The 'Official' Screenshot & Tips thread 4 FSX enthusiasts & flight simmers.

toString said:
If it's what I'm thinking of in the PMDG then it 'magically' appears when you're close to mountains etc on the 2nd display (I don't know the name! (the one with the flightplan on).

terrain.jpg
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its the terrain radar, thats the topography of the grounf ahead.

Now i have a question, when programming the FMC and entering STAR's depending on the weather in the arriving airport certain runways are open. How can we know which runway is open during the initial setup? i mean, is there a way to tune in to destinations ATIS so i can properly programm the STAR?

also, i will read again vatsim instructions and will join you folks:D
 
You can use the FSX ATIS to know what runway is in use.

You take off and land into the wind, or the westerly runway in calm conditions.

If you don't wanna do that, here's the details for Cardiff, but you can search anywhere:

http://www.plane-mad.com/airport-weather/united-kingdom/cardiff-cwl-egff.html

If you use 'real-world weather', then you should be able to go to any real-world ATIS website site and use that information.

VATSIM provides you with ATIS information for online ATCs.

So once you know the runway, you enter that in 'dep arr' on the FMC, and then it should show the STAR options available. Your STAR should then be dependent on where you're flying from, eg northwest, north, southwest etc.

For our Jersey (EGJJ) example, go here and look:

http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/publi...ntent&task=blogcategory&id=83&Itemid=132.html

I have one more day annual leave, so I should be online tonight and flying a little about 10pm ish.
 
unfortunately fsx atis is not compatible with win7 :(

thanks for the info mate i know how SID/STAR works, so the only free solution is to look up in the site you provide which is excellent! I will do LGTS-LYBE for some thunderstorm action currently in Belgrade :D
 
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FSX ATIS does work in Win 7. Not sure what you mean?

When you file a flight plan you can make a good guess at what runway you are likely to expect at the destination using the forecasts. When you do your descent briefing you will brief the approach which will include the STAR. If the STAR does change ATC will advise you of the change. Normally though you will know well before you start your decent.

I believe you could also request destination weather enroute using ACARs for example.
 
toString said:
If it's what I'm thinking of in the PMDG then it 'magically' appears when you're close to mountains etc on the 2nd display (I don't know the name! (the one with the flightplan on).

terrain.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm not sure of the ins and outs, but I pressed the 'terr' button somewhere top left.
Click to expand...
Yep it is the Terr button on the EFIS Panel.
Click to expand...

I found it thank you.
 
I was around last night I should have checked the forums...

As mentioned on my previous post, the ifly is very very good. I’ve managed to land most of my flights with ILS and it's just been brilliant. I still have a few questions though.

1. Should the plane follow the FMC in terms of speed and altitude automatically? I know that some waypoints you have restrictions and you have to stay at e.g. 4000ft so I leave altitude hold on but once you pass the restriction, I seem to be adjusting the altitude button to get to the required height according to the FMC. I thought the FMC does all that for you and you don’t have to set it manually, my NNAV and LNAV is on.(I'm I forgetting to activate something?)

2. When you descend, do you have to switch off your VNAV? The way I’m descending is (and it seems to be working but I think it’s not 100% right)VNAV is switched off. I then switch VS on with a -1500 decline and if I have to stay at a certain altitude I then switch on altitude hold before descending again. I thought you leave VNAV and LNAV on and the FMC will automatically descend the plan according to the altitude it needs to be at? Same as point 1 with the climb?

3. When you hear the Morse code do you switch on the VOR LOC straight away or only when you lined up with the runway and when the little magenta triangle is in the middle of the FMA(I understand the APP hold)

As I said, managed to land fine but I don’t think I’m doing it the way it should really be done.

Blue(more the better), it would be great to do that flight from Cardiff to Jersey and go through everything after we have taken off. Hopefully no issues with catering trucks and PC crashes. :p

I’m around most of this week. I know we said we going to try get on a bit earlier for our Tuesday OCUK Vatsim fly. Anything after 7 should be good.
 
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1) The FMC will work out a vertical and lateral path which you can follow using LNAV and VNAV. If you program your restrictions into the FMC then VNAV should stop at that altitude regardless of what your MCP altitude selection is. This happens when flying a SID for example with say a 5000' restriction. You could wind the MCP up to 35000' and it will still hold at 5000' until you pass the waypoint unless of course you hit ALT INTV to override the FMC profile.

