I need help using the FMC for the 737-800

[Guest stevepow]

Ok this is the deal i just spent $80.00 on the next generation PMDG plane plus the addon. I did alot of research and found that this company always came out on top. So i got it. Now let me explain i am used to flying the planes that came with MSFS 2004 and alot and i mean alot of add on planes. I am very used to making the flight planin MSFS 2004 chooseing GPS and being on my way. So let me tell you to my suprise that after seeing this plane and what it had to offeri was amazed but now i really cant fly the plane. I printed out about 250 pages of instruction on how to set the plane up how to start it correctly and so on. But to tell you the truth i do not know how to use the FMC i dont know what information im supposed to look for what i need to put into the FMC in order to make a complete flight. I am used to taking off hitting auto pilot and just listening to the instructions from ATC. Do you think somone would have the time to explain to me how to set up the FMC what information i need to look for and how to get it to put into the FMC.If it were not for these forums i would have never started flyingTo everyone who has helped me in the past.....Thank you

[Guest pagotan]

Hi,There could be several ways to answer your question. One would be to invite you to use the search function an type "FMC" or "route" and to read the hundreds of threads on that very subject. Another way would be to use one of the tutorials which have been written by T. Metzinger, or Fred Clausen or Brad. In all of which you will be taken by the hand to create a route in the FMC. Here are a few advices. First you need to have installed both an Airac available at: http://www.navdata.at/ and a SIDS & STARS database available either from the PMDG website or from Terry's site at: http://home.sw.rr.com/filesherenow/index.html. Please make sure that both Airac and SIDS & STARS packages are of the same cycle. Finally you may want to go back to the NavData website and download some user defined procedures if you feel that the ones from the earlier mentioned sites are inadequate for your purpose.The second step is to get the charts for your departure and arrival airports.Third step, you want to create a flight plan. Here you can either use an online flightplan creator such as http://www.pmfp.com/ or http://rfinder.asalink.net/free/ or use FSBuild which has several thousand of routes in a database. At this point you need to know that FSBuild offers a unique possibility ot export flight plans to almost every possible addon including PMDG' FMC. Another useful application is FSNav. A number of PMDG users are using this application to create routes and export it to PMDG. I also remember that there is (if I am correct) a small utility which export FS2004 created plans in PMDG format available on AVSIM.If none of these alternatives appeal to you then you are left with a manual entry of all segments of your route in the FMC. For this you should first check the weather at departure, this will determine your runway for take-off, then consult the charts to chose an appropriate SID (and transition if available). The FMC will list the runways and SIDS so you only need to pick the one choosen. After that you build your route with the waypoints you have gathered. You will have to do a bit of dispatch by entering flight level, ZFW, reserve fuel, flaps temp, transition level etc.... (please read the manuals as it would be redundant to list all possible entries here). Finally once getting close to descent check weather, determine runway for arrival and pick up the STAR and Approach suitable in the FMC.These are the basics. If you need more detailed information feel free to ask. Again consult tutorials, manuals, threads on this forum and you will get to the bottom of it fairly easily.Michael

[Guest stevepow]

So what happens with ATC i like to use ATC they told me what to do at all times like when to descent at what altitude all the headings until i reached my approuch i hope i dont lose all that

[Guest pagotan]

Hi again,If you like to use MSFS ATC then you only need the route segment of your flight plan. ATC will give you vectors to depart and vectors for arrival. You should know that MSFS ATC does not use procedures. Therefore SIDS STARS and approaches you may program in your FMC will not be recognized by MSFS ATC which most certainly will vector you through out.I personally think MSFS ATC is not up to the job but I have read many posts in this forum from users still using it. Quite frankly now that you got a great and highly sophisticated aircraft addon with PMDG you should consider planning your flights yourself or fly online or use an ATC up to the standard such as radar contact. This is my personal opinion only.Michael

[Guest stevepow]

Hello I tried looking for the tutorial from T. Metzinger but it said no file exsisted there is one but it is another language would you happen to know where excactly is it that i find this file. Also about the atc so does that mean that i dont use atc at all? i dont want to crash into another plane or something like that im trying to keep it as real as i can. But know its like starting from the begining again. I know have an overhead panel to study and i need to figure out what needs to be done just to start the plane not to say that i cant even get the AT to stay on (lol) i know i have alot of work ahead of me but every little bit of info will help

[Guest pagotan]

