MM,Have you had a chance to look at this?http://www.x-plane.c...ktop_manual.pdf

Yes, and all it says is that "you could also enter any NDB/VOR/FIX/Airway to get real routings" in the box labeled "Route", but I don't know what that means. Do I type literally "VOR, NDB, etc.", do I use names, do I use frequencies? I don't know what the text string is supposed to look like to specify an actual route.

Names, fixes, and navs I assume (I haven't tried that yet) e.g. a plane would be : kfnt qubee jxn lfd kfwa(Flint, mi. to Fort wayne )

I'll give that a try. I tried typing "VFR" thinking it would give me a VFR route, but that obviously didn't work.

If you need general aviation flight plans, I found this site that offers some.http://www.fltplan.com/Click on flight planning and enter the ICAO of the cities you'll fly from-to and they will give you a flight plan to get there. Basically, FNT V353 JXN V221 FWA would mean that you would head to the FNT VOR from the airport, then follow the Victor 353 airway all the way to the JXN VOR. You would then proceed on the Victor 221 airway to the FWA VOR that's probably situated at or near the airport of destination. It's really easy once you do it a couple of times.

If you need general aviation flight plans, I found this site that offers some.http://www.fltplan.com/Click on flight planning and enter the ICAO of the cities you'll fly from-to and they will give you a flight plan to get there. Basically, FNT V353 JXN V221 FWA would mean that you would head to the FNT VOR from the airport, then follow the Victor 353 airway all the way to the JXN VOR. You would then proceed on the Victor 221 airway to the FWA VOR that's probably situated at or near the airport of destination. It's really easy once you do it a couple of times.

Except if you have "uncle Garmin" as atc calls it (you file/g in your flightplan) you get direct 99% of the time. :-)

Yes, and all it says is that "you could also enter any NDB/VOR/FIX/Airway to get real routings" in the box labeled "Route", but I don't know what that means. Do I type literally "VOR, NDB, etc.", do I use names, do I use frequencies? I don't know what the text string is supposed to look like to specify an actual route.

There are many things you could put. It all depends on if you're IFR or VFR (for reality's sake...XP only does IFR ATC at the moment). If I were taking a short flight from Daytona Beach KDAB to Tampa KTPA about 130 miles away, I could put DIRECT in this field, indicating I intend to take a direct path from KDAB to KTPA with no legs or put ORL OCF indicating flight via ORL VOR and OCF VOR then direct to KTPA from OCF.IFR version of these routes would include departures, arrivals and en-route fixes and navaids. KDAB-KTPA LAMMA5.BITHO ORL ORL.LIZARD5 meaning take-off from KDAB, follow the LAMMA5 depature ending at the BITHO intersection, then direct to the ORL VOR then arriving at KTPA via the LIZARD5 arrival which begins at the ORL vor. Due to the departure and arrival procedures having multiple waypoints inside, it is automatically known that you will be taking off, then going to the LAMMA intersection, then JESUP THEN BITHO, concluding the depature. Now the rest of your plan calls for direct to ORL, then the arrival includes ORL VOR, then DADES LIZARD TUMPY then finally the PIE VOR where you'll get issued your approach clearance to d/m 2k, turn left 210 until established on the ILS runway 19L, contact tower 119.5.The route field is merely there for ATC to know what you intend to do and where you intend to be so they can try to keep an eye out for you. If your route goes too close to a busy airport, they may alter your route so that you don't interfere with traffic. They may also have a different way for you to travel, so when you contact your clearance delivery, he will either clear you as filed or advise you of the alternate route he wishes you to take.

If you need general aviation flight plans, I found this site that offers some.http://www.fltplan.com/

Wow, that's an amazing site!

IFR version of these routes would include departures, arrivals and en-route fixes and navaids. KDAB-KTPA LAMMA5.BITHO ORL ORL.LIZARD5 meaning take-off from KDAB, follow the LAMMA5 depature ending at the BITHO intersection, then direct to the ORL VOR then arriving at KTPA via the LIZARD5 arrival which begins at the ORL vor. Due to the departure and arrival procedures having multiple waypoints inside, it is automatically known that you will be taking off, then going to the LAMMA intersection, then JESUP THEN BITHO, concluding the depature. Now the rest of your plan calls for direct to ORL, then the arrival includes ORL VOR, then DADES LIZARD TUMPY then finally the PIE VOR where you'll get issued your approach clearance to d/m 2k, turn left 210 until established on the ILS runway 19L, contact tower 119.5.

Thanks for the info, though the bits about lizards and llamas went a little over my head.

LAMMA5 is a named departure. It specifies multiple waypoints under the one title. Instead of saying:Depart airport, join the OMN radial, fly to LAMMA, then JESUP then BITHOyou just put LAMMA5.BITHO and the controller should know all the other waypoints automatically. The procedures sometimes even specify altitudes, which would be known by ATC as well. If the procedure calls for an altitude of 5000' or higher, ATC knows that they can vector people at 4000' and you should not interfere with them. The departures and arrivals are named many different things. Some orlando approaches are Donald, Goofee Minee Mickey arrivals (who'd'a thunk - orlando = disney) to make them more personal. Some arrivals to the north of Orlando is called a Gator arrival (it passes over the home of the Florida Gators college football team).There are also things called airways which usually go from VOR to VOR, kinda like interstate highways in the sky. The V3 airway goes all the way from Key West, florida and follows the coast all the way up to North-Eastern Canada. My flight plan could say EYW V3 SBJ and that would put me within 50 miles of KJFK, but it has hundreds of waypoints and VORs inbetween that I don't have to write down as the V3 is made up of lots and lots of points. EYW is kinda like an on/off ramp for the interstate highway V3. I get on V3 at EYW and follow it all the way until I see the exit for SBJ and take the off ramp. ATC knows where the highway runs so I don't have to tell them all the exits I pass along the way, just where I get on and off.

Sounds like I need to spend some time reading a primer on flight planning.

I spent about 3 weeks learning all about flight planning for real world nav on paper. Then a few more flight lessons actually navigating in the aircraft per the planned flight. It's a complicated subject that, thankfully for simming, can be as complicated as you wish. But if you want to simulate the real thing, be prepared to practice and read a lot.

Eh, I have too much real studying to do to bother with studying for a hobby. Maybe for now I'll stick with the "making it up as you" school of flight planning."O.K., I've flown enough. Let's open up the map and find a place to land. Oh, that looks like a nice spot..."

It used to be real complicated in the old days-I remember stewing over an la chart for hours trying to figure out a route that would get me to my destination and keep me out of the busy airspace. Of course, at clearance time the routing was completely changed and took me directly over the busy stuff....requiring frantic copying in the cockpit and chart re reading.Now it is super easy. I pull out my iphone, foreflight, and put my airport and destination.It flight plans the route, then a requester below state "view atc routes". It accesses a database and finds out what routing atc has been filing today(even gives routes by altitude-for instance today 13,000 ft. fwa cruxx4, fl190 fwa fwa016 dxo254 cruxx cruxx4). If you like that routing you click that. Then you click "file"-bam all done.Now in the case above -since I fly lower than either of the routes I would just file direct. I know some say you should select a first waypoint and then direct-but at least in the busy airspace I live they will change it anyway, so I'd rather have them assign it. Again, 99% of the time (ga) they will say radar vectors -then direct-or assign you a waypoint and then direct. If you are in the busy east coast area-you can expect a full route clearance-though once in the air and out of their hair direct usually comes too.Now comes another cool part-after you file your flight plan-you go to flightaware.com-and you will see what atc will actually give you (most of the time). Another time saver-just in case they decide to give you a full route clearance!