HelloJust wondering if anyone could offer an opinion please.Benn running FSX for 6 moths now and as you do. I am gradually getting the add ons, like REX UTX, Level D 767. It just seems to get better and better with each add on!!Ref the Level D 767 (great plane BTW) my quesiton is. I started learning the FMC and this is something that seems like a large time investment to learn. (Already spent 10 hours and do not know nearly enough)I realise this is what is used in real life but it seems as though all it does is automate everything such as take off, cruise landing ILS landing etc. So I am wondering do you guys think it is worth spending the time completely learning FMC as currently I am enjoying manually flying / landing my Level-D 767. I think it would be boring having the FMC / autopilot do everyting especially landing or am I missing something.If possible please can anyone mention the enjoyment, benefits and rewards you are likely to get by learning to fly by using the FMC from a simmer's point of view.Thanks in advanceLaz

HelloJust wondering if anyone could offer an opinion please.Benn running FSX for 6 moths now and as you do. I am gradually getting the add ons, like REX UTX, Level D 767. It just seems to get better and better with each add on!!Ref the Level D 767 (great plane BTW) my quesiton is. I started learning the FMC and this is something that seems like a large time investment to learn. (Already spent 10 hours and do not know nearly enough)I realise this what is used in real life but it seems as though all it does is automate everything such as take off, cruise landing ILS landing etc. So I am wondering do you guys think it is worth spending the time completely learning FMC as currently I am enjoying manually flying / landing my Level-D 767. I think it would be boring having the FMC / autopilot do everyting especially landing or am I missing something.If possible please can you mention the enjoyment, benefits and rewards you are likely to get by learning to fly be FMC from a simmer's point of view.Thanks in advanceLaz

HelloJust wondering if anyone could offer an opinion please.Benn running FSX for 6 moths now and as you do. I am gradually getting the add ons, like REX UTX, Level D 767. It just seems to get better and better with each add on!!Ref the Level D 767 (great plane BTW) my quesiton is. I started learning the FMC and this is something that seems like a large time investment to learn. (Already spent 10 hours and do not know nearly enough)I realise this what is used in real life but it seems as though all it does is automate everything such as take off, cruise landing ILS landing etc. So I am wondering do you guys think it is worth spending the time completely learning FMC as currently I am enjoying manually flying / landing my Level-D 767. I think it would be boring having the FMC / autopilot do everyting especially landing or am I missing something.If possible please can you mention the enjoyment, benefits and rewards you are likely to get by learning to fly be FMC from a simmer's point of view.Thanks in advanceLaz

FMCs are supposed to aid the pilot, not to automate every single thing. If you program the FMC, you can still control every aspect of an airplane manually. The FMC is part of the FMS (Flight Management System) and if you ever flown a plane with a glass panel, such as the Garmin G1000, or Avydine Entegra, you are actually controlling an FMC in some sense. Studying the FMC can help simulate realistically. You can find how to operate the Boeing, Honeywell type FMCs if the Level-D comes with a manual, or you can find manuals online, or guides (Avialogs, Smartcockpit, google, etc.)

