FSX-MS PMDG 737-800 NGX Questions

[Oleg321 7]

So in a previous message you said that the AIRAC CYCLE is me navdata. So maybe to get the waypoint that will work maybe I have to choose a different AIRAC CYCLE in the flight planner ?

[Jim Young 2,356]

5 hours ago, Oleg321 said:

I have to choose a different AIRAC CYCLE in the flight planner

How do you do that?  AIRAC stands for Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control and it comes in the form of NavData published about every 28 days.  Regulations change during cycles and you may or may not be able to land on a certain runway during the month of December at some airports.  Or they may change a SID or STAR as they had too many close calls of aircraft collisions in the Washington DC area.  Or, you cannot fly over DC because of new restrictions.  So, each month you use the same AIRAC/NavData.  At the end of the month you update it.  It could be updated during the month and then they'll send out NOTAM's or Notices to Airmen. In real life, this is all updated in your aircraft by the Operations Center for the airline you are flying with.  They'll upload the messages and AIRAC/NavData for you.  Heck, they will even program your FMC for you!  In the DC area, we have a United Ops Center near Dulles that monitors and tracks their aircraft.  Here's a video of their command center in Chicago - http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/video/inside-united-airlines-operations-center-amid-holiday-travel-44348132.  Tried to embed it but their embed link would not work.

[Oleg321 7]

1 hour ago, Jim Young said:

How do you do that?  AIRAC stands for Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control and it comes in the form of NavData published about every 28 days.  Regulations change during cycles and you may or may not be able to land on a certain runway during the month of December at some airports.  Or they may change a SID or STAR as they had too many close calls of aircraft collisions in the Washington DC area.  Or, you cannot fly over DC because of new restrictions.  So, each month you use the same AIRAC/NavData.  At the end of the month you update it.  It could be updated during the month and then they'll send out NOTAM's or Notices to Airmen. In real life, this is all updated in your aircraft by the Operations Center for the airline you are flying with.  They'll upload the messages and AIRAC/NavData for you.  Heck, they will even program your FMC for you!  In the DC area, we have a United Ops Center near Dulles that monitors and tracks their aircraft.  Here's a video of their command center in Chicago - http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/video/inside-united-airlines-operations-center-amid-holiday-travel-44348132.  Tried to embed it but their embed link would not work.

Thank you. I changed the AIRAC cycle to an earlier one in the flight planner and it worked. So my yesterdays question why it says “invalid entry” is because of the flight planner gives me the newest navdata. Thank you. 

[Oleg321 7]

1 hour ago, Jim Young said:

How do you do that?  AIRAC stands for Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control and it comes in the form of NavData published about every 28 days.  Regulations change during cycles and you may or may not be able to land on a certain runway during the month of December at some airports.  Or they may change a SID or STAR as they had too many close calls of aircraft collisions in the Washington DC area.  Or, you cannot fly over DC because of new restrictions.  So, each month you use the same AIRAC/NavData.  At the end of the month you update it.  It could be updated during the month and then they'll send out NOTAM's or Notices to Airmen. In real life, this is all updated in your aircraft by the Operations Center for the airline you are flying with.  They'll upload the messages and AIRAC/NavData for you.  Heck, they will even program your FMC for you!  In the DC area, we have a United Ops Center near Dulles that monitors and tracks their aircraft.  Here's a video of their command center in Chicago - http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/video/inside-united-airlines-operations-center-amid-holiday-travel-44348132.  Tried to embed it but their embed link would not work.

Thank you. I changed the AIRAC cycle to an earlier one in the flight planner and it worked. So my yesterdays question why it says “invalid entry” is because of the flight planner gives me the newest navdata. Thank you. 

[Oleg321 7]

When should I use the VOR 1 and VOR 2 switches on the right and left of the EFIS panel?

[Jim Young 2,356]

34 minutes ago, Oleg321 said:

VOR 1 and VOR 2 switches on the right and left of the EFIS panel

Here's a good response to your question -

 

[Oleg321 7]

I right now started flying and got this stupid problem again. I chose my cycle (1108) into the flight planner, entered the SID that had a similar name with my first waypoint, that was about to enter my first airway, and i got this stupid problem again. Please, someone, what am i doing wrong??????????????? This is driving me crazy.

[Oleg321 7]

Hello,

Which "Trans" should I select when filling out the Arrival Star in the FMC? Also what does the NB means after the waypoint. Thank you.

[scianoir 610]

2 hours ago, Oleg321 said:

Hello,

Which "Trans" should I select when filling out the Arrival Star in the FMC? Also what does the NB means after the waypoint. Thank you.

'Trans' is short for transition and the transition point is the point at which you move from the en-route phase of your flight to the arrival phase. The transition you select on a STAR basically depends on which of the available transition points is most convenient to the route you are flying.

NB after a waypoint as far as I know signifies that the waypoint is an NDB. It normally follows the identifying letters for the NDB station.

Bill

[Oleg321 7]

Why do all simmers on youtube change the speed and altitude on the MCP if they are using VNAV and LNAV?

[Jim Young 2,356]

Most of the time the aircraft cannot descend to the speed and altitude shown in the FMC at a certain waypoint.  Sometimes it does and you just leave it alone but, if you have a tailwind, it could be difficult for the aircraft to slow down and will need the use of the speedbrake.  It is my understanding this happens in real life too and the pilot and co-pilot must continually monitor the flight plan in the FMC to make sure the descent occurs as scheduled as tail winds are not programmed into the FMC. I do not think the PMDG 737's FMC is sophisticated enough to understand there's a tailwind.  Think it is in the PMDG 777 and 747 though.  Remember you have to be below 250 knots when below FL100 and the aircraft will stop descending until you get to 250 or below.  With the PMDG 737, the most important thing in their step descent is speed.  If it cannot get the speed lowered for the descent they will simply stay at level flight until the speed is reduced.  If you can, try to get ATC to allow you to descend before the top of descent and use the VS to gradually descend so that your virtual passengers will not be in discomfort from any rapid descents. 

Sometimes too, the pilot and co-pilot forget to reset the altitude for descent.  When this happens it will make it harder to get the required altitude at a waypoint. 

Jim

[Oleg321 7]

Thank you very much. Today I also got a problem when I put in a random cost index in the fmc. It gave me a maximum altitude of like FL198, but I wanted to fly FL360. I put FL360 into the CRZ altitude next to the one it gave and in the fmc scratchpad it said: ALTITUDE NOT AVAILABLE or something like that? How to fix that?

[scianoir 610]

1 hour ago, Oleg321 said:

Thank you very much. Today I also got a problem when I put in a random cost index in the fmc. It gave me a maximum altitude of like FL198, but I wanted to fly FL360. I put FL360 into the CRZ altitude next to the one it gave and in the fmc scratchpad it said: ALTITUDE NOT AVAILABLE or something like that? How to fix that?

Were you planning a short flight? Sometimes if you don't have sufficient distance available you won't have enough time to climb to a high altitude such FL360 before starting your descent into your destination airport. You will then get a message such as that.

Bill

[Oleg321 7]

5 hours ago, scianoir said:

Were you planning a short flight? Sometimes if you don't have sufficient distance available you won't have enough time to climb to a high altitude such FL360 before starting your descent into your destination airport. You will then get a message such as that.

Bill

I was flying from Brussels to Frankfurt am Main.

[scianoir 610]

6 hours ago, Oleg321 said:

I was flying from Brussels to Frankfurt am Main.

The distance between those two airports (about 170nm) may be too short to allow a climb to FL360, which is probably why you got that message. Factors like gross weight will also enter into the computation as this will affect the rate of climb.

Bill