Simbrief Tricks: Getting the MOST REALISTIC WEIGHTS | Real Airline Pilot 

When I used to toss bags on the ramp for a domestic airline I noticed how much heavier Simbrief ZFW values are compared to irl. A 737-900 with 178 pax would usually have ~100-120 bags in the bins and the most I saw was 200 during the holidays. Default simbrief profile would almost always do 200 bags (if you do the math with average 30lbs/bag) in addition to carry on bag weight.

Would love if Simbrief had an option to automatically calculate this based on region and type of flight along with more detailed loadsheets. Brazil for example, has a law that mandates the airline to offer 2 bags of 32kg for free for any passenger beginning or terminating the journey there, so planes flying there would be automatically way heavier than, let's say an European business route.

A330 Driver is correct about simmers overestimating payload. While I am not familiar with the EASA standards for determining passenger weights, in the US, we use "standard" weights for all Part 121 operations. This makes payload calculations straightforward. They also ensure that the aircraft is never overweight. While It doesn't remove us of the responsibility of properly planning payload, it doesn't require us to weight every single passenger and their bags (note: there are exceptions that do require actual passenger and bag weights...). More to follow on this...

Oh another one on planning. Loving this series... let's watch!

What I did is to set the baggage weight per pax to 0 in the aircraft profile editor and add the cargo manually. When I plan for example 179pax on a 737-flight, I would add about 15kg for 110 of those pax (15kg*110=1650kg)

This is a much better way of doing things! Most of the long-bodied 737s at my airline would often have 80-110 bags in the front. Every so often, maybe roughly a third of the time, we would get freight or mail of 500-1000 lbs that we often put in the back. Our airbus probably had 20 less bags on average and we'd put most everything in the back. Certain destinations and time of year caused some variation, of course.

Really impressive learning, tips and advice for all desktop pilots. Adds immersion and realism to every flight. Improves our knowledge too. Much appreciated !!.

Nice little touch to make it more realistic. Well explained and easy understand

Your wealth of knowledge is truly outstanding :)

My settings: For normal domestic flights = 7kg per pax. Holiday\international flights = 15 per pax

Thanks Emanuele

More detailed Infos about this topic if you Look up for "Review of standard passenger weights"... a study by the EASA from 2022

EMI….gotta favor to ask. Can you name these generalized lessons something consistent so they are easily recognizable when looking through your library. Kind of like when you are doing tutorials for a particular aircraft, you use the same name like “Airbus A300-600”. Maybe something like “Aviation 101”….or since you are explaining additional details “Aviation 201”. Maybe put out a video and ask for ideas. It would be really helpful to scan your library and readily see these others lessons.

Thanks for another good video! It was funny to see myself follow along and try to do the math between kg and lbs in my head so I had an idea of what weights we are talking about haha. I could totally see this being the case in Europe. But, in the USA, I think the defualt simbrief profile is a little more accurate to what a flight in the USA would be. Our planes over here are heavy. Even if its not to a vacation (holiday) destination. We just carry a lot of crap. 50 pound or more checked luggage, carry on roller bags that weight damn near 50 also, overheads stuffed, crap under the seats.. Ive been on a lot of A320 and B737 domestic flights here and I can tell ya some of them are heavy! Really could tell on the takeoff roll, used a lot of runway..

I’m an Ex BA Load Controller ! I’m with you here ! Great Video 👍🙏🏻👨‍✈️✈️

i just wish there was a way to change the weights in the fenix, to me thats where the problem is; you can't adjust what they think each passenger brings as luggage

Just a thought. I have been following your Inibuilds A300 tutorials. Can you show how you would do this for cargo weights/flights plse?

Another great video thanks! Regarding fuel weight carried, disregarding any "tankering" and diversions, is it fair to say that in real life, most flights would land with a fuel weight close to the planned "FINRES+ALTN" value? I have been adjusting my fuel factors per aircraft to try and achieve this and wondering if I am correct?

Any tips to make this work with the FBW which seems to have a baggage weight of 20KG hardcoded into its pax/cargo design? Especially if using GSX which locks out being able to edit the cargo?

you can also change how heavy bag is in airframe editor

Did you work For AirBerlin once?

On a more serious note, with 500 KG of bags for 167 pax means almost 3kg of baggage each. Very interesting as I would not have thought so little baggage is taken. Proves I spend my time on the holiday flights where we need to carry more stuff!!!

Thanks EMI. Very useful. However, one issue I will have is if my wife joins me on a holiday virtual flight. I can manage easily with 13KG. My wife minimum of 113KG. The checkin scales normally run off when they see her coming!!!! 😂😂😂😂

Isn’t 167 passengers multiplied by 13 kg luggage for each passenger around 2.2 tons as originally calculated?

So payload minus cargo equals pax weight+carry on?

Does anyone have a clue how to fight weights in Fenix internal loading system :-( ? This description is nice and realistic, i also use different pax and bag weight in simbrief profile, however if i load fenix, it takes just number of PAX and multiply it with its internal values so it does not match ZFW and TOW computed by simbrief.. Is there any workaround for this ?? Cause the fenix weights are really over numbered, not every passenger weigh 80kgs :-). So the whole procedure described here would have been of no use at all unfortunatelly :-(.

I did not understand. If you divide 505 by 167 it comes to 3 kg per person. Thats quite a bit less than 13 KG no?

505kg for 167 passengers is averaging 3kg per passenger. This is what to expect on city flights? Also 167 passengers with average of 13kg is 2171kg which I guess you would have for the holiday flights. I was wondering where you got 57,727kg from.

i think u sick, flu .. right? if that, get well soon Captin

505 kg of cargo is 3 kg/person, not a good example.