Thanks for the reply and suggestions. I guess when you indicate pressing F you are referring to the FMC. As I have no idea of how to program a FMC is there somewhere giving simple and precise instructions on programming the FMC? I would love to give it a try.

Hi Raymond,Please add me to your MSN list and have a look at my flight sim web page. There is a guide there that is a good start and once you have tried it a few times we will get together and have a chat. OK?Good Luck and Happy Reading,

Brad,This attitude is what makes me love to be around this community.Whoa there, I just said it, didn't I? ;)Cheers,

Well, the PMDG manual is obviously the best place to start. This is available on the PMDG websiteIn addition to the manual itself, there are a couple of tutorial flights, which will take you through the necessary processes step-by-step.However, it's not so difficult really. All (!) you have to do is tell the FMC:1) Which airport you starting from at and which you want to go to.2) Which waypoints define the route you want to follow from one to the other.This is done by keying the 3 and 4 digit waypoint codes shown on the route you have generated from the Flight Planner into the 2 pages under the "Route" function of the FMC.If you want to get clever, you can add the height and speed you want to have at each waypoint and lots of other stuff, but I'd leave that from the time being!Supplementary information is required to make the thing work properly e.g.:How high you want to cruiseHow heavy the aircraft isWhich runway you want to use to take-off (and eventually which you want to land on)Whether you want to run the engines at full or restricted power in take-off and climb (dependent on weight, weather, and runway length)If you aren't familiar with how an FMC works, I'd recommend you try the tutorials.

OK I am going to look for the tutorials....but you know, a funny thought just occured to me. What is the difference between using the FMC and using the IFR created by the Flight Planner in FS9. As you know all the flight information is included in the the IFR and combining that with the autopilot, one can go from A to B without ever touching the yoke. However, I am sure there is something sexy about the FMC that isn't occuring to me.Oh well, off to the tutorials, wherever they may be.

Hi Raymond,Without sounding too strong about it:There is no comparison between any of the software add-ons for flight planning with using the PMDG as it is meant to be used.The realism afforded by correct PMDG use is so close to the real thing that with sufficient training I could put you in a the real ship and you would have a good chance of being able to navigate it across the world.This takes a long time to learn but it is possible. Anything else is just a game :)Your first tutorial is on my website.ATB,