Need help with Flight planning

[Guest]

Hello allI have got FS2002 Pro, don't have too many add-ons installed, most of them are scenery. With what ot how do you guys create the common flight plan? Do most of you use the default FS planner or third party tools. The reason I am asking this is when I creat a FS flight plan it is basically a line from one place to another. So you colide smack into the destination airport without even being properly lined up with any runway. What am I missing or doing wrong? I have Ultimate Airlines which is quite good but it only imports properly when you have a pnael with an FMC, like PSS 747, 777, A320 or Dreamfleet 737 panels. If you export a flight plan into FS and load it into a basic panel, like say any panel without a fmc then it is still a basic flight plan that doesn't use sids or stars.Please help clear this out for me. Basically, is it possable to have a decent flight plan with the default flight planner and non- fmc panels?RegardsGian

[wsieffert 0]

I don't know of any flight planner that is going to direct you to a particular runway at destination. The type of flight plan you select will vary the route. If you select GPS direct, its going to try to go direct. Try building the same flight plan using the four different ways and see the differences. You can also adjust you flight plan by dragging the red line to different points.There are external flight plan programs:FSNav - Shareware - Sorry don't have URLNAV3.1 - http://nav.consequential.org/ - FreewareSuper Flight Planner - http://www.futurtechno.com/centralpark/ - FreewareFSBuild - http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/a...er1/fsbuild.htm - FreewareIf you are using a IFR flight plan that is visible on the GPS gauge, ATC will control your descent and heading to align you with the proper runway. If you are using a VFR flight plan, then you are responsible for descent, heading perimeters, and requesting landing instructions at your destination airport. Just remember that FS2002 will only provide the destination airport selection within ~10miles of the airport. If there are a lot of little airports around the destination, the choice may be less than 10miles.

[Guest emergency_pants]

I'm not sure whether FS2002 default planner has SIDs and STARs autorouting... I'd have to check, but I'm not at home right now. I usually use FSNavigator 4 to create my plans, which has SIDs and STARs automated capabilities.If FS2002 doesn't have SIDs and STARs, you could research your route and then manually edit your flight plan to include approaches and departures? I did a quick search on Google and found this site... http://www.aeroplanner.com/ Maybe you'll find ILS/approach/departure details here???Hope this helps,Simon.

[JLedford 0]

Flight planning can be as complicated or as simple as you wish to make it within FS. If you are flying VFR you will not worry about SIDs, and STARS. If you are flying IFR and are using FS's built in ATC, ATC will vector you to the arrival runway. Thus you will not fly the arrival procedure you selected, regardless of flight planner.The flight planners mentioned in the previous post are great and offer different options. Give them a try and see which one best suits your needs.I'd also suggest that you go out to one of the general aviation airports near you and ask if they have maps. I like to use maps in conjunction with the flight planner. Often times I create a plan from a map, then enter it directly into the FMC...yes I know you don't have one. Yet the maps will give you data on VORs, high altitude routes, low altitude routes that make your flight planning much more organized, personal preference.Remember too, that SID/STARS are like freeway on/off ramps. They are a transition between the airport and the route you will take to your destination. Most SID/STARS are runway independant.Good luck...hope that I've not added to your confusion.Regards,Jay

[Guest]

hi...........to add a little postcript to the above.........i see no-one has mentioned alain capt's GPS98..........i use it in conjunction with Nav 30 in preference to the default gps............works well.......you can export a plan directly from Nav............alan d kerr