If you have the MCP set to say 20000' and the FMC wants you to climb to cruise then it will hold at the MCP altitude. I'm not sure on this but I think you may need to hit the 'Alt Intv' button after winding up the MCP again to resume the VNAV profile. I'd need to check that. It could switch to ALT HOLD mode instead.

2) You can indeed descend with VNAV. You should see on your ND a marker entitled T/D (top of descent). The aircraft should start slowing down to descent speed before this marker. You can descend early if you need to by hitting 'Descend Now' in the FMC. In real life you may drift off the VNAV profile as directed by ATC. In that case you may use LVL change or VS to descend.

3) When flying an ILS I normally arm the LOC when on the final intercept heading - I'm sure this varies but you need to have it armed in order to get onto the final runway track.

Edit: just flying out of Gatwick and had a restrict at 5000'. I had 5000 set in the MCP. When I passed the waypoint I get an alert in the FMC saying RESET MCP ALTITUDE. When you wind up the MCP alt window nothing happens. You need to hit the ALT INTV button on the MCP to reinitiate the climb. The FMA should show either VNAV ALT if being restricted by the MCP, when the VNAV profile is resumed it will return to VNAV SPD/PATH.
 
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In real life, pilots would nomrally set the MCP altitude to the max ATC clearance, thereby safeguarding against an FMC malfunction which could be disastrous around airports like Gatwick.

So if your waypoint is max 5000ft, set your MCP to that level and the plane will fly in VNAV SPD until it reaches levelling out alt, this then changes to VNAV PTH (following FMC path) mode.

Now if your next waypoint is 8000ft, the FMC will realise this and the FMC will display the message RESET MCP ALTITUDE and the FMA will change from VNAV PTH to VNAV ALT, meaning that the plane wants to ascend, but is being held back by the MCP alt constraint. When this happens, raise your MCP alt to 8000 and press the ALT INTV button to put the plane back into VNAV SPD mode to climb, and once again, it will switch to VNAV PTH once alt is reached.

Like Ringo, I also arm the LOC when I'm on my final turn onto the intercept heading.
 
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Thank you both for that, that makes a lot more sense and it was what I was doing(90% of it).
Just to clarify, would you press the ALT INTV button to descend too but only once you have passed the T/D or will the FMC start to descend the plane automatically once the T/D has been reached and therfore dont have to press the ALT INTV button?

OK that’s fine, I press LOC on my final heading too.

Thanks again, will give it a try later when I’m home!
 
If you have the cruise altitude set in the MCP window and you pass T/D then you will get a RESET MCP ALT message in the FMC. If atc were you clear you to descend earlier than T/D then you could hit DESCEND NOW in the FMC and scroll down MCP window to cleared level.
 
Also, on the descent there is no need to press the ALT INTV button. Once you are past T/D point, the plane will descend as soon as you drop the MCP altitude. I normally just drop the MCP to glidescope intercept height. The FMC takes care of it pretty well.
 
V - sounds like you're doing very well.

I had another virtual flick through of the ifly manual and have picked up on some other things that I'll mention next time we speak.

I can be online tomorrow between 8-10pm. Please don't wait though. I can catch up with whatever is going on.
 
!bluetonic! said:
This has never worked for me. I might be doing something wrong.

I disengage / engage VNAV and then my plane will descend.
Click to expand...

It could well be that the iFly doesn't do things as accurately as the PMDG but you would think that it would at least model basic descent functionality properly.

You should expect the speed to start coming back about a minute before you reach T/D. At 5nm to T/D you should get an FMC alert to say RESET MCP ALTITUDE. Do you not get these?

Are you dropping the MCP window before or after the T/D?
 
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ringo747 said:
It could well be that the iFly doesn't do things as accurately as the PMDG but you would think that it would at least model basic descent functionality properly.

You should expect the speed to start coming back about a minute before you reach T/D. At 5nm to T/D you should get an FMC alert to say RESET MCP ALTITUDE. Do you not get these?

Are you dropping the MCP window before or after the T/D?
Click to expand...

If I drop the MCP Alt before T/D, then everything is fine and it will descent without further interaction.

If I miss the T/D, lower the alt, then it won't unless I click alt intv or vnav disengage / engage.
 
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