Payware Aircraft with Wind Shifts

[Ian Gray]

Hi Peter,

I'm writing you this message because I don't know where else to turn.

I have a big problem with the Payware PSS A320 and the PMDG 737-600/700 Aircraft. Bear with me Peter you'll see the relevance in a minute!!

When flying at anything over 27000ft using real weather updates in FS2004 after a (random?) period the wind shifts dramatically up, down left right at various speeds and the end result is that the Aircraft heads for the ground then bolts back up again trying to rectify itself.

The Altitude jumps from say FL270 to FL350 (these figures vary) and back again very quickly causing massive turbulence and causing the aircraft to become uncontrollable.

This usually ends in disaster and I have to abort the flight.

I'm using the latest FSUIPC but have used previous versions over the last year with the same results.(unregistered).

The only way to solve the problem is to clear all weather in FSUIPC. This then stops the problem. But doing so prevents me flying with simulated real weather which is a shame because it's the whole point of having weather!!

I've disabled Winds Aloft in FS2004 but this has no effect.

Friends of mine have also had the problem and the general feeling is that it's a problem with FS2004 (Which Micro$oft) aren't addressing rather than a problem with FSUIPC.

It seems to happen on any Aircraft using FSUIPC. It doesn't happen with the default Aircraft nor with any of Projectopensky's aircraft. I'm guessing because neither use FSUIPC.

I really really am baffled by this and I suspect unless people are Flying like me, Flights over an hour in length, above FL270 and using real weather simulation they aren't going to see the problem.

The same problem is also evident when using Activesky instead of the default Microsoft weather.

Have you any ideas?

Best Regards,

Ian Gray

[Pete Dowson]

When flying at anything over 27000ft using real weather updates in FS2004 after a (random?) period the wind shifts dramatically up, down left right at various speeds

You have up and down winds? I'm pretty sure FS doesn't simulate vertical air movements at all at present -- the updrafts provided for gliders are fiddled a different way.

I'm using the latest FSUIPC but have used previous versions over the last year with the same results.(unregistered).

If you are using FS's own weather downloads then FSUIPC has absolutely nothing to do with it. I've no way of getting between the weather inputs and the simulation, excepting in the case of the visibility.

The only way to solve the problem is to clear all weather in FSUIPC.

You can also clear all weather in FS, but it means several actions in several pages.

Friends of mine have also had the problem and the general feeling is that it's a problem with FS2004 (Which Microsoft) aren't addressing rather than a problem with FSUIPC.

Why would anyone think it as being down to FSUIPC in any case if they are not using it to allow external programs provide the weather? That's a bit annoying as well as baffling.

As far as Microsoft are concerned, they fix things in each successive release. Hopefully this will be fixed in FS2006, but you need to report it via the normal MS channels in any case. They don't tend to bring out any interim patches unless things are really bad (like the program can't be used because it crashes or something).

It seems to happen on any Aircraft using FSUIPC. It doesn't happen with the default Aircraft nor with any of Projectopensky's aircraft. I'm guessing because neither use FSUIPC.

The wind shift problems I know about in FS2004 are the same for any aircraft, because they are not related to aircraft at all in the first place. Just because your more sensitively set aircraft crash and burn whilst others recover doesn't make it an aircraft phenomenon. I can reproduce 180 degree windshifts using downloaded FS weather with no FSUIPC installed and with default aircraft. They are especially likely in parts of the world where there are a lot of close weather stations, like Chicago for example.

This subject has been under almost continuous discussion since FS2004 came out -- you'd possible learn a lot about it by searching or browsing. Experiments by top weather program authors seem to point to problems with FS2004 wrongly interpolating wind direction changes when there are anti-clockwise changes as you ascend. Whether this explains all the problems or not I don't know, but it has certainly been shown that keeping all changes clockwise helps.

I believe that the very latest versions of programs like Active Sky and FS Meteo may have cracked it, or at least very nearly so. But please don't take my word for it, go do a little more research and see what folks are saying.

Regards,

Pete

[Ian Gray]

Thanks Pete.

I'll keep experimenting with different settings and see if I can settle it down.

Keep up the good work btw with the modules.

It's much appreciated in the community.

Best Regards

Ian