737 ATC-FMC guidance please

[wain 879]

So I have been playing around with a 737(IXEG), mostly setting up from C & D including the FMC. For some reason I have struggled with Boeing but I know have laminated guidance set up that I understand for this AC in all phases along with pointers for FMC.

The question I have is when departing ATC may say "follow runway heading and climb to 5000ft", so I then guess that after rotation I will following those intructions either by hand or via AP. Now at some stage I will be further guided and will then be told to "resume own navigation", so here's the bit I need to clear up. Is that my que to arm LNAV? and then if instructed to go up in steps set that in the MCP, if ATC instructs me to go to my cruise do I just arm VNAV?

Like I say I have been practising with this one and I am now just trying to understand the way it works bringing ATC into the equation. I am looking at getting PILOT2ATC for XP but need to be sure what I am doing to make things appear to be correct......

 

Thanks

 

Wayne

Edited August 2, 2017 by wain
pressed submit to early.....

[rosariomanzo 545]

Arm LNAV, push DTO (Direct TO), select the first fix of your route, confirm the selection, arm VNAV, have a beer

Of course, preselect the altitude on the MCP.

If you are instructed to change altitude, reselect altitude on MCP, click ALT INTV and you are good to go.

Edited August 2, 2017 by rosariomanzo

[wain 879]

thanks Ros, so setting the direct to for my first waypoint does that then mean the AC will now follow the rest of the route?....have done it so far where I have no ATC and once airborne arm LNAV & VNAV as required inline with the tutorial so still learning this bit......

[rosariomanzo 545]

Generally, ATC will tell you to follow runway heading after takeoff, so you will have to:

• preselect the runway heading on MCP and arm HDG
• preselect the first assigned altitude on MCP
• during the first stages of flight after takeoff, I preselect the speed on MCP (V2+15kts) and use FLCH
• after cleaning the aircraft, I continue climbing with FLCH at 250kts max, then 290 passing 10.000 feet

After takeoff, ATC will handoff to departure frequency. Departure will give you a vector (or more then one) to intercept your route. Dial the heading on MCP and go on. If ATC adds the sentence "proceed on course" and as you reach the magenta line on your MFD, use DTO to the first fix of your route and switch to LNAV/VNAV.

You may also omit the DTO and simply arm LNAV so that the aircraft (if on a suitable intercept heading) will intercept itself the magenta line and then follow the route. In this case you will see, on the PFD, HDG as active and LNAV as armed with two different colors. Once intercepted the magenta line, the annunciator will show only LNAV as active.

 

Let me know if something isn't clear.

Edited August 3, 2017 by rosariomanzo

[wain 879]

thank you Ros, very clear, I will practice this a few times then to learn how to change runway or STAR........only flying this one in XP though and surprisingly I am enjoying the learning.....it's almost fun especially when it all comes together......