2 CONTENTS CONTENTS PREFACE 1.0 OVERVIEW 1.1 WAYPOINT LISTS 1.2 BUILDING SIDS and STARS 1.3 OFFICIAL CHARTS 1.4 ONLINE FLIGHT PLANNING 1.5 CHOOSING YOUR PROCEDURES 1.6 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 2. 0 HARDWARE INTERFACE 2.1 MCDU SCREEN 2.2 SCRATCHPAD 2.3 FUNCTION KEYS 2.4 INIT 2.5 PREV / NEXT 2.6 CLR 2.7 DIRECT TO 2.8 EXEC 2.9 PLUS / MINUS (+/) 2.10 AIRP / VOR / NDB / FIX / (LATLON) 2.11 RADIO 2.12 SELECTOR KNOB 2.13 DATA ENTRY KEYS 3.0 MCDU PAGES 3.1 INDEX 3.2 STATUS 3.3 DEPARTURE / ARRIVAL 3.4 SID/STAR EDIT 3.5 ADD RTE WPTS 3 14 ADDING VS. 3. 9 LIMITATIONS 4.0 HELPFUL TIPS AND ADVICE 5.8 ADDING / EDITING WAYPOINTS 4.2 AMPLIFIED CHECKLIST 4.3 FLT PLAN REVIEW 4.10 EDITING: ADDING WAYPOINTS 4.1 SPECIAL NOTE 5.3 WHY IS A SID OR STAR NOT AVAILABLE? 5.5 FLIGHT PLAN CHANGES 4. 0 TYPICAL USAGE 4. VOR.4 WAYPOINT SELECTOR KNOB 4.6 EDITING SCENARIOS 4.7 ROUTE ENDPOINTS 4.11 EDITING: AIRP.13 EDITING: ALL TYPES: 4.12 EDITING: LAT/LON 4.10 LOAD 3.7 ROUTE EDIT 3. NDB & FIX 4.8 AUTOPILOT 3.11 SAVE 3.6 MCDU WARNINGS FOR EDITING 3.2 TIPS and ADVICE 5.3 TUTORIAL VIDEOS 4 .1 DEMO 4.12 RADIO 1 and RADIO 2 4. EDITING 5.9 FLT PLAN 3. the FMS contains a rather powerful waypoint editor that can be used on SIDs and STARs. and there is simply no way to test every procedure to validate it’s use with this FMS. It is primarily an interface to add. and should take users new to complex flight planning one step closer to the sorts of virtual hardware one might find in a more detailed and authentic. be sure to view the special note in Section 5 if there are any questions or concerns regarding procedures that you may choose to load. Many users will never have any reason to question what they have loaded into a SID or STAR procedure waypoint list. study level airliner FMS simulation. it will provide a new challenge beyond that offered by stock XPlane aircraft and instrumentation. But there are many. This way the 'hardcore' simmers will be able to enjoy the custom FMS while the casual simmers who are not so familiar with all the procedures and instruments can use the default one. You can switch between these two by clicking on the button in the top left corner of the Popup FMS. Fortunately. as well as your ROUTE or loaded FLT PLAN. Also. IMPORTANT : it is still possible to use the basic XPlane FMS aside from the custom FMS. many variations on procedures throughout the world. 5 . create and edit the components of any normal flight plan. PREFACE While this custom FMS is a somewhat unique design aside from the far more detailed and capable MCDU's found in today's modern airliners. This should help 99% of users resolve any situation that may be encountered that is not as they might expect. 1 WAYPOINT LISTS The XCrafts E175 FMS uses three separate lists to build a flight plan (FLT PLAN). as well as departure and approach documentation for their airport of origin and their destination. A SID is like a ramp leading up to a super highway. and you should expect to have to learn how to employ this published information as you learn to use the custom MCDU provided with this custom FMS. the flight plan is normally composed of three primary elements: the SID. In modern commercial aviation. All three are simply lists of waypoints corresponding to a standard instrument departure from an airport.” STAR stands for “Standard Terminal Arrival Route. all depending on the manner appropriate for a given airport. Reading and understanding departure and arrival charts is essential to successfully using any FMS that provides departure and arrival procedures facilities. 1. A word of caution here. and a STAR is your "off ramp" once you've reached your destination. and the STAR is assembled from FINAL approach and approach transition.2 BUILDING SIDS and STARS The SID and STAR are built using departure and transition for the SID. the ROUTE waypoint list. These are the SID procedure waypoint list. a ROUTE is like a highway in the sky. and the STAR procedure waypoint list. longitude and altitude. and/or a STAR arrival. It is very easy to compose a combination of waypoints that make no logical sense when combined with your planned flight route. the waypoints that we've planned to fly from one airport to another. which pertain to the three primary elements of a typical flight. Understanding how SIDs and ROUTEs and STARs link together is essential. one uses various official charts to plan their route. the ROUTE and the STAR.” 1. defined by latitude.3 OFFICIAL CHARTS To prepare for one's flight. or waypoints. 1. 6 .0 OVERVIEW Think of a flight plan as a list of geographical locations. 