HiThanks to some of you guys I finally got my engines started and have been flying without the FMC. Now it's time to look at the FMC and it's my first time with any FMC so my questions are naive:1. When I reach the end of the config of the FMC on page 49 itsays the FMC is now initialised and ready for use. Earlier I pressed the ACTIVE button - is it now primed or must I do something else to invoke it?2. I could not find a way of saving my manual programming of the FMC and did not want to go searching through the FMC by clicking everything in sight so I saved using the FSX ; function - will this save the FMC content? Since posting this I just went back in and loaded my saved FSX flight but the FMC was off so I answered my own question - so is there a way of saving a flight in the FMC from anywhere in the FMC please?3. I put all the data in but frankly a lot of it is meaningless - a STAR???? Does anyone know of a basic FMC guide for noddys like me please?Thanks!

Hi Adrian,1) I'm not sure what you mean by "Earlier I pressed the ACTIVE button", you will need to explain more fully. "Initialise" just means inputting all the data the FMS needs to provide its functions, some other FMSs have dedicated INIT pages for this purpose. I don't know what you mean exactly by "primed", but by the time you get to page 49 you have provided the FMS with enough data for it to supply both VNAV and LNAV functions. You have programmed your present position, planned route and altitudes, and weight.Please note that in order for the FMS to drive the autopilot, you must configure the EHSI and Autopilot as well. Also please note that VNAV mode is advisory only in this aircraft and cannot be used to drive the autopilot.2) You can save your route, but not the weight and altitude data. I don't believe FMS data is saved when the flight is, so you will have to reprogramme the FMS if you quit the simulator (but why would you, most Jetstream 41 legs are only an hour long anyway)3) STARs are Standard Terminal Arrival Routes and SIDs are Standard Instrument Departures. They are paper charts which provide details of standard routes used to enter and leave airports for the purposes of noise-abatement and traffic coordination. The FMS comes with a database of these preloaded, which you may select from, saving you from manually entering all the waypoints yourself. This is similar to using airways instead of manually inputting each waypoint along the airway. Here is an example of a STAR for London Heathrow. At most airports with SIDs and STARs, the use of them is mandatory unless ATC say otherwise. Please note that FS's inbuilt ATC does not model SID/STAR functionality.The data you input to the FMS is not exclusive to the FMS, it's stuff you should already have in your flight plan. If the data is meaningless to you, you need to read-up/google on IFR flight planning as it is somewhat beyond the scope of a few message board posts to explain these. Briefly, page 39 is present position; p40 is loading a stored flight plan; p42-44 is manually inputting the same flight plan (ie, if it's not stored); p45-46 is inputting the arrival routing (STAR); p47 is activating the first leg (I suppose you could call this priming); p47-48 is inputting weights; p49 is altitude data. Use page 524 onwards of the AOM to help you understand some of the FMS functions.Chris (廖傑英)

Thank you Chris - am grateful.Does anyone know of an FMC guide for Idiots please?

Thank you Chris - am grateful.Does anyone know of an FMC guide for Idiots please?

Aside from the one in the AOM, I couldn't recommend one for this FMS. If it weren't for all my years of programming the FMC in the LDS 767 and when I had FS9 the PMDG 737, programming this one and understanding it would have been a whole lot harder for me. In a way this a/c and FMS is a lot hard to fly and understand in my opinion than the FMC in a Boeing 737 or 767. The FMC in those a/c for me were a lot more intuitive and it's nice because they have a STEP function which let you scroll thru the way points on your map display. With the J41 you need to have a copy of the SID/STAR and approach on hand since the FMS doesn't give you the freq or headings for the apporaches like the FMC in a big Boeing does. Once you get an idea of what you are doing in this a/c and then transition to a 737NG, 747, 767, etc., I think you will find those type of a/c much easier to fly since they are more automated.I've only had the J41 for a few days now and flew the tutorial once and have been doing my own flights since. However, I had to spend some time in the AOM in the FMS section learning how to do a few chores in it than are different than in the big planes. For the the hardest part of getting a handly on the J41 was the engines and how to operate them correctly from start up to shut down.Sean Campbell

Thanks SeanThat's my problem. having never used an FMC before, and starting from scratch with it, it's impossible to know what the tutorial actually means. I'm entering data but have not much idea as to what it means.But you experts must have, at some point, been beginners at the FMC.Perhaps I should put asid the J41 and use an easier plane to learn it adn you suggest.Thanks again.

Personally I think the GNS-XLS is one of the most intuitive flight computers I've come across (and I've used Honeywell Pegasus, Thales TopFlight, Smith's, Garmin GNS) although it's not all that powerful. However you may want to considering trying an Airbus or Boeing FMS system to learn on (such as you might find in the PMDG 737, PSS 757 or Level D 767) as these are more commonplace so there is a lot more advice and documentation out there on the internet. They also have many more functions. The Airbus FMGS is probably the easiest one to learn, but there is a lack of good Airbuses out for FS. The Digital Aviation Fokker 100 has a fantastic and intuitive FMS too, which comes with excellent documentation, but it has no VC :( I understand using another FMS may not be an alternative if the PMDG JS41 is the only addon you own which is so equipped.@Sean In all fairness, you shouldn't be using the FMS to provide you with approach frequencies and courses, you should be carrying and refer to the appropriate charts so you have all the information regarding terrain and go-around procedures etc - this is doubley important in the case of non-precision approaches as the GNS-XLS is not approved for this use. You should always reference a copy of the SID and STAR too, so you're aware of all the restrictions and are using the latest routing - especially since the GNS-XLS will not mention SLPs or minimum climb profiles. The SID/STAR/App functions are there to save you having to programme all the data in, but they're not designed to replace paper charts outright - they can be wrong, especially in the case of FS. I'm not saying you'rre wrong to operate the FMSs as you do, but just bear in mind that's not how they were intended to be used and this could result in a mishap (which might be embarrassing if you're an online pilot)Chris.

