Fsbuild-2 Flight Planner

Hello everyone
I'm currently working on a accurate profile for the MD11 based on original Swissair MD11 data for CI=80 and KGS to be used with the PMDG MD11.

I need some help here from the guys who know how to setup everything correctly. I've already entered everything into the PRF file. I've also added a CFG entry in the aircrft.cfg file:

[MD11 w/ PW4462 KGS] --- (M.Pauli) ---
WeightUnit=KGS
OperEmptyWeight=124000
PayloadWeight=0
ReserveFuel=:30
AlternateFuel=
HoldFuel=105/min
ExtraFuel=
TaxiFuel=54/min
ApproachFuel=600
MaxTakeoffWeight=285990
MaxZeroFuelWeight=185970
MaxLandingWeight=199580
MaxFuelWeight=116225
ImageFile=MD11.jpg
PerformanceData=MD11PW4462.PRF
ToldData=
DefaultTOFlaps=
;
;climb 250/330/.82
;crz .826
;descent .82/290/250


Now I'm having the problem that when I enter all the data for a flight, I'll get a messed up flightplan header. I've marked all the problem areas bold:


FLT REL IFR LX19 KEWR-4L/LSZH-14 MACH 826 A/C MD11 W/ PW4462 KGS
FUEL TIME CORR TOGWT LDGWT AVG W/C
TAXI 000314 0025 . . . . 228055 177157 P042
DEST LSZH 050898 000 . . . . ELEV. 1416 FT
RESV 003060 0030 . . . .
ALTN 001606 0015 . . . . ALTN LFSB DIST 41
HOLD 000953 0020 . . . .
EXTRA 000000 0000 . . . . ZFW 171538 PAYLOAD 047538
TTL AT TO 056517 000 . . . . DIST 3461
REQD 057867 000 . . . . ETD


Does anyone have an idea what's wrong here? FSB seems to skip some parts in the CFG file and use numbers that are completely unrealistic. Also, why am I getting wrong time numbers in the trip and the total /takeoff total lines?

Thanks already for all the help and best regards

Martin

And another abnormality! It seems that I can't get that thing to work, eventhough the PRF and CFG files look just like those of other planes.
Is it because it's in KGS? Des FSB strugle to calculate KGS?

Please, have a look at the example:
FSBUILD FLIGHT PLAN
BLOCK TIMES FLIGHT TIMES FUEL

IN . . . . . ON . . . . TAKEOFF . . . .
OUT . . . . . OFF . . . . LANDING . . . .
TOTAL . . . . . TOTAL . . . . BURNOFF . . . .

FLT REL IFR LX14 LSZH-28/EGLL-27L MACH 84 A/C MD11 W/ PW4462 KGS
FUEL TIME CORR TOGWT LDGWT AVG W/C
TAXI 000702 0013 . . . . 517790894 187150 P000
DEST EGLL 517603744 000 . . . . ELEV. 83 FT
RESV 000000 0030 . . . .
ALTN 000000 0000 . . . . ALTN EGKK DIST 22
HOLD 003150 030 . . . .
EXTRA 000000 0000 . . . . ZFW 184000 PAYLOAD 060000
TTL AT TO 517606894 000 . . . . DIST 0456
REQD 517607596 000 . . . . ETD


Thanks for your feedback guys...

Regards,
Martin

_________________
Regards,
Steve

Ernie, Steve,
Thanks for your replies. Sorry about my last post. I was a bit frustrated when I wrote it. As of now I've spent four hours on that PRF and CFG files with testing and was now finally able to figure out sone of the things that seem to have caused problems. A few questions remain though:

Things I figured out:

1. I don't want to call it a bug but the program seems to strugle with the CFG settings when using KGS. When I enter a flightplan with :15min for taxi and :20min for hold the program assumes both is LBS when pressing the BUILD button the first time, even with the KGS in the CFG unit entry. When pressing the build button the second time, the program takes the taxi value as KGS but the hold value remains being calculated as LBS.
Thats why the taxi and hold fuel is always too low on intitial build. after the second, the taxi fuel gets calculated correctly. BTW, this behaviour is reproducable. Might that be a bug or is it my CFG file?


2. The missing numbers in the time column of the OFP seem to come from a misscalculation of the TOD. I figured that out because when this happens, the TOD is alway very close to the destination, and the values in the destination line make no sense, like a negative ground speed:

N2834.6/E7706.4 136 350 267055 VIDF
TOD 040 DCT 131 476 514 00/04 06/57 .../... 0504/... 0064/...