1. SID is an acronym that stands for “Standard Instrument Departure. and finally the waypoint list for our standard terminal arrival route procedure. The charts will give you a means to identify a list of waypoints that you will manually enter into the MCDU using the ADD RTE WPTS page. ROUTE and STAR are within 3 miles of each other. Users outside the United States may wish to visit http://www. These facilities give you the ability to download your route as a . naturally.eurocontrol. you manually place these in your XPlane/output/Flight Plans folder. the EXEC function of the MCDU will merge your ROUTE endpoint(s) as needed with the appropriate SID and/or STAR waypoint. This is because leg lengths shorter than 3 miles are impractical. 7 . you select a STAR for your destination or "ARRIVAL" airport. You can also research your SIDs and STARs online at http://www. 1.fms file that XPlane will understand.com/ .5 CHOOSING YOUR PROCEDURES The departure and approach documents you use will help familiarize you with what is available. Once download. You can request a STAR on arrival. Note that if the endpoints of your SID.airnav. All that remains is to combine these three lists into one so that you can execute your plan. you then have all of the elements of a flight plan. 1. This is subject to ATC direction. You choose a departure SID based on the winds and what you know to be the active runway for your airport of origin.4 ONLINE FLIGHT PLANNING An alternative to manually entered waypoints would be to use an online flight planner to choose your route waypoints. This selection is your best guess during the planning phase. 1. Similarly. but it's up to ATC to clear your selection.int/articles/aisonline instead.6 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER After you've completed selecting your procedures and your route. and these are identified as L1 to L6 on the left. 0 HARDWARE INTERFACE 2. including the rather simple MCDU used by the stock XPlane FMS instrument. 8 .1 MCDU SCREEN The main body of the MCDU (Multipurpose Control Display Unit) is similar to most that you may have already been exposed to. 2. and up to 14 rows of text are displayed on 17 unique data pages in addition to the INDEX page. A video screen capable of displaying various color text data lays in between these buttons. depending on the data being displayed. Additional display pages for lists of waypoints or loadable flight plans are provided when the entry counts exceed 9 or 10 per page. and R1 to R6 on the right. There is an upper screen with six buttons on each side. 9 . Just above the SCRATCHPAD is a system message area. but only when it is available. Pay attention to this area when entering data to avoid unexpected results. All data to be entered first appears here. as well as a number of warnings when appropriate. prior to being "injected" into various data fields using the buttons on either side of the MDCU screen. 2.2 SCRATCHPAD The bottom row of this display will show the SCRATCHPAD. This provides instant feedback on both successful data entry or function selection. 4 INIT Initializes the XPlane navigation database and resets the waypoint counter to zero. Use with care. 2. This function is only available on the MDCU and FLT PLAN pages.3 FUNCTION KEYS Below the screen are two rows of special function keys. 2. See Section 5.0. Use in flight could see your aircraft turn for the departure airport when a new flight plan is loaded. 10 . 2.7 DIRECT TO This is the arrow pointing to the right. and will also be available on editing pages in the future. 2. If a waypoint detail page is created for the active flight plan at some point. the lists are merged into a FLT PLAN and loaded into the XPlane navigation database. 2. This is only available on the ROUTE WAYPOINT page at present. and any and all data needed. It is only useful in entering LAT/LON data. these will also perform a waypoint list navigation function. it’s gone permanently. This function is only available on the MDCU and FLT PLAN pages. 2. Performs the DIRECT TO function when viewing an active flight plan (FLT PLAN).9 PLUS / MINUS (+/) This key will change the sign of numeric data on the scratchpad. ROUTE and STAR EDIT pages.6 CLR This button is only functional on the SID.8 EXEC If there is data in any combination of SID. 11 . Note that you can also enter a WEST longitude or a SOUTH latitude by beginning your entry with a minus sign (hyphen). depending on what's being displayed. if any. It’s used to clear the list entries so that you can reenter data or other need. There is no “undo” function. These are the five possible types of waypoint to store. as the situation dictates. 2.10 AIRP / VOR / NDB / FIX / (LATLON) These five buttons are only active on the NEW ROUTE WPT and EDIT WAYPOINT pages. ROUTE or STAR waypoint lists. Note that the ends of the ROUTE will be merged with the ends of the SID or STAR if these points are within approximately 3 miles of each other. these are only for paging through lists of data when such lists are greater than 9 or 10 items per page. Once the list is gone. 2. would need to be reloaded.5 PREV / NEXT At present. rotations to right will advance a highlight down 12 . transponder and IDENT. The theory here is that if you need the radio page. In this ERJstylized MCDU. When displaying lists of data. There are no exit checks for either adding a new waypoint or editing an existing waypoints. 