anyone here fly on vatsim?

andyp said:
Usually a discontinuity is put in by the FMC to seperate the two ends of a cruise and STAR/approach phase or the end of a SID and climb phase.

Stick your map onto PLN and on the LEGS page of the FMC use the STEP LSK to review where your disco is - if it looks like a simple case of joining the dots then simply delete the disco in the FMC and the magenta line should join up fine and you can then fly the SID to climb or STAR down to approach fine.

It helps if you have and understand the SID/STAR charts for the airports you're flying into and out of. You can then match the published procedure with what you see on your display and if it clicks together in your head all you need to do is fly the damn thing and you're home and dry ;)

If you want some up to date charts let me know. Email in trust.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I just worked out earlier how to fix the discos. Re-read the FMC manual which helped a lot! a lot of the functions in FMC aren't modeled but it still seems pretty good.

SID and STAR charts I have a good idea what goes on but the problem is that on vatsim you really don't know the runway in use until you contact arrival controller. If you have no STAR or there is no controller online I normally just self position for visual finals which is fair enough but I like getting to engage the twin cmds and fly the full ils with auto-flare etc.

Just found earlier on vroute.info how to export accure fuel figures which helps the realism - now I am flying mostly short haul stuff with 5-6 tonnes rather than the default where the thing is loaded with its max fuel.

Next aim is to master the 747 that is in your sig!
 
I've logged a couple of hundred hours for my VA and more than half of them are in the 747. If you're pretty au fait with the 737NG then the step up to the Queen in sim terms isn't as bad as it first seems. The FMC is pretty much the same, as are the autopilot modes and the position of system switches. There's just much more to learn and more potential for things to go wrong. But as I say, if you're serious about learning it then I can't recommend it highly enough. I've just got the PMDG MD-11 and I'm lost with it, I've become so accustomed to the Boeing office layout that the MD-11 cockpit actually rather intimidates me - I've read the tutorial and intro 3 times already without even being in the plane.

Is there no way of getting weather data at your destination on vatsim? If you can then it'll be easier to judge the runway in use. I personally use Radar Contact and it is fun when ATC assigns you a completely different runway to the one you predict and you're frantically trying to reprogram the FMC whilst getting descent clearance and trying to meet crossing restrictions. I can imagine it's even worse on vatsim with real people at the other end!

If you're looking to splash a few quid then I'd really recommend FSBuild and TOPCAT.

FSBuild will give you decently accurate fuel burn figures as well as using standard routing for building its flight plans. You can also enter your own plans (I use real-world ones from flightaware and I also have a contact who works in the planning department at Virgin Atlantic who can pull any flight out of the system as long as it passes european airspace) and enter North Atlantic Tracks for transatlantic trips. You can also enter winds aloft data if applicable and it'll adjust fuel figures too.

TOPCAT is really only for if you're gonna be seriously getting into the 747. You tell it where you are, how much fuel, pax and cargo you have, where you're going to and it'll produce a loadout sheet, optimum takeoff report and landing report. No more guessing your derates, flaps and assumed temperatures or autobrakes settings. This thing is so accurate it's quite scary sometimes - if it says you'll have 1000ft left of a 10,000ft runway at V2 with flaps 20, D-TO2 and +42 assumed temp - you will be surprised how close to 1000ft you really only have left. It tends to over estimate stopping distances a a little on the shorter runways but that's no bad thing - and it's only down to the difference between manual and autoland.
 
andyp said:
SNIP
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the info. Sounds like your pretty good on the jumbo then. The things I wouldn't be sure about is how to set up your nat tracks and oceanic clearance stuff. Do you use real world nat tracks for that?

I do have FSBuild here but I found its autogenerated flightplans to be a bit strange. Maybe entering my own plan would be better. The program called vroute is a newer version of the euroute tool and would really recommend it. I have the premium version and it has maps, vatsim bookings, fuel calculations as well as export to FS9, SB3, 737NG and then a flight progress card.

For weather I use activesky which is pretty good for real world weather. Do you know how to get enroute weather into the FMC? Would I need to enter a plan into activesky to get this first?

Finally, is radar contact a good tool? Never really read up much about it.

Edit: that TOPCAT tool looks very good - I used to work as a dispatcher at the local airport and the flight printouts are identical!
 
Last edited:
andyp said:
I've logged a couple of hundred hours for my VA and more than half of them are in the 747. If you're pretty au fait with the 737NG then the step up to the Queen in sim terms isn't as bad as it first seems. The FMC is pretty much the same, as are the autopilot modes and the position of system switches. There's just much more to learn and more potential for things to go wrong. But as I say, if you're serious about learning it then I can't recommend it highly enough. I've just got the PMDG MD-11 and I'm lost with it, I've become so accustomed to the Boeing office layout that the MD-11 cockpit actually rather intimidates me - I've read the tutorial and intro 3 times already without even being in the plane.
Click to expand...

