I have the PMDG 737 700 version, but I don't fly it much. Why? Well, you'll probably scorn me for this, but I don't like the FMC and I'm probably too busy to learn it. Maybe if I took some time, I'd probably learn it, but I DO LIKE the FS9 GPS. It's informative, easy to use, and shows a moving map of where you're going and what you're passing over. I just like it. I'm sure I'll get "blasted" by all you "purists" out there saying the 737 doesn't have that GPS, but I don't care. I like it and love using it! Is there any way to include it in the panel of the new PMDG model? If there is, I'd love to learn how to do it. If not, well, maybe I'll just have to bite the bullet and learn that FMC. Stan

Nope. You cannot use the GPS to control the plane. That said, you could probably add the GPS to the panel(in a seperate popup window) so you could view the GPS as you fly. Look at the other panels you have to see how to do that.

Stan - It's basically the same panel and functionality in the 800/900. Any solution would probably work for the 700 also so nothing to be gained by going with the new one. The FMC isn't really that hard to learn just to get the basic functionality working. And if you have FSNavigator or FSBuild it's even easier - I just create a flightplan with FSNavigator and load it into both the FMC and Radar Contact, input some canned numbers for the non-route FMC data and fly away. Not as-real-as-it-gets but it works for me. You won't have to learn all the bells-and-whistles on the FMC to have fun with it. And I know you've been around the FS world long enough to get the hang of it without a lot of difficulty. Try it - you'll like it :-) .Doug

If you dont want the FMC and want a simple experience, I suggest PMDGs Beech 1900. PMDG quality with turboprop simplicity :)

Heck you can use the AP alone if you desire! It's got HDG SEL, LVL CH, V/S etc etc and althought it's actually modelled correctly it's not to hard to use ;-). There are stby gauges for you too do some DME visual stuff.[h4]Best Wishes,Randy J. Smithhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/betaimg.jpgAMD 64 3200+ | ASUS KV8 DELUXE | GFORCE 5700 ULTRA @535/1000 | WD SATA 80 GIG | 512 DDR 400 |

Stan,I hear what you have said, "BUT", when I flew in the USAF, you had to study to get your wings. Why on earth would buy a complex simulation like the PMDG 737 and not want to invest the time to learn how to fly a plane that is so much like the real plane. The real 737NG does not have a Garmin GPS system.Most of us on these forums love aviation, and will bend time to learn everything we can about it. However to think about shortcuts and doing things the easy way is just down right "dumb".If you want to fly a 737 that is easy, then use the default MS 737, you don't have to spend a lot of time learning anything, just go fly the dumb thing.If you want to learn about flying for "real" then invest the time in the PMDG 737. To be honest, it is not hard to learn all the systems on the this complex marvelous plane. Stan, this is a piece of art, it is just amazing. If you love aviation, then learn it.When I was in the USAF flight school, people that took the "short" route wound up sitting in front of the "fac board", needless to say they never got their wings either.Stand Tall Mister, and you too will learn how to fly with the Eagles.CheersBob

I think people need to ask themselves "WHY" are they buying a product like the PMDG 737. If your'e a casual virtual flyer I say stick with the default aircraft but if you have an interest in how a modern airliner operates then I think this is as close as your'e going to get without spending time in a real simulator.Am I right to say that this is a serious product for a serious virtual aviator?.

Personally, I find the PMDG737 MUCH EASIER to fly than the default 737. Almost everything is automated. With the default, you have to fly "old school", in other words, Iron Knuckles. With the PMDG737, as with the PIC767, DF737 and PSSA3XX, things are more automated, in that you can take off, turn the autopilot on, and that's it. Come back just in time to "reset MCP ALT" for you descent (or push the button in the airbus) and everything will be done for you, including automatically getting your speed down to below 250kts.In the default, you have much more work to do.Of course, PMDG737 is way more complex than the default, but it is also much easier to fly.

Thanks, everyone. I hear you all. Perhaps I will learn to use the FMC. Why do I get these new planes if I like simplicity of navigation? Well, perhaps because I appreciate the effort that went into them, and often they are the best in Flight Dynamics, looks, and overall design. It's only this ONE thing that I have to overcome. Perhaps I'll just bite the bullet and do one lesson from one of the manuals. I'm sure I'll be able to do it. I've been doing FS for over 12 years, and I have "several" graduate degrees. It's not an intelligence thing; it's probably just a personal thing.Thanks for the constructive criticism. Stan

In the meantime, cheat! Fetch a utility called PLN2RTE, then you can use the FS9 flight planner to create the flight plan just as if you were using the GPS. Save the plan as something like KATLKORD.pln or something descriptive like that. Drag the .pln file from your my documentsflight simulator files folder and drop it into the pln2rte utility and it converts it to a rte file that can be loaded into the FMC. You load it into the FMC from the route page. Enter the filename (KATLKORD, or whatever you name it, no extension, and keep it simple) into the FMC scratch pad, and click the button next to "co route". Saves a lot of time and makes learning the other parts of the FMC such as programming VSpeeds and selecting approaches a little less daunting. Plus, ATC has an exact copy of your flight plan...so there's less chance for error.I'd also suggest getting a copy of the freeware FSBuild, version 1.4.3 i believe. It has a description of the flightplan with jet routes, so when you move up to programming the route into the FMC yourself, there's a nice intermediate level of complication - you can always just fall back on the files created by FSBuild, but all the info you need to do it manually is there...Just a thought! Now go enjoy that 737!Best,sg

BobbyJo it

I would say give the quick flight tutorial a try. Fly from the VC. You will be able to get in the air and flying in under an hour if you're quick. One of the absolute coolest things about these great payware planes, and there are only a few that can do this is this-set up a CAT III autoland- Go back and sit in a seat just behind the wing. Have some coffee and watch the scenery go by as the plane flys itself right down onto the runway. It's almost scary as it feels like you're on a real plane. To me it's a great, and very satisfying culmination to learning the ropes, and it NEVER get's tiring.*One note- The tutorial could use clarification in some areas. This is not a stab whatsoever at the author, but people learn differently, and even with my experience I found it slightly vague, while it is probably too much "hand holding" for others. If you really have trouble with it, feel free to ask for help since I now know what most of it means.

Par,I did not call him "dumb", I said it was a dumb not learn how to use the advanced PMDG FMC. Also I have done "touch and go" with the 737 many times where I do fly it all by hand, so I am very familiar with how it handles and you are right, it handles like a dream.The point of my previous post may be purist, but the PMDG 737 is an oustanding piece of software. Any attempt to modify it for "simplicity" would destroy its complexity and realism. That was and still is my only point.CheersBob