2. 2. you need it immediately in order to handle an ATC directive. This is currently the only way to enter 8.11 RADIO This button is a shortcut to the radio page so that you can quickly digitally enter a frequency and manage active frequencies.12 SELECTOR KNOB On the real ERJ175. it's used as a selector spinner and pushbutton. it's lost. this is used to tune radios.33khz radio channels. NOTE: If you are editing anything. and DEL will delete anything entered in the SCRATCHPAD. 13 . The left arrow key is the “backspace” key for the SCRATCHPAD. numbers zero through nine. rotations to the left will move the highlight up the page. 2. Pressing (clicking) the smaller center knob selects the item that is currently highlighted. Full alphabet. the page.13 DATA ENTRY KEYS Generally selfexplanatory. a decimal key and a minus() key. 14 . if desired. that key is active and will do something for you. 3. the setting of the autopilot and loaded ROUTE.2 STATUS General information about the location of the aircraft. No other functionality. On this page you see use of arrows pointing at keys. at the data screen.1 INDEX This is the main page that routes you to most of the other pages directly. When you see arrows pointing away from the data and towards a key.0 MCDU PAGES 3. If you see arrows pointing inwards. then SCRATCHPAD data can be "injected" at that entry point. The OAT key will change the display from Celsius to Fahrenheit. 3. SID and STAR waypoint lists. SID 2. reselecting either the standard departure or final approach will clear the previous dependent procedure element selection for a SID transition or STAR approach transition. you must then select a runway with button R3. You can reselect any of the procedure elements if you change your mind or make a mistake. 15 . you can start over by reentering the airport ICAO code in the scratch pad and insert it with button L4. and for STARs only.3 DEPARTURE / ARRIVAL Select an airport by entering the ICAO code in the SCRATCHPAD and then insert it with button L4. You can reselect any of the procedure elements if you change your mind or make a mistake. SID transitions and STAR arrivals can be selected independently. Since SID transitions and STAR approach transitions are dependent on the standard departures and final approach types. Runway 1. ARRIVAL (STAR or TRANSITION with STAR) 3. You then continue to the SID/STAR procedure element selection pages with buttons R4 and R5. Runway 2. Since SID transitions and STAR approach transitions are dependent on the standard departures and final approach types. SID Transition 3. 3. R6. If you need to clear your entries in full to reselect. There is an order of selection to be followed: DEPARTURE ARRIVAL 1. FINAL Approach SID transitions and STAR arrivals can be selected independently. Once you've entered a valid airport. Approach Transition (APPTR) 4. reselecting either the standard departure or final approach will clear the previous dependent procedure element selection for a SID transition or STAR approach transition. 16 . Note that these pages are only accessible via DEPARTURE/ARRIVAL. Likewise for navigating the pages. and click as needed to move the knob. This will be where you access the individual waypoints to select them for editing. The last row will rotate to the first and vice versa. Use the PREV/NEXT buttons to advance through pages.4 SID/STAR EDIT These pages provide a list of the waypoints generated from the XPlane GNS430 data files provided by Laminar research or your custom data files. Clicking on the center of the knob will allow you to edit the waypoint selected. They are not displayed on the MCDU INDEX page. Rotate the knob as needed to highlight the desired row by hovering the mouse on either side of the knob to access the manipulator popups. 3. 17 . . 3. 18 .. VOR.OR. Choose your fix type using the waypoint type buttons.. See section 4.. Entries turn yellow when data needs to be saved. but after that. the last waypoint type used persists to the next blank entry. You can't enter a fix when in Lat/Lon mode.5 ADD RTE WPTS This page allows you to manually add ROUTE waypoints either to a new plan or to one that you've loaded.. and you can't enter a Lat/Lon when you're entering data for an airport. enter an ID. The default waypoint type when selecting this page is FIX.8 for more information on Adding and Editing waypoints. Entries are green when the loaded information is being displayed. NDB or FIX.enter a latitude and longitude. Lat/Lon entry is segregated from fix entry.. the system will warn that a route requires two waypoints. 