ Takeoff ------------------------------------------
;
; Currently no compensation calculated (all altitudes, all temperatures)
;
; Elevation     Temperature C
[Alt-Temp]
-1000 9000   <=50
;
;
; Gross Wt    V1-VR-V2
[FLAPS 0]
61729   111-111-119
66139   116-116-123
70548   120-120-128
74957   125-125-132
79366   130-130-135
83776   134-134-139
88185   138-138-143
92594   142-142-149
97003   147-147-150
[FLAPS 8]
61729   107-107-113
66139   112-112-117
70548   116-116-121
74957   120-120-125
79366   123-123-128
83776   127-127-132
88185   131-131-135
92594   135-135-138
97003   139-139-142
[FLAPS 15]
61729   104-104-110
66139   109-109-114
70548   113-113-118
74957   117-117-121
79366   121-121-125
83776   125-125-128
88185   129-129-131
92594   132-132-134
97003   136-136-138
;
;
;------------------------------ Landing ------------------------------------------
;
; Vref speeds
[VREF]
[FLAPS] 0   25   42
61729   129   117   109
66139   134   122   112
70548   138   126   116
74957   142   129   120
79366   146   134   123
83776   150   136   127
88185   154   140   130
92594   158   145   133
97003   162   147   136

For the TLD data I did a simplification and did not implement the temperature correction, as I am using TOPCAT for all these calculations. So I just used the values found for standard environmental conditions.

Reinhard

aua668 · **Joined:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:59 pm **Posts:** 62

Hi,

To give you an impression, how it works, I append the fuel calculation of my flight with the Feelthere Cessna Citation X yesterday from LEPA to GCLP:

Fuel Planning w/ FSBuild:

Code:

           FUEL  TIME    CORR   TOGWT    LDGWT   AVG W/C
TAXI      000048 0015  . . . .  014182   011335  M038
DEST GCLP 002847 0244  . . . .  ELEV. 78 FT
RESV      000142 0008  . . . .
ALTN      000266 0015  . . . .  ALTN GCTS   DIST  63
HOLD      000508 0030  . . . .
EXTRA     000000 0000  . . . .  ZFW 010418      PAYLOAD 000691
TTL AT TO 003764 0337  . . . .                  DIST  1192
REQD      003811 0352  . . . .                  ETD  2030

The result as measured by FSFlighKeeper shows:

Flight Fuel: 2839 kg
Block Fuel: 2954 kg

So the flight fuel was calculated with 99.7% accuracy although I had a lot of head wind (38 kn on average). Btw: I use ASE for generating the weather.

Rgds
Reinhard

dlrk · **Joined:** Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:29 pm **Posts:** 11

Thanks, appreciate it!

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