About Alternate

[dolin 0]

HiSay I am landing at my destination and for whatever cause I have to go-around (maybe for weather, or a departing aircraft)I perform all my procedures as per the manual and the AOA training (addon that teaches you everything you have to know to ride the 744) and then I decide that it's best to proceed direct to alternate. I notify to the ATC (which in my case is Radar Contact) and then I should setup the FMC for a route to the alternate, especially if it's nor quite close to the destination airport. Ok, How to do this?Thanks!

[downscc 1,327]

There are several ways, for example using RTE 2, but the direct method I use is to put her in HDG mode, set new origin and destination fields on page 1 of FMS RTE screen and fill in the route. Once the route is set up, turn to a heading to the first fix in your route and use LNAV to go direct to that fix.

[Cras 6]

Good flight planning means you already know the route you would take from your destination to your first alternate (and have calculated the fuel needed to get there), I then have that set as my second route, so a quick switch over and I am on my way. And if you are flying with RC, with any high amount of traffic, I am sure you will sooner before later run into an aircraft on the runway again. Just my last flight there were two aircraft crossing the runway and I was giving the GA call. I wish RC had an option to cuss out the ATC for being blatenly incompetent, why clear me for landing when you are going to proceed and let two aircraft cross the runway?!?!? And dont get me started on the crazy crossing restrictions for approach handovers....

[Guest tompeel]

Leaving aside the homilies about whether you should have planned your alternate or not, I want to know the MECHANICS of actually entering an alternate destination, because the advice I have seen on this thread simply does not work.I have RTE1 active, LNAV on HDG. I select RTE2 (inactive), PREVPAGE to page 1 , I enter the new destination, NEXTPAGE to page 2, enter the next waypoint and get PROGRAM ERROR.Why?

[MrGreen 0]

In Vroute i can chose a primary and secondary (automatic after the farthest one that was auto generated) alternate and if i then export the flightplan to a pdf-document i usually have a route to each alternate from my destination already set up. It wont be in the fmc but its usually just a direct and then maybe one VOR/segment of an airway. Edit: Bah, my whole edit got deleted when i pressed the wrong button, but isn't it possible to just change the destination of the active route and then input the necessary stars and approaches?

[G-CIVA 62]

There are several ways, for example using RTE 2, but the direct method I use is to put her in HDG mode, set new origin and destination fields on page 1 of FMS RTE screen and fill in the route. Once the route is set up, turn to a heading to the first fix in your route and use LNAV to go direct to that fix.

Dan has the simplest & most effective answer as usual!I'm an online flyer & this has worked for me for the two times I have had to divert from London Heathrow to London Gatwick (bad weather) with online ATC control giving radar vectors.Place the aircraft into HDG SEL & FLCH (or V/S) if you need to climb, thereby removing the FMC from the equation, then modify RTE 1 selecting an appropriate WPT (usually) on the intermediate approach segment. Perform a DCT INTC & then fly to it in LNAV. You also have 2 FIX pages to help you on your way too. Descend for the approach using FLCH or V/S, you're done with the science of VNAV by this point anyway.