Perhaps I should put asid the J41 and use an easier plane to learn it adn you suggest.

That would be a shame, I think. I'd suggest flying the tutorial flight a few times, until you are familiar with it. Print it out (or have it open on a second monitor or a different computer) so it is easier to refer to. Next, try to substitute the route from the tutorial with one of you own.SIDs and STARs are standard departure and arrival routes. Their main purpose (in the real world) is to give ATC an easy way to provide a pilot with detailed instructions on how to fly the portions of the flight that are close to the departure or destination airport. Look at the Heathrow chart linked in an earlier post - it contains instructions for five different ways of flying the arrival segment into Heathrow. Telling the pilot to fly the BNN1B arrival, for example, is a short way of saying "From NUGRA continue on 151

"Activating" occcurs when after setting up the FPLN you go to the NAV page and press ENTER twice.I recommend learing any FMS by starting with a simple city-pair that is connected by a sid and a star. My favorite of these is KLAS-KLAX where the flightplan is simply BOACH2 HEC RIIVR2. The sid connects to the star at the HEC VOR. KDFW-KATL connect this way too but they are further apart. The advantage to the KLAS-KLAX route is both the procedures are RNAV all the way and there are no gaps created by ATC VECTORS as in most US procedures.Once you understand everything going on in this example, then adding enroute fixes is simply adding distance between departures and arrivals.

As always thanks again to you guys for your support and encouragement. I'm encouraged enough to persevere with it and to bear in mind your suggestions however I will be back here with a whole stack of basic questions!Kind regards

@Sean In all fairness, you shouldn't be using the FMS to provide you with approach frequencies and courses, you should be carrying and refer to the appropriate charts so you have all the information regarding terrain and go-around procedures etc - this is doubley important in the case of non-precision approaches as the GNS-XLS is not approved for this use. You should always reference a copy of the SID and STAR too, so you're aware of all the restrictions and are using the latest routing - especially since the GNS-XLS will not mention SLPs or minimum climb profiles. The SID/STAR/App functions are there to save you having to programme all the data in, but they're not designed to replace paper charts outright - they can be wrong, especially in the case of FS. I'm not saying you'rre wrong to operate the FMSs as you do, but just bear in mind that's not how they were intended to be used and this could result in a mishap (which might be embarrassing if you're an online pilot)

I used to spend a lot of time printing out SIDs/STARs and approach diagrams, until I had such a big binder full of them that it was getting out of hand. When in a plane like the J41 I have no choice but to either print out the charts or bring them up on my other computer to cross reference since I will need to double check the crossing restrictions and of course need the frequencies for the ILS runway. When I fly the 767 I usually program the flight then STEP thru the waypoints and verify them with online charts that I bring up on either my other computer or iphone. Granted this isn't how its done in real life, but I dont fly with online ATC. If I ever switch to flying online then I will have to change my habits and have printed charts in front of me for quick reference.For Aiden:I would do what Dan suggested. Try some very simple flights with the least amount of way points to make it easier until you get a better idea of what is going on. In fact some of these flights can be so short that after you take off you maybe flying to the first way point of the arrival airports STAR. You could always go to a site like flightaware.com and find some short regional a/c flights and try some of them. They list the planned route they are going to use. They may not actually use the route once they do the flight, but you could use the route as a training flight.Sean Campbell

Here is a nice smple one you can try.Go to Cardiff, and set your weather to calm (so no winds to worry about). Get the charts you need here: http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index...;Itemid=90.html (If you can print them out all the better!)First open the "BCN 1A 1B SIDS" chart. This chart shows you how to get to the VOR called 'BCN' (117.45) from either runway 12 or runway 30. Then open the chart "STARs via CDF 1A 1E". This chart shows you how to get from various places, including the VOR 'BCN', into a position where you can land at Cardiff. It does this by getting into a hold position above the NDB at Cardiff called 'CDF' (388.5).Finally look at any of the Instrument approach charts, and you will see that they all get you from the CDF NDB onto a runway. So when you can manually fly from Cardiff, via BCN back to Cardiff, the way the charts say you should, then you can try programming the FMS for the same route. Source is EGFF, Dest is EGFF, waypoint is BCN. SID is 'BCN 1A' if you are using runway 30, or 'BCN 1B' if you are using runway 12. STAR is 'CDF 1E' and ILS (which ever runway you took off from).

Here is a nice smple one you can try.Go to Cardiff, and set your weather to calm (so no winds to worry about). Get the charts you need here: http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index...;Itemid=90.html (If you can print them out all the better!)First open the "BCN 1A 1B SIDS" chart. This chart shows you how to get to the VOR called 'BCN' (117.45) from either runway 12 or runway 30. Then open the chart "STARs via CDF 1A 1E". This chart shows you how to get from various places, including the VOR 'BCN', into a position where you can land at Cardiff. It does this by getting into a hold position above the NDB at Cardiff called 'CDF' (388.5).Finally look at any of the Instrument approach charts, and you will see that they all get you from the CDF NDB onto a runway. So when you can manually fly from Cardiff, via BCN back to Cardiff, the way the charts say you should, then you can try programming the FMS for the same route. Source is EGFF, Dest is EGFF, waypoint is BCN. SID is 'BCN 1A' if you are using runway 30, or 'BCN 1B' if you are using runway 12. STAR is 'CDF 1E' and ILS (which ever runway you took off from).

Thank you PaulI'll give it a bash!