19 . This page operates in a manner similar to the SID and STAR EDIT pages you visit when building a SID or STAR. If less than two waypoints have been entered and you leave anyway. A second attempt to navigate away from this page following a warning override the warning and you will lose data. or waypoints added manually. 3. you will be warned that your entries haven't been saved. This page will show either waypoints you loaded from an external file. you will be warned that your data is incomplete.7 ROUTE EDIT See the section on Adding and Editing waypoints. If you try to leave this page with unsaved data. you lose everything. even your first saved waypoint.6 MCDU WARNINGS FOR EDITING If you try to save incomplete data. If you've entered less than two waypoints. 3. 3. Note that this does not replace the top shelf autopilot controls. The rest of the data displayed is provided to give you a repeater of various current aircraft flight data and autopilot function status indications as you make your autopilot entries. 20 . Either can be used at any time.8 AUTOPILOT Here you can quickly enter values much larger or much smaller than are currently selected by using the digital keypad to enter numeric information into the SCRATCHPAD. Anywhere else in the SCRATCHPAD entry. Only fields that are colored magenta can be changed using this page. and then injecting it where needed. The minus sign () only works for the VERTICAL VELOCITY selection in the first field. and you will be informed of your misdeed when you try to inject the data containing it. using buttons L1 through L4 on the left. just as in the SID. 21 .9 FLT PLAN This shows the flightplan after EXEC has been pressed and your waypoint package merged and injected into the XPlane navigation database. The bright magenta highlight will advance as the FMS negotiates its way through the flight plan. 3. The first and last waypoint will always be a LAT/LON waypoint as these are actually the LAT/LON positions of the selected runways' thresholds. Use of DIRECT TO will update the flight plan as XPlane replaces your current waypoint destination with a LAT/LON coordinate. You can highlight any field that is later in the route than currently displayed. The center button of the knob can be used to select available waypoints for editing. When such fields are highlighted. You cannot navigate your selection back to "used" waypoints. which will precede the waypoint the you have chosen to fly to directly. DIRECT TO becomes available for that waypoint. 10 LOAD This gives you a list of the files in your XPlane /output/Flight Plans directory. 22 . A file named FMS_File_Loader_Report. If any files are found by the FMS that have names longer than this. You get 28 characters for flight plan file names.txt is created every time you go into this page.fms files that have been rejected. 3. NOTE: The width of the page only permits just so many characters to display. they are not included in the list. Many pages of entries are possible. and it contains a list of the . not including the file extension. 500. the decimal point. Repeat the save command (button R6) if you want to override.11 SAVE Replace "ENTER A FILENAME" with the text of your choice. Once entered. you'll get a warning when you try to save. for example. becomes 121. Enter the first three digits. the buttons next to the arrows pointing up and down will swap the radio frequency entered into standby with the frequency that is active. This is relatively straightforward.5. NAV1 and NAV2 radio frequencies. 3. COMM2. 23 . 121. up to 28 characters. It the filename already exists. as well as the transponder functions. 3.12 RADIO 1 and RADIO 2 RADIO 1 gives you control of the COMM1. and then however many further digits are needed to complete the entry. you can’t do it using the radio panels. As with other pages. digital data is entered to the SCRATCHPAD and injected using the appropriate left or right screen buttons. You can also enter the transponder code and IDENT. You can only enter an 8.33khz radio frequency using the FMS interface. 24 . It is only available from the RADIO 1 page. The RADIO 2 page gives you access to the ADF functions. You can swap between the active and standby frequencies using the appropriate button. Select your departure from the list of those available for your runway. Transition selection is optional. Use the PREV and NEXT keys below the screen to change pages as needed. you may proceed to the SID edit page where you may review the waypoints. here's a sequence of entries that should get you ready to go.. 4. Select your runway. Select DEPARTURE.Embraer E175/Documents/Demo flight’ folder for a sample flight that will give you the experience of a complete flight.. Something of a "once around the pattern" flight. Select your transition. 7. 5. you may omit the departure. and in particular you may use the waypoint editor to add waypoints or trim as needed. 