FMC - Which waypoint to choose?

A

Andrew Williams

Users Local time
Today 10:46 PM
Something I have never understood...

When filling the flight route into the FMC, sometimes for a certain waypoint,(porta for example in the photo below) you get more than one option.
Usually I just choose the top one, and it has never failed me.

Today choosing the top result tried to send my plane 700nm in the wrong direction :lol:

So what is the correct way of choosing the correct waypoint?

fmc_porta.jpg
 
You can do as Rafael said, anyway - you shoud check legs page after each waypoint or after you finish your flightplan, to see there distance between waypoints. Check distance to destination on progres page too, you should notice if something is wrong, 500nm more than it should be for that route for example ;)
But you don't need to tipe each waypoint manual, only if it's your pleasure.
I'm using FSBuild for flightplans, it has the possibility to build and convert flightplans to different formats: fsx flightplan, PMDG format, LEVEL-D etc. You can set FSBuild to automatically build flightplans for FSX and PMDG simultaneously, so you will have pre - saved flightplans for fsx and company route for NGX. This is much closer to reality, pilots get flightplans from their airline, more then that - they have all combination of departure and arrival runways.
 
Are you saying I have to actually use my brain :eek:

What if that waypoint was 1200nm into a 2500nm flight? The one nearest to my current location may not be the correct one, and when I enter the previous waypoint, it doesn't give me the long/lat of that point to check if the next is near.
 
Andrew Williams said:
Are you saying I have to actually use my brain :eek:

What if that waypoint was 1200nm into a 2500nm flight? The one nearest to my current location may not be the correct one, and when I enter the previous waypoint, it doesn't give me the long/lat of that point to check if the next is near.
Click to expand...
just check total distance on progres page, if there is more than 2500nm - something is wrong
 
Andrew Williams said:
Are you saying I have to actually use my brain :eek:
Click to expand...

It wasn't mine intention to offend you . If you feel so then I want to upologize.
Andrew Williams said:
What if that waypoint was 1200nm into a 2500nm flight? The one nearest to my current location may not be the correct one, and when I enter the previous waypoint, it doesn't give me the long/lat of that point to check if the next is near.
Click to expand...

I mostly use routefinder. on this site you get geographical coordinates of waypoint.
Code: 
Route generator for PC flight simulation use - NOT FOR REAL WORLD NAVIGATION
(C)2005-2007 ASA srl - Italy 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computed route from WIEN SCHWECHAT (LOWW, LO) to WARSZAWA/OKECIE (EPWA, EP): 13 fixes, 324.8 nautical miles

Cruise altitude between FL350 and FL350
LOWW (0.0nm) -SID-> ABLOM (20.9nm) -UL725-> LEDRI (25.0nm) -UM985-> 
XENAK (30.0nm) -UM985-> JAN (40.4nm) -UM866-> UPALI (90.7nm) -UM866-> 
DBV (104.9nm) -UM985-> MEBAN (153.8nm) -UM985-> JAB (155.9nm) -UM985-> 
SKAVI (184.6nm) -UM985-> JED (229.2nm) -UM866-> LOGDA (270.9nm) -STAR-> 
EPWA (324.8nm) 

Details:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ID      FREQ   TRK   DIST   Coords                       Name/Remarks
LOWW             0      0   N48°06'37.00" E016°34'11.00" WIEN SCHWECHAT
ABLOM           96     21   N48°04'03.24" E017°05'15.73" ABLOM
LEDRI           68      4   N48°05'27.20" E017°10'58.27" LEDRI
XENAK           68      5   N48°07'10.00" E017°17'59.00" XENAK
JAN     110.8   68     10   N48°10'43.20" E017°32'40.80" JANOVCE
UPALI           49     50   N48°42'32.00" E018°31'15.00" UPALI
DBV     310     49     14   N48°51'29.00" E018°47'57.90" DUBOVE
MEBAN           41     49   N49°27'18.00" E019°38'48.00" MEBAN
JAB     116.4   35      2   N49°28'58.45" E019°40'42.98" JABLONKA
SKAVI           15     29   N49°56'25.00" E019°54'00.00" SKAVI
JED     115.6   15     45   N50°38'50.35" E020°15'04.34" JEDRZEJOW JEDOW
LOGDA           21     42   N51°17'04.00" E020°41'38.00" LOGDA
EPWA             8     54   N52°09'56.70" E020°58'01.64" WARSZAWA/OKECIE


