First of all, I'd like to say I've been very happy with this 747 for the year or so I've owned it, and equally happy with the 744F for the 6 months ish that I've owned that. My enjoyment nearly trippled when I installed the sound update. WOW. There seriously aren't words for that. There is nothing like hearing the whine as the engines spring to life or spool down!However, I have 2 small problems.1) I can't seem to get the FMS to do a "great circle" DIRECT from departure airport to destination. It always seems to require a interim waypoint. Does anyone know why this is?2) When using the keyboard interface to the FMS, I have difficulties with using the LSK 4R from the keyboard (F10). I've remapped the kneeboard popup to 'K' but F10 seems to just cause it to drop out of keyboard mode.And, I have one question.I can't seem to figure out all the other keys for the FMS. I know, RTFM right? I can't find it. Maybe I'm blind, maybe not.Thanks in advance, and Thanks again for a GREAT sim,Brian

1. The FMC doesn't do this in real life if I recall correctly - you need waypoints, easiest thing to do is select your two runways and then remove the route disco between them.2. Not really sure here but just make sure nothing else is using F10 - check to ensure you don't have some sort of keyboard driver or mode that's assigning a different function to it too. I have an MS keyboard that has a "Function Lock" key that has to be on in order for the F keys to do their normal functions - otherwise they give customized OS/MS Office commands.

I>know, RTFM right? I can't find it. Maybe I'm blind, maybe>not.Took me a while to find the manuals too. Check out C:...Flight Simulator 9PMDG747400if my memory serves (I'm on an office computer right now so can't check the path on my own machine.There's a subfolder containing all the operations manuals in pdf form.Rob

I'm sorry, but there seems to be a confusion here, I found the manuals (first thing I do with any add-on is read the manuals.)I have read the 747-400 and 400F manual stets cover to cover with no luck finding the FMS keys. The ones I know, I discovered by accident.

"1. The FMC doesn't do this in real life if I recall correctly - you need waypoints, easiest thing to do is select your two runways and then remove the route disco between them."I think it does, and I recall seeing a company route in our RW database which only had the two airport ICAO's as the entire route :(99.99% of real world routes do have more waypoints than this, however... so it won't hurt to add one or two along the route.Cheers.Q>

I actually figured out the problem, it needs SOMEWHERE to go to, and doesn't treat an airport as a location, but it DOES treat a runway as a location, so I could fly a great circle to a runway, and that works fine (what's a couple of miles off at the destination end? Well within ATP standards still).No, I don't typically fly GPS direct style flight plans, but there are actually a couple of situations in which they are used (super short ferry hops for example).Also, does ANYONE know the keys for the FMC or where to find them in the manual, because my forehead is getting sore from beating it on my flight yoke :( Seriously though, my keyboard is on one side of me when I fly and my mouse on the other, and I'd rather not have to go back and forth to program my FMS.-Brian

>"1. The FMC doesn't do this in real life if I recall>correctly - you need waypoints, easiest thing to do is select>your two runways and then remove the route disco between>them.">>I think it does, and I recall seeing a company route in our RW>database which only had the two airport ICAO's as the entire>route :(>>99.99% of real world routes do have more waypoints than this,>however... so it won't hurt to add one or two along the>route.>>Cheers.>Q> > I believe to have an active rte one must have at least 1 wpt from the depp, whether the arr icao is considered that I am not sure. Best,Randy J. Smith<<>>

Should have done this in the firstplace:Have a question about an airplane, find someone who flies that airplane.I called up a friend of mine who until a couple years back (when he turned 60) flew the 744 for United. He said that the FMS CAN fly a direct GPS route, but a STAR has to be selected. OR, he said, you can use a runway as the arrival. Either way, it won't navigate to "airfield ABCD" without having a definable point either on that airfield or nearby to navigate to (How does the FMC know where on the airfield to navigate to, Airfields are stored in the database as a list of runways, frequencies, and procedures, nothing more.)Still waiting however for an answer to the keyboard function of the FMC. Have reread chapter 12 of the manual AGAIN, with no luck.-Brian

To turn on the keyboard mode for the FMC, click the black MSG tab on the right side of the FMC to toggle it. You should see a "KBD" or something similar below the scratchpad.

Again, I got that far!I have figured the following out:Direct To requires landing runway selected.Activate Keyboard mode using the "msg" annunciator clickspotF1-F6 is Left LSK'sF7-F12 is Right LSK'sPage Up is PREVPage Down is NextBackspace is CLRDelete is DELEsc ends Keyboard mode.What I'm looking for is what keys trigger the various function buttons?-Brian

Ah, function keys... gotcha.I use my mouse so no idea, but I can see your point if your mouse and keyboard aren't close when entering data.

Did you go to the Custom Controls ( in the PMDG menu ) and see what's available there?

Good idea, but no gold.Nothing for the FMC is in there.-Brian

"Either way, it won't navigate to "airfield ABCD" without having a definable point either on that airfield or nearby to navigate to"Are you talking purely LNAV here, or LNAV/VNAV?Airfields (ABCD, etc) should be listed as waypoints in the nav database. What's to stop you flying a route AAAA, BBBB, CCCC, etc (where the airports themselves are waypoints)?A STAR entry is not required prior to takeoff, so the aircraft still flys towards the airfield (ABCD) irrespective.Cheers.Q>

Ok, some words.It's doable, BUT there are some caveats. My friend said that an airport can easily be a destination in the legs page, the problem is (and this is experienced by RW pilots and has been the problem I've been hitting as well, is that the FMC throws in a discontinuity before all airfields. This means that you have to go in and manually remove the discontinuity, which is doable. Until earlier today, I assumed that that was the FMC's way of saying "NOPE" but instead, it's the FMC's way of saying, "ARE YOU SURE?" Which is what my friend originally tried to tell me. Instead of understanding however, my confusion was thickened, and led to the mistaken info here.PROCESS:Set Dep airport, Set Arr airport.Go to page 2, set Arr airport as only waypoint.Go to Legs, remove discontinuity (LSK 1 twice).Still waiting for information on keyboard specific functions on the FMS.-Brian