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"Getting started with PSX" tutorial - part 2 now available

Started by brian747, Tue, 30 Sep 2014 21:53

brian747

Hi, folks!

Part 2 of the "Getting started with PSX" series for beginners is now available from the Miscellaneous page -

http://aerowinx.com/html/misc.html

When I started to draft the final part (which will be an extended description of a complete PSX flight), I soon realised that there were a number of additional topics that were also needed; but on the other hand I didn't really want to clutter it up with anything other than the flight itself.

So I have created Part 2 to bridge the gap, and hopefully contain the stuff that a beginner needs to know between Part 1 and Part 3. Principally, Part 2 discusses flight planning (including how to align settings between PSX and the flight planner) along with associated issues - a summary of the various topics that are included will be found at the above link.

My thanks yet again to Hardy for his enormously helpful comments, and also to other members of the forum (credited within the document) for their expert input.

I hope that some people will find Part 2 useful!    8)

Cheers,

Brian
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).

MalcolmT


cagarini


brian747

Thanks, Malcolm, I hope you find it useful.    :)

===============

OOPS - I forgot to mention in the preceding announcement....

I have also updated Part 1 of the series to version 1.02: this corrects a few remaining typos, and also adds a few references to associated additional information in Part 2. A recommended upgrade, therefore.    :D

Cheers,

Brian
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).

Phil Bunch

#4
Spectacular!

This is such a relief - as much as I benefited from and enjoyed Part 1, it left me really longing for what is now your Part 2.

It's going to be a very enjoyable winter, working my way further up these learning curves.
Best wishes,

Phil Bunch

brian747

 Thank you, Phil — I hope you find some of it interesting, and perhaps even useful!   :)

Cheers,

Brian
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).

funkyhut

This and Part 1 add so much value to PSX. Thanks Brian.
Greetings from the mountains of Northern Thailand (VTCC),
Chris Stanley.

Lashrathius

Fantastic! Thanks so much Brian! I just got PSX last week so this will help me even more.

Henry
Best regards,
Henry D. C.

Mundyas

[size=14][/size]Hi Brian
I have been using the flight planning software and this will help me so much. I have been doing the planning more or less right but the tutorial has very good tips and suggestions.  Makes the steep learning curve just that much easier!
Thanks, great job. Andrew

Horst

Hi Brian,

thank you very much. Very helpful.
Horst

cagarini


martin

Quote from: jcommLink not working :-/
Which one? Aerowinx? Works fine for me (60°N)

Good Luck!
Martin

cagarini

The Azores anticyclone playing it's tricks :-)

Both links up now ;-)

nobody

Hey Brian!

Thx for the tutorial!

I am using the latest model of Lufthansa (D-ABVZ) and did the performance adjustments in PFPX just the way you described it on page 19 and 20. It resulted in a cruise bias of 97,5% (which is quite different to your result).

So I planned a flight with the new entered figure and now I am experiencing a huge difference in fuel figures. After approximately 2000 nm into the flight and still 3000 nm to go, I have about 10 t less of fuel on board as calculated (by PFPX) on the actual flight plan.

What did I do wrong?!?

brian747

Hi, er nobody!

(Talking to myself again...?)    ;)

I doubt if you did anything wrong. I too have experienced differing results after using the evaluate tool (I tried it several times under different conditions, and got similar-but-different results each time). As I said in the document, I think the tool is probably OK for establishing a starting point, but my money is very firmly on then tracking your fuel usage (I scribble down the fuel at each waypoint (as well as ToC and ToD) onto the OFP printout, and work from that).

I can only assume that the problem we're experiencing is a result of the fact that the data input isn't precise enough — hence also my comment about a single step change in fuel flow making a whacking 5% difference. If it is a precise science, then it's nowhere near to being as precise as I'd like, that's for sure! (10 tonnes difference after 2000 nm... hmm...). But by slowly adjusting your results you'll gradually be able to get closer to agreement in the figures.

You could always try a question on the PFPX forum?

Happily, virtual fuel is cheap, and we have no bean-counters to answer to!    :mrgreen:

Cheers,

Brian

[Edit for forum name]
(Author of "The Big Tutorial" for PS1, and "Getting started with PSX" Parts 1, 2, and 3).

Phil Bunch

Speaking of fuel being cheap, as a matter of personal curiosity, approximately how much would it cost to fill a 747-400 to the max with fuel?  I know this depends on the airport and many other variables, but as a generic estimate, what would it cost at for example Heathrow or JFK or some other major airport?
Best wishes,

Phil Bunch

John H Watson

Google found this webpage


http://www.iata.org/publications/economics/fuel-monitor/Pages/price-analysis.aspx

If "cts/gal" is US cents per US gallon....

I've filled up a 744ER with over 180,000 kg of fuel. Using a specific gravity of 0.79 kg/litre, that's 227,848 litres (60,152 US gallons at 0.264gal/ltr)

On 29th September, the fuel price in the USA was 270.3 cts/gal, so an almost full tank on an ER would be U$162,518

Rgds
JHW

Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers

#17
Note that these fuel prices most likely don't work for smaller outfits. The FBOs advertise fuel around KJFK for  between USD 6 and 8 per gallon. Of course "nobody pays list price" but you see that the large slurpers definitely get special treatment.

The quoted USD 2.70/gallon is "price paid at the refinery". Add transport, storage, facilities, service...


Hoppie

B747-400

Hi Brian,
thanks for your efforts working on those great tuts!!
Huh, need more time to read and try out  :|
BR
Hans

tango4

As many have already said, great work !
Thanks a lot for all your efforts.

Charles