Active Sky FS

Announcing the long-awaited Active Sky weather add-on for the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator:

Active Sky FS (ASFS) brings direct MSFS 2020 integration. Brand new features and functionality are made specifically for MSFS and designed to improve your weather simulation experience.

Focused on comprehensive weather realism simulation, ASFS includes high-fidelity weather data and synthesis, planning, briefing, mapping, live weather, optional historical weather with playback, custom weather, scenarios, API, multiple depiction options, active air effects, snow depth data control, voice features, Navigraph and SimBrief integration, and much, much more.

Where to Buy


Introductory pricing for ASFS is 23.00 EUR + Taxes/VAT. See your preferred reseller for more information on final pricing with currency conversion and tax. Pricing is subject to change!

ASFS is sold by our approved resellers below. Click below on any reseller for their ASFS listing:

                     

Features

Direct MSFS Integration
Using a combination of techniques for weather lookup and control, ASFS integrates directly with MSFS 2020 (v1.35 and later). See the FAQ section below for more information on potential MSFS2024 support.

ASFS Preset weather and Passive weather depiction modes
Using Preset weather depiction from ASFS or Passive weather depiction (from MSFS live weather), a variety of weather visuals and depiction methods, offering various levels of realism, control and visual quality are available depending on your needs. Transition control and configurable smoothing is also provided in ASFS Preset mode.

Active Air Effects
Customizable clear air turbulence, thermals, drafts and wake turbulence effects work in tandem with existing MSFS effects to provide and enhance realism. Air effects are provided in any depiction mode.

Advanced Historical Weather
In addition to including Live and Custom weather modes, we also offer Historical mode with comprehensive global weather data in hourly archives. Dynamic historical playback provides realistic changing weather as per the archived historical timeline. Optionally lock the historical time to your configured simulator time for easy date/time synchronization and control through MSFS.

Enhanced Cloudscape and Thunderstorm Depiction
Using ASFS Preset weather depiction, sky conditions control enables cloud types including multiple stratus, cumulus, towering cumulus, cumulonimbus, stratocumulus and cirrus variations. Thunderstorm scene handling also works to increase the visual realism, height and overall visual cloudscape of multiple cumulonimbus variations.

Active Sky Weather Engine
24 years of active development of weather simulation for MSFS and other platforms culminates in a mature and refined weather engine system that natively includes advanced weather data analysis, lookup, mapping, planning, briefing and more.

Advanced Data Collection, Synthesis, Modeling and Interpretation
Active Sky constantly downloads and analyzes conditions, providing world-wide high-fidelity weather conditions and effects, utilizing surface airport conditions (METARs), Forecasts (TAFs), Upper air data (GRIB), Significant Weather information (Sigmets/Airmets), Tropical storm data and more. Weather data is offered in live real-time or historical modes, with a dynamic historical weather playback feature.

Ground Snow Simulation
Using actual global ground snow depth data, ground snow cover is controlled and smoothed at all times in AS Preset depiction mode.

Comprehensive Custom Weather
Easily create multiple custom weather areas using the map screen, customizing by METAR text or through our weather setting wizard. Custom weather is supplemented by the previously loaded weather, enabling precise, variable and realistic saved weather scenarios that can be recalled at any time.

Scenarios
Fly different weather-based scenarios, or create your own.

Voice Features
Get Voice weather briefings and in-flight weather updates on your radio via our simulated ATIS/ASOS and Flight Watch service.

3rd-Party Integration Features
Navigraph data integration, SimBrief flight plan integration, PMDG wind data export and our universal common data export features provides integration with multiple popular 3rd-party add-ons.

Active Sky API
Advanced API features are available to everyone to integrate directly with AS features including weather lookup, effects, mode control and weather conditions control.

