Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Regarding the second tutorial in your book (Flying the Boeing 700 Series …) where you are going from LAS to LAX. Could you straighten me out on a few general questions I have? I have several videos and DVDs by Just Planes which you may also have. It seems that on takeoff, different pilots have there own styles or procedures as to what to turn on first on the MCP. Several seem to call for Heading Select first, and others seem to go for LNAV first. However, I never see them go for COMMAND or autopilot first. What exactly can work without the main AP set on first? I know LNAV can work with the Flight Director magenta needles if the pilot wants to steer manually and follow the bars, but does this also apply to heading select? Likewise, once autothrottle is on, does COMMAND have to be on in order to use Level Change, etc.? I'm a little confused on the relationship between the AP and other mode functions, and what works with or without the AP Command.

A: Initially, in the first printing of the book, I had the LEVEL ONE guys taking off, doing some simple procedures (turns, descents, climbs, etc)

an going into holding. I felt it was too stressful to introduce a complex situation like that into the entry level scenario so in subsequent

printings, removed it.

FAA (and other controlling agencies on other countries) have designated the airspace around big airports as "Special" airspace. Without

getting too technical, in the US this is called "B" class airspace and specific airspeed, climb performance, transponders, etc etc etc apply.

In order to comply with these restrictions, there have evolved unique and different techniques to getting the auto-flight hooked" up after

take-off.

Here's the bottom line. The airplanes can operate in four modalities:

1- Pure hand flying ... VFR-look out the window for navigation.

2- Hand flying with Thrust control (Auto-pilot) tending to the airspeed.

3- Auto-flight with the pilot telling the auto-pilot what to do using the MCP (Heading, airspeed, climb rates, etc)

4- Auto-flight doing the whole enchilada. Everything gets "pre-set" and basically the pilot just looks out the window and tries not to hit anything or spill his coffee.

Each of these modalities (or combinations thereof) has a useful role and place for their application. For example, if it was "duck-soup" (fog) outside, looking out the window for navigation would be pretty fruitless. And so forth.

My experience has been that each airline has developed an SOP that allows the pilots to conform to all the restrictions and still maintain a modicum of control. I could be more specific, but let me leave it at that. You, as a simmer, simply have to decide how much control do you want to exert. In my book, when we are departing LAS 25 L, I try to show a total "auto-flight" designated technique; but there is nothing that precludes you from twiddling the knobs yourself ... setting altitudes and headings and airspeed. LNAV/VNAV can do all that for you, however.

I probably didn't answer your question ... in fact, I actually got so engrossed in what I was saying that I forgot what your question was.

Q: I have just finished reading your book "700 Flying the BOEING 700 Series Flight Simulators".

I want to say to you that i realy enjoyed reading it, your tips are great and im starting to fill that I improve my skill in the sim.

I saw that you wrote a book for the 737 (3-5) is this book will be helpful for me for further studding the 737NG ?

A: I think that the information contained in the 737 (3-5) manual would be interesting, but the FMC/CDU is a little different, as you know from reading the 700 manual.

However, since the other systems are almost identical to the 300-500, I would recommend the book to you.

Whatever you decide, I also recommend the PMDG 737NG for MSFX since it has the NG cockpit suite.

Q: I´d like to know what is the main difference between "The UNOFFICIAL BOEING GLASS 737-(300,400,500) SIMULATOR CHECKRIDE

Survival MANUAL" and the 737 300/400/500 Survival Manual e-book.

A: There is NO DIFFERENCE between the two, ("The UNOFFICIAL BOEING GLASS 737-(300,400,500) SIMULATOR CHECKRIDE Survival MANUAL" and the 737 300/400/500 Survival Manual e-book") ...they are the same book ... but the name is so long, it sometimes gets changed by different sellers.

This book is specifically written for professional airline pilots but is very popular with flight simmers. But ... that being said, I would say that another book I wrote: " Flying the Boeing 700 Series Flight Simulators" may be the book you are asking about. It is written specifically for simmers and has a bunch of information that is more relevant to flight simming as well as how to fly the Boeing airplanes.

Q: Me the big arm chair pilot.. And i also would love the auto throttle, but again that darn little switch, soon i will get it too work. to much is going on in flight to have to keep tract of the throttles.

A: Regarding auto-throttles. The first airplane I flew with auto-throttles was the DC-10. I had been flying the Boeing 727 ... and L-O-V-E-D flying that airplane. It had "NO" auto-throttles. After experiencing the useful effetc that the A/T has, I was hooked. I LOVE AUTO-THRUST (the true technical term for jet airplanes).

I have the same program you have and fly it all the time ... my auto-throttles work great.

I don't know if this will work for you, but when I was having trouble getting my Level D767 throttles to hook up properly, I talked with Daryl Shuttleworth over at LevelD and he told me to set the sensitivity of my Joystick throttle to a lower setting. That worked for me. He tried to explain how my joystick was fighting the program ... somehow. I simply knodded my head because sometimes these sim engineers get in too deep.