An ATC can vector me to a fix I'm not familiar and not shown in approach plates and terminal area charts in my possession.

Is there a free and PRINTER FRIENDLY map showing all the navaids and fixes around a 10-20 mile radius around an airport eg. KSFO? 
 

21 minutes ago, anavsun said:

An ATC can vector me to a fix I'm not familiar and not shown in approach plates and terminal area charts in my possession.

Is there a free and PRINTER FRIENDLY map showing all the navaids and fixes around a 10-20 mile radius around an airport eg. KSFO? 
 

That's what IFR High and Low charts are for. You can see them on Skyvector for free: https://skyvector.com/

Alternatively, just ask ATC to spell out the fix and plug it into your GPS or FMS. Probably easier 😛

Edited January 28, 20251 yr by Stavros

46 minutes ago, Stavros said:

That's what IFR High and Low charts are for. You can see them on Skyvector for free: https://skyvector.com/

Alternatively, just ask ATC to spell out the fix and plug it into your GPS or FMS. Probably easier 😛

 

The problem is: ATC is vectoring me to a fix that's not listed in the STAR or approach chart I have for the airport. (I'm using the FMC for the PMDG 737).

3 minutes ago, anavsun said:

 

The problem is: ATC is vectoring me to a fix that's not listed in the STAR or approach chart I have for the airport. (I'm using the FMC for the PMDG 737).

Did you look at the IFR en-route charts that I linked?

1 hour ago, Stavros said:

Did you look at the IFR en-route charts that I linked?

Yes, I was using skyvector before I posted here. 

I'm following the PMDG's tutorial that came with the 737 which has the same charts available in skyvector. The tutorial is a flight from KPDX to KSFO.  

...continued...

As I approach the BDEGA3 STAR for KSFO I'm vectored by ATC to the SIDBY transition, but I can't locate that transition in the BDEGA3 arrival route chart.

1 hour ago, anavsun said:

As I approach the BDEGA3 STAR for KSFO I'm vectored by ATC to the SIDBY transition, but I can't locate that transition in the BDEGA3 arrival route chart.

Transitions are typically associated with an approach, not an arrival. In this case, SIDBY is an IAF for the ILS 28R approach. (Do you have that chart?)

You say ATC is clearing you in this way - but which ATC? The builtin ATC, an ATC addon, or a controller on VATSIM or IVAO?

Generally, at least IRL, ATC should only clear you to fixes that are on your route or on the assigned arrival and approach (and it looks like this was the case here).

A note on terminology: You would say in this case that you were "cleared" to a fix, not "vectored" - the latter means that you're given a heading, in which case you wouldn't have the problem of needing to find the fix in the first place.

Edited January 28, 20251 yr by martinboehme

There is a 'nearest' option in Little Navmap that lists the local  pretty much everything. (Information, airport, nearest.) It's also possible to  print a map from Little Navmap.

Any reason you can't just type the waypoint  into the CDU and got 'direct' to it?

Edited January 28, 20251 yr by The_Flying_Potato

Are you sure ATC is not vectoring you to SIDBY after BRIXX or before you even get to BRIXX? (FWIW, I can see only the BDEGA 4 on Navigraph.) In my not-a-real-pilot view, 'vectoring' translates to heading hold and do what I tell you, directionally.

Edited January 28, 20251 yr by The_Flying_Potato

12 hours ago, martinboehme said:

Transitions are typically associated with an approach, not an arrival. In this case, SIDBY is an IAF for the ILS 28R approach. (Do you have that chart?)

You say ATC is clearing you in this way - but which ATC? The builtin ATC, an ATC addon, or a controller on VATSIM or IVAO?

Built-in ATC.

Thanks for the info about SIDBY. How do I get to SIDBY after BRIXX (I'm a newbie to the 737's FMC)?

 

4 hours ago, The_Flying_Potato said:

There is a 'nearest' option in Little Navmap that lists the local  pretty much everything. (Information, airport, nearest.) It's also possible to  print a map from Little Navmap.

I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible by avoiding having to use yet another 3rd party program such as Little Navmap. I'm hoping there is a PRINTER-FRIENDLY map that doesn't have a black background as shown below which shows waypoints near an airport eg. where SIDBY is as it relates to the KSFO airport location (the picture below show waypoints around KPDX and not KSFO).

