Paranoid about FMC....Sorry!

[spilok 1,132]

You know, I'd like to fly some of these heavy jets with FMC, but I just am paranoid or something about the FMC. I DO fly heavies and enjoy them...but only if I can use the default GPS. I never learned how to use the FMC, and I've EVEN have downloaded tutorials to learn it...but never did. I love using the GPS in Microsoft. It's easy and I'm very busy in my life to try to learn the FMC. I have the PMDG 737 but after buying it discovered the FMC and I've shelved it. I feel badly reading all the positive comments on the plane, because I'm just too d_ _ _ lazy to learn this navigation technique. Now I'm feeling very alone because the new 767 is out and everybody is giving it a really high rating. I'd like to buy it, but the FMC gives me pause....and I still haven't done it. I like seeing the moving map of GPS and the other features of the Garmin. Please convince me somehow to get over this mental thing. Is there something I should be doing to learn the FMC easily, or do I just have to "crack down" and spend some time with a particular tutorial? Which do you recommend and why will I prefer it over the visual reference of the Garmin GPS?

[Guest panda234]

Just because it has an FMC dosn't mean you have to use it...

[Guest ponyboy]

Don't feel too bad Stan,Been flying heavings nearly 2 years and have never used a FMC once (did I just see some eyes roll!), I just like to get up and go sometimes plus if I learn about this other "black box", I'll get to into realism, flying by the numbers, gawd... that will take me into a whole other direction. ;)

[spilok 1,132]

Well...how else can you navigate? Are you saying that I can use the default GPS even if I had the FMC? If so....HOW?

[Guest Josve]

No need to use the FMC if you don't want to.....You can use HDG select, use VS and ALT hld...navigate VOR to VORAll aircraft can be flown the "old" way.....Johnny"I'LL BE BACK"[div align=center]http://www.avsim.com/hangar/fly/josve/aat.jpg ][/div

[Guest Philip Olson]

Stan, Why don't you learn it the way I did, grab a tutorial that has a "sample" flight and use that to start the learning process. I find that it is easier to ignore most of the manual and just set up the tutorial flight exactly as spelled out without knowing all of the background details. As you go throug the process of starting up the aircraft and punching the information into the FMC some of it will make sense to you and some will not but just continue and fly the flight. As you fly keep an eye on the FMC and that will give you a little more information about what is going on. When you are done you can take pride that you did it. Then fly the same flight a few times and each time you will get more of a feel for what is going on, then you can go and fill in the blanks by reading the manual proper. You see when you try to teach yourself how to use the FMC from a manual you have no frame of reference, very little makes sense to you but if you use it a few times things make sense to you and it is easy to learn, basically it becomes a kind of connect the dots to fill in the gaps that you don't understand. People learn in different ways so this may or may not work for you but this method takes most of the tedious part out of learning the FMC. Learning the FMC is not as hard as it sounds, trust me I know. Best of luck!Philip OlsonI'm the luckiest man in the world, my girl friend has a yoke and rudder pedals! Eat your hearts out!http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

[Guest diajohn2]

Oh heck, it doesn't really take that long to learn an FMC. You can master the basics in an hour or so. You put in the departure airport, the arrival airport, execute the command and it will fly from one to the other like the GPS. There is a lot more stuff to learn with an FMC but you can emulate a basic GPS type route with them

[Guest B742FAN]

Given the nature of your post I personally think you would find it worthwhile to learn the FMC. Conceptually it seems like a daunting task and a tutorial is a great place to start. Make sure your not trying to learn on a buggy FMC otherwise you'll never know who is broken, you or the machine.Very soon you'll look back and laugh realizing how easy it really is. Basically there are only two main concepts that go into the FMC. Performance and RouteThere is a screen where you plug in your weight numbers (easily found on the fuel and payload window in FS9.) This tells the computer what to expect when calculating fuel mileage and takeoff/landing numbers.There are several ways to enter the route in. This is the harder of the two considering how many people design routes differently. Perhaps building a flightplan in FS then entering it into the FMC is the way to go for you to not have to worry about sids and stars. (some FMC's allow you to import FS flightplans) A tutorial will show you how to do the entering rather quickly.The feeling of having mastered this little piece of equipment is amazing. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets in a 737 NG or 767 and looks at that FMC as they pass the cockpit and goes "hey, I can work all that!!" A word of warning though, once I started work with the FMC's I stopped using FS ATC and went to Vatsim. The FS ATC does not do well with altitude management and if I do fly offline, I don't use the ATC then either. On the other hand, these FMCs can really make you look like a PRO online in very short order.Didn't mean to type that much lol__Josh

