The 747-400

[cyoo eddie]

"Bryan, yes fsbuild is stand alone as stated. What i like you can let it do a route for you or you can copy/paste routes from flightaware or other such place and it will build the route. when done it will export the plan to any aircraft that allows that kind of thing like the pmdg stuff, leveld and others along with putting it into fs flight plans or squawkbox. You can also print it out. You can download into it the latest navdata and sids and stars, very versitile tool . I always do the flightplan, figure the fuel, takeoff stuff etc before i open fs, that way it is all ready to go. The only thing i dont like about fsbuild is the map that it draws the route out on is kind of ... well ... simple. ed mosier 1287"

[chevol]

"Hi guys, You should all be working for advertising agencies!!! I had promissed my wife I would spend this Summer outdoors, working in the garden and painting the house and I end up reading pages and pages about the 744 and trying to run it. I was going to resist but... yes it looks great (I haven't flown it yet, just downloaded it). Question to Ed: how do you export an FSbuild FP directly to the 744 FMC ? cheers Luc"

[hawkeyeted]

"Luc, Use the 737NG to export to 747. Both the PMDG 737NG and the 747 use the same FMC format. In fact, if you update your FSBuild to 2.2.2b, it changes the header to "PMDG 737NG/747" instead of just "PMDG 737NG"."

[Brogs]

"Ok, I,m convinced,I,m,going to buy it! just have to get out my Steel Helmet and Flak Jacket because there is going to be a load of not so Friendly Fire heading in my direction !! Safe Landings , Mike"

[BarryTheAviator]

"

Hi Barry, just a quck question. FSbuild looks like it supports the usage of SID's and STAR's, any particular reason you use FSnav to integrate your SID's and STAR's? Just wondered so I can choose the best program when I get ready. Thanks!

Unless someone can point me in the right direction, although FSBUILD does support SIDS & STARS they do not seem to be exported to other flight planning aids (like the PMDG FMC, or FSNavigtor). Also it is very easy to change in FSNavigaotr "on the fly" so if there is (for example) a late runway chnage from the expected (due to winds) you can change it (and the STAR) very quickly in FSNAvigaor and then enter the new navpoints into the FMC or CIVa (or even cheat and use FSNavigator to drive the A/P on the new STAR). Barry"

[yoni63]

"I see, so its really kind of a preference thing. It all sounds good, just have to think about the $$ part. I just spent a few bucks on PMDG getting the F model and what not, so I am thinking I might let things cool for a little while then go for it. You know their getting rich off guys like us don't you?!!! But I guess it's in our blood now."

[hawkeyeted]

"Barry, Bryan, et. al., FSBuild DOES support PMDG 747. Export your flightplan using the PMDG 737NG. Both the 737 and the 747 use the same flight plan protocol. As I mentioned to Luc, if you upgrae to the v2.2.2b, the title for the PMDG export tool changes from "PMDG 737NG" to "PMDG 737/747 FMC" And, FSBuild does support SID/STAR. Go to the FSBuild website and ensure you have the latest navdata (should be from around May - I know, it's not updated on a regular basis.). The alternative is that you can manually build the SID or STAR in FSBuild with the waypoints. When you export the flight plan, the SID or STAR will be in there as waypoints."

[mlegein]

"

Barry, Bryan, et. al., FSBuild DOES support PMDG 747. Export your flightplan using the PMDG 737NG. Both the 737 and the 747 use the same flight plan protocol. As I mentioned to Luc, if you upgrae to the v2.2.2b, the title for the PMDG export tool changes from "PMDG 737NG" to "PMDG 737/747 FMC" And, FSBuild does support SID/STAR. Go to the FSBuild website and ensure you have the latest navdata (should be from around May - I know, it's not updated on a regular basis.). The alternative is that you can manually build the SID or STAR in FSBuild with the waypoints. When you export the flight plan, the SID or STAR will be in there as waypoints.

Usually, a flightplan does not contain the entire STAR or SID in detail. I use RouteFinder from within FSBuild and it does find SIDs and STARs but it only mentions the transition waypoint which is where a SID connects to the route or where the route connects to the STAR. The FMS should be able to insert all the extra waypoints once you identify the SID or STAR. For example, if I take-off from Brussels (EBBR) and my flightplan lists KOKSY3A as my SID, the plugging this into the FMS should produce all the waypoints from the runway to the KOK VOR where I connect to the rest of the route. If I fly the -200 then I look at the charts and fly the SID manually and enter KOK as my first waypoint."

[yoni63]

"Michel, got a question? Do you know where I can find instructions on going from "heading select" to LNAV on the 744? I am getting airborne, using heading select as I recieve instructions by ATC, then when ready to activate the LNAV and let the FMC do the flying, it won't activate? I have searched and tried everything from disengaging the entire auto pilot and flight director to actually returning to the runway and not even using the heading select. FMC doesn't indicate I am skipping anything on entering the data for the legs either? Anyone else have this issue? I am sure its something simple but I am just not finding it. I may have to fly my August Polar flight in the 742 until I can get this issue figured out. Thanks."

[Greg Goodavish]

"What I usually do is when ATC is done with the heading instructions, and tells me to resume own nav or go direct to xxx, I use heading to get my aircraft headed to a 30 degree or less intercept with the flight path on the HSI. Then, I fly that heading until almost intercepting the flight path line, and then hit LNAV. Works every time. Try it. "

[yoni63]

"Ok, will give that a go, thanks Greg."

[mlegein]

"Sorry Bryan, I didn't see that your question was addressed to me. I would follow the same technique: use HDG to intercept the flight path and then switch to LNAV."

[cyoo eddie]

"Bryan, not to be a smarta** here, but you did activate the flightplan in the fmc? It shows up in the PFD? One thing that frustrated me on my first couple of flights, (had to abort) was I also could not get the auto pilot to engage or the Lnav, also the vnav would act funny It would not hold a altitude. The plane would fly on its own, then a fmc message that I was not on intercept coarse. What seemed to solve this problem was I read on the pmdg ops page not to use the fs fuel loader or pax/cargo loader. What i had been doing was the same as the rfp742, lowering all the tanks to about 10% before loading the plane. I stopped doing that and use the pmdg loader and the ap works ok now. Just need to figure out why on approch it wants to drop below glideslope. ed mosier 1287"

[yoni63]

"Hi Ed, thanks for the input not taken badly at all. I appreciate it. I did activate it and it does show up on my display like it should. Just couldn't get it to engage the LNAV. It was like once I chose heading select, it would not come off of that mode. I am going to do some testing with it this week and hopefully get a handle on it. I have only used the PMDG loader for fuel and cargo both. I just need to read up some more I think. Bryan"

[chevol]

"Hi everybody, Ed said : I will have to keep a seat next to the computer now for my dog and teach him to growl if i try to touch any swithces after vnav and rnav... this is very true and it makes long flights a bit less interesting but it is a great airplane and the documentation is fantastic! I was re-watching the great ITVV Virgin flight from Heathrow to San Francisco and it shows how real the soft is, bravo! Question: how do you calculate assumed temp for derated to, it must be somewhere in the docs but where? PS: my wife loves the little loading trucks so I can forget the garden for a while cheers Luc"