Hi,T. Metzinger's tutorial is not anymore available for download however I am sure someone will email it to you if you ask for it.It is pretty much your own decision to use MSFS ATC or not. I personally do not find it realistic enough for the kind of flights I do but everyone has his own opinion. If you want to keep it as real as possible you will soon find out that in addition to mastering the aircraft you will more and more have to dig into the navigation part of it, planning, dispatching, weather etc.. This is where the fun really starts. Hopefully you will get to the point where you will fly online and then really enjoy it.Michael

[ailchim 206]

I'm with you on this one, i.e. trying to keep the FMC flightplan and FS ATC as closely in line as possible.In essence, you can pretty close, except for approach. The FMC can fly STAR approaches, but poor old FS9 ATC hasn't a clue about those and tries to do its own thing. Which can be pretty confusing when you are also trying to sort out everything else before landing!There are two basic ways of dealing with that: tell ATC you want a VFR approach and use a STAR through the FMC. Or accept ATC instructions and make the FMC follow suit. I prefer the latter, because it seems very inaccurate for ATC to be giving VFR landing instructions to an airliner in cloud with 100+ souls on board and a lot of other airliners uncomfortably close by.Other people I'm sure take the opposite view. If there is a means of making FS9 recognise a STAR I'm not aware of it yet.What we'd all agree upon is that it is a big shame that one of the best things which the FMC can do isn't modelled in FS9 i.e. approach via a STAR. Maybe next time!So working on my principle, best routine so far is this.1) Use http://rfinder.asalink.net/free to get a basic flightplan. This gives the airways to use which makes input to the FMC easier. It will start from the first point on the main part of the route, so "Departure Airport via SID to Waypt1, Airway A12 to Waypt 2, Airway B23 to Waypt3 etc etc. So we can fill in how we get to Waypt1 later on.2)Determine the active departure runway3)Use FSNav to plot a route from the active departure runway including a SID to your destination. You have to put in an arrival runway, and that's where things can get difficult later if FS9 doesn't pick the same one.4) Check that the main body of the route is the same as in 1. If it isn't, you'll have to scrap the route FSNav calculated and input the the one you wanted manually.5) Don't fiddle around with STARS - FS ATC doesn't do STARS and you'll only get in a mess just when you are trying to land. Instead, delete all the waypoints between the last waypoint in item 1 and the runway. So Item 1) will say something like ..... Waypt19 via Star to Destination Aiport. You should see Waypt19 in your FSNav flightplan, delete everything between Waypt19 and the runway from the FSNav plan - in other words you are deleting the STAR FSnav wants to put in.6) Export the route from FSNav to FS9 (and to PMDG if you want, although I prefer to input to the FMC manually.7) Load the plan you exported from FSNav into FS9, that gives FS ATC your IFR flightplan.8) Either import or enter the exported FSNav flightplan into the FMC.You should now find that ATC and your FMC run in parallel.Technically, FS9 doesn't do SIDS, but as long as the SID which the FMC is following is going broadly in the same direction that ATC expected, you should be OK.On climb and descent you may have to manage the FMC against the altitude clearances ATC gives you. Guess that's similar to real life.Equally, you can always request altitude changes of ATC to match the FMC - again like real life.Arrival is a bit of a mess. FS9 will insist on giving you its own vectors to finals, as far as I know, irrespective of what you have in the FMC.You need to sort out as soon as possible which arrival runway FS9 is using, ideally before FS9 gives you vectors.If you have some means of telling what the wind is at the airport, you can have a guess. FSUIPC has a program with it that can show the active, but it works only over a short distance. Apparently you can tune your COM2 radio to the ATIS frequency for your destination airport and get it that way.Get that runway into the FMC without a STAR (if you put in a STAR, ATC will want to go one way and FMC the other).Hopefully, FS9 ATC will start to vector you before the last waypoint in your flightplan.Switch off VNAV and LNAV, tune the ILS and follow ATC vectors using the autopilot manually.

[chiswick72 145]

Just my bit....I use FSNAV, a great tool, you make your flight plan in there, then you export one part to the PMDG 737 and the other part to FS2004, then the ATC in FS2004 will follow your route until you arrive at your destination.Using this method allows you to use real SIDS from airports, and FS2004 ATC at the same time.The only problem with this method is once you arrive at your destination FS2004 ATC cannot follow proper STARS and hence one has to make do with ATCs instructions, which is a compromise.But FSNAV and PMDG 737 and FS2004 work great together!Hope it helps.Armen at EGLLwww.veryquiet.com