HiHow is it possible to file a DP in FSNav without selecting the departure runway.If I just select the departure airport without selecting the runway FSNav does not display a SID/DP but just a line straight from the airport to the first waypoint.I could just select the runway in the flight plan and then tell RC which runway I want to depart from but surly this is not how it is done in real life.ThanksMartyn Carr

Martyn,In real life you are told which DP you will have. It all completely depends on winds and traffic.It is unrealistic to file a DP when you have no clue what the winds will be or which runway is active. You can file for the transition to a DP, but chances are you will be told what to fly as a DP.The best you can do is put a common waypoint for all DP's in inside 30 miles of the airport. The problem with this is that some DP's don't have a common point that close.The only other option is to make multiple plans with multiple DP's and compile all of them (without the runway selected, of course). When you are in FS, check the wind and load the appropriate adventure.One key item to remember is that if you have a waypoint less than 30 (or it is 40) miles from the airport, RC considers you on a DP and won't chastise you if you are off course, so you can fly all over the sky as long as you pass that first waypoint. this means you can put other waypoints in BEFORE that one in FSNav after exporting to RC.

It is unrealistic to file a DP when you have no clue what the winds will be or which runway is active.Why not? I did exactly that about 36 times today! :-lolWe're planning the flights and transmitting the release paperwork a minimum of two hours prior to departure time. The ATC strip gets filed at that point as well so it's in the system with the appropriate center well in advance. Normally the terminal forecasts are close enough to being correct that we can tell which runways SHOULD be in use for the scheduled departure time and plan accordingly. Since most DP's aren't runway specific this typically isn't a problem. However, the DP's that ARE runway specific generally aren't a problem either. Take the CHEZZ DP out of KPHX for example. It's valid for an East configuration only, off of the 7's and 08. During the morning hours KPHX is normally in an East configuration changing over to a West config around noon. Again, since we plan and release a minimum of two hours prior there may be some flights that are still filed for the CHEZZ when they turn the airport around. If that's the case, Albuquerque Center and the KPHX TRACON specifically told us that we wouldn't need to re-file the strip, and that any flights with a CHEZZ DP in the strip would be automatically given the DRYHT DP instead.Often times, especially this time of year, the enroute weather will determine what DP you'll need to plan based on route constraints published in real time by the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. I'm sure Doug can attest to how rapidly things can change when several of the Coded Departure Routes (CDR's) are being utilized.A line of level 6 thunderstorms are moving through ZID airspace and they're shifting all the Westbound traffic down over the J6 Panhandle playbook route, and the Eastbounds are shifted down over the Vulcan playbook route. Gee, did I have a point to any of this?? Oh yeah. I just check the weather first and THEN plan the Radar Contact flight since it doesn't take that long to generate. That way I know the ATC I get will be based on the latest conditions. Ok, I'll shut up now. :7Mike CollierKPHX[table border=1 bgcolor=#eeeeee][tr][td rowspan=2] http://avsim.com/flightdeck/images/Radar_small.gif[/td][td]http://www.dispatcher.org|Dispatcher' target="_blank"> America West Airlines and proud to be a Beta Tester of[link:www.jdtllc.com]Radar Contact]The premiere ATC adventure add-on for FS

Mike,Okay, thanks. Point noted.You are going to just LOVE V3. Not only can you cange the plan and fly it immediately (no compiling at all), you can select "Flex DP", and set a WP about 30 miles out, then fly whatever you want to get there. That'll help you out for a good set of DPs. ;-)

Howdy Scott,Hey I hope I didn't offend you in any way with my previous post. I didn't mean for that to come off as a "you're wrong and I'm right" type of a response. I'm certainly NOT the end-all-be-all of aviation knowledge! It was intended to be more of a "day at the office" type of thing, with a snippet of info as to how I'm planning and filing the real world stuff and how ATC handles it after it's filed. The Flex DP sounds like an excellent way to handle the area departures. Looking forward to getting back in the fold with the testing group sometime soon. (Was that too subtle?) :7Mike CollierKPHX[table border=1 bgcolor=#eeeeee][tr][td rowspan=2] http://avsim.com/flightdeck/images/Radar_small.gif[/td][td]http://www.dispatcher.org|Dispatcher' target="_blank"> America West Airlines and proud to be a Beta Tester of[link:www.jdtllc.com]Radar Contact]The premiere ATC adventure add-on for FS