Hello fellow pilots,How can I program the FMC to enable me to practice and perform accurate circuits manually or using the appropriate flying aids - lets say at EGNX (East Midlands, UK) for example?I want to practice precise takeoffs and landings in all crosswind and weather variables and enable the Queen to suffer some major failures upon rotating etc etc .If someone would kindly help me out, I would appreciate it, before Christmas I'm sure I saw something to do with this in the forum, but I can't find it for the life of me.Many thanks in anticipation...Regards Pablo

Pablo,are you talking about Visual Circuits or Radar Circuits? Visual circuits are not put into the FMC as you navigate by looking out the window. For the latter, just type in all the waypoints you like (even own ones) and use the same aerodrome for departure and arrival.Regards,Markus

Markus,If I understand you correctly visual circuits are performed just as you say by outside reference points etc, but to get help from the computers in performing a non visual circuit - I need to program the FMC with some waypoints in and around the aerodrome - and use the same for departure and arrival?I take it; I would have to set-up the waypoints using the FS9 flight planner and not FSBuild which I normally use?Thanks for the help so far Markus...Cheers PabloPS

I recommend you fly visual circuits (local patterns as we say in the rebel states). Takeoff, climb on runway heading to 500 agl, turn left 90 deg for cross wind until reaching 2000 agl then turn downwind (another left 90 deg). Keep her speed at 230 (you should be light) and hold altitude at about 2000 agl until abeam the numbers of the approach end of the runway you're landing at. Drop gear but hold altitude until "key position" where runway is about 30-45 degrees behind you (key position depends on altitude and wind, this is the location that you vary with practise to get it right). Drop 5 deg of flaps and turn 90 deg left to base and start 800 fpm descent. The turn to final is the hardest thing to do in the simulator, although it is easy to judge real world, due to the restrictions of the FS view angles, but you can judge where to turn 90 deg to final by watching the runway centerline on the FMC. It's easier if you extend your key position a little farther downwind to give your self room to turn base then 60 more to the left to approach the runway centerline at a 30 deg intercept. Drop flaps to 15 on base. Drop landing flaps after turn to final if you are not too low, or right away if you are too high. The target is 800 fpm on final, everything stablized and no configuration changes below 1000 agl.Don't be discouraged if this is hard at first, but with three or four circuits you'll get the hang of it.Using 800 fpm and 140 kts, you are covering 2.33 nm/m so your descent is about 340 ft/nm.... which means you hope to be at 1000 agl about 3 nm from the runway.This is really fun to do. I hope you try it out.

Thanks for this wonderful advice, I'll print it off and give it a go! Cheers Pablo

Go here, http://www.smartcockpit.com/plane/boeing/B747/ And click on visual traffic patterns,If you want to follow real life procedures.

If you want to do easy visual circuits get yourself a TrackIR device to fly those in the VC, it's just amazing that way as you can 'glimpse around' the distracting window posts by moving backward/forward. It feels very natural indeed!Of course this is also very helpful when flying into places like Quito, Ecuador or the old Hong Kong Airport, or any other circling approaches of which there are hundreds out there capable of taking a B747... - or MD-11 later on ;)Regards,Markus

That visual circuit is indeed fun.. it pointed out the lack of support my controls had too.. My controls don't have a rudder which makes this much more difficult.. lol..I can do the circuit now.. but I wouldn't say.. all that accurately.. there is a lot to concentrate on.. I might do a few more practice runs tonight..CheersCraig

Craig,Then you should get yourself some rudder pedals. After all that is something essential for flying.I'm surprised how many people in the PC flightsim community fly without rudder pedals. Most seem to think that a joystick/yoke is all you need for flying when in reality the rudder control is just as essential as a stick or yoke. This is not directed to you personally Craig, just something I'm observing :)Regards,Markus

Yep a pair of rudder pedals bring much joy to the flight sim nerd. I would reccommend CH Product's Pedals or Saitek's new pedals.