Computerised Flight Planning???
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Computerised Flight Planning???
OK, guy's New Forum time......
We are all using some sort of Computerised Flight Planning System....love them or hate them, they are here to stay.
Which one are YOU using...
Let me know what you think...Pro's, Con's, Complaints, Praise, etc.
As a representative of a MAJOR player in this field, we want to know what you think of us...sometimes anonymous is the only way to get an honest opinion.
Come on guy's and girl's...I'm listening!!!
We are all using some sort of Computerised Flight Planning System....love them or hate them, they are here to stay.
Which one are YOU using...
Let me know what you think...Pro's, Con's, Complaints, Praise, etc.
As a representative of a MAJOR player in this field, we want to know what you think of us...sometimes anonymous is the only way to get an honest opinion.
Come on guy's and girl's...I'm listening!!!
Guest
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Having been trained to do manual flight plans in my first job I really think that computer plans are the only way to go.
Manual plogs OK for short sectors but fuel planning quickly becomes a pain in the ass for longer stuff.
Have used 2 systems in my time, AirData and SITA.
SITA is a keyword driven system, very good but quite expensive. As we were an adhoc charter airline it was ideal, simple to use and to create routes or join sections of existing routes. However understood from my boss that it was very expensive as you paid for each calculated plan.
Airdata is menu driven using routes created by each operator, no sharing, its OK and cheap as you pay for a year's use and can pull as many plans as you want. Very good for scheduled use as easy to set up for each day's flying. Major complaints are perceived lack of customer support at times and concerns over route data.
Manual plogs OK for short sectors but fuel planning quickly becomes a pain in the ass for longer stuff.
Have used 2 systems in my time, AirData and SITA.
SITA is a keyword driven system, very good but quite expensive. As we were an adhoc charter airline it was ideal, simple to use and to create routes or join sections of existing routes. However understood from my boss that it was very expensive as you paid for each calculated plan.
Airdata is menu driven using routes created by each operator, no sharing, its OK and cheap as you pay for a year's use and can pull as many plans as you want. Very good for scheduled use as easy to set up for each day's flying. Major complaints are perceived lack of customer support at times and concerns over route data.
Guest
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Jeppesen...
It's a great system when it works - it's always accurate with the fuel burns and times en-route - but has a pretty bad habit of not giving us the correct routes in the first place.
IFPS in BRU seem to be aware of it, as they groan when you say which system gave you the route.
It's not SRS compliant - although it was promised, initially, two years ago; ending up with endless SRS reroute problems - although it doesn't apply to us (we pay for unlimited flight plans) but other operators paying by the flight plan get clobbered twice when really the system should get it right first time.
On the whole it's not a bad package - Customer Services are a little vacant sometimes - depending on who answers the phone, like everywhere the ones who've been there a long time are good - the others? well, experience makes up for everything doesn't it?
I don't honestly think there's a better solution for the exec operator - all the others are based on data from Rockwell (I believe - corrections if applicable please) who are the holding company for Jepps, so it's got to be the best really???
Designed on the system that sent man to the moon! Bet they didn't have to have an SRS reroute....
It's a great system when it works - it's always accurate with the fuel burns and times en-route - but has a pretty bad habit of not giving us the correct routes in the first place.
IFPS in BRU seem to be aware of it, as they groan when you say which system gave you the route.
It's not SRS compliant - although it was promised, initially, two years ago; ending up with endless SRS reroute problems - although it doesn't apply to us (we pay for unlimited flight plans) but other operators paying by the flight plan get clobbered twice when really the system should get it right first time.
On the whole it's not a bad package - Customer Services are a little vacant sometimes - depending on who answers the phone, like everywhere the ones who've been there a long time are good - the others? well, experience makes up for everything doesn't it?
I don't honestly think there's a better solution for the exec operator - all the others are based on data from Rockwell (I believe - corrections if applicable please) who are the holding company for Jepps, so it's got to be the best really???