Once you get in it and try the tutorial flight out a few times you will realise how un-complicated it is. This was the first FMC I have really learned to use and its so simple.

The autopilot is really nice, not sure what the PMDG 747 can do but the MD-11 autopilot/FMC will program in all the altitude and speed restrictions on SIDS ad STARS and fly them automaticly. And once the autopilot is all on with the PROF and NAV modes in use all you need to do input the altitude you have been cleared to by ATC and it will do the rest.

Screenshots of a London approach :) http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13258921&postcount=4758
 
Last edited:
ringo747 said:
Thanks for all the info. Sounds like your pretty good on the jumbo then. The things I wouldn't be sure about is how to set up your nat tracks and oceanic clearance stuff. Do you use real world nat tracks for that?

I do have FSBuild here but I found its autogenerated flightplans to be a bit strange. Maybe entering my own plan would be better. The program called vroute is a newer version of the euroute tool and would really recommend it. I have the premium version and it has maps, vatsim bookings, fuel calculations as well as export to FS9, SB3, 737NG and then a flight progress card.

For weather I use activesky which is pretty good for real world weather. Do you know how to get enroute weather into the FMC? Would I need to enter a plan into activesky to get this first?

Finally, is radar contact a good tool? Never really read up much about it.

Edit: that TOPCAT tool looks very good - I used to work as a dispatcher at the local airport and the flight printouts are identical!
Click to expand...

I use the real-world NATs yeah - from here:

https://www.notams.jcs.mil/common/nat.html

Updated daily with the real-world tracks and it can often be used with the airline-filed flight plans found on Flightaware. If your flight planning software accepts latitude/longitude co-ordinates you're laughing.

As for FSBuild's autogenerated plans, sometimes they do look weird but they do use true to life preferred routing regarding airways and intersections. Try autogenerating an EGLL-WSSS and compare it to a real-world one you can find on the web and it's not too far off. If I can't find any real-world plans I'll happily use a FSBuild one.

I use ASv6 for weather too and I always import my flight plan and get my enroute weather - usually copy and paste the expected winds into a text document to do some quick fuel calculations to compare to the FMC. I think you can only enter windspeed/direction for your descent and not enroute for the whole flight. It's amazing how a small tailwind can make you overshoot a crossing restriction especially in a slippy NG - putting the wind in the FMC will recalculate your Top Of Descent and power-off VNAV profile to help get you down in time.

As for Radar Contact - it's the best artificial ATC out there. I can do everything I can on VATSIM except talk to real people. Do a quick search for a Radar Contact v4 review and it'll tell you everything you need to know. If you ever fancy flying offline seriously then RCv4 is a must.

TOPCAT is a really nifty bit of kit - they promise support for more planes in the future too so it's worth keeping an eye on and updated.
 
Nieldo said:
Once you get in it and try the tutorial flight out a few times you will realise how un-complicated it is. This was the first FMC I have really learned to use and its so simple.

The autopilot is really nice, not sure what the PMDG 747 can do but the MD-11 autopilot/FMC will program in all the altitude and speed restrictions on SIDS ad STARS and fly them automaticly. And once the autopilot is all on with the PROF and NAV modes in use all you need to do input the altitude you have been cleared to by ATC and it will do the rest.

Screenshots of a London approach :) http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13258921&postcount=4758
Click to expand...

I think all I need to do is marry up what I know about Boeing VNAV/LNAV and how it ties into the FMC/MCP with PROF/NAV and how that works with the MD-11 FMC and the rest will fall into place.

It'll be late next week before I get a chance to take her for a spin though :(
 
Just did a 2 hour flight from Toulouse into Gatwick with ATC almost all of the way in! Really was fun. The French controllers just chatting away in French to the other local pilots. Made a bit of a mess with the STAR though. Nobody was online to assign me one so I guessed it. In the end I should have chosen a different one and when I was instructed to hold I couldn't get my FMC to accept the WILLO intersection. I think this was due to the fact that WILLO wasn't one of my route legs as should have been set in the proper STAR? Does that sound correct? I entered WILLO in the HOLD AT box but it wouldn't accept it. I had got vectored of the original approach path before this so I had no idea how to go from radar vectors back into a hold. Any tips on this?
 
ringo747 said:
Just did a 2 hour flight from Toulouse into Gatwick with ATC almost all of the way in! Really was fun. The French controllers just chatting away in French to the other local pilots. Made a bit of a mess with the STAR though. Nobody was online to assign me one so I guessed it. In the end I should have chosen a different one and when I was instructed to hold I couldn't get my FMC to accept the WILLO intersection. I think this was due to the fact that WILLO wasn't one of my route legs as should have been set in the proper STAR? Does that sound correct? I entered WILLO in the HOLD AT box but it wouldn't accept it. I had got vectored of the original approach path before this so I had no idea how to go from radar vectors back into a hold. Any tips on this?
Click to expand...