2. 4.2 AMPLIFIED CHECKLIST Presuming that you've reviewed your charts and procedure documents. and are sitting in the aircraft powered up. 25 . 3. only with 17 waypoints. Enter the ICAO identifier of your departure airport in the scratchpad and inject it using button L2. You will also use the SID edit page to add altitudes for waypoints that are loaded with zero values. Refer to the images on the previous pages if needed: 1. 6. 0 TYPICAL USAGE 4.1 DEMO See the ‘. Return to the MCDU Index and select SID Edit to view the list of waypoints to visually confirm loading. 4. taking off and landing at Tucson International Airport. It will give you the full experience of the flight management functions of the MCDU in around an hour. After selection. If none are available due to procedures that must be eliminated due to waypoints not currently supported. With STARs you select your runway first. which is what you’ll request from ATC. Return to the MCDU Index. This filters out any procedures that do not apply to this runway. 8. The next thing that you need to do is to decide on your method of approach. The most complex solution will be described. which are nearly identical. just like SIDs. and repeat steps 1 through 7. but use the ARRIVAL and STAR related functions instead. 26 . the STAR that it connects to is automatically appended to the end of your transition. Choose ARRIVAL on the ARRIVAL page. All possible routes to the runway approaches are offered. Step 2. You don’t have to fly a transition. Step 1. This will list all of the transitions that are available to the runway you’ve chosen. Choose an approach transition (APPR TRANS). Each will be listed with the runway ID. but if you choose to do so. and that is preceded with a letter. For example: “I11L” is an ILS approach to runway 11L. 27 . So you only need to make one choice here. This will present a list of STARs and STAR transitions. and would conflict with a final waypoint at the end of the arrival runway. While this could automatically be appended to the approach transition for you. the threshold coordinates for your arrival runway are appended automatically to your STAR waypoint list. as defined by the first letter in the runway shown: C CAT II ILS Approach I ILS Approach G GPS/RNAV Approach D VOR/DME Approach N NDB/DME Approach (Please see section 5 for important special notes regarding procedures instruction steps and the resulting waypoint). Step 3: Select your final approach from the list offered. These are the possible approach types you will see. When you select STAR transition. in this case you have the option of using a transition without selecting a final approach. and/or an approach transition. 28 . this is not done since it is typical that missed approach or hold waypoints may also be in the procedure. When you select a FINAL. which will normally be only one if it is of a type that can be used. or a STAR. subject to the preceding special note. 10. 29 . 11. Any combination of SID/ROUTE/STAR will load. If the file you want is reported here. you can load that file and immediately execute it without even considering SID or STAR procedures. At this point. Use the PREV/NEXT buttons as needed. Selection of the file to load is identical to selecting a SID and STAR as you did earlier. It's worth mentioning that you don't have to have all three.txt that is always created every time you fly the ERJ175. You can confirm this by opening the FMS_File_Loader_Report. NOTE: If a file you put in the XPlane/output/Flight Plans directory doesn't show up here. Only . and the outer ring of the selector knob to highlight the file you want when you've found the correct page. If you've shortened the name enough. Exiting the LOAD page and reselecting it will recreate the list of available flight plan files. Different selections may make differences in the waypoints provided. you can edit the filename to be shorter. All it takes is two waypoints to make a valid FLT PLAN. chances are the filename was too long.fms files are offered here. Review the results of your selections on the STAR EDIT page to determine if the route loaded is the route you desire. (A more complete description follows later in this document. The center button of the selector will load the file into the ROUTE waypoint list. A SID and a STAR will yield a FLT plan that takes you from the end of your SID to the beginning of your STAR. if you've created a ROUTE online that already incorporates departure and approach waypoints. Enter your ROUTE OPTION 1: Select the ADD RTE WPTS page and manually enter your route's waypoints. you have the three lists you need to load a full flight plan into the XPlane navigation database. the file will then be available. 