how to question.

[soul112 0]

hey everyone.

 

 

so here is what i want to do but im not very sure how to. i would like to take off from an airport anyone dnt matter fly around with no destination in mind and then just land at a diffrent airprt. now i know how to set up a route fly that route lan d and do all the proper procidures but im not sure how i can do it by just jumping on board the 747 at say LHR fly around and then land at another random place. without a route..how do i do this...im thinking vor's <very hard to use in my mind.

 

 

alex b

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

Sir,

 

Since you posted in this forum, I'll assume you're flying the PMDG 747.

 

1. Get the aircraft systems online, program a Route to an airport (any airport) and use the Alternate function in the FMS.

 

2. You can display Airports and VORs on the EFIS display, and you can choose the airport that way.

 

3. There are free programs like BSSMM 1.0 (Moving Map that the last I checked - two years ago - was U.S. based only, though it may have been updated) or one that I used to prefer called Plan-G that will show your aircraft position in real time on a Sectional chart.

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Please consider taking one of the courses from a VATSIM ATO and joining VATSIM if you haven't already. The knowledge you'll gain is something you'll be forever grateful for, and you'll learn a lot in a short amount of time.

[soul112 0]

thank you for the reply. but i dnt want to follow a route. i just want to take off from an airprt fly around and around and just think erm okay lets just lanbd at this airport. i dnt want to input a route into the fmc like the legs page but when i want to land i would guess i neeed to enter thew landing info for tht airport. how do i do it on the random...example i take off from LHR fly east just because i want to lol at like 38000 and then choose any random ploace to land at.

 

alex

[pschlute 37]

Well just do it. You dont need the FMC programmed to fly the airplane. Autopilot functions with the exception of VNAV/LNAV will all work. If you set up the weight section of the FMC you may be able to get vspeeds on the speed tape. if not then just consult the weight tables in the manuals.

[soul112 0]

Okay thank.you but how then.do i set up an approuch with no flight in the fmc how do i programme a landing with.no route like.touch.and.go but with ils landing

[pschlute 37]

You need to consult the airport charts for the runway you wish to land at, and make sure you are at the correct speed/altitude as required by the chart.

You will need to put the ILS frequency and course in the number 1 nav radio....you do this in the FMC.

Select APP on the map mode and you are all set.

 

Peter

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

hank you for the reply. but i dnt want to follow a route

 

Deleted.

 

Best of luck to you.

Edited February 11, 2013 by DaveCT2003

[soul112 0]

hey guys. so this is what still gets me...i have just taken off from london heathrow with no destination set up in the fmc. just the v speeds flaps and the run way iv taken off from. no route...so now how do i land back at the same runway or diffrent runway. iv got the vor 113.6 in the vnav page and the course. but that dnt help me land.. how do i set up a landing now with ILS and the works. like entering speeds for the final and such..i just wanna fly around london for a bit then land back there.

[pschlute 37]

The london VOR 113.6 will give you guidance from about 190 nautical miles distance. But it wont help you land, for that you need the ILS frquency and course for the runway.... 09R/27L 109.50 or 09L/27R 110.30. ILS localiser guidance will be live from about 27 miles.

 

You need to use VOR on the ND dial on the EFIS panel to see the VOR indications, then you need to switch frequency to the ILS and turn the ND dial to APP to see the ILS guidance.

 

As you are not flying a route in the FMC, I am not sure if you will get speed guidance on the tapes.....but the charts in the manual will tell you your VAPP speed for your weight.

 

Peter

[Paul_Smith 92]

You have to make your mind up. Do you want to fly the plane, or do you want the FMC to fly the plane. I suggest that you try flying a full automated route you are familiar with exactly as normal, but without actually engaging the AP. It will help teach you what the indications mean and what you need to follow.

 

You know how to get the FMC to do it so no need to talk about that here. For you to fly the plane, you have to decide what you want to do. Configure the FMC as usual, because it does a lot of other jobs that are helpful, but as long as your take off runway is the ones you are using, the rest of the route doesn't matter, but getting the weight and fuel right will make life easier.

 

If you want to fly VOR to VOR, look up the vor on a map, press the radio/nav button on the FMC and enter the details. The nav display will show you what you need to know, (if you know how to use it) but you fly the plane using the information. You can use the AP to control heading, alt and speed if you want, but you are only telling the AP to do what you would do by hand. You can not expect the AP to make decisions for you if you haven't told it what you want in the form of a detailed route.

 

When you want to land, you chose where and on which runway. If you want to use navaids (VOR, NDB, ILS etc.) look them up on a map, and enter the details on the nav page of the FMC. You use the information given to put yourself in the right place to begin your approach. And then you land. Easy.

