Ok, I have now learned to fly this bird and programme the FMC. But I have only flown without ATC. That worked well until I bought Ultimate Traffic. Since I program the approch a long time before I get to the airport, I don't know what runway that is active. But if I use FS2002 ATC, this won't be a problem. But how do fly this bird with the ATC and IFR-flightplan?

I use FSBuild to do my flight plans and then have it exported to both PIC and FS02. Then load up your flight with the route saved in the flight planner. Load it up and programe the FMC. You should have ATC all the way.Brian

Ok, but how do you fly the plane when you are told to descend and fly towards the runway. Do you just disengage VNAV and LNAV, and input the headings and altitudes you are getting told by the ATC manually in to the autopilot?

>Ok, but how do you fly the plane when you are told to descend>and fly towards the runway. Do you just disengage VNAV and>LNAV, and input the headings and altitudes you are getting>told by the ATC manually in to the autopilot?Use HDG SEL and FL CHG to make the adjustments ATC asks. Seems to be what they use in the real world, according to my Dad, who just has a little experience with it (767 Captain).

Except I've found that ATC quickly gets intolerant of the time it takes FLCH to get > 1000 fpm descent rate, and usually cancels my flight plan within a few altitude change calls for not expediting my descent. Annoyingly, I've found that V/S mode works the best, but it's more of a pain to operate than with the default MS aircraft because it defaults to 0 fpm descent rate rather than 1800 fpm that the MS jets give.

>Annoyingly, I've found that V/S mode works the best, but it's more of a pain to operate than with the default MS aircraft because it defaults to 0 fpm descent rate rather than 1800 fpm that the MS jets give.http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

What airspeed should I select during descend?

I agree that an auto 1800 fpm selection is unsafe in real life. I'd like to support your comment that FLCH doesn't cause ATC problems, but I find at the start it produces a lazy descent to > 1000 fpm that causes grief with FS ATC, even if you are at the target airspeed. Additionally, even a minor (5kts+) reduction in airspeed (ie. to slowdown as your approach advances) causes the aircraft to reduce the descent rate to "slow down" first, thus again unleashing the wrath of the FS ATC police.

FLCH is a speed-dependent mode, for a descent-rate commanded mode you have VS. So FLCH will maintain your airspeed at all costs, more or less... :) Yes, initially ATC may give you some grief, but they'll calm down once you're descending at quite a high rate. As far as descent speed goes, 280-300kts and M.80 or less generally seems to work.Cheers,Gosta.http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg