SimBrief

SimBrief
Name	SimBrief
Developer	Aerosoft?
Released	2003
Operating system	Web-based
Genre	Flight planning
License	Freeware

SimBrief is a web-based flight planning system used predominantly by virtual pilots and professional flight simulation enthusiasts to generate operational flight plans, fuel calculations, and route files compatible with a wide range of flight simulators and airline operations software. It automates tasks such as route selection, fuel planning, weight-and-balance, and performance calculations by integrating aviation data, and it is commonly paired with add-ons and utilities in the flight simulation ecosystem.

Overview

SimBrief provides computerized dispatch-style flight planning for users requiring detailed pre-flight documentation and electronic flight bag (EFB) outputs. It occupies a niche between paper charts and airline-grade dispatch tools by combining data from aeronautical databases, weather services, and airline procedures to produce documents used with add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, and other simulators. The service is widely adopted by virtual airlines, flight simulation communities, and individual users seeking realistic planning comparable to professional systems used by airlines such as British Airways, Delta Air Lines, and Lufthansa.

Features and Functionality

The platform offers a suite of planning modules: route generation with airway and oceanic track handling, fuel and reserve computation, alternate airport planning, and takeoff/landing performance. Output options include printable Dispatch Release packets, ATC flight strips, and FMC-compatible route files for aircraft types modeled after manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus. SimBrief supports wind and temperature forecasts, contingency fuel logic, and step climbs; it can generate fuel policy consistent with standards used by carriers such as American Airlines and Air France. Integration with third-party utilities enables automatic injection of flight plans into flight management systems modeled on systems from Honeywell and Collins Aerospace.

Advanced features include multi-leg flight handling for long-haul sectors, ETOPS alternates, and weight-and-balance worksheets compatible with complex aircraft like the Boeing 777, Airbus A330, and regional types operated by Embraer and Bombardier. Performance calculations can factor runway conditions, departure procedures, and obstacle data used by operators like United Airlines and Qantas for realistic payload/fuel trade-offs. The system also produces IFR filing formats used in operations across regions such as ICAO airspace and adheres to conventions used in flight plans filed with national authorities like FAA and EASA.

Data Sources and Integration

SimBrief draws on multiple data sources to produce accurate plans: global aerodrome information, navigational aids, airway structures, and NOTAM-like inputs from datasets maintained by organizations such as Jeppesen, Nav Canada, and national aviation authorities. Weather and winds aloft are incorporated from forecast models analogous to those disseminated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other meteorological agencies, enabling route wind optimization akin to operational planning in carriers including KLM and Iberia. The service supports flight-plan exchange via formats compatible with third-party utilities and simulator add-ons developed by groups like PMDG and Fenix Simulations.

Integration extends to community tools and servers: users commonly pair the generated plans with electronic flight bag replacements, dispatcher clients, and virtual airline management systems operated by networks such as VATSIM and IVAO. The output can be transformed into formats readable by flight management software emulating systems produced by equipment manufacturers like Garmin and Rockwell Collins.

Usage and Workflow

Users begin by specifying origin and destination airports—many of which are major international hubs like Heathrow Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Dubai International Airport—selecting aircraft profiles modeled on types from Boeing or Airbus, and entering payload details. The planner automates route finding using airway structures and preferred routing lists similar to those published by central flow management units, then optimizes fuel using forecast winds and airline-style fuel policies. The generated Dispatch Release includes planned altitude, fuel burn, alternates, and contingency margins compatible with simulator FMC loaders and ATC networks such as Eurocontrol and Federal Aviation Administration traffic flow concepts.

Typical workflows integrate SimBrief outputs into a simulator session: the user downloads a route file, loads it into an FMC or flight-planning add-on, verifies performance numbers against aircraft-specific data from developers like Wilco Publishing or Captain Sim, and files an IFR plan with virtual ATC on networks such as VATSIM. Virtual airlines utilize batch planning and scripting to standardize dispatch packets for multiple crewmembers and sectors.

Community and Support

A substantial community has formed around the tool, including forums, tutorials, and workflow guides created by independent content creators and organizations such as popular flight-simulation forums and YouTube channels covering realistic procedures used by operators like British Airways and Delta Air Lines. Enthusiast groups and virtual airlines provide templates, aircraft-specific settings, and troubleshooting tips. Support resources include user-contributed performance files and compatibility plugins developed by teams associated with flight-simulation developers like PMDG and user communities on platforms such as AVSIM.

Reception and Impact

The planner is acclaimed in the flight-simulation community for delivering airline-like dispatch accuracy without subscription costs, influencing the realism of virtual operations alongside major simulation titles and add-on developers like Microsoft and Laminar Research. It has enabled virtual airlines to implement standardized dispatch procedures resembling those of legacy carriers such as United Airlines and low-cost carriers like Ryanair, improving training fidelity for hobbyists and prospective pilots. Critics note limitations compared to certified operational flight-planning systems used by regulators like FAA and professional dispatchers at airlines, but the tool remains a cornerstone of simulation realism and community interoperability.

Category:Flight planning software