Flight planning / Preflight Questions

[MattS]

In the real world, is it possible to downlink a flight plan to the FMC?  Or is this just a nifty feature provided to us by the guys at PMDG?

Also, at what point in time during the pre-flight is the flight plan executed and the PERF INIT pages finalized?

 Just want to keep it real.

[scandinavian13]

2 minutes ago, MattS said:

In the real world, is it possible to downlink a flight plan to the FMC?

Yes.

2 minutes ago, MattS said:

Also, at what point in time during the pre-flight is the flight plan executed and the PERF INIT pages finalized?

When you get your final numbers from dispatch, I think, so pretty late.

Sometimes, you'll be getting final stuff on taxi out, depending on how your (and their) day is going.

[b777trng]

Greetings

Typically you will be on board not later than 45 minutes prior to Scheduled Time of Departure, when doing he CDU pre-flight typically the route/winds are available for up-link, provided data-link is up and running, if not then you will have to insert everything yourself, when you are up to scratch with FMS programming, you can manually load it in less than 10 minutes for a long-haul flight.

What normally takes a bit of time is manually loading the winds, the more accurate you are, the better are the fuel/time predictions.

Load-sheet will be up-linked as well, and we do our own performance on the OPT.

Some operators will obviously differ based on their NOP's/policies etc.

Best regards

Palle H Jensen

[berts]

6 hours ago, MattS said:

Also, at what point in time during the pre-flight is the flight plan executed and the PERF INIT pages finalized?

As Palle has said, different operators will have slightly different procedures depending on the FMS equipment and ACARS software standards etc fitted to their B744's.

For example, some airlines I know of produce Flight Plans based on Company Routes already pre-programmed in the FMS.  They can be manually loaded very quickly into the FMS CDU during the crew's normal pre-flight checks.  The Company Route will of course be modified with the departure and arrival procedures applicable on the day and, if the winds have to be inserted manually then an average wind component for the flight will often be used initially as well in order to generate a reasonably accurate ETA.   During taxy for take-off the crew will receive via ACARS or over the Company radio an update to the loadsheet which was produced during the Planning Briefing and this is when the performance figures will be amended if necessary and checked again by both pilots.  Provided there are no significant changes to the aircraft's take-off data then the PERF INIT figures that were loaded and checked pre-flight will remain valid.

Loading the winds manually into the FMS on a very long flight (including any re-routes) can be a bit of a pain for obvious reasons.  Therefore, if you are flying as the Captain you will find it is a job best left for your co-pilot to do.  It is normally carried out when the aircraft is settled in the cruise and he or she has nothing better to do!  LOL.

Bertie Goddard

[MattS]

Thank you gents! Always good info being shared. 

[jon b]

In edition to the initial upload of the flight plan route and winds, the enroute and descent winds can be sent to the aircraft in flight as updates automatically as new data is released, these just need to be inserted and executed in the FMC.

 

Jon Bunting