New Development Plans ...
Thanks everyone for your assistance, I have had the following ideas for the next phases of development regarding the GRIB forecast data, and have also decided to complete the full automation of the wind stabilisation.
GRIB Phase Two Development ...
Background processing
All the GRIB download, data extraction and decoding will be done in the background so as to have no impact on the general operation and performance of OpusFSX and the simulator. The software will be ready for release at this point.
Historic Data
This option will be accomodated and the appropriate forecast cycle data downloaded and prepared. Initially this will be for the previous 24 hour period in keeping with the current historic weather option. The implementation of the historic option may proceed as part of the next phase, I am not sure at this moment.
GRIB Phase Three Development ...
Full Altitude Coverage
The main aim of this development cycle will be to provide greater (full) altitude coverage, providing detailed forecast data for every altitude range, classified as Low, Medium, and High altitude ranges. These ranges will cover every level from 6,000 feet right up to 60,000 feet.
The LWE will adjust your altitude targets automatically as you climb or descend, always giving FSX very tight targets to adhere to, or at least try. These weather injections will not require new METAR data to be downloaded, that will still be controlled by the settings in the Weather dialog.
Seperate Low, Medium, and High Altitude Weather Reports will be provided allowing you to monitor the progress of the download, data extraction, data decoding and of course see the resulting forecasted data for the altitude ranges (flight levels).
Hopefully these tight wind and temp targets at all levels (the same as we currently do between FL200 and FL440) will help reduce the chance of wind shifts to an absolute minimum !
These changes will also speed up the GRIB data download and data preperation process since this process will be done in phases. For instance, when you are on the ground, the surface weather can be loaded immediately without waiting for the GRIB forecast. As soon as the Low Level forecast data is ready the weather will be automatically re-injected (no need to download the METARs again) with the low level wind and temp targets. The LWE will then proceed to download and prepare the remaining medium level, and then high level data. Remember the GRIB forecasts data is valid for 6 hours so this processwill usually be a one off, and like now, will only be repeated when the forecast data is out of date.
Automated Wind Stabilisation ...
This option will be enabled by default but will only come into effect when you climb above the Recovery Altitude (RA) + 500 feet. Above that altitude all the usual wind stabilisation and recovery procedures will be activated. The RA is adjustable along with the current parameters, that wont change, just the added automation. After discussions with Nick, this will allow all low level VFR flyers to leave this option enabled knowing full well that should they venture into higher levels the LWE will take care of them.
Onward and upward as the saying goes ...
Regards
Stephen Thumbs Up