I think the real enjoyment of flying the "heavies" like the LD767 or the PMDG 747 is the FMC. In fact, I can't understand anyone buying a "heavy" and not using the FMC. I'm really glad to hear you're interested in learning this important facet of flying the heavies. The best way to learn is by reading the manual and trial and error. It really is easier than it looks. I found it daunting at first but was persistent and it really got easy after successfully programming my first flight. I found the performance page on the FMC the hardest to understand but truly the easiest once you do learn what data to enter. The programming procedures vary between Captain Sim, Level D, and PMDG. Level D and PMDG make you enter the flight plan manually whereas CS lets you look up the flight plan you loaded at the beginning of your flight and enters all the data for you automatically. If you're going to learn how it all works though, I would practice with the Level D FMS as the others work similarly. LevelD has a very good FMS manual starting on Page 73. I would print out just those pages about the FMS and then follow the excellent instructions they have provided as you begin your flight. There's a tutorial on their website too in their forums under Pilots Helping Pilots with links to flight plans to help guide you through every phase which is really how I learned to program. To enter the flight data, I usually pull down the flight plan nav data on the kneeboard and enter the flight plan just like the plan on the kneeboard. After you enter the flight plan, you'll go to the Performance Page and this one is really important in real life but this is just a sim. Don't start messing around with weights and balances, etc.!!! I always go immediately to the ZFW line and enter 240. It usually takes unless I change the amount of default fuel in the aircraft. If it doesn't take, I try 150, then 160, etc., etc, until it does take. Once the correct ZFW is entered, the Gross Weight will be automatically filled in. Your Reserve is always 10 or 10%. Easy. If you don't have enough fuel after entering these values, it will tell you and you'll have to change your figures or add more fuel to the aircraft. It all gets easier after that so don't read too much into what is stated in the manual. Just remember if the wrong figures are entered, the FMS will tell you the data is invalid. And, once it is properly programmed, it will tell you the programming is complete and you can go fly. Once you've programmed a flight correctly several times, you'll be able to do it almost with your eyes shut. That's how simple it really is! And, it's really a reward when you are coming in for a landing and you get the 3-Green Landing lights and the aircraft touches down almost without your hands on the controls. Have fun and good luck learning!Best regards,Jim

You only really need to learn the basics to get it working, the advanced stuff is for those that just have to have it 'real'. As a friend of mine who flys the things everyday says, just give it what it asks for and go fly.BTW, there are some good tutorials on YouTube that might help you, it can be intimidaing at first but once you get the basics you can zip through it in just a few minutes.

Learn the FMC. There are a lot of features to it, and it does take some time to get a hang of it, but once you get good, it will seem second nature, and it can really make your flight easier, especially when it comes to efficency, choosing the right cruize level, good power settings and VS on take off, and will definately take some of the workload off of you in approach.

"Is it worth it?"IMHO by all means yes!The usual negative idiea is that it is too dificult to use an FMC. If you are willing to spend a little time to learn the basics, the exact opposite is true. It makes flying all applicable birds much eaiser, NOT more difficiult. It also only takes seconds to at most a very few minutes to implement depending upon the FMC in question once you adapt to the routine.In fact, for all aircraft that real world might have one, I have imported the generic "IFG" FMC provisions into all of my FSAircraft that have no default FMC (which are many).For aircraft that have no FMC and are likely not to have one real world, I would highly recommend the RXP Garmins. They acutally take a bit more time to set up than FMC's, but are well worth it in my book. They also are about as close to anything real world you will find in FS.Go for it. You have nothing to loose.Respectfully:RTH

Personally I feel that learning something like the FMS is fun in itself. You'll find it rewarding as you learn more about it and successfully use it. I started with LDS 767 FMC. Another one that's a little different is the PMDG MD-11 FMS. I find it enjoyable learning to use them. I'm not a "pro" yet but I'm getting there.Speaking of that 3-green landing, I performed one tonight in a flight from KCLT to KMIA. However in the MD-11 it's dual land. It's been a long time since I made a flight in my MD11 so I had to bust out my manual and notes before the flight. It all payed off when I performed that beautiful autoland on rwy 8R. Next on my list is a flight from KMIA to MTPP. Can't find any charts for MTPP though.

The first time I ever learned to use the FMC was on the PMDG MD-11 only a few months back, and I was pretty intimidated. However, in one evening I learned how to use it and I have never looked back. As the others have said, you don't even have to learn all of it, just the basic configuration. I too only fly manually, as being a private real world pilot, I do as well. I have been simming for 10 years and in all that time never even thought about learning the systems and the FMC. I will tell you that it takes about 2 minutes to program the FMC for the MD-11 (my favorite) and when you are done and hit the brake release button, nothing feels better than seeing the green box appear which tells you that you are configured and ready for take off. The best part is no annoying warning sounds when all is good and ready to go. Nothing to lose but it certainly will add to the experience and you will never look back.Cheers, Pete

