I am learning to fly the 737 NG and have just about mastered, or at least I think I am mastering, the FMC. However, when I fly from KLAS to KLAX I end up with a vector in my flight plan near the end as I am in the Baset three Arrival. This happens everytime and I end up over the Pacific heading West into the sunset. Should I remove all Vectors as they have no miles showing when I will get out of them? Is there any hope once I am in the Vector on how to get out. I am very near the airport when I go into it but I keep heading west.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Jim

Procedure turns are sometimes included in stars or sids that would otherwise be given by atc. Once your at a procedure turn you would follow it until otherwise. Since there is no atc to tell you when to turn or rejoin the sid you have to decide for yourself.

So I should disengage Autopilot and select the heading to the next waypoint? Not sure I understand what to do. Can I remove the Vector before starting my flight? Is a Vector like a holding pattern?

 

Thanks again for any information

A vector in a SID or STAR is the point at which ATC will direct you the next waypoint. In the sim if you're not using any sort of ATC you can switch off the AP and hand fly to the next waypoint, change to heading control mode and vector youself around, or move on to the next waypoint by clicking the LSK for the waypoint below the vector waypoint, and then selecting the LSK next to the vector waypoint. Be careful using the last option because often the angle to the next waypoint can make for an interesting flightpath.

 

Brian W

Thanks Brian, last question, am I using the wrong STAR when this happens.

 

Jim M.

Jim, If your curious about what SIDS and STARS to use I'd recommend checking out this. Along with the whole flight plan and cruise altitudes for different flights, it has the recently used SIDS and STARS.

 

http://flightaware.com/statistics/ifr-route/

 

nathan

Thanks Brian, last question, am I using the wrong STAR when this happens.

 

Jim M.

 

It doesn't mean it's the wrong STAR. It's just a part of the STAR, usually you can just go to the next waypoint, or vector yourself around to where you like.

 

Cheers

 

Lee

 

 

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I am learning to fly the 737 NG and have just about mastered, or at least I think I am mastering, the FMC. However, when I fly from KLAS to KLAX I end up with a vector in my flight plan near the end as I am in the Baset three Arrival. This happens everytime and I end up over the Pacific heading West into the sunset. Should I remove all Vectors as they have no miles showing when I will get out of them? Is there any hope once I am in the Vector on how to get out. I am very near the airport when I go into it but I keep heading west.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Jim

 

The vectors are part of the STAR. Essentially you fly that vector (heading) until ATC calls your next turn or waypoint. Usually the next turn or way point will be to turn base or to intercept the localizer.knowing the best arrival to choose takes minimal planning (just look at the options on flightware's list for your destination airport) or use a real world flight and copy their routing!

Some runway approaches have convenient transitions from the end of STARS but many do not, I find STARS in the US usually don't so in this case as mentioned just vector yourself if you don't have ATC to do it. You can hand fly or use MCP commands, your choice.

 

For example yesterday I did a KJFK-KLAX flight, I used the RIIVR 2 arrival STAR and was expecting a nice transition straight into one of rwy 25L/R or 26L/R (the 25/26 approaches can transition from waypoint RIIVR). However it turned out the wind changed by the time I was on descent and after RIIVR TWO I was given Vectors to a rwy 6L instead.

Vectors are a part of many STARS out in the world. Usually you would wait until ATC gives you a vector to the runway, but sometimes in the real world, ATC gives you permission to proceed directly to the next waypoint in the STAR while completely skipping the vector, since we are in Flight Simulator we can pretend like this happened. To go straight to the next waypoint just copy the waypoint that is after the vector (by using the line select keys) and then copy it to the line with the vector, this will override the vector and you will proceed direct to the next waypoint. This can also be used if you are told by ATC to go direct to a waypoint during your flight.

I normally vector my approaches if no ATC is around anyway. If you don't want to vector yourself after that point then just go direct to the next point.