You can manually enter intersections into the LEGS page on the FMC - you may have to cancel a discontinuity but once it's in there you can enter it on the HOLD page. I'd recommend reading up and practising some holding procedures - the autopilot will fly the hold for you fine according to the parameters you tell it but it's worth knowing the theory behind it.

Read the 737NG FMC Users Manual section 8-33, 8-34 and 8-35 for more good things you can do in the FMC regarding route changes. Learning how program intercept courses can help a lot with complying to ATC instructions especially in and around terminal airspace.
 
Cheers for that. Did a test flight last night from my home base at EGAA and flew a few holds. They seemed to be different headings from the charts though. I wonder if they are not defined in the database does the autopilot just fly a hold based on the current heading?

Last night I also entered a fix into the legs page as a direct to entry. Then I set up a hold on this fix. But once I reached the fix it said it was end of route and therefore I couldn't hold at it.This is probably due to having no arrival runway set?
 
ringo747 said:
Cheers for that. Did a test flight last night from my home base at EGAA and flew a few holds. They seemed to be different headings from the charts though. I wonder if they are not defined in the database does the autopilot just fly a hold based on the current heading?

Last night I also entered a fix into the legs page as a direct to entry. Then I set up a hold on this fix. But once I reached the fix it said it was end of route and therefore I couldn't hold at it.This is probably due to having no arrival runway set?
Click to expand...

The FMC will just fly you a standard racetrack hold with standard entry and standard exit - anything above and beyond that published in the charts have to be flown either manually or semi-automated using the DME's for distance and bearing and HDG SEL on the MCP for the autopilot.

As for the end of route problem - you're correct - the reason it won't let you hold is because there's nothing there for it exit to the hold to. The FMC logic won't let you enter into a hold that has nothing to exit to.
 
andyp said:
It'll just keep flying the hold until you tell it to exit :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the help here. Been having a few test flights and managed to work it out. Did find another problem yesterday when I crashed into the turf just after the first SID turn after take-off. One of those silly moments where I turned off the autorudder and forgot to put it back on! I just use joystick so need it enabled. Will be back with more questions soon I'm sure.
Can i ask what VA you are in?
 
I fly for these guys:

http://www.flyingtigersgroup.org/

The best thing is I'm registered with the Virgin Atlantic division but I can fly for any of the alliance airlines - so I have tens of thousands of routes to choose from.

The forum is littered with very knowledgable and experienced aviation-ists too :)
 
andyp said:
I fly for these guys:

http://www.flyingtigersgroup.org/

The best thing is I'm registered with the Virgin Atlantic division but I can fly for any of the alliance airlines - so I have tens of thousands of routes to choose from.

The forum is littered with very knowledgable and experienced aviation-ists too :)
Click to expand...
Cheers, will check them out. Did you ever check out BA Virtual? That's who I am with. The software they give you is just amazing. Virtual ACARS is so so handy. If you are flying online and controllers come online in your airspace you get an ACARS msg to contact them. You can use it to send position reports, get weather.
 
ringo747 said:
Cheers, will check them out. Did you ever check out BA Virtual? That's who I am with. The software they give you is just amazing. Virtual ACARS is so so handy. If you are flying online and controllers come online in your airspace you get an ACARS msg to contact them. You can use it to send position reports, get weather.
Click to expand...

Just had a look at their website, it looks very pretty and professional. The one single thing that puts me off joining is the requirement to fly online - I don't have the time to be constantly at my computer answering ATC calls - and the biggest thing for me is not being able to use my custom AI.
 
My brother flies for BA Virtual and is also a VATSIM controller - He's cut back a bit recently due to exams though.
 
andyp said:
Just had a look at their website, it looks very pretty and professional. The one single thing that puts me off joining is the requirement to fly online - I don't have the time to be constantly at my computer answering ATC calls - and the biggest thing for me is not being able to use my custom AI.
Click to expand...

Hi mate,

You don't have to do all the flights on BAV online! There is a piece of software called the OSP. Offiline Schedules Program i think it stands for. Basically there is an FSUIPC monitor which connects to the flight sim and runs as a 'logger' for the whole flights. The only requirement is that you send a position report every hour i think it is.

As far as I know there is a major overhaul being planned with new software coming. The ACARS really is top drawer. The amount of real world pilots on it is very high and the forums are very useful too. There is a training captain for each aircraft type and the guys really know their stuff.

I am sure you would be able to transfer your hours over from the other VA. I think you could make good use of the PMDG 747 in BA Colours! It was the first VA to get proper recognition from its real world counterpart so its definitely worth a shot!

The only requirement is 1 flight every 30 days but if you can't do this then you can request leave so it is quite flexible. Perhaps the number of routes might not please you but flying proper BA schedules is as good as you are going to get.

Am I selling it well enough??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom