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FMC\'s - do you use them?

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EHM-2097 Andrei:
I use FMC or not... depending on the aircraft.

For now, the only payware aircraft I got is Wilco / Feelthere Airbus (volume 1). Although there are a lot of features incorporated in their FMC, which make it interesting to use, there are some severe limitations too:

- It is VERY sensitive to changes (it is an adventure to change the STAR while airborne, and sometimes the result gets so messy that only the manual flight option remains available)

- The SID/STAR processor only understands "track to" legs, while in the real procedures there is a lot more (procedure turns, heading to intercept VOR radial etc.)

Due to these limitations, I only use fully the FMC while flying offline, by checking in advance the runways in use at both origin and destination, and planning the whole route before getting airborne. I tried a couple of flights online but every time I had to fly the arrival / approach procedures by hand.

How to use the FMC (one of the questions of the original post), however, was never the issue, roughly everything is explained in the provided PDF manual (as chapter referred, but not included in the printed manual!).


My experience in payware FMC is about to "double" though, because I just bought the Flight1 ATR - waiting for delivery as I write this - so I will let you know how I feel about it.


I tried the vasFMC, an older version I think, but although it includes a lot of good work for an interesting results, I don't use it on a regular basis for several reasons:

- The same limitation as above in SID/STAR procedures (with a difference though: the vasFMS manual clearly states this limitation, while in the case of Wilco I had a long e-mail conversation with the support people, who in the end did not provide an actual answer to my question about it).

- A very personal motive - due to the same limitation and a procedure turn gone bad, which led to one of my very few "avoidable crashes" with the EHM fleet.

- The version I tried was a standalone application, partially integrated with FS, which was not a big plus for realism.

I need also to mention that auto-flying SID/STAR/approach procedures is not a most desirable feature for me because this is exactly what I like to do manually. In fact, the flying style I like most is semi-manual, that is controlling via the AP "hold airspeed", "hold heading" and "hold altitude / vertical speed".

However, as a professional software engineer, I find very appealing the idea of programming the whole flight (into the FMC) then relax and let the machine do its job while enjoying the landscape.

Thus FMCs are definitely a subject of interest for me.

Andrei

P.S. Dominic, in your original post I think you forgot one possible reason for not using a FMC: "I use INS instead" :)

EHM-1671 Ben:
I don't have any payware planes with an FMC but it also looks too complicated ;)

EHM-1749 Hector:
The only FMC I use is the one in B763 from LDS. I can say that I have a good knowledge of it eventhough sometimes it does weird things (or maybe I am the one doing weird things) specially when changing the FP. In every flight I try new stuff to check the results. SID/STARS sometimes are not programmed as they should be but when this happens I just delete the WPs not in the SID or STAR.
The guys from Ifly developed the FMC for the B742 and my plan is to start looking at as soon as I finish reading the 400+ pages of the manual.
A final word regarding SIDs/STARs is that I normally get them from the Planet site since Navigraph does not include them in the cycles.

Most of the time I use only the LNAV part of the FMC during the initial climb and final descent stages for I prefer to have full control of the climb/descent rates.

EHM-1944 Jaap:
Ok Hector,I agree with that.Flying the B763 in the vnav mode while using PP can give you nice penalties ;)
So I only use vnav while climbing over 10.000 ft using reduced thrust (clb2) and while descending I will switch off vnav and take control over speed and vert speed myself via the mode control panel. And ofcourse vnav is used while cruising.
Sids and stars are imported from FSbuild if possible.

EHM-1749 Hector:
100% correct Jaap. I can also turn VNAV off during cruise in those instances when the wind speed is high and shifting in direction.
BTW, have you ever got the Insufficient Fuel warning? I have never got it even when loading a low amount on purpose.

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