HOW TO USE THE FS2004 FLIGHT PLANNER

1.  We will be using the default FS2004 Flight Planner here; if you use a different flight planner use the author's instructions instead.  Please use the FSAviator Tutorial available at Cal Classic to make your flight planning decisions.

2.  Open FS2004, select the default Cessna (safest way to load FS), set the time to 1-5 minutes before initial departure time, and press the Fly Now button if at the main screen.

3.  Change to the plane you wish to fly the route.

4.  Choose Flights/Flight Planner.

5.  You are on the Create tab.  Press the Select button to choose a departure location.  Select the airport you want to depart from.  In this example we will be flying flight #680, a 1958 United DC-6B flight from San Franciso to Los Angeles.  So enter KSFO in the Airport ID box.

6. Down at the bottom left you will see a box labeled Runway/Starting Position.  We are flying from the United terminal, so choose Gate B3.  Click OK.

7.  Click the lower Select button to select your destination.  Select the airport to want to fly to.  In our example, you will enter KLAX in the Airport ID box and then click OK.

8.  In 1958 radar coverage was minimal, so we will fly the route VFR with Flight Following only in the SFO and LAX areas, to simulate the terminal radars at the time.  You may prefer to fly IFR; this is your choice.  So click the VFR or IFR button as desired.

9.  Since GPS intersections didn't exist in the Classic Era, choose VOR to VOR.

10.  Click the Find Route button.  You will probably get the following flight plan:

Airport  KSFO
VOR      SFO
VOR      AVE
VOR      SMO
VOR      LAX
Airport  KLAX

11.  The flight plan from the Flight Plans.txt file for this route looks like:

#680  DC-6B  San Francisco to Los Angeles  13,500 ft

Airport  KSFO Dp 9:15 am  Gate B3
VOR      OAK  116.8
Airway   107  5500 ft, 7000 after 21 NM
VOR      PXN  112.6
Airway   113  7000
VOR      ROM  110.0
Airway   485  7000
VOR      FLW  117.5
Airway   485  9000
VOR      VTU  108.2
Airway   299  5000, 10 after 15 NM
VOR      LAX  113.6
Airport  KLAX  126 ft Ar 10:56 am
ILS Rwy 7L:  111.1
ILS Rwy 7R:  109.9
ILS Rwy 25L: 109.9
ILS Rwy 25R: 111.1

So we have to change the route from what the flight planner gave us.

12.  Click on the line "VOR  SFO".  The map will enlarge and center on the SFO VOR.  Grab the red line with the mouse and drag it over the OAK VOR (a blue box that is labeled OAK).  A box will pop up - select the OAK VOR and click OK.  Now click on the uneeded SFO VOR line.  Click the Delete Waypoint button.

13.  Now click on the edges of the map window, scrolling the window to follow the 107 Airway (light blue line labeled 107).  When you get to our next VOR, PXN, drag the red line to the PXN VOR and select it from the list.  If the airway has an intersection in it (blue or pink triangle), do not add it to your route; just ignore it.  There may be certain intersections that will be required on a few routes, but you must define it in terms of a VOR radial intersection instead of GPS coordinates.

14.  Scroll the map along our next airway (113) down to the ROM VOR.  Drag the red line over the ROM VOR and select it.  Follow the 485 airway to the FLW VOR and repeat.  Note that the original AVE VOR waypoint is now above our new FLW VOR waypoint.  That means that the AVE waypoint is no longer needed and can be deleted.  Click the VOR  AVE line and click the Delete Waypoint button.

15.  Continue moving along the listed airways, dragging the red line to the new VOR waypoints and deleting unneeded waypoints (after they are listed above your last added waypoint).  You can quickly move along your route by clicking on the VOR waypoints as needed.

16.  When finished, get the length of your route by clicking the Nav Log button and referring to the Distance entry at the top.  Click Cancel.  Enter the listed Cruising Altitude by using the up/down buttons.  

A rough rule of thumb for aircraft used on California routes with airports near sea level (refer to the FSAviator Tutorial for cruise level planning in other circumstances, including significant winds):

>500 NM     20,000-25,000 ft (refer to plane's Reference File)
400-500 NM  16,000-22,000 ft
300-400 NM  12,000-16,000 ft
200-300 NM   8,000-12,000 ft
100-200 NM   5,000-8,000 ft
0-100 NM     2,000-5,000 ft

The other rule is:

Magnetic Course             IFR                     VFR
0-179 degrees      Odd Thousands of Feet   Odd Thousands of Feet + 500 ft
180-359 degrees   Even Thousands of Feet  Even Thousands of Feet + 500 ft

If you look at the flight plan above, you can see our minimum flight altitude for the entire route is 9,000 ft, so we have to fly higher than that.  So we'll fly at 13,500 ft (317 NM at 0-179 degrees, VFR).

17.  Click the Nav Log button, turn on your printer, and press the Print button.  Your flight plan will be printed out.  Note that the fuel used may NOT be correct; use the FSAviator Propliner Tutorial to calculate your fuel load.

18.  Click the OK button.  You will be back at the main screen.  Click OK to save your flight plan and return to the main FS program at the gate you chose above.

19.  For most classic propliner panels, set the first VOR into the NAV2 radio (the RMI), and the ILS for the destination runway (if available) into NAV1.  Refer to the FSAviator Tutorial if you prefer to fly using simulated Radio Ranges.

20.  Fly the route.  If you are unsure about how to use ATC, the FS2004 Learning Center has information available.  Note the minimum enroute altitudes listed after each airway.  You must fly higher than that.  Note also that some airways have multiple minimum enroute altitudes, depending how far along the airway you are.  Mileages listed are cumulative in NM.

21.  If you go to World/Map View, your flight plan is indicated by a light blue line.

22.  Once you land and shut down at the gate (Gate Bx means taxi to any B gate), you can create the next leg of your trip (the flight planned route can only have one takeoff and landing).  Or you can do all the flight planning for all legs before the trip, and use the Flights/Flight Planner/Load button to load each leg when you are ready to depart from the next airport.  In this case you would normally not allow FS2004 to move you to the airport, since you are already there.

Enjoy your flight!