Designed on the system that sent man to the moon! Bet they didn't have to have an SRS reroute....
Guest
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Good start guy's!!
I have been a Dispatcher for 15 years ( therefore pre-dating computerised systems ), and FAA licenced for 9 and the advent of these systems is a godsend as far as I am concerned. Does anyone still remember how to manually prepare a flight plan???
Having recently left the field of "front line" dispatch and transferred my focus into to the supply sector, I am looking for "constructive" critisism as to how we can improved the services we offer.
I will remain nameless ( for now ), but now work for a MAJOR supplier of Computerised Flight Planning services ( amongst others ) and what I'm after by participating here is WHAT YOU AS THE DISPATCHERS REALLY THINK of the tools you are given to do the job.
The development of our products are of prime importance and we would like to think the developments are what YOU want, not just what we THINK you would like to see.
Whooaahh!!
I have been a Dispatcher for 15 years ( therefore pre-dating computerised systems ), and FAA licenced for 9 and the advent of these systems is a godsend as far as I am concerned. Does anyone still remember how to manually prepare a flight plan???
Having recently left the field of "front line" dispatch and transferred my focus into to the supply sector, I am looking for "constructive" critisism as to how we can improved the services we offer.
I will remain nameless ( for now ), but now work for a MAJOR supplier of Computerised Flight Planning services ( amongst others ) and what I'm after by participating here is WHAT YOU AS THE DISPATCHERS REALLY THINK of the tools you are given to do the job.
The development of our products are of prime importance and we would like to think the developments are what YOU want, not just what we THINK you would like to see.
Whooaahh!!
Guest
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Whooaah-
Our company has been using a program mainframe version of the EDS - System One FPS for about 10 yrs.
It's a sound program, is very keyword intensive. Our own programming dept. created a front-end interface (not GUI) to interact without using an enormous amount of keywords.
It is loaded with a jeppsen navdata tape every 28 days, which updates airways/radio aids, etc.
Building routes is fairly straight forward, and works best with canned company routes. Building random routes is possible, but sometimes strange results occur, requiring some editing. The flt. plans generated are very accurate, even after a 12-hr journey.
In the future, a more GUI-windoz based interface would be nice, showing a graphic of the route/wx/etc on screen. Allowing for drop-down windows displaying alternate minimums for various airports, and distances to the 10-20 closest alternates.
A improved wx alert system, alerting the user when metar obs. go below certain user settings, 2000' cig. & 3 miles vis. etc..
I've searched around for various systems here's some links: http://www.navtechinc.com/ http://www.skyplan.com/ http://www.zoppel.com/index.htm http://www.globalair.com/planing1.asp http://www.nwaero.com/
I've heard the new Jepp system is fairly advanced, but have yet to see it.
Brgrds,
Marc
Our company has been using a program mainframe version of the EDS - System One FPS for about 10 yrs.
It's a sound program, is very keyword intensive. Our own programming dept. created a front-end interface (not GUI) to interact without using an enormous amount of keywords.
It is loaded with a jeppsen navdata tape every 28 days, which updates airways/radio aids, etc.
Building routes is fairly straight forward, and works best with canned company routes. Building random routes is possible, but sometimes strange results occur, requiring some editing. The flt. plans generated are very accurate, even after a 12-hr journey.
In the future, a more GUI-windoz based interface would be nice, showing a graphic of the route/wx/etc on screen. Allowing for drop-down windows displaying alternate minimums for various airports, and distances to the 10-20 closest alternates.
A improved wx alert system, alerting the user when metar obs. go below certain user settings, 2000' cig. & 3 miles vis. etc..
I've searched around for various systems here's some links: http://www.navtechinc.com/ http://www.skyplan.com/ http://www.zoppel.com/index.htm http://www.globalair.com/planing1.asp http://www.nwaero.com/
I've heard the new Jepp system is fairly advanced, but have yet to see it.
Brgrds,
Marc
