I was able to fly a SID out of KSJC to KRNO (Mineta San Jose, CA - Reno/Tahoe, Nev.)It's late now and I need to be up early so I'll detail the programming tomorrow or Monday. I want to try again maybe this time programming the FMC.

How did the flight plan programming/saving and test flights go?

The SIDS are working very well. I'll post some screen shots later of how I programmed everything. Right now I'm having to make trips over to Santa Cruz as my youngest brother is in the hospital dying of a cancerous brain tumor. So I'm sure all will be patient with me on this.Thanks,Jim D.p.s. I'm having a little diffulculty with the STARS though, but I think I've figured out the problem. Keep you posted.

Sorry to hear of the family illness .. wishing you the best there.The SIDS/STARS often call for things that cannot be easily done with the FS flight planner. No matter how hard you try.Heading to altitude or radial crossing before proceeding to a fix, for example on a SID.The only solution I have found to the whole mess?I use FSbuild to do the plan and export it to the aircrafts flight (FMC) plan folder.I use the the FMC to import the plan.Add the SID/STARS/ILS Approach as necessary.Connect to VATSIM.Clearance delivery often modifies your plan .. so now do some quick edits to the FMC.Do the flight (on line flying with talking controllers/real people).Now, that's as real as it gets! You might want to look into ? read up on online flying ....

Good reading, thx.EDIT:I forgot to mention, that VOX ATC is my second best experience to VATSIM in flying in MSFS (fs9 & fsx). It is up 24/7 (lol) and can give you any approach you want to fly. I'm so surprised this valuable and realistic addon (#2 after the sim itself in my book) is so unappreciated in the discussions. Along with VFR and IFR flying it gives you visual representation of AI traffic in FSX (also even in FS9 ATC UK version). You can fly all the procedures you plan and it demands you literaly to speak aviation language to the controller. What can be more exciting (after speaking to the real controller on VATSIM) than that? You load your favorite aircraft, real weather, you work on your flight plan, make VOX understand it (if SIDs and STARs are involved) and off you fly.

I use the free Super Flight Plnner. (I'm still using the old version)This can build its own database from the default FS9 one and can save flight plans in FS( format. I believe is can use other databases and save in different formats but I've never tried that.)I come with a set of SIDs/STARs that can be added to your flight. These are stored in XML format so it's quite easy to modify/update them as you want. Onee you've down that then they're immediately available for instant use when you next create a flight plan by a few clicks to select the ones you want.The documentation in the version of SFP isn't comprehensive and you may need to experiment a bit - but so what, it is free!

There are several was to get the job done.I am glad your setup works for you.Looking forward to seeing your screen shots.