9. referring to your airport's procedure documents. Be sure to compare these results with your approach charts and documents.) OPTION 2: Select the LOAD page and choose a route file that you previously created or that you downloaded from an online flight planner. Similarly. We'll get to that. 4. to be sure. ROUTE EDIT and STAR EDIT pages. Once you're satisfied with your lists. Verify your SID/ROUTE/STAR waypoint lists using the SID EDIT. Press the EXEC button to merge and load your three lists of waypoints into the XPlane navigation database. you can use the PREV/NEXT buttons to advance through the various pages of the FLT PLAN. but is good standard procedure to remove any previously loaded data before EXECuting a brand new flight plan . the file you loaded as well as the procedure selections will appear on the STATUS page. 30 . At this point. Additionally. 13. at this point you return to the MCDU INDEX page and press the INIT button. As with any of the list based MCDU functions. This is not mandatory. The FLT PLAN page will also keep track of the waypoint that the aircraft is flying to. There are times when you won't do this. 12. the endpoints are merged as needed and a FLT PLAN is created. 14.3 FLT PLAN REVIEW You can view the completed plan using the FLT PLAN page. ROUTE or STAR. ROUTE and/or STAR files and reEXECute. Doing so will automatically set your destination waypoint to the very first entry. From experience. Reloading an entire flight plan with edited waypoints beyond your current destination waypoint is likely to be successful. Deviations due to weather are best handled by edits to the FLT PLAN. 4. 31 .4 WAYPOINT SELECTOR KNOB You use the selector knob to highlight waypoints that you haven't flown past yet. an update will have the effect of changing the data in the XPlane navigation database. you would edit it here. do not press INIT first . Deviations for diversion to a different destination airport or the substitution of a different STAR than the one you loaded originally would require changing the STAR and reEXECuting. any waypoint that appears above the magenta highlighted waypoint. doing things outside of a simple. If you're cleared to a different altitude.5 FLIGHT PLAN CHANGES Once you've loaded a FLT PLAN. it is always possible to change it's source SID. 4. 4. rational order risks disturbing the stability of XPlane's autopilot link to your flight plan. however. If it proves possible to do so without adversely affecting operation. Reloading your entire flight plan with waypoints that are significantly different from your original route is almost certainly going to fail. ● Substituting a new STAR. meaning you'll probably do a 180 degree turn and fly back to your departure airport. this ability will be offered after successful testing.6 EDITING SCENARIOS There are three scenarios where editing FLT PLAN waypoints while enroute may be needed: ● Deviation due to weather ● Deviation due to diversion to an alternate destination. This does not change the entries in any of the source lists SID. Once editing is completed. You cannot select waypoints that you've already visited that is. The purpose of the selector knob is mainly to allow you to edit waypoint data. Clicking on the center of the selector knob will bring you to the editing page. If you choose to do this. You will never be able to edit any other attribute of the destination waypoint. You can't edit the altitude of the waypoint you're flying to at this time. and reselect your SID. In this case. then the SID SELECT page. only to then return to the airport. Be sure to accommodate any turns from the end of your SID to the ROUTE and the end of your ROUTE to the STAR. STAR or FLT PLAN edit pages.. insert the edited waypoint before the waypoint you originally selected.8 ADDING / EDITING WAYPOINTS The ADD RTE WPT page is nearly identical to the EDIT WAYPOINT page that you can only reach after selecting a waypoint from SID. and if you’ve made a change. simply navigate to the DEPARTURE page. you can update a waypoint. be certain that they do NOT include the departure or arrival airport. 4. The only difference is that you can only save a new waypoint when it's entered. One FLT PLAN edit that requires no special handling is the change of a SID. you can just delete the selected waypoint. Be sure to review your ROUTE waypoints if the SID takes you in a direction that doesn't blend well with the original ROUTE. If you download ROUTE . This is CRITICAL. the entries turn yellow..fms files from the web. It makes no sense to fly a perfectly good procedure. should ATC direct you differently than you planned.7 ROUTE ENDPOINTS Find the endpoints of your optimal SID/STAR selections before you create your ROUTE. 32 . Edit the start of the ROUTE as needed. ROUTE.or. Then reEXECute after pressing INIT once again. Observe that unedited waypoints have all green entries on screen. 