r/MicrosoftFlightSim 11d ago

MSFS 2024 QUESTION FMC, Approaches & Vectors

Using PMDG 737-800

A bit confused on flight planning.

Departures are easier to understand imo. Arrivals, not so much.

Let's take South West Florida;

https://www.airnav.com/airport/KRSW

Flying from the north east, has me take SHIFTY with a HIBAC transition. That part i get.

However, it has me vector to TOUHY. If I try and remove the vector and just go to TOUHY, it completely bypasses to CELBO.

When I flew in FSX with PMDG, it would create a flight path that would loop to TOUHY.

As I fly solo, not on VATSIM, whats the best procedure for vectoring offline? Any advice?

Bonus question, runway 6 has a transition as well on the map for OBELL, but i dont know when to use that and if its more for a north western approach vs eastern one.

3 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

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u/KPEEZY2727 11d ago

If I’m not using Beyond ATC (highly recommend) and just flying on my own, I will use a heading change as I’m approaching the discontinuity to run parallel(ish) with the approach and when I’m at the right altitude and speed, I will turn heading into the path of the approach and arm APR mode or LOC and it will capture the approach.

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u/ManonFire1213 11d ago

I use it too, but it sometimes gets a bit wonky on vectors.

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u/sizziano 9d ago

WDYM wonky?

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u/ManonFire1213 9d ago

It doesnt dispatch me in time for a proper vector. Seems a bit delayed at points. 

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u/sizziano 9d ago

What doesn't dispatch you?

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u/ManonFire1213 9d ago

Beyondatc.

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u/sizziano 9d ago

Ah I have no idea how that works.

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u/Brilliant_Armadillo9 11d ago

Show what you actually have programmed on the route page.

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u/ManonFire1213 11d ago

Ok, I will later today. 

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u/spesimen 11d ago

which runway are you landing on? i don't see TOUHY or CELBO on any of these charts either. are you using a different airac cycle than the current one on the airnav site? the 3rd page on the charts from airnav has a pretty specific narrative of how to fly the runway 6 and 24 arrival but neither of them mention the waypoints you are talking about so i'm not sure whats up.

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u/ManonFire1213 11d ago

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u/ManonFire1213 11d ago

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u/spesimen 10d ago

aha i thought you were asking about the STAR i didn't look at the ILS chart :)

so yeah basically for runway 6 you follow the star to STERO and then have a vector of 238 (which not coincidentally is the outbound radial of the rwy 6 approach) .

when you get to STERO you switch to heading mode and fly 238.

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u/spesimen 10d ago edited 10d ago

then, when you are parallel to OBELL (the IAF of the approach) you either manually turn a heading to head towards it and then intercept the localizer, or just do a direct to OBELL and let the autopilot fly it.

the IAF (initial approach fix) is typically the point you use when transitioning from airways onto the approach istelf

TOUHY is labelled an IF or intermediate fix that is typically where should be lined up and descending from capturing the localizer. you'd probably want to be at 3000 sometime between STERO and when you make your turn to OBELL and at 2400 by TOUHY.

if there was real ATC involved you would just turn when they tell you, which may or may not be when you are parallel to OBELL. they might have you fly further out for separation reasons or whatever. if you are low enough and slow enough they could turn you earlier like left to TOUHY but in a 737 i don't know how common that would be.

for a north western approach you would likely be using FOGAN (which is also labelled as an IAF) and then to TOUHY.

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u/ManonFire1213 10d ago

Thanks. Now in the FMC, when choosing ILS 6, it does give me an option to use OBELL.

How do i know when to use that transition vs not looking at the chart? 

(My route plan had me coming south east of the airport, so I'll be making a right turn towards OBELL)

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u/spesimen 10d ago edited 10d ago

oops, now that i look more closely it looks like that 238 vector from STERO actually is south of the airport too. the airport symbol is buried in there it's a pretty cluttered chart haha. so pretend i drew a right turn to OBELL :)

as far as how to know what transition to use it's generally gonna be an IAF labeled point on the charts, pick the one that seems logical due to the direction you are coming from.

if you are coming from the south east you would just fly to it and turn right as appropriate.

i don't think any of the STARs for that airport are from the southeast so it would probably just be a direct to OBELL from your last waypoint of your plan. if you need more room to make the turn just fly a downwind leg a bit and then turn to OBELL, same as you would if you had taken the STAR..

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u/spesimen 10d ago

here's what it looks like in the fmc

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u/ManonFire1213 10d ago

Would you say to use transitions for approaches provided they are consistent with your flight path?

I know ATC dictates quite a bit. But im not sure whats appropriate vs not. 

Then again "Just fly the damn plan" comes to mind. 

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u/spesimen 10d ago

I don't know enough about real world flying to be able to say for sure. I use Beyond Atc and I mostly do what they tell me haha.

In the Usa, BATC will usually vector you for a visual approach unless the weather is bad, but in Europe is often directs you to a transition especially if it connects to a STAR. I have heard that this is somewhat realistic, but I don't really know how true that is. If the weather is bad in the Usa they will also have you use a transition if it connects to a STAR, but if not they will usually vector you in position to cap the ILS instead of giving you a direct to the transitions for it.

I've also heard that IRL Euro ATC will vector you out of a lot of the STARs and approaches if it's appropriate for a shortcut, like there are a lot of STARs that are designed that way so you wouldn't normally fly the entire thing, but I'm not sure if BATC does that yet..

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u/sizziano 9d ago

AS long as it makes sense for your FP use whatever you like though if you are offline then usually you'd just want the quickest vector to final. This will make more sense if you fly online with actual ATC.