Route inputs not accepted?

[Nyxx 6,993]

Paul as ive said many time youtube PMDG FMC guides and watch them.

[pcubine 143]

how do you clear a an entry if a mistake is made

Press the DEL key, the word DELETE will appear on the scratch pad. Line select up to what ever you want to delete. If the mistake has not been executed and on Line 6 you see <ERASE, click to left of that and it will get rid of everything that has not been executed.

 

You need to follow Dave Murden's advice in the post right above mine. There are tons of PMDG FMC guides on the Internet.

 

If you can't get the data entered into the FMC correctly, you ain't going no place fast.

[warbirds 555]

Thanks again. It is strange though that there is something about this route that makes the line and plane go the complete opposite direction. I have used two versions, one from FlightAware and one from SimBrief and they both head east instead of west. 

[berts 97]

Paul,

 

Press and hold the CLEAR button if it is still in the Scratch Pad. Try using the DEL key function or overwrite it with the correct waypoint if it is already in one of the Line Select positions. Then you will need to close any Route discontinuity, finish loading the rest of the Route, then activate and EXEC it. Simple really when you know how, isn't it?!

 

Seriously though, as Brian Nellis and others have said here, there really is no substitute for sitting down and spending as much time as you can reading about how to operate the FMC from the manual and familiarising yourself with it at the same time.

 

Happy flying,

 

Bertie Goddard

[pcubine 143]

Here is the actual flight details

What airport did you use? Hickham Field is not in FSX.

[sloppysmusic 242]

Paul I would recommend taking a step back from the auto flight plan creators and use Skyvector for a while. It's a great way to actually visualize what's going on with your route. As you drag the magenta route over way points on airways the route numbers will automatically appear as well as being in front of your eyes. Skyvector even adds in stars and sids now as first and last parts of the plan. Clicking nav log will create a flight plan for you free of obscure satellite coordinates .

It's also more fun planning your own route taking in some sightseeing on the way. I had great fun plotting a route manually from Brisbane to Alaska via Japan this way. When it becomes second nature after a while and you are in rush to get in the air those auto flight plans will start to actually mean something to you. You can even go back to skyvector and draw the suggested route afterwards.

You should never actually NEED to enter GPS fixes like that unless you want to switch from one jet lane to another without a defined junction way point. The 777 even calculates intersections for you, don't know how the Queen handles it. Yet!

Absolutely recommend you print out the sids and stars for your departure and arrival airport before planning the route. You can then see the entry points from route to star and exit points from sid to route that way. Usually the name of the star is related to the common way point in the star/sid and different ways in and out for your route have the. 1. 2. 3 suffixes etc.

When it starts to make sense all this mumbo jumbo is actually fun!

To conclude.. Use skyvector and print out your sids stars and approach plates before flight and enjoy following then after take off too!

[warbirds 555]

Thanks, I cannot seem to find any sid and stars at Skyvector. I click on route and several show up in the box but not sure which one to use. I click on Navlog and just the departure and arrival airport show up with TOC and TOD in between. 

[sloppysmusic 242]

You are getting there..so close! Easy way to do it if the airport has a navaid like a VOR on airport is to left click the magenta line and drag it over the airport AFTER you have selected your departure and destinations. It will show the VOR. Select the VOR and usually (like magic) it will then select the STAR/SID for you. If this works you will see the route you made 'bend' magically to follow the arrival/departure. When I started with this I thought what is it doing? (the star/sid will then be listed on the navlog) Then later I realized. Skyvector is amazing in what it does, just experiment. If you were local I'd show you! If you fly in the USA when you hover your mouse over the airport in flight plan it will show you all the charts available. I know you are using the Queen so you are using BIG airports with lots of charts by necessity. If you have to, load up a small plane and pick 2 small airports to fly from and to with maybe 1 or 2 arrivals/sids. Print them out and compare the waypoints they show to what you see in SV. Top left of SV is a field you can type in any airport/vor/waypoint and it will jump to it on the map with a cross. That can be a great help to finding your way around.

Old maxim walk before run. If you get really stuck pm me and sort out a skype session. Or maybe theres a youtube video on skyvector. I havent looked. 

[pcubine 143]

I cannot seem to find any sid and stars at Skyvector

Use this site - http://www.fltplan.com/AwMainToApproachPlates.exe?CRN10=1&CARRYUNAME=PILOT&MODE=SEARCH&end=end. Type the ICAO airport code in the Airport ID, click on Submit and it will give the STARS, Runways, and SIDS for the airport you requested.

[sloppysmusic 242]

Use this site - http://www.fltplan.com/AwMainToApproachPlates.exe?CRN10=1&CARRYUNAME=PILOT&MODE=SEARCH&end=end. Type the ICAO airport code in the Airport ID, click on Submit and it will give the STARS, Runways, and SIDS for the airport you requested.

Well thats a great site but I think OP has the problem of selecting WHICH stars/sids to choose. Can be confusing when you start out.

[warbirds 555]

Yeah, trying to get from PHNL (Honolulu) to PHTO (Hilo) is like searching for the holy grail. I have tried three different route sets from three different sites and they all start me out (magenta line) going the opposite direction. So I zoom back and find that one line starts from the airport and then there is another line in the other direction starting about 10 miles from the airport.

 

This is all very confusing. You are presented with several choices in the fmc for stars and sids so why don't if give you just one choice,,the correct one?

[pete_auau 1,159]

I have tried three different route sets from three different sites and they all start me out (magenta line) going the opposite direction. So I zoom back and find that one line starts from the airport and then there is another line in the other direction starting about 10 miles from the airport.

 

 

sounds like  you  being vectored  out  of the  rwy  heading   and  need  to than line  select the  next waypoint   to the  top of  the fmc  and  than press  exe  and  than  engage Lnav. 

  on  the fmc  did  it  have vectors  than below it  the next  waypoint?

or  you  had  disconunities  in your  flight  plan?   which  you need  to clear?

 

Any  chance to  get  a screen shot  of  your  fisst  page  the legs  page of  the  cdu ?

[warbirds 555]

Thanks but I think you think I know more than I do. 

[pete_auau 1,159]

ok heres  a sample  on what i was referring  to your issue,  since  i used  your   route  in pfpx  and loaded  it  in the 747

 

here  is  a very simple  and  easy  utube  on how  to pick sids  and  stars  4  parts  to it

 

 

[warbirds 555]

So I delete the top Vector?