[Guest av84fun]

<>High Josh. Don't mean to splinter this thread but I would really like to do the Vatsim thing but have been steered away by what appears to be a MAJOR learning curve, hassle factor.There was even a review published here (or maybe that other site) by a really experienced simmer who admitted he couldn't figure out how to get up and running. He and I exchanged a few private e-mails and weeks after his review, he still hand't got up and running.The last time I gave it a go, I went to their "getting started" tutorial section and I kid you not, the tutorials STARTED with Lesson 103....what happened to 101 and 102???It seems almost legendary as to how much of a hassle the process is. How did it go for you and what was your basic path o getting ramped up.I'd love an e-mail at av84fun@aol.comTHANKS!Jim

[Guest RsZ]

Spilok all i have to say is that the FMC is such a great thing that is used in REAL life mate.So,if you have PMDG 737,Level D 767 both with great FMC's and you're still flying with GPS with no Lnav,Vnav...it's definitelly time to make some changes in your life;).To learn the basics of any FMC you dont need more than 1h so do it and you'll see the difference.

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

Yes, having an aircraft like the 767 and not using the FMC is like using a default heavy aircraft and not using the GPS - at the cost of a little learning, these items are there to make life much easier for you.GaryEdit: sp

[Guest bonjourmoi44]

Jim, Vatsim is no too bad. The FMS, Vatsim, all new add-ons for that matter just take time. The instructions at Vatsim are long and intimidating. But if you have a day set aside you can do it. Just follow all the instructions and put on your thinking cap. Once you have it down it is easy like everything else. Just don't skip steps in the instructions or go on to a different step if one is not working right, hoping it will work down the road. There are of course very helpful forums as well if you get really stuck. I don't know, I am not the smartest and so far there has been no plane or add-on that is too hard for anyone here to understand. It is like most things in life (except women of course), it just takes time to understand, not intelligence or luck.

[Farlis 2,277]

Afraid of learning new tricks old dog, eh? ;)Look at it this way: As soon as you have learned it you'll never want to fly without one anymore. It's dead easy. a) Create your flightplan with an external program like FSBuild or FSNav and export it to the add-on you want to use it with. :( Fire up your FMC and enter the ICAO Code of your Airport in the Position Page. c) Load your flightplan by typing in it's name under CO(mpany Route)d) Choose the departure Runway and SID under the DEP/ARR page. And activate the route.e) Enter your performance data (PMDG reads your Groundweight and Fuel load automatically, just a mouse click and your ready), reserve fuel, Cost Index, Flight Level, Transition level, Cruise Winds and Temperature. f) Enter a flap setting in the Take-Off page and let the FMC calculate your Vspeeds.Off you go.6 Steps that take less than 5 minutes if you are used to it. As a result the Aircraft more or less flies on it's own with the LNav and Vnav modes. Easy as pie.

[Guest Boone]

Stan!!Just a couple of evenings, NO just a couple of hours will change the way you fly for ever. Seriously worth the investment. Download this tutorial pmdg_flight_tutorial_v2.zip by Fred Clausen. Good Luck!Best RegardsBoone,BooneEIDW@hotmail.com"Flying a plane is no different from riding a bicycle. It's just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes."

[kerosene31 349]

Maybe the Dreamfleet 727 is more what you are looking for. No FMC, just flying vor to vor. Very rewarding. You can use the GPS as well if you want. I also fly the PMDG737 with an FMC. Take the time to learn it and that can be rewarding as well.