FMC Descent Question

[Guest glassb]

On the FMC...the E/D ALT (end-of-descent altitude) will be blank if no SID/TRANSITION or APPROACH fixes arem entered. If there are none, how do I know what to put here? ... put the airport altitude (elevation) sincei'll need to be at that altitude anyways for landing?Rgds,Brandon Glass

[crvm 0]

Well if you want to use the FMC for descent then you have to select a rwy because the FMS needs one to build a descent profile since it starts from the rwy up to TOD. You do not HAVE to land on that particular rwy but to get you down in VNAV that will have to do and change rwy if you need. Of course you could always use LVL CHG here and forget about the FMC but that is up to you...Best Wishes,[h4]Randy J. Smith[/h4][h3]P M D G's 747-400[/h3][h4]coming to a runway near you[/h4][/font color]Caution! Not a real pilot, but do play one on TV ;-)AMD 64 3200+ | ASUS KV8 DELUXE | GFORCE 5700 ULTRA @535/1000 | Maxtor 6Y080M0 SATA 80 GIG | 512 DDR 400 | Windows Xp Pro | Windows Xp Pro 64 |

[Guest glassb]

i thought that in order to have a top of descent (T/D) you also have to have an end of descent (E/D) which is what i want.let me know in rgds,brandon glass--------------------------------

[Guest Nickman]

No, if you have an incomplete route you can have a T/D but no E/D. Happened to me once because I forgot a waypoint by the airport, so the VNAV descent will switch to SPDNick B.Continental Airlines Virtual 737NG Pilothttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/800driver.jpg--AMD Athlon XP 3200+ @ 2.2 Ghz (Equal to 2.8 ghz)400W Power supply3x 80 mm Case FansSoyo VIA KT600 Dragon PlusnVidia GeForce FX 5200 128 mb2 x 512 PC400100 GB Western DigitalMicrosoft Sidewinder Precision 2

[Guest glassb]

That does not answer my question unfortunatley....I would choose not to have an incomplete route.....so what would I put in this area if it was blank??Rgds,BRANDON GLASS-------------

[crvm 0]

That area only matters IF you are going to use the FMC for descent. Without an E/D there is no path for the FMC to follow. You would not be descending if ATC had not cleared you to do so chances are you would have a clear idea where you were going to land. Many RW pilots takeoff with *incomplete* routes programed into the FMS simply because time does not always work for them. You will certainly input your arrivail ICAO but can input only the needed wpts to get you to altitude and program the rest when time permits. Best Wishes,[h4]Randy J. Smith[/h4][h3]P M D G's 747-400[/h3][h4]coming to a runway near you[/h4][/font color]Caution! Not a real pilot, but do play one on TV ;-)AMD 64 3200+ | ASUS KV8 DELUXE | GFORCE 5700 ULTRA @535/1000 | Maxtor 6Y080M0 SATA 80 GIG | 512 DDR 400 | Windows Xp Pro | Windows Xp Pro 64 |

[Guest glassb]

Randy,I WANT TO USE THE FMC FOR A DESCENT!!!!Because I'd like to do this, what would I put for the E/D if it were blank???Just let me know man,BRANDON GLASS

[Mats_J 2]

Brandon,Excuse me for chipping in but Randy answered what you need in his first reply to you. You need to enter a runway! Any runway as far as FMC calculation goes, but for your own good I guess it's best to enter the runway you are intending to land on, or at least a runway on the intended airport! ;-)Hope it helps,

[crvm 0]

You don't put anything into this area. The FMC does once you select your approach. Best Wishes,[h4]Randy J. Smith[/h4][h3]P M D G's 747-400[/h3][h4]coming to a runway near you[/h4][/font color]Caution! Not a real pilot, but do play one on TV ;-)AMD 64 3200+ | ASUS KV8 DELUXE | GFORCE 5700 ULTRA @535/1000 | Maxtor 6Y080M0 SATA 80 GIG | 512 DDR 400 | Windows Xp Pro | Windows Xp Pro 64 |

[Guest glassb]

meaning when you 'select an approach' as in STARS???...beacause not all airports have them and if thats the case then what then? ..Rgds,Brandon Glass

[Guest Buck Bolduc]

>meaning when you 'select an approach' as in>STARS???...beacause not all airports have them and if thats>the case then what then? ..>>Rgds,>>Brandon GlassBrandon, all you have to do is designate an ILS runway, (unless your using a DME approach or something). If you dont pick an ILS runway you could pick, example:34R instead of ILS34R in the approach pages of the FMC. But realise if you pick a runway without waypints (fixes) you megenta line will go right to the runway, no good! If you want to hand fly to the airport pick 34R for example. Get yourself some approach plates. It's got the fixes on it plus the RNW course and the altitude you need to be at for the outer marker and FAF. Type the outer fix onto the scratchpad and dump it on the runway LSK. It will then be just before the runway on the legs page. tThen dump the FAF on top of the runway LSK and violla, it's above the runway on the legs page. You end up with outer marker waypoint---> FAF---->ILS34R.FAF=Final approach fix. The FMC will calculate your decent profile fairly accuratly, but your the pilot.Hope this helpsRegards

[Guest glassb]

Hey,thanks for your reply. Now Im looking at an approach plate right now and I dont know where the FAF is. Could you tell me where on the approach plate it tells you the Final Approach Fix?Thanx,Brandon