N2834.1/E7706.7 000 DSC 267055 VIDF
VIDP 000 DCT 129 0-19 000 00/00 00/00 .../... 0510/... 0058/...

I've already checked my [DESCENT] data against other profiles and I can't figute out where the failure lies.


3. The initial step altitudes from my MD-11 AOM are al given in uneven values like:

;Altiude GrossWt
29500 286000
29700 283700
29800 280000
30600 270000
31400 260000

Eventhough the programs seems to accept these values and choose the right even/odd levels at the correct weights, the inital level in the flightplan is often 297 or 298 which makes no sense. What is the programs logic to choose the first level of flight?


And last but not least I have a question about the PRF file:

Haw are the fuel burn values and ROC/ROD values in the [CLIMB] and [DESCENT] field used? Is the program using the one line of the target altitude and than taking its values ROC/fuel as average or is it doing a recalcualtion for every level you climb/descend through throughout the climb/descent?
I ask becaouse my current rate and fuel values are averages from 0ft up to that level and not an momentary stage of the flightphase.


Okay, that's all for now, I'll attach the PRF and that actual part of the CFG file as a zip to that message. To all trying to fly with that file: It doesn't work at the moment! and don't tell me later I didn't warn you!

Thanks for the help and best regards,
Martin

Hi Martin,

great you're carrying on with your work! I mean, we have got two terrific products available - PMDG MD-11 on the one hand and FSBuild on the other. It would be amazing to couple them.
But if I began fiddling around with cfgs and prfs, apart from flying the MD-11 correctly, I would have to start thinking about giving up my profession...
So keep up your work - we really appreciate it!

By the way, if it doesn't work with kgs, why not take lbs? For the end-user it's not a great deal to switch to kgs via one mouseclick. And up to now that worked perfectly, at least for me.

_________________
Regards,
Steve

Ernie,
Thanks for your quick answer. I tried these tips and have seen some improvement:

I removed all the comments in the PRF file and it seems to "kind of" work now.

The thing with the taxi fuel is still there. Let me give you an example:
It's a flight LSZH-GCLP. I've set :15 for taxi and :20 for hold in the aircraft setting window. When i build the route the first time I get this:

FLT REL IFR LSZH-28/GCLP-03L MACH A/C MD11 W/ PW4462
FUEL TIME CORR TOGWT LDGWT AVG W/C
TAXI 000367 0015 . . . . 219910 190598 P025
DEST GCLP 029312 0345 . . . . ELEV. 78 FT
RESV 003090 0030 . . . .
ALTN 001622 0015 . . . . ALTN GCTS DIST 63
HOLD 000953 0020 . . . .
EXTRA 000000 0000 . . . . ZFW 184933 PAYLOAD 060933
TTL AT TO 034977 0439 . . . . DIST 1709
REQD 035345 0454 . . . . ETD

When I try it the second time I get this:

FLT REL IFR LSZH-28/GCLP-03L MACH 826 A/C MD11 W/ PW4462
FUEL TIME CORR TOGWT LDGWT AVG W/C
TAXI 000810 0015 . . . . 219910 190598 P025
DEST GCLP 029312 0345 . . . . ELEV. 78 FT
RESV 003090 0030 . . . .
ALTN 001622 0015 . . . . ALTN GCTS DIST 63
HOLD 000953 0020 . . . .
EXTRA 000000 0000 . . . . ZFW 184933 PAYLOAD 060933
TTL AT TO 034977 0439 . . . . DIST 1709
REQD 035787 0454 . . . . ETD

In between these two atempts I've changed nothing, just pressed the build button a second time. Could it be my FSBuild installation?
I've like installed version over version until the config was 2.3.7.2. Could that be the problem?

I've also noticed that there is no Mach number displayed after the first build but after the second one there is the intended Mach number right there. Might this have something to do with it?


As for the holding fuel: I cant make it work right! That makes no sense! In the CFG file I've entered 105/min which I think meens 105 kg per minute. Multiplied by :20 minutes that should be 2100kg.
When you use 105lbs x 20 mintues and then convert it into kg I get: 952.54kg which is exactly what the program writes. It's very strange. It seems to think that the 105kg/min is lbs...

Any more ideas?
As soon as the profile runs stable I'll start some check flights but first I'll have to get it right...

Best regards again,
Martin

_________________
Regards,
Steve