Requirements

  • Windows 10 or 11, 64 bit
  • MSFS (2020) via Steam or Microsoft store, PC ONLY (X-Box not supported) v1.35 or later
  • 4GB RAM or greater
  • 2GHZ x64 processor or greater
  • 1GB+ free storage space
  • Minimum processor and memory requirements per MSFS 2020 product information is recommended
  • 1024×768 minimum screen resolution
  • Stable internet connection (broadband recommended)
    Online activation and login system requires online connection – this product cannot be used offline*

*Active Sky FS is an online product that will require the creation of a new user account. You must be logged in to use the software. One login per user account is permitted. You can install the software on multiple machines and/or move the software to other machines, but may be logged in only once at a time. Using Active Sky FS, creating a user account, and logging into the system require the acceptance of the Privacy Policy at https://hifisimtech.com/privacy-policy.

ASFS Weather and Cloud Depiction Specifications

ASFS Preset Weather Depiction Mode

ASFS Preset weather depiction mode features advanced weather preset conditions control for the best accuracy within the preset depiction capabilities, and full use of the Active Sky weather data and synthesis system including historical and custom weather options. This is recommend for those desiring the highest levels of conditions realism and challenge, especially for IFR ceilings and visibility, as well as long distance route planning, wind and fuel calculations:

  • Available with LIVE weather, HISTORICAL weather, and custom weather
  • Wind, gusts and variability control (surface and aloft, up to 60,000ft)
  • Cloud layer control
  • Precipitation control
  • Ground snow cover control
  • Temperature and humidity control
  • Barometric pressure control with advanced temperature-adjusted pressure effects (appropriate corrections required for safe and/or expected IFR terminal procedures in colder or hotter temperatures)
  • Visibility simulation through advanced humidity control, fog layer generation and intelligent visibility graduation and smoothing
  • Smooth cloud and conditions transitions with configurable smoothing rate
  • Cloud scene scattering and variation control for variety within the preset depiction area
  • Sky conditions control for multiple cloud type variations
  • Thunderstorm scene handling for improved visual height and realism
  • Weather-cell-based presentation with surface data prioritization based on flight plan
  • Transitions handling (updates conditions smartly depending on flight plan and flight stage)

Passive Depiction Mode

Passive mode is used with live weather and allows MSFS’s internal live weather depiction to take full control of weather depiction in the simulator, while Active Sky FS provides Active Air Effects and all other non-depiction features (mapping, planning, voice features, conditions report, web companion app, etc.) This can provide better regional variation and cloud variations outside of Preset control, recommended for LIVE WEATHER VFR and casual flights where visuals and effects are more important than weather conditions accuracy.

Active Air Effects

Provided in either depiction mode, Active Air Effects enhance your flight with turbulence, drafts and more:

  • Clear air turbulence
  • Internal MSFS turbulence compatibility (for combined ASFS-applied and internal MSFS-applied turbulence effects)
  • Updrafts
  • Downdrafts
  • Microbursts
  • Thunderstorm vicinity turbulence and draft effects
  • Gusts, wind variation and gust-related turbulence

Frequently Asked Questions

Is full variable regional weather identical to the internal MSFS live weather system available with ASFS?

Yes, using the Passive depiction mode available with ASFS, which uses internal MSFS2020 live weather depiction. Weather control by ASFS requires using the ASFS Preset weather depiction mode which intelligently and dynamically controls the preset weather conditions accordingly, using Live, Historical or Custom weather, updating it throughout your flight (see depiction specifications above).

Is ASFS compatible with MSFS2024?

Not yet, as MSF2024 is not released and details are unknown. We have every intention of making ASFS compatible with MSFS2024 and tuning it for MSFS2024 integration without any additional upgrade/fee required, assuming that major re-designs are not required and existing interfacing techniques will be possible. However, we are unable to guarantee specific compatibility, interface capability or further details of any update/upgrade process required. We will post more information as it becomes available.

How far back does historical weather go?

Ground snow coverage data is available for the past 10 days only. Tropical storm data is available live and older than 10 days in the past (not available historically within 10 days of present). All other weather data is available, in hourly archives, for the past several years. Some dates/times or data layers may not be available. Coverage, resolution, and availability is subject to change.

Is cloud turbulence provided?

Cloud turbulence is a work-in-progress, currently supporting higher-coverage layers and thunderstorm-related turbulence in ASFS Preset depiction mode. We are working on additional cloud detection capability to support cloud turbulence in sparser types of cloud layers as well as use within Passive/MSFS Live wx mode.