How do I set up PMDG 737 wind uplink in MSFS?

To set up wind uplink in the PMDG 737 for Microsoft Flight Simulator, configure your SimBrief Pilot ID, generate an OFP, load and activate the matching route, then open LEGS, select RTE DATA and WIND REQUEST, wait for the uplink and press LOAD. Request descent winds separately on the DES FORECAST page.

What must be configured before requesting winds?

The PMDG 737 needs forecast data for the same flight loaded in its FMC; an MSFS World Map flight plan alone is not enough. Complete these preparations before using WIND REQUEST:

1. Generate a fresh SimBrief OFP. Set the intended origin, destination, route, cruise level and departure time before generating it. If you change these details later, generate the OFP again.
2. Enter your SimBrief account identifier. Add the numeric Pilot ID in the PMDG tablet's SimBrief settings, or in the PMDG Setup pages on versions which expose the setting through the CDU. Use the identifier requested by the field, not an airline callsign.
3. Load the matching route. Origin, destination and routing should agree with the generated OFP. Our instructions for loading a SimBrief route into the PMDG 737 cover this part without duplicating the full FMC procedure here.
4. Activate and execute the route. Enter the cruise altitude on PERF INIT as well. WIND REQUEST may be unavailable or return incomplete data while the route remains inactive.

Most installations can retrieve the latest OFP through PMDG's account integration. A PC file-based setup may instead export the SimBrief PMDG Wind Uplink file to the aircraft's work\WX folder. Do not place it in the FlightPlans folder: the route and wind exports are separate files. Xbox users must use the account-based method because console installations do not expose this folder.

How do I load cruise winds into the PMDG 737 FMC?

Cruise winds are requested from the route-data pages after the route has been executed.

1. Press LEGS on the CDU.
2. Select RTE DATA from the LEGS page.
3. Select WIND REQUEST. Allow the request to finish rather than repeatedly pressing the line-select key.
4. When the FMC presents LOAD or an equivalent acceptance prompt, select it.
5. Press EXEC if the execute light illuminates.
6. Page through RTE DATA and verify that the cruise waypoints contain plausible wind direction, speed and temperature values.

The entries should follow the planned route and altitude. If you need to understand how those pages relate to the rest of the CDU setup, see our Boeing 737 FMC programming explanation.

How do I uplink descent winds?

Descent forecasts require a separate request; loading route winds does not automatically populate the DES FORECAST page.

1. Open the VNAV DES page and select FORECAST.
2. Select the displayed wind-request prompt.
3. Wait for the data, select LOAD, then execute the change if requested.
4. Check the forecast altitude bands and transition level against the OFP and arrival briefing.

This step improves the FMC's top-of-descent and descent-path predictions. It does not set the aircraft's barometric reference, select the arrival or replace the need to check destination weather.

Why does WIND REQUEST return no data?

A missing or rejected wind uplink usually means the FMC route and the available OFP do not match.

• No WIND REQUEST prompt: execute the route, enter a cruise altitude and confirm that you are on the LEGS RTE DATA page.
• Request completes without winds: check the SimBrief Pilot ID and confirm that a generated OFP exists for the loaded origin and destination.
• Old or incorrect winds: regenerate the OFP after changing the route, altitude, date or departure time. Delete or overwrite a stale local wind file when using the PC file-based method.
• Only some legs have data: procedure discontinuities, vectors and legs added after the OFP was generated may remain blank. Resolve discontinuities and regenerate the plan if the routing changed substantially.
• Descent winds remain blank: use the separate request on DES FORECAST; the RTE DATA request is not a substitute.
• The menus or request function behave differently: make sure the aircraft is on a supported build by following our PMDG 737 update procedure.

A mistake we see constantly is loading a new route while leaving an older OFP or .wx file in place. The request may appear to work, but the resulting forecasts belong to another route.

Does PMDG wind uplink use MSFS live weather?

The SimBrief-based PMDG wind uplink uses the forecast attached to the generated OFP, not the instantaneous wind surrounding the aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Live Weather, a weather preset or a different simulator time can therefore disagree with the FMC forecast.

For the closest match, generate the OFP for the intended flight time and use weather conditions representing that period. Small differences are normal; large or reversed values usually indicate stale forecast data, a time mismatch or manual entry using magnetic direction instead of the forecast wind's true direction.