Start up RC last?

[BenW 0]

Gents - I was showing my FS9 set up to a pal yesterday and showed him the normal stuff I do before flight.For me this includes: - deciding dep and arrival airports- firing up Active Sky- looking at wx for both fields- guesstimate of depature and arrival runways- building route in FS Build and exporting it- loading route into Active Sky- running topcat- firing up RC and selecting route options, voices etc- firing up FS9-once set up at the gate with external power set and the FS2Crew #2 doing his thing, I fire up RC within the sim. It all worked fine yesterday as I was departing from a small airport with only 2 runways and the winds were pretty decisive so the preflight I'd done in FS Build, RC and topcat all worked fine. My pal asked me how it might work at a big airport with no winds and lots of runways. I couldn't really answer as the FS9 departure runway is a bit of a crapshoot. If the departure runway (which we don't find out until getting the ATIS) isn't the one we've done all the preflight for then the RC and FS Build plan and the topcat data is all wrong. Thankfully this has only happened to me a couple of times, but it's a pain to have to tab out of FS9 and start again with all the planning. I was wondering how everyone else does it and apart from forcing a departure runway in RC (which will definitely put you into conflict with ai at a big airport if it's different from the one ai is using) is there a foolproof way to get everything to work together from the planning stage?

[Soundman 0]

This is what I do....After loading Active Sky and giving everything about 5 min to settle in, I will actually fire-up RC with a "dummy" (Just departure and arrival) flight plan and listen to ATIS. After it tells me what runway to expect departure from I quit out of RC, build the flight with the runway info, then restart RC. Usually works 90% of the time. But I hear you. Wouldn't it be nice just to load RC, listen to the ATIS for the airport you're at, and then file your flight plan without having to restart.

[BenW 0]

Hi James A dummy plan looks like a good shout. I'd not thought to try that!Also just had a look round your FS Voices site. Like you I also work in broadcast media and used some UK voice talent to make a voice pack for the LDS 767 years back which was pretty well recieved at the time. If you need to source some UK voices and production facilities drop me a line. Ta Ben

[Ray Proudfoot 8,956]

Ben, I use vRoute for flght planning and this does not include the SID elements of the plan. Only the exit point. So, as an example, a flight from Manchester (EGCC) to KJFK would depart on a Wallasey SID. So I build a plan where WAL is the first waypoint and export it for RC4. In RC4 I select the Controller Info and in Departure Procedures select Alt Restrictions. So all RC4 is concerned with is that I fly to WAL (the SID exit point) but importantly, it doesn't monitor how I get there. Back in FS I listen to ATIS and then choose the departure runway and enter the appropriate SID for WAL into the CDU. It makes no difference whether I depart from 05L or 23R I fly the SID and RC will give me altitude clearances but leaves me alone until I reach WAL. This way I can use the same flight plan for any runway. I appreciate things may be different in the US but if you fly in Europe this procedure works pretty well.

[ronzie 21]

First RC will assign the runway ai are using if present, and then winds and runway characteristics are used to choose a runway. If you have runway dependent SIDs or STARs as Ray stated include just the common waypoints in the plan sent to RC. I use FSBuild and in such cases I include more than just the transition point because tthe SID or STAR can include other common waypoints to all runways. This also aids in FMC use of terminal procedures. Since FS Build does include the terminal procedures I edit the plan before exporting in FSBuild and then use the departure restriction options and arrival IAP option for runway dependent procedures as Ray stated. I am pasting in a hint shhet below based on FS Build (payware) and its options but this might apply to other planners:------------------------FSB tips:1. Include this line in FSbuild.cfg:NAVCHKDUPDIST=100This decreases the chance of using the wrong duplicate named local (to the airport) waypiont from a nearby airport. Local waypoint names are not exclusive. It decreases the database search when it is named in the route to within a 100 nm radius of your airport. You will find these in terminal procedures such as "D" number something within a SID or STAR to define a merge or turning point.2. When doing a Auto Generate (Route) be sure the SR (Stored Route) button next to it is "up" that is not highlighted. Auto Generate will use a stored route if found by default and most are out of date with old waypoints and terminal procedures. Having Stored Routes off forces it to search a path with fresh data. (Now off by default in version 2.4.)**REVISED 6/16/11** 3. FS Build database updates will be exclusively released through navigraph.com. It should be part of the FMC data line. For those not familiar with Navigraph each subscription term (cycle) includes multiple format downloads at no additional cost. This is very convenient for aligning FMC/navigation equipment databases with the flightplanner so among other things ATC data and your nav equipment data should match as you send a plan to ATC and then load it including terminal procedures into your FMC. The 2.4 upgrade includes the thirteenth cycle of 2010. The FSB upgrade is free to 2.x version users and is available via your order history on navigraph.com.4. Where an airport uses specific runways for different terminal procedures select the runway using an estimate based on weather and if the runway fits your aircraft requirements before doing the Auto Generate. This helps select the correct SID and STAR for the runway and direction of departure and arrival.5. After the Auto Generate and/or first build look at the map created to spot any obvious errors. In the route grid look for any sudden non-sensible changes in direction or extremely long legs not in the correct direction creating a zig-zag in the map. (See item 6 following to correct).6. Be aware there is an option you can set for each session titled "Build Route from Grid Table". It does not stick between sessions. This lets you build from an edited route grid that you may have modified without recreating the table with the same error on your next build/export. For example you might wish to drop an errant waypoint when proofing the map and rebuilding.

[Fabri91 0]

Building the route on rfinder, then downloadining the generated flightplan from simroutes works for me. Having just the points where the SID ends and the STAR begins gives best flexibility in case of runway change. Planning of SIDs and STARs I do in the cockpit. Before taking off I write down on a good old piece of paper the appropriate SIDs and STARs to be able to choose them quickly depending on runways in use at departure and arrival.

[ronzie 21]

For RC4 the the flexibility in departure ends at 30 nm out and for arrival starts at 40 nm out. Since SIDS and STARS exceed those ranges in many instances those SID/STAR waypoints need to be in the plan sent to RC if you wish to follow them since they are in the ATC Center phase of your flight. In other words, just including the transition points is not enough in those cases.

[BenW 0]

Thanks for all the replies gentlemen.