Hopefully someone can help me. I'm trying to add some points to my flight plan from a STAR I will be flying, I need to do this because I use Radar Contact 4 and my STAR points need to be in the flight plan to avoid the controllers going crazy at me.I cannot find the STAR points in the FSX flight planner?!I use Vroute to generate the plan but it doesn't include STARS.Thanks for any helpRich

I dont use Vroute, but I do use Flightsim Commander. This program does allow the use of sids and stars where they are available. Maybe there arent any for your particular route? You could always use Navigraph charts and then, if you were to purchase Flightsim Commander, you can then update the database with the latest airac. Sorry I cant help further.Rory

This site uses the latest airac cycle and allows you to select or deselect Sid's Star's and/or restrictions. It will give you a route plan free but if you want an actual FS flightplan generated then you will have to subscribe. For me a routeplan is sufficient as I navigate using INS and not GPS (which is more correct for commercial flying!)vololiberista

I use FSBuild which has a SID/STAR database that gets expanded into individual waypoints on exporting the FS and FMC plans. Free AIRACS are offered every few months. A number of airliner performance profiles are included for fuel planning and timing. It exports plans to FS9, FSX, and several proprietary FMC formats for import into them.There is a bit of a learning curve. If using its autorouting feature, deactivate the SR stored routes function. To edit the waypoints in the grid for each session enable the build from grid table option and then build/export again.See their support forum linked from the product site at FSBuild.com.

Why is RC going barmy at you ? Surely, asking for an IAP allows you to go where you want to ? They do for a SID after all.To be honest I haven't tried filing a FP witohut a STAR/SID (via FSC), so maybe they do ?

For arrivals STAR waypoints up until about 30 nm out should be in the plan if anticipating requesting an IAP which will be acknowledged about 35 nm out. After RC approach contacts you with the assigned runway and initial heading and you ack it you can request an ISP to that runway (highly advised) or another. The ISP will let you navigate both heading and altitude on your own. The only information you'll get will be that you are given the merge altitude to intercept the localizer. You'll not hear from RC until you are about five miles out and requested to contact tower for the final landing phase.

That's exatly how I understand it. So why are RC controllers yelling at him ? Is it because there is no final WP less than 30 miles from dest airport ?

I don't see the post here about RC yelling. The OP did not have the STAR waypoints in the into the approach area in the plan so an IAP was never asked for at that stage and that was the only yelling mentioned.If you have charts to enter STAR waypoints in the FSX planner there is a chance that they will not be accepted due to them not being in the FS database. That's why a third part planner with a STAR database is essential. Maybe I don't know the FS planner that well. I went to a third party planner almost immediately in FS8 and never looked back.FS9 plans accept any waypoints as long as the coordinates are included so there is no problem using SIDs and STARs. When a third party planner exports to FS9 then SIDs and STARs are expanded into their waypoints.

If you need SIDs or STARS in the USA then go here for free Adobe downloads. These are official and current FAA items and include every SID, STAR, Airport Diagrams, etc. in the US. There are similar sources in Canada. I used them for several years but got lazy and installed FSCommander for flight planning and SIMPLATES for approach plates and Airport diagram. Vololiberista's site is really good for the free flight planning and is much easier to use than FSBuild or FSC. Of course it doesn't have all the extras.

Possibly Neal meant flightaware.com for FAA jurisdiction charts. On the left hand side enter the four letter ICAO code and click INFO. When the page pulls up select the IFR tab. You'll can downoad specific charts or all in one bundled .pdf.Other countries are available through VATSIM pilot resources or specific chapters. Here are a couple for the real world:http://ead-website.ead-it.com/publicuser/public/pu/login.jsp offers free registration for many European countries in the EU. After you get your free activation and log in just click Enter applications. Select PAMS LIGHT. Authority Code select country from dropdown. Authority Type Civil. Language EN. AIP Type Charts. Part AD for airports. Perform a search. You will get one or more pages of chart listings. Click the one of interest to you at the airports of interest in the left hand column to open the .pdf or right click on the .pdf and save the link in your browser to download it - it works faster. You then can open it in Adobe Reader and print it if you wish.UK charts are separate here with no registration required:http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php.htmlClick UK Aeronautical Information, then Aerodrome Information-Specific. Click on your choice of airport. Click on each chart of interest to open, then save or print as desired from Reader.These should keep you busy for a while. Don't carve stone crossing the Alps :)To use real world charts it helps to have your flight planner data up-to-date. FS Build offers free AIRAC updates every couple of months. I don't know about FSC or others.

Many thanks for everyones help with this, yet again the FS community proves that where ever you turn there will be help and friendly advise.I have now become familiar with FS Commander....well almost! I very much enjoyed a full flight including SID and STAR to Geneva from my local airport Bristol. It is very satisfying to be in control of your own descent without Radar Contact butting in too much.Thanks again guys.One last question, how do you decide what STAR to choose??Rich

OOPS!...I left out the URL for the FAA free stuff. Here it is:http://www.naco.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=aeronav/applications

I use skyvector.com for all my charting needs. It is free, it also supplies several enroute charts that you can plot out your waypoints and follow along.

Generally your enroute arrival direction determines the STAR. Inversely your enroute departure direction determines your SID.The first waypoint in a STAR or last waypoint in a SID is called the transition and is in common with a waypoint on an airway.STAR and SID charts may combine multiple transition waypoints on one chart with the main point of the terminal route having common legs and waypoints. Different localities may have different naming conventions. Sometimes there are optional legs. The differences are in the labels and/or transition part of the label.Look at this East or ESE arrival into KMSP:http://flightaware.com/resources/airport/K...AU+CLAIRE+EIGHTHere the "8" is the revision number. Look at the title which shows EAU. which here is the common waypoint. It could be filed as GRB.EAU8, BAE.EAU8, or if your airway has only EAU in it EAU.EAU8.Here's a sample route from KORD to KMSP:KORD ORD5.BAE.EAU8 KMSPHere BAE is on the radar departure ORD5 as the exit transition and also an entry transition choice on EAU8. Image Attached.This next one is very complex.Now look at this EGSS London Stansted chart:http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadbasic/pa..._2010-07-29.pdfHere you are told which STAR to use based on your enroute airway. You picked this STAR because in the index it was designated as a north arrival via the airport terminal procedure waypoint LOREL in the airport pattern area. (It actually is a NW arrival but various separation in that London congested area requires not the most direct route. Let us say you are arriving on (U)L 975 airway. The description table in the upper right states use Lorel4F. I set up a quick route from Dublin Airport as follows:EIDW LIFY4A LIFFY WAL.LORE4F EGSS (In my planner LOREL4F is LORE4F because of the way it is set up). I have attached an image of the route. The red waypoint is WAL, the entry point of LOREL4F with the rest of its legs heading SE then E.Some times a STAR is runway dependent with multiple entries as this one but with a single exit transition for one runway or multiple transitions for specific runways.In conclusion just pick one with the entry transition on your arrival route that heads into the airport and consider if STARS are runway specific the estimated runway in use. Different areas use different methods for defining SIDs and STARs.

One last question, how do you decide what STAR to choose??Rich