I have not incorporated a DP into my flight plan as of yet. However, on the last two flights I noticed RC gave me a heading to fly after I take off. I plan on using FS Build and realize you can plan for SID and STAR in the flight plan but how do you know which one to use when you do not know the current weather/active runway. Also, the manual states that RC allows 30 miles when you takeoff if you want to fly a SID to transition to enroute phase. The last flight where I received a hdg to fly then was told to resume normal navigation ... is that random? If I wanted to fly a SID at that point I would have been unable to. Maybe I am not understanding the flight procedures.Can someone shed some light on this issue?Thank you!

Jerel,KMEM? Exactly where? I'm over here in Bartlett, ya know, the land with the population of China since they built that mall :-) >>...on the last two flights I noticed RC gave me a heading to fly after I take off<>...how do you know which one to use when you do not know the current weather/active runway<>...the manual states that RC allows 30 miles when you takeoff if you want to fly a SID to transition to enroute phase. The last flight where I received a hdg to fly then was told to resume normal navigation ... is that random?<>If I wanted to fly a SID at that point I would have been unable to.<

I've only been in the Memphis area for six months. I took a job with Fedex Services at the World Tech Center in Collierville and Fedex relocated me here from Atlanta. I was with Delta Air Lines and they have been having a hard time. I was with Accenture at Bellsouth in Atlanta and I think I may/may not have been in the same bldg with John.I bought a house in Southeast Shelby County between Hacks Cross and Germantown Extended. Glad to know you are in the area. Maybe we can meet at Starbucks one day out near that mall. I am still learning the memphis area. I know the main roads now.I am using FS Build to generate flight plans. I am going to try and use the auto generate functionality and see how it works if I let FS Build select a SID and STAR for me and then import into RC.Thank you!

wow small world. midtown 1 in atlanta?jd

I worked in the white tower on west peachtree street on the 10th floor. I was in performance enginnering for local number portability.

I am an FSBuild 2 user as well.When you build a route and it gets exported to FS9 and therefore to RC, FSBuild converts all your SIDS (DPs called now) and STARS to waypoints in the FS .pln format. There are no indications here that these are part of any departure or arrival procedure.As far as RC is concerned your departure clearance will always fly as filed with the exception of occasionally changing your cruise flight level to conform with directional control. (See the manual here.)The difference will show when you get your take-off clearance at the threshold. If your first waypoint is beyond 30nm you will get an initial take-off heading "follow runway heading" or "heading is XXX degrees" in which case you must immediately turn to it as soon as you are a bit off the ground. You then will be told to contact approach where you will get vectors to line you up so you can intercept that first nav point at which point you will be told to resume your own nav.If the first waypoint is at or within 30 nm when you take off you may be given an initial heading off the runway but also in the takeoff clearance you will be told at that point to fly as filed meaning you do your own nav from take-off. You will not get vectors.The method of navigation in either case once you are on your own is up to you whether just after take-off or vectors stop. If you have an FMC aircraft compatible with FS Build exports or use a GPS that shows the same points you imported to it or FS9 or if (with a bit more difficulty) are following other nav types using VOR OR VOR/DME, ADF, or combinatrions thereof, you follow whatever flightplan clues you have in the various indicators. If you use an autopilot you can use heading-select and altitude-select to follow ATC vectors and to get to your first established points to couple your AP to an FMS or GPS, or use NAV coupling once you are on the proper radial.As was stated, many DPs are not runway specific or in some cases have multiple starting points for different runways. The primary choice regarding DPs is to pick one for your intended direction of flight where it transitions to your enroute airway. It can be difficult to choose which is the active runway. Besides weather that you can control that gives you some leverage, there are other controlling factors such as runway compatibility with the aircraft performance and given properties of runway privileges set up for that airport (runways set as take-off only, landing only, or chosen by length, or for parallels chosen by FS as closest to your parking location). There are so many variables here that version 4 of RC will first look at AI patterns if they are present and match them so as not to conflict.So how can you work around them?If you do not worry about conflicting with AI, RC when you contact ground gives you the opportunity to select your take-off runway. This can help especially with parallel actives -- you can pick the closer one. You can also pick one that fits into your chosen DP if you want to chance that.Another option is to fly under NOTAMS for departure. This will let you deviate initially from ATC instructions. What you get here is that when in FSBuild your DP is converted to waypoints on the route page, you can delete runway specific points close to your departure and pick the first common waypoint on your plan to all your departure runways. Then under NOTAMS if you wish you can deviate from any ATC and fly the runway specific waypoints on your own. When you get to the common point then you declare to RC that you are on course.There is one more "trick" to consider. If you see in the advwindow first line a waypoint that conflicts with your DP there is an extended RC menu option called direct checkpoint and I do not recall but I think there is an option that also lets you skip a checkpoint if you do not get RC "credit" for that to avoid it turning you back by giving you unwanted vectors.There is another trick to the trade. Start up parked in FS and set up and activate your weather. Wait a few minutes for it to take effect and then listen to FS ATC ATIS to get the active runway. Then go into FSBuild, load your saved plan there, modify it by adding the correct DP, then rebuild it with exports to FS9 and if desired your aircraft FMC. Now when you crank up RC if after loading the plan RC's ATIS does not match, you can choose the same runway FS9 is using when you get your departure clearance and since you already know that when you modified and exported your FSBuild plan the waypoints should match your departure runway. It is only necessary to go through all this if you need to see the runway specific departure waypoints in RC. I'd suggest either using NOTAMS for flexibility and just using a common waypoint to all the runways.Last but not least, I highly recommend again and again to have a TCAS gauge fitted to your panel. Knowing the altitudes relative to you and the position of AI and their patterns can help with this complexity. RC 4 helps with collision avoidance but watching AI targets as you taxi and then take-off and depart helps you anticipate any route conflicts.Keewp in mind that DPs also apply to other airports in the area that have departing aircraft that can use them. Suburban feeder airports can join a DP at a later waypoint or in the case of a STAR they can be followed part way and then broken off to get to a nearby destination. The chances of having a STAR followed to termination depends on how far the final waypoint is to the landing procedure (IAP) entry. RC ATC or FS9 ATC can break you off a STAR at any point to keep orderly traffic flow and to merge you into the landing pattern in effect. If you think you will synch up with landing AI you can also request another runway when approach offers you vectors. You can also request an IAP meaning you will follow a published procedure and vectors will terminate. This will let you follow a STAR closer to destination since you will be on your own.RC is complex because it also offers practical options. It will get easier with experience.

JD,Small question: do you still have a family life between your regular job and RC4 ?Roger

wife and 12 yr old daughter and black lab that is going to the vet today :-)