hello, i use RC in conjunction with the FSX PMDG 747-400x with FS2CrewI normally fly it in a long route from london to san francisco. at the final part of the cruise i am at 39000 ft.the fmc calculates the top of descent about 120 miles from the airport, but RC tells me to descent way earlier, over 200 miles from san franciscoin real life isn't the pilot that asks for descent at a reasonable moment unless the ATC telling him to descent?? i'm confused because i cannot predict the moment i will start descent, so i have to do the approach briefing and descent checklist when i am already descending, which isn't quite realisticis this normal in RC or have i to do something??this happens also on short haul flights

hello, i use RC in conjunction with the FSX PMDG 747-400x with FS2CrewI normally fly it in a long route from london to san francisco. at the final part of the cruise i am at 39000 ft.the fmc calculates the top of descent about 120 miles from the airport, but RC tells me to descent way earlier, over 200 miles from san franciscoin real life isn't the pilot that asks for descent at a reasonable moment unless the ATC telling him to descent?? i'm confused because i cannot predict the moment i will start descent, so i have to do the approach briefing and descent checklist when i am already descending, which isn't quite realisticis this normal in RC or have i to do something??this happens also on short haul flights

is your fmc making it's calculation on being at 11000' 40 miles from ksfo?that will be the lowest possible crossing restrictionjd

is your fmc making it's calculation on being at 11000' 40 miles from ksfo?that will be the lowest possible crossing restrictionjd

what do you mean?

The FMC places its TOD as a constant descent approach procedure. RC4 as in some real world ATC situations places an approach window at 11,000 or 12,000 feet at 40 nm from the destination airport and RC calculates its TOD command time to meet that.There are several ways to handle that. I think in version 4 you can request menu item pilot's discretion to delay the start of descent (but if I'm incorrect it is still available - see indicated pages below.) but you will still have to meet that crossing restriction (if appropriate for terrain). In your FMC create a range ring using the FIX function with the airport code as the fix and your distance entered as /40 to display it on your ND. If you have a waypoint near the ring you can create a hard altitude on your LEGS page for it. You can also vary your descent with MPC V/S and use the altitude trend green arcs to insure that your descent will be at the restriction altitude by the time you reach the range ring.See pages 12, 47-48, and 148 in the RC version 4.3 manual. Unless told to start descent now with a crossing restriction, the crossing restriction is PD. The rate of descent if told to start now should be I believe 200 fpm for RC to recognize you've started it.

what do you mean?

you're going to get a crossing restriction. so i factor that into the calculation on when to start the descent.if you put a point in you fmc, that is 40 miles from ksfo, and you set the altitude for that point to be 11000, what does your fmc say your tod is going to be, with that new information for it to chew on?jd