4. of course. This also may have the effect of drawing a rather unexpected flight path on your NAV display. With the EDIT WAYPOINT page. insert the edited waypoint after the waypoint you originally selected. or go BACK to whichever edit selection page you were on. the entry type is presented at the top left of the page. and you select the RADIO button (the button closest the selector knob in the second row of buttons). and you will lose the data you entered. the default navigation waypoint type of airport is automatically selected for you. and it is the only waypoint entered. Use button L3 to inject this data.10 EDITING: ADDING WAYPOINTS When you navigate to the ADD RTE WPTS page. If you picked a valid identifier. This is also the automatic selection for any subsequent waypoint entry. If not. 9 LIMITATIONS The ADD RTE WPT and EDIT WAYPOINT pages have a few limitations and one caveat: ● If you've entered any data at all. Additionally. There is no warning of any kind since it is presumed that any need to use the RADIO shortcut button would be for an urgent communications need. ● If at any time you have unsaved data. you will be warned that a ROUTE REQUIRES TWO WAYPOINTS when you try to exit to the MCDU INDEX. you will be advised that the NAV ID cannot be found. 4.11 EDITING: AIRP. the page data text will turn from green to yellow. it will be accepted. 4. you will lose your waypoint entry if there is only one. 33 . This means that if you attempt to return to the MCDU INDEX. with total ROUTE entries being returned to zero. you will lose any unsaved data. or less than two waypoints. below the waypoint number. you will be warned that you have unsaved data. A second attempt to leave will be successful. 4. and you will lose the single waypoint entered. ● If you've entered and saved a waypoint in the ADD ROUTE WAYPOINT page. A second attempt to leave the ADD ROUTE WAYPOINT or EDIT WAYPOINT pages will be successful. NDB & FIX Use the scratchpad to enter the navigation identifier of your selected waypoint type. You have to specifically choose which type of waypoint you are entering at the beginning of each entry. VOR. Once selected. Similarly.xflightplanner. Use buttons R1 and R2 to inject this data as needed. and advance to the next. EDITING There are two main differences between adding and editing.net/ 4. NDB or FIX when LAT/LON is the current waypoint type. For SOUTH and WEST. Otherwise. This gives you a great deal of flexibility in modifying whatever list of waypoints that needs revision.14 ADDING VS. Enter your altitude using the scratchpad and button L5 to inject it. you would find an online planner exceptionally easier. you must either enter the MINUS sign using the digital keypad. If you have a long flight plan. This is one I've used and rather like: http://app. Keep at it until you're done. This is a good thing to do for every waypoint. you use the second row of buttons on the MCDU to choose a new 34 . you can also DELETE. What these functions do is self explanatory. The second is that you no longer "SAVE" a new waypoint. Use button R5 to SAVE your waypoint.13 EDITING: ALL TYPES: If you try to enter an airport. In addition to UPDATE. VOR. If you don't wish to use the waypoint type that was originally selected. 4. you "UPDATE" the existing waypoint.12 EDITING: LAT/LON Use the scratchpad to enter numeric data for latitude and longitude. editing a waypoint is exactly like entering a new one. or you can use the +/ key after entering numeric data only on the scratch pad. although it is not required. You can have up to six digits in your mantissa the decimal portion of the entry. The first is that when you select a waypoint and navigate to the editor using a click on the center of the selector knob. if you attempt to enter a LAT or a LON for a nonLAT/LON waypoint. INSERT BEFORE or INSERT AFTER. 4. it will be rejected. the full data for the waypoint is automatically populated. it will also be rejected. you can go BACK to the original edit list of waypoints without updating. deleting or inserting. Selection of UPDATE. If you've decided not to edit a waypoint. but again. one. you will be warned. DELETE. INSERT BEFORE or INSERT AFTER automatically returns you to the original edit list of waypoints after the requested action has been completed. 35 . and that changes the entry restrictions appropriately when it comes to navigation identifier or latitude and longitude. repeating the BACK selection will override the warning. naturally. If you've entered data. and whatever documents they have that they are referring to when planning their flight. but none of them present a waypoint the FMS can load or display. 