Hello there,I have been getting to grips with the PMDG 737 aircraft and i have to say it is awesome. Through all the various tutorials and such i have just about got to grips with the fmc too.My question is concerning SID/STARS. I'm unsure as to which one to choose on the fmc. When i pick a runway to depart from i get a list of different SIDS. Which one is best to choose? Is there anywhere to view them?Same goes for STARS? Which one do i choose? I also get the extra option of a transition? Whats that?Thanks.

Not sure of the quesion. Would you be more specific about which airport you are referring to? If you are referring to a US aisport, then the departure will depend on what direction you are headed and the transition fix. If you are talking about an airport outside of the US, the SID is dependent on not only the direction of your destination and transition fix but also the departure runway. I don't recall that hte 737NG series FMC has a transition altitude entry capability.

Hello "What's your name">I'm unsure as to which one to choose on the fmc. The selection of SID or STAR depends on which direction you want to go or, are coming from respectively. The first thing you need to do is find the plates, or charts, for all the SIDs and STARs for the departure and arrival airports. Several places to find plates are http://www.fscharts.com and http://www.airnav.com for U.S. plates. You can check the various VATSIM sites for worldwide plates also. Once you have all the plates then you can look at them to see what directions they come from or go to. Just pick the one that best follows your route.>I also get the extra option of a transition? Whats that?Each SID or STAR is constructed like a tree. The trunk is the basic SID or STAR that is common to all the branches or transitions. The transitions are used to direct you in multiple directions so one SID or STAR can be used to cover, say courses from the east to the north. You can see them on the plates.Hope this helps.RegardsTerry

Hello there,(Remember you should post your real name!!).1.Use Routefinder to plan your route and this will give you your entry and exit point for the routes. For example if you are flying out of Glasgow for Heathrow, your route will be via NGY/ DCS / HON /BNN.2. if you then choose a departure runway then if you look at the SIDs one of the SIDs will be called NGY - that's the one to choose.3. Same at the other end, if you look at a chart for Heathrow one of the STARs is BNN (Bovingdon)- pick that one.That's a very simple explanation as I am at work and doing this from memory.I think the SID or STAR presented in the list first (ie at the top) is usually the one you will want.

Be practical about it. From the departure airport, use the SID that will most directly take you to the ENROUTE portion of your flight. Arriving at the destination airport, use the STAR that will take you most directly from the ENROUTE portion of you flight to the IAF for the approach in use. Sometimes it just not practical to use a SID or STAR. It really helps to have the charts on hand to view.Floyd