Hi friends,need help on flying a STAR. I never followed that procedure and i have always been vectored to LOC/GS by approach.Today i'd like to try a new skill...1) how do i select a STAR in FSBuild/FSNavigator if i do not know which Rwy tower will me clear for? I usually fly using Radar Contact and usually i am given a landing prevision as soon as i contact approach.2) how do i enter that STAR in 737NC FMG after importing FSBuild flightplan?Thanks in advance for helpingLuigi ;-)

You don't enter the STAR as part of your route. You select it from the Arrivals page when picking your landing runway. You will see them on the LEFT side of this page, just as the runways are on the RIGHT side of the page.Consider it an extension to the Runway. Instead of you being vectored in to hook up with the runway, the star is a set of precoded directions to do this vectoring so the ATC boys can spend their time sitting back and drinking coffee :-lolRay

Hello Luigi, I've noticed that you have posted this request on the Radar Contact Forum also. Fine. I suggest you first read, and understand, John Dekker's excellent Radar Contact V3 manual with special attention to the NOTAMS section on Page 82. The next step is to get a clear understanding of the specific STARS flightplan. If you are not using the FMC controlled 737NG then you will have to fly this STAR manually according to the published procedure. (These can be found in the US Terminal Procedures published by the DOD-FAA-DOC.) Just about every STAR has both altitude and speed restrictions which you SHOULD adhere to. As far as your arrival runway goes, this can be a challenge. Get your destination weather before you generate your flightplan especially if you are using FSNav or FSBuild because it is cumbersome to try to change your flightplan afterwards. This is one of the benfits of using a FMC controlled aircraft because you can change the arrival runway on the fly. Remember, ATC expects you to fly the STAR because you filed it with ATC. The CoPilot takes a break right after he turns the controls over to you as soon as you contact APPROACH. Good Luck on your valiant attempt. Stick to it.Regards

To fly a STAR app you got to know the STAR og have the right approach plate for that rwy and STAR or you might finding yourselves in quite a mess with an impossible approach :)To learn how to do it I suggest you download Timothys exellent FMC guide!!Johnny"I'LL BE BACK"[div align=center]http://www.avsim.com/hangar/fly/josve/zone.jpg ][/div

Thank you all for helping.I'll give i a try....i'm afraid...Luigi ;-)

Hi again Luigi, Don't be intimidated. After a few tries you'll become a master at flying a STAR.Cheers

thank you Blais for supporting this attempt...I usually fly PMDG 737 coupled with Radar Contact and while enroute is the FMC who keeps commands; but as soon as Radar Contact clear me to a lower FL i disengage LNAV+VNAV and fly the plane by myself.Now a simple question: do i have to reach manually the first point of the STAR before to engage again FMC+LNAV+VNAV? Which is the correct handling of the entire thing?Luigi ;-)

Hello Luigi, To be perfectly honest, I have not yet flown the 737NG with Radar Contact but do expect to do just that shortly. Until I do accomplish that feat we will have to hope that some other user may add to our knowlege. I do believe that someone posted a response to this question, by you, on the Radar Contact Forum. Good Luck to you.Regards

Hi Luigi,Like Blais I have not flown a STAR with RC, in fact I have not used RC for a number of years, however..Assuming no ATC of any kind, once you have the correct STAR entered in the FMC you can leave the auto pilot in all the way to the runway.The waypoint that starts your STAR is the last waypoint on the en-route bit of flight so there should be no route discontinuity and if the STAR is complete it should take you all the way to the runway.Sometimes there is a gap between the end of the STAR and the runway, or runway extention, then you will have take manual control and use a bit common sense to line up with ILS beam.If you have the chart for the STAR you can,if you wish, fly the whole STAR by hand or by using the MCP rather than the FMC.IF you are flying off line there's nothing to worry about, no one else is going to see your mistakes, you're not going to kill a hundred pax or total a few million doller a/c are you :-)If you do fly on line (next step up from RC) then often you will only fly part of the STAR as ATC will vector you in.EDIT:No one has really explained how to choose the correct STAR. Without a specific airport in mind it is difficult to explain but I'll try.All STARs start with a defining point, either a VOR, NDB or intersection. These points are scattered around the airport some miles from the airport, in the USA the distance is usally much larger than European airports. These points also lie on an airway and are at different compass points around the airport to allow traffic from different directions.STARs are usually named after their defining point.So if your en-route flight plan has been correctly compiled your last airway should contain the STAR waypoint (w'pt).Go to the DEP/ARR page of the FMC, select arrivals and select your chosen runway based on wind direction at destination airport. If you are not using weather then just choose one runway.Once the runway is selected suitable STARs will be shown on the LHS of the page.Look on the legs page and find a w'pt there that matches one of the STAR names, then choose that STAR.As an example. Lets say you are arriving at airport ABC on rway 12.You select rway 12 on the arrivals page and on the LHS in the list of STARs is one named MIA.Looking on the legs page you see the last w'pt (or nearly the last) is named MIA, therefore you select the MIA STAR.BTW That inital w'pt is often known as the transition w'pt because you are moving from the en-route portion of flight to the STAR.Up there I said that STARs are usually named after the w'pt that starts the STAR, however there a number I can think that are not. They take the name from a w'pt on the STAR and not the start w'pt.You will probably have a better understanding of SIDs and STARs if you get some charts. The best place to look is on the Vstim site that covers the airport, they usually have links to all charts for the airport.HTH

Thanks for the extensive lesson ;-)So, resuming, with Radar Contact in mind, VNAV+LNAV ON while enroute, then, after center clearance to descend, VNAV+LNAV OFFand finally, flying the STAR, again VNAV+LNAV ON until begin of the final approach.Is that correct?On the other hand i can fly a vectored approach following Radar Contact approach vectors.CheersLuigi ;-)