Tracks are magnetic, distances are in nautical miles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 LOWW SID ABLOM UL725 LEDRI UM985 JAN UM866 DBV UM985 JED UM866 LOGDA STAR EPWA
 
Zeljko Budovic said:
just check total distance on progres page, if there is more than 2500nm - something is wrong
Click to expand...

Good point, that I never thought of :)

Rafal Zielinski said:
Andrew Williams said:
Are you saying I have to actually use my brain :eek:
Click to expand...

It wasn't mine intention to offend you . If you feel so then I want to upologize.
Click to expand...

I was just joking, no offense taken in the slightest :D
Code: 
<i>
</i>

ID      FREQ   TRK   DIST   Coords                       Name/Remarks
LOWW             0      0   N48°06'37.00" E016°34'11.00" WIEN SCHWECHAT
ABLOM           96     21   N48°04'03.24" E017°05'15.73" ABLOM
LEDRI           68      4   N48°05'27.20" E017°10'58.27" LEDRI
XENAK           68      5   N48°07'10.00" E017°17'59.00" XENAK
JAN     110.8   68     10   N48°10'43.20" E017°32'40.80" JANOVCE
UPALI           49     50   N48°42'32.00" E018°31'15.00" UPALI
DBV     310     49     14   N48°51'29.00" E018°47'57.90" DUBOVE
MEBAN           41     49   N49°27'18.00" E019°38'48.00" MEBAN
JAB     116.4   35      2   N49°28'58.45" E019°40'42.98" JABLONKA
SKAVI           15     29   N49°56'25.00" E019°54'00.00" SKAVI
JED     115.6   15     45   N50°38'50.35" E020°15'04.34" JEDRZEJOW JEDOW
LOGDA           21     42   N51°17'04.00" E020°41'38.00" LOGDA
EPWA             8     54   N52°09'56.70" E020°58'01.64" WARSZAWA/OKECIE


Tracks are magnetic, distances are in nautical miles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 LOWW SID ABLOM UL725 LEDRI UM985 JAN UM866 DBV UM985 JED UM866 LOGDA STAR EPWA


Hmmmm, maybe this is something we can look into adding on the briefing page. I will speak to Peter and Norbert about it :)
 
Zeljko Budovic said:
Just a couple of screenshots from FSBuild:cutoff to safespace
Click to expand...

Is there freeware version of this software cause I read that there is but I can't find it on the net.
 
Rafal Zielinski said:
Is there freeware version of this software cause I read that there is but I can't find it on the net.
Click to expand...

I tried to find something about it. There was a freeware version, but link is down. In one forum, i found that you can try to contact Ernie(developer) and ask about this freeware version, maybe you might be lucky:

Contact Info, Ernie Alston/Fsbuild.

Fsbuild Support:

email: alstoer1@compuserve.com

You can try this freeware, i tried earlier version, it looks good:
You do not have permission to view link please Log in or Register


Instant Messaging AIM: 'alstoer1'
 
Just to complete this, there's another way to check your FMC route. Once you have entered, activated and "executed" your route in FMC, call the "legs" page and find a position in the VC where you can see your ND and CDU at the same time ...
[imgpop]http://www.air-child.com/files/pix/planstep.jpg[/imgpop]
Switch the ND display to "plan" and select a suitable range. Now you can "step" through your plan and check the FMC if there are unusual distances and check the ND if there are unusual turns.
This should work with most payware FMC's, btw, also Airbus, ATR etc.
 
oops ... something slipped through this morning
Andrew Williams said:
maybe this is something we can look into adding on the briefing page. I will speak to Peter and Norbert about it :)
Click to expand...
This way of detailed waypoint listing is exactly what we are working on, right now, and will be part of the extended company flight planning. Drew, if you have read your PM you know more, already ;)
 
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