A few days ago I bought the PMDG 737 package and I need some help. I read about the FMC a few times and I still don't understand it. Is there a easy way to plan the route without using the FMC? Or maybe a dummy guide to the FMC? :-lol Im so used to the default FS2004 GPS unit for route planning.Other than the FMC thing I really like this plane alot.

Hi,Since you like PMDG 737 series, as you stated, you surely have noticed this is a fairly complicated plane to master. There is a quite extensive and useful manual from PMDG on how to master the principles of FMC programing. Alternatively you can purchase one of the best book for FMC programming "The Big Boeing FMC User's guide" which is an advanced guide to flight management computer technics available I think at http://www.fmcguide.com. If I remember correctly there is also a specific 737 FMC user's guide available.As to flight planning there is no better program for the time being than FSBuild (http://www.fsbuild.com/). Steep learning curve, but worth every penny!. In fact it is more then a flight planner it has capabilities to simulate accurately dispatch functions. It also allows you to export plans directly to PMDG's FMC and other FS addons. Of course many users will recommend other planners which have their own merits such as FSNavigator, FOC, Flitestar etc... At the end of the day it is a question of what you need, your financial budget, the amount of time you want to invest and how close to reality you want to fly.DISCLAIMER:The above reflects only a personal opinion and was written without any intend to offend, harm or criticize in any way or manner any individual, institution, association or company including PMDG.Michael

When I make a flight plan I use the default FS2004 flight planner. How do I get that plan to show up in the navigation display?

Hi Joseph (? please sign with your name per forum rules next time)Do remember that the FMC is an aid to relieve the pilot(s) from heavy workload. It is not, I repeat NOT, a flight planning utility. ;-)You have to do all the planning using some of the gadgets out there with the internal FS Flight Planner being the easiest to access. You then have to punch it all into the FMC. Using one of the great tutorials written by some of the great people around here.Hope it helps,

See my reply to your first post.Basically print it out and punch it into the FMC. ;-)Cheers,

Joseph: Once you learn how to key in waypoints in to the FMC, save and restore PMDG/FMC flight plans, and viewing the results on the Nav Display, and finally making any necessary route adjustments back in the FMC... That's the point you can go over to the flight planning forum here at avsim and ask someone there how to get from A to B. They will get back to you with a list of ordered waypoints that go right in to the FMC.There's a reason our airplane doesn't have the gps on its panel! In some ways, as an ex-dummy, trained by those here and a few late nights, I like the FMC/ND combination better than the GPS and don't miss it any more. However, this is only really true if you have charts of the areas you're flying in. E.g. "Where's the nearest airport? I've got a wacko passenger and we need to land!" The default GPS will answer that for you but, without a chart, I don't think the FMC/ND will. Somewhere in this PMDG forum, someone explained how to add the gps to our panel. I'm sorry I don't have a link to it for you. Good luck!! The people here are the greatest when you have questions.sj MantelKEWR

Thanks for the responses guys :-) Looks like I got ALOT of learning to do!Last night I flew the plane, but since I dont know how to program the FMC yet I just took off then followed the directions ATC gave me :-lol did a visual approach to the airport. The plane hadled beautifuly!Joseph Feleppa

Joseph, I encourage you to stick with it. The FMC is one of the best features of this airplane. PMDG spent a lot of time getting it right, and they've done a fantastic job. The plane is great to just fly around in and navigate manually, but mastering the FMC and then watching the various progress screens as the AP flies your route, is quite rewarding. Also, you can program the route into the FMC, activate the Flight Director, leave the autopilot off, and fly the route yourself with the FD cues, so you get the best of both worlds: the fantastic FMC and pleasure of flying this plane with its awesome handling flight model.

Hello,I was just wondering if someone can help me out with one additional flight planning question. I am trying to go through the tutorial written by T. Metzinger (Advanced Operations Tutorial), however, I get stuck when it comes to flight planning. He identifies the route as LINDY2.MAW BNA...I realized that unless I set this in the flight planner, I am not able to get the proper comm. with the ATC. However, if I go to the flight planner in FS 9, all I can do is generate the IFR route, which is far from the one that Tim specified. I can delete the waypoints, but have no ability to add one. Further, I'm not sure if SID/STARs can be included in the planning tool provided by Microsoft. Can you please let me know if I'm missing something and if there is any place to get more information on this topic? Your help is greatly appreciated.Thanks,Alex

The default ATC won't utilize SIDs and STARs, so you can leave them out of the flight plan, but it's okay to put them into the FMC, they just won't be used by ATC, and you'll just get vectors to your approach.If you definitely want the SID and STAR waypoints in your flight plan, you'd have to enter each one separately.

Hi,Try this online route planner, I think it's work really good considering it's totally free.http://rfinder.asalink.net/free/?PHPSESSID...b87c7bba61647cfWhen it comes to ATC working together with your routes you could take a look at a program called Radar Contact. Haven't any personal experience from that program but dare to say that I'm pretty sure it's far superior from the built-in ATC in FS9. They have their own forum here at AVSIM - why don't you check it out for yourself!All the best,

While learning the FMC is a necessity for enjoying this complex simulated machine, a quick-dirty shortcut in the meantime is to create your flight plans using the default FS9 flight planner, or freeware FSbuild (1.4.3). Then, use the utility called PLN2RTE available in several places. This converts the FS9 flight plan into a format compatible with the FMC - just load the converted plan by entering the filename into the scratch pad, and clicking the LSK labelled "CO ROUTE". Not the same as learning the FMC, but it'll get you into the air enjoying the plane so you can learn some of the other systems at the same time...Best,sg

Thanks everyone for the information. For some reason, I was hoping that FMC would be somehow linked to the ATC in FS 9. Wishful thinking. I guess I will be purchasing the Radar Contact and Jeppesen SimCharts shortly. I am more than familiar with the systems on the airplane, however, it is the realistic ATC that make the experience complete. One more question, if you don

If Im reading this thread right you can't plan a route using the default ATC without getting other stuff to make it work??Joseph Feleppa

I would definitely recommend SimCharts. I purchased all three US regions, plus the south pacific region. I use it on every flight. I print out the SID/STAR for the flight, then I call up the airport diagrams and ILS approaches within FS9 using the SimTrack feature which plots your track across the ground. Being able to see your position on the airport diagrams is great for finding your way around the taxiways in a large airport. Being able to see your flight path overlaid on the approach plates in real time is great for orienting yourself on visual approaches, or to just review your accuracy on the localizer.