SID/STAR/IAPs updates explained. New 737NG owners should read this.

[MichaelDay 0]

Hi TerryThanks for this post explaining the PMDG SIDSTAR updates, along with all your good work in putting together the DAFIF data to build these SIDSTAR updates .... and for writing the PMDG How to make Terminal Procedures document!When you prepare these SIDSTAR files for the PMDG Navigation data download page, do you ? or could you ? include all the revised SID/STARS/IAP procedure files that have been uploaded to the NavData web site, like what is included in the NavData AIO file?This could be a big help, as it would save many of us the time and bother of subsequently needing to go to NavData to get all these revised SIDSTAR files.-----------on a related topicI posted the following question / enhancement request on the PMDG support forum yesterdayhttp://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...id=70311&page=2that asks PMDG about the missing capabilities in the FMC/CDU Departure procedure page, where the selection of a STAR will trigger the display of only the corresponding available runways for the selected STAR ( and visa versa).So far, there hasn

[Guest stang]

Hi Michael>>When you prepare these SIDSTAR files for the PMDG Navigation data download page, do you ? or could you ? include all the revised SID/STARS/IAP procedure files that have been uploaded to the NavData web site, like what is included in the NavData AIO file?I prefer to keep my up to date procedures separate from others but I would not mind doing this as a separate project. However, my current web site does not allow me enough storage space to be able to store uploaded procedures. Sorry.RegardsTerry

[Wolfko 0]

Thanks for your efforts Terry, this is a very usefull and informative post.Wolfgang

[Guest Ruddman]

Now that i'm a proud owner of the NG 737, I can comment!What I can't understand is, DF had such a good SID/STAR data base in it's FMC but PMDG choose not too do this? Why? DF had no problem, why not PMDG? In fact, I've never updated DF's FMC at all. Never knew how for one thing. But even now so many of the procedures are the same. Where I fly - Australia - they are anyway.Don't want to sound disrepectful of the great product by the way. Just need to time to fly it!

[Guest sfflyer]

Terry:Just working through some of the fine points - which of the 23 ARINC leg types (or equivalent) are supported, and how do you handle a leg type that is not supported (e.g., RF ...I think)? Also - any idea on which leg types not currently supported will be added in the future?Thanks for the update - very useful.Todd

[Guest stang]

Hi Todd>ARINC leg types (or equivalent) are supported, and how do you>handle a leg type that is not supported (e.g., RF ...I think)?Sorry, I don't understand the question.>Also - any idea on which leg types not currently supported>will be added in the future?I have not heard of what new might be supported so I am in the dark just as you are.RegardsTerry

[Guest Ruddman]

Now that i'm a proud owner of the NG 737, I can comment!What I can't understand is, DF had such a good SID/STAR data base in it's FMC but PMDG choose not too do this? Why? DF had no problem, why not PMDG? In fact, I've never updated DF's FMC at all. Never knew how for one thing. But even now so many of the procedures are the same. Where I fly - Australia - they are anyway.Don't want to sound disrepectful of the great product by the way. Just need to time to fly it!Sorry. Forgot my name. Jonathan.

[falconno 0]

I guess he's refering to the "ARINC 424 PROCEDURE TYPE CODES". I think this in real life are defined standards/rules for FMS procedure coding. (Look at this pdf doc, at the bottom: http://www.rockwellcollins.com/fms/viewdoc.asp?doc=280).I also saw this in the FMS format of the new ATR baby from Flight1.How this is implemented in our FMS, I know nothing about. What I know is that the coder (Anthony Merton) has implemented a very easy and straightforward language for us end users to utilize in procedure file writing. No need to worry about this codes when writing.

[Guest ThrottleUp]

Thank you TerryAs a newbie PMDG pilot I REALLY needed that!!!!!

[Guest gremel]

Good advise. Is it possible that this whole SID/STAR/IAP database could be downloaded into a zip file and "Auto-executed" for FS9 users of the PMDG? Sure would make life easier. Don't know...just asking.Regards,jack

[victorlima01 4]

Hey Terry (or anybody else that can help me), I gotta couple of questions regarding the procedure to write sids/stars and I need your help. But first off, thank you so much for the help you've already shown to all of us. Ok, here goes:I've been trying to write the new procedures for SBGR and I'm getting a little confused. I listed all the fixes which I think aren't available on the airac cycle and than began with the sids. What's happening is that the FMC is telling me it's unable to find the fix BCO, which I didn't write on the FIXES part intentionally because it's a real old VOR that must be on the AIRAC cycle. I wrote it as FIX BCO, not NAVAID BCO - and this leads to my first two questions: when using a navaid or fix which already comes with the pmdg airac download does it matter whether I write NAVAID xxx or FIX xxx? And secondly, how can I access the airac files and confirm whether the navaids or intersetions etc are really there so that I don't write them up on my SBGR file unecessarily? My third and final quesiton is whether I can write my file while running Flight simulator so that I can constantly check my progress without having to open and close FS2002 all the time to do so. Thank you in advance for the help. cheers, Victor

[Guest pagotan]

Hi,I will try to address your questions.Under the title "A few definitions" page 1 of the manual "Making SIDs and STARs for tthe PMDG 737NG 600/700" you can read:quoteNAVAIDs - a generic word that PMDG uses to refer to radio navaids such as VORs, ADFs, DMEs, Localizers, Intersections, and Fixes, etc, These navaids are listed in the AIRAC data the PMDG 737NG and the 767 PIC use.FIXes - whenver you have to define a waypoint or even a missing radio navaid, it is called a FIX.unquoteSo yes it matters, if the navaid is listed in the AIRAC the syntax to use is NAVAID xxx if it is created by the user it is FIX xxx.To access the AIRAC files go to your FMCWPnavdata folder and open the files with a text editor then you can search for the navaid you are looking for.Yes and no as to your third question. You can have MSFS running while writing a procedure but each time you make a change to the procedure and save your changes you have to revert to the first page of the FMC and start again.Hope this help.Michael

[Guest stang]

>when using a navaid or fix which already comes with the pmdg airac>download does it matter whether I write NAVAID xxx or FIX xxx?Yes it does. It is rather confusing at first. When you use NAVAID it always refers to a navaid or fix that is in the FS world. When you use FIX it always refers to the user defined location in the FIXES section, which BTW can use the same ID as any FS world navaid/fix. The nice thing is if the FIX happens to also be an FS world fix or navaid ID then the user defined FIX takes precedence and the plane will ignore the FS world navaid/fix.>how can I access the airac files and confirm whether the navaids or>intersetions etc are really there so that I don't write them up on my>SBGR file unecessarily?I'm thinking that is extra work for you but just remember it does no harm to use all FIXes because of the precedence feature mentioned above.RegardsTerry

[victorlima01 4]

Thank you so much to both of you (terry and Michael) for helping me out. The procedures file for sbgr is now ready and I

[Guest McFly]

I thought I read on this forum that the only reason for updating the AIRAC, SIDS/STARS was to keep current with the published printed flight charts. If you already have charts and you don't really feel the need to have that level of realism where you have to get new charts, AIRAC and Sids/Stars every cycle then there really isn't a need to change them is there? As long as the cycle is the same.Terry