[soul112 0]

thankyou for your answers. sorry to keep asking. i just saw it in a video once were a 777 was flying around auckland doing touch and goes. and it seemed on the nd they had a route they flew around the airfield and then landed with ils radios and speeds tabs. thank you again

 

alex b

[Paul_Smith 92]

You do know that you can land using ILS without doing an auto-landing? Just tune the ILS from the nav page and the flight director will show you what you need to do. This is how the vast majority of real world landings take place. Even with routes and SIDs and STARs all setup, you can (and usually do) still land by hand.

 

Touch and goes are for the pilots to practise their manual aircraft handling and landing skills. They might (but do not have to) use information that the FMC gives them. As often as not, they just look out the window.

[fstulm 4]

Hello Alex

 

Well, how about you forget about the Queen and go back to some basics? That is to say, pick up a GA aircraft of your choice and go ahead and fly around as you wish WITHOUT the obviously distracting FMC.

 

If you do this, you will learn how to actually fly: purely visual (recognize features or map in lap and look outside), dead reckoning, radio navigation (NDB, VOR, DME), LOC/ILS, GPS. In other words fly just as you would in the real world. You can also use autopilot as necessary if you want.

 

Once you can do that, do EXACTLY THE SAME with the Queen with the addition of the initial position and weights entered in FMC in order to have the ND/Heading and the speeds required to TO and land. Before landing, confirm/enter the actual weight so you can choose a flap setting and the corresponding speed OR do it with the manuals. Also, MCP flying is actually considered a fairly manual flying.

 

That's it. Of course, all systems should be in proper configuration. Enjoy!

 

Ionut " John" Micu

[hopskip 253]

Charts (to get the ILS frequencies) and the NAV/RAD page of the FMS, then fly the Raw Localizer/Glideslope data from the PFD.

 

Or fly around looking at the Nav Display with Airport data on. When you see an ICAO code you want, enter that into the FMS as destination, then go to DEP/APP page to select a Runway/Approach, go into legs page and select direct-to the Initial approach fix, and then check NAV/RAD to see if the ILS is tuned.

 

Selecting Departure/Destination as the same airport isn't a problem in the Boeings. (I'v found the MD11 is a little strange when trying to do this on occasion.)

 

I'd suggest against selecting a SID Departure, but if you do, you can always follow the first few turns, then once up near 3000ft, just go into Heading Select mode to position yourself out on the approach.

 

With an arrival runway selected, you should see the extended centreline and then you can turn all your automatics off and use the yoke/stick/throttle to get there by looking out the window, or by tuning the ILS (as above, charts/NAV/RAD) and self-intercepting the ILS on Heading Select.

 

You could even just fly to a random airport (heading hold mode or manually) by visually pointing the Aircraft symbol on the Nav Display in Map mode to an Airport (Airport data selected, blue circles with ICAO codes are airports) and then when you get there, flying overhead at 3000ft, figuring out which way the runway points, and doing a decent from the deadside (right) into a Left Downwind leg to land on the runway using nothing but the window, yoke, and throttle levers.

 

Using the FIX page in the FMS, you can 'draw' a distance/bearing in green on the Nav display in Map mode. May be useful for positioning for Visual approaches (ie get reciprocal of Runway Heading and a 10nm range ring painted on ND for aligning yourself on downwind, base and final for a visual approach from 2000ft above airfield, facing the runway +/- a couple of miles from centreline.) This way you can "Visually" (using the Navigation Display and Heading Select) steer the airplane around a circuit till you can see the runway out the left side of the aircraft windows to judge your turn to final.

 

If you want to use Autopilot I'd keep away from LNAV (and in HDG select) unless you have a full route painted out in magenta line. Can't remember if the 744 can hold a VOR course with autopilot, I seem to recall it can't, or maybe I'm thinking 767. 737 can. You can paint out a Magenta line from VOR to Place/Bearing/Distance as if it were a VOR radial (ie ABC VOR then track 071° radial till 45NM away from ABC VOR = legs page, ABC071/45)

 

I would suggest doing this kind of stuff off Vatsim, until you get comfortable with what is required. Doing a reinactment of real flight training (ie takeoff from somewhere, head somewhere else (quiet.. ie not a buisy primary airport) for circuits, then come back). Knowing what clearances you need and how often you need them is of use. Knowing how to file the flight notification and navigate it on your own is essential. Doing it offline a few times (like a "Simulator session" before you do the "real flight" on vatsim/ivao) would be a good idea.

 

Random 'airport scenery searching' using the heading select, or just manually driving the aircraft around by the yoke and the Navigation Display is interesting sometimes if you have recently added scenery to your sim that covers a large area. I sometimes do this in the VRS F/A-18 myself, offline of course. (and with clear sky selected for best visibility).