MSFS Weather Radar: Good Enough Is Better Than Nothing
It’s a question that gets repeated often in forums: why isn’t weather radar included in every plane in MSFS? Before we discuss why most payware airplanes don’t include working weather radar, it’s important to clarify how actual weather radar works in airplanes and how the simulator is different.
To be blunt: the weather radar in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 falls short in accurately replicating the functionality and performance of real weather radar systems on airplanes. While the simulator attempts to mimic real-world weather patterns, it lacks the complexity and precision of actual weather radar technology found in aircraft. Real weather radar systems utilize advanced algorithms, multiple scanning modes and sophisticated data processing techniques to accurately detect and display weather phenomena. It can pick up minute weather ranging from thunderstorms to light drizzles.
In contrast, the weather radar in the simulator appears to rely on simplistic surface-level (bitmap) weather data, resulting in limited accuracy and detail. The lack of real-time updates and inability to accurately represent the shape and intensity of weather cells further contributes to the disparity between the simulator's weather radar and real-world counterparts.
Payware companies like PMDG and Fenix, who pride themselves on producing airliners with true-to-life working systems, have chosen not to implement the default weather radar because they fear too much of their user base would balk at such a simple and trivial weather depiction.
A beautiful day at KBWI. No rain in sight, as indicated on the WX radar.
With all that in mind, here’s a controversial opinion: I think this works just fine. And I’ll take it one step further. I would actually prefer the simplistic weather implementation that exists in stock planes now to be in my PMDG 737 and Fenix A320 instead of no weather radar at all. Good enough is better than nothing. For me, and I’m sure for many of you out there, we would love to see the full weather implementation with tilt, predictive tracking and density displays (MSFS 2024, anyone?). But for now, a surface-level green, yellow and red NEXRAD display is good enough. Is it the best? No. The resolution is limited and it’s obviously lagging a bit when it reports precipitation, but this “good enough” weather reporting solution that Asobo has created is actually good enough for me and helps immensely to emerge me into the flight.
When I see green and yellow on MSFS’ NEXRAD display, I can look up and see the dark clouds ahead. If I’m low enough, I can see the rain bands where the radar is reporting precipitation. It may not be perfect but it’s acceptable, and the weather being displayed seems to be reproduced quite faithfully in the sim when looking outside of the cockpit. Again, it’s not what a real pilot sees in the cockpit of an A320 but most of us aren’t real pilots anyway. A (rather simplistic) weather solution is there, and I’d rather have something that’s good enough for now than stare at black screens and INOP stickers while inadvertently entering a thunderstorm at 30,000 feet.
The same image as above, but with rain off to the left. As expected, the in-game WX radar is indicating weather right where the rainclouds are. I like this!
Fully engulfed in rain. WX radar indicates this. Might not be perfect, but it’s something!
The WX radar also works with snow!
What are your thoughts on the default weather radar implementation in the stock planes and on add-on’s like the PMS50 GTN750?
I’m curious to know if you would rather have something over nothing, or would you rather continue to forego it until a more realistic solution can be implemented?
