Hi PMDG, First congrats on a great product. Like the FS2004 version of the 737 you still can't enter a threshold waypoint in the FMC in the FIX page. For example when flying to YMML and landing on runway 34 you should be able to type RW34 in the fix page then enter 4.2 NM for the circling area. I have asked NAVIGRAPH if its a database issue and they replied it isn't. Can you guys fix this? Also would you like some feedback on FMS short cuts that you can't do on your 737NGX FMC? (for example on the DES page should be able to put a / before or after a valid number to enter data. Ie: /50 for 250/5000 for a speed restriction instead of having to type it out in full). Thanks.

why wouldnt u just use ymml as the fix and than 4.2 still will give u the 4.2 ring around the airport

When conducting a visual approach in a Cat C aircraft (B737) the distance (4.2NM) is measured from the threshold of all usuable runways (over 1800m). When you have a 3000m runway the the areodrome reference point is in the middle of the runway (best case), that's not going to work.Regardless runway thresholds can be used as a waypoints, it says so in the manual. Its also useful to put a 10 mile ring from the threshold to help situational awarness, ie at 10 miles should be 3000ft. Matt

still be the same as i said still gives u the ring except in ur case mine be bit extra distance not much though

I had the same problem, when I tried to set up a circle for conducting a series of patterns around an airport. In the end I set up a circle around the VOR station very close to the airport, but from FCOM I gathered that RWxx should also work. Jakub

That's correct. Realism is what we are after. If the book put out by PMDG says you can do it then you should be able to do it.

The FCOMv2 (11.42.57, page 1071 in the pdf) says: "Valid entries are airports, navaids, waypoints or runway identifiers from the navigation database." Have you tried to put the identifier code of the runway into the fix page? Entering a simple "RW34" might not include enough info for the FMC to identify the FIX you're looking for.

This works in the plane: Copy the RW34 from the LEGS page into the scratchpad after you've selected the approach. You can then enter it into the FIX page. I also like to place into the DES page. "/RW34" will give you a vertical bearing to the threshhold.

This works in the plane: Copy the RW34 from the LEGS page into the scratchpad after you've selected the approach. You can then enter it into the FIX page. I also like to place into the DES page. "/RW34" will give you a vertical bearing to the threshhold.

Matt, I am having trouble replicating this. Copying runway threshold from the scratchpad, after I have selected the approach and subsequent pasting it into FIX doesn't work ("Not in database"). Concerning DES page, where do you put that? I tried that in different flight configurations, and I could not enter this value anywhere.(I used RW25 for EPKK airport). Any idea why it does work for you and does not for me?

Hmmm. I know that I've had problems with this in the past, as well. I'm not sure why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. On the DES page, there is the next fix that the FMC is looking at for your descent planning called WPT ALT. I think if you go to the legs page and copy RW34 into the scratchpad and then add the "/" key after if (it should look like this: RW34/ ) you can get the vertical bearing and the V/S to maintain that vertical bearing to the runway. In my first post I said /RW34. It should be RW34/.

Again, for a runway that has an ILS, you can enter the ILS runway identifier into the FIX page.For Budapest Airport, Hungary (LHBP), the identifier of 31R is 'BPR'.When you enter BPR in the scratchpad and line select it into LSK 1L, the FMC presents you with two choices, one being the ILSDME (which is right about the threshold) and the other the ILS itself, which is of course a little further down the runway. When you select the ILSDME option, you have yourself a FIX right at the threshold. Not sure about runways without an ILS though. Cheers,