There are so many things I have learned to do in FSMS and know my way around like anyone should who has flown flightsim for many years. Even though I own complex aircraft, I never disciplined myself to sit down and force myself to learn how to program an FMC. I am not stupid, at least I don't think I am, for I can do some trick things in this hobby, but everytime I sit down to try to learn it, it just does not go past the first page before I give up in disgust.I wish there was someone locally (there isn't) who I could watch set up an FMC a few times and I am sure I would be on my way. I guess there is no easy way to do this. I will just have to set aside a block of time, get out my manual and begin once again. The thought even brings dread of the drudgery of slugging through it once again without success. I think I would rather practise doing my income taxes or beating myself with a pain stick just for fun. I can't understand why its so hard to get started for I am very detail orientated and known for my precision in much more important matters than this. Nuts!Stephen

I learned the basics of the fmc just by following tutorials for the pmdg 737 then 747 airplanes

Just to add to what firehawk44 said above. In terms of programming a flight plan into the leveld and md11. My preference is to create a fplan in fsbuild. This can be exported into various formats including pmdg and leveld. When programming the fmc you can type in a coroute based on the fplan you have created. E.g a flight from egbb to egjj would be entered egbbegjj into the fmc. If all is ok the whole route should show up on your nav screen in the cockpit (not sure what the screen is really called lol)in terms of the zfw and cg etc, you can get this from the leveld load configurator if you want to be more accurate. And finally to work out the amount of fuel you need, I found a 767 fuel planner on the net and it was free. There is also a web based planner I found the other day that caters for lots of different planes. Although how accurate it is I don't know but I haven't run out of fuel yet lol.The level d usually enters the load and fuel at the start of the flight. These parameters are then entered into the fmc so the plane is then setup correctly.Just something else to consider. That may not be the right way to do things but it works for me.Tom

You can do both : one flight you do it manually and the next flight use the FMC.I know my way around the FMS , but also like todo things manually while flying. Than it keeps me "busy" and not just looking at the screens. You could also do the first legs and last legs by hand and everything in between by the FMC. Good luck :(

Well, I have an opposite opinion. Working the FMC is like programming a computer inside your computer. For me, and apparently me only, it is as much fun as having to claim that my oral hygienist insists that I floss more on Line 403 of the provincial tax form. Fortunately, the cure for the FMC is the Piper Cub, either the A2A version or the handy one that comes with FSX. I have seen my share of FMC's. I agree with the philosophy that you just give it what it asks for, and that should cover 90% of what you want to do. Of course, for a Review, I have to see that every function works as advertised. Does FUEL ECON really do anything? On most add-ons, no. On the ones that do, 63 is a good number. Does the FMC manage fuel flow and N1 by the numbers? Usually yes, sometimes no. I remember once getting nailed because the FMC and I did not agree on fuel efficiency, and I ran out of fuel near Gimli. Gimli!!! Programming FMCs is for the flight office. That's why they get paid to do that stuff. Operating the FMC, the basics of it, isn't too bad usually, but wouldn't the co-pilot be happier if you gave her something to do, like work the selector buttons? I learning the FMC worth it? I guess, if only so that you learn more about passenger jet aviation. For me, it's sort of like a game of Tetris you can play in the sky, only 1,000 times less fun. It's not the least fun thing you can do with Flight Simulator, though. Programming rudder pedals I think is about the worst. Now, what is fun for me may not be fun for you, and vice versa. Unlike real world aviation, simulation is very forgiving, and FSX is open-ended. If you are having fun flying one way, then that's a good thing. If and when you are ready to step up to greater challenges, IFR, FMC, Missions, on-line play, VA's, Reviews, well, all that and more is there for the asking. Jeff ShylukSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

Well.Wanted to say thanks for everyones time and opinion there. Based on your opinions I am gonna give it a shot!!!Ill write an update when I'm done, hopefully that will be in 2010!!!! :( Laz