36 . the user should consult their charts and either modify their ROUTE or the SID to add appropriate waypoints to accomodate the situation. The result is that the only waypoint loaded for the SID is the runway threshold.1 SPECIAL NOTE: Due to limitations in the functionality offered through the XPlane SDK and the autopilot. or perhaps nothing at all. At these positions the user will detect a distinct difference between what is ultimately displayed. This gets more interesting in that there’s no SID TRANSITION to connect this SID with the ROUTE. When planning and choosing your SID and/or STAR procedures. procedure turns. Also. as opposed to fixed position waypoints. when this occurs. and you wish to employ one that uses one of the more complex navaid related procedures. there are some procedure waypoint lists that will end up showing only the endpoint. So. The undrawn legs will be represented by a direct link from the last usable waypoint to the next. For example. it is not possible to implement procedures that involve flying VOR/DME arcs. one of the SIDs out of KSFO on runway 01L has three procedural elements. and essentially the types of flight paths that are defined by radio navigation aids. you will have the opportunity to preplan alternate waypoints and to enter them via the editor. and the stock NAV display cannot draw completely. When a procedure leg type is discovered for a particular airport that the stock autopilot cannot fly. you have final say over the waypoints that you fly.0 HELPFUL TIPS AND ADVICE 5. the FMS will draw those legs of the procedure that it can. Remember. 5. and the Waypoint Editor can help you fly the actual route that you wish or need to fly. since the XPlane autopilot will consider the first waypoint of a freshly loaded flight plan to be your destination. If. if you do make these sorts of edits. In other words. You can’t use these with SIDs and STARs because then you would be duplicating the airport waypoint. as long as you get ATC clearance! 4. it is often easier to keep your selections simple. 3. you are only required to fly a STAR transition plus a STAR at the end of the flight. Whenever this FMS loads waypoints from files. it is best to do so while you are in the heading and altitude mode of the autopilot. For example. Before you load a plan into the XPlane navigation database using EXEC. Once you return to using the FMS to guide your flight. or cannot find anything. Fortunately. is converted to a GPS waypoint. as in the demo. While these routes can be loaded and then the termination waypoints edited. a “sanity check” is performed to validate the placement. In this case. but waypoint deletion commands an automatic INIT of the database. 5. wiping the slate clean so that you won’t have any unexpected results. This completely clears the database. it finds the wrong one. and deleted if need be. always click on INIT first. 37 . that’s a good deal of work. or the flight plan .2 TIPS and ADVICE: 1. the autopilot will likely turn the aircraft around and start heading back the way you came.fms file. then the waypoint requested by the procedures file. 5. When first getting used to procedures. you will need to advance your waypoint selection in the FLT PLAN page to the next destination waypoint and select DIRECT TO. or other unexpected behavior. As it’s loaded. 2. Use downloaded flight routes with caution. retaining the original navigation ID. If you don’t do this. These will often go from airport to airport. If you must edit your FLT PLAN waypoints enroute. Updates of waypoints are nominally not a problem. each waypoint has to be “found” in the various XPlane navigation data files. for some reason. a listing of VOR PHX might become GPS PHX. you can resave the new version of the plan using the SAVE page of the MCDU. leaving the choice of approach to you. perhaps! You’ve done your flight planning to the best of your ability. It is the user’s responsibility. There are many omissions in the data. it may not be in the database at all. 2015) 38 . you discover..where’s my SID (or STAR)? Well.3 WHY IS A SID/STAR NOT AVAILABLE? This is going to be a frequent question.30 in September of 2014 was a great start.. 5. and the release that you are using is detailed in the log.txt whenever you run the E175 in XPlane. you know where you’re going and how you’re going to program your flight data into the MCDU. (These will be made available a short time after the release of the E175 in early December. However. The original GNS430 data that was released with XPlane version 10. And suddenly. it is not the most current and up to date data. Visit either http://www. depending on the locale. 5. The downloaded data goes into your /XPlane/Custom Data folder. This is commonly referred to as an AIRAC release.navigraph.com for more details. and the only way to be certain that you have the most recent version is to either make a one time purchase of new data.com or http://www. and this folder is not updated by Laminar Research.aerosoft. you have everything laid out. or you can subscribe to a service that provides periodic updates.4 TUTORIAL VIDEOS There will be a set of tutorial videos explaining how to use the FMS on the XCrafts Youtube Channel .