 

3 hours ago, The_Flying_Potato said:

Are you sure ATC is not vectoring you to SIDBY after BRIXX or before you even get to BRIXX? (FWIW, I can see only the BDEGA 4 on Navigraph.) In my not-a-real-pilot view, 'vectoring' translates to heading hold and do what I tell you, directionally.

Not sure if the picture below answers your question.

The PMDG tutorial for the 737 in page 17 does not describe how it created the flight plan.  Maybe using Simbrief... or some other 3rd party app?   (My destination is ILS 28R in KSFO). What I don't understand and that is unclear to me is how and where I make a U-Turn to land on Runway 28R since I'm approaching it from the north ie. in the opposite direction of 28R?? 

4 hours ago, The_Flying_Potato said:

Any reason you can't just type the waypoint  into the CDU and got 'direct' to it?

I think I tried doing it but the FMC wouldn't let me. I'm not sure. I was probably doing it wrong... I'll try again. Thank you.

Edited January 28, 20251 yr by anavsun

13 hours ago, anavsun said:

...continued...

As I approach the BDEGA3 STAR for KSFO I'm vectored by ATC to the SIDBY transition, but I can't locate that transition in the BDEGA3 arrival route chart.

SIDBY is IAF for runway 28R. Usually transition is not part STAR but rather approach itself

Look at the chart SIDBY is at 151 radial off OAK VOR

https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2501/00375I28RSAC1.PDF

14 minutes ago, anavsun said:

The PMDG tutorial for the 737 in page 17 does not describe how it created the flight plan.  Maybe using Simbrief... or some other 3rd party app?   (My destination is ILS 28R in KSFO). What I don't understand and that is unclear to me is how and where I make a U-Turn to land on Runway 28R since I'm approaching it from the north ie. in the opposite direction of 28R?? I must be missing something because I can't locate the SIDBY transition in any of the charts listed in skyvector.com.

Here's the ILS 28R approach chart on skyvector.com:

https://skyvector.com/files/tpp/2501/pdf/00375IL28R.PDF

It depicts SIDBY as an IAF (initial approach fix) (on the 151 radial from the Oakland VOR, south of the extended centerline).

Note though that ATC is telling you to expect not the ILS 28R but the RNAV Y 28R. Here's the chart for that:

https://skyvector.com/files/tpp/2501/pdf/00375RRY28R.PDF

It also depicts SIDBY as an IAF.

The reason that you can't find SIDBY on the route in your FMC is likely that, when you programmed the ILS 28R approach in the FMC (using the DEP / ARR button), you didn't select the SIDBY transition. You do this in the section of the DEP / ARR page labeled "TRANS". See here for more information.

To answer some more questions:

• How did the folks at PMDG create the route? It's very possible they used Simbrief -- but it's also possible to create a route manually using the IFR chart and looking for appropriate airways.
• What chart would real-world pilots use to find waypoints like SIDBY? They would use the charts for the STAR and approach that ATC told them to expect -- this is one of the reasons that ATC gives this information. Pilots aren't generally expected to fly to any random waypoint near an airport that isn't on the assigned STAR or approach. For one thing, what would they do after they got to that waypoint?
• How would you make the U-turn to approach runway 28R when approaching from the north? In reality, ATC would be giving you vectors (i.e. assigned headings) -- see the comment on the BDEGA4 arrival "expect radar vectors to final approach course". It looks as if the builtin ATC got lazy here and simply cleared you direct to SIDBY -- which kind of works, but you'd be doing a turn of more than 90 degrees at SIDBY, and IIUC that's not allowed by the procedures that real-world ATC follows.

9 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

SIDBY is IAF for runway 28R. Usually transition is not part STAR but rather approach itself

Look at the chart SIDBY is at 151 radial off OAK VOR

https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/2501/00375I28RSAC1.PDF

Got it. Thank you.

4 minutes ago, martinboehme said:

The reason that you can't find SIDBY on the route in your FMC is likely that, when you programmed the ILS 28R approach in the FMC (using the DEP / ARR button), you didn't select the SIDBY transition. You do this in the section of the DEP / ARR page labeled "TRANS". See here for more information.

I don't think it gave me a transition as an option, but I might have just missed it. I'll fly the route again.

Thank you for answering the other questions.