My typical FS2004 Flight
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Helsinki - Edinburgh in FS2004
This is how one of my typical flights in FS2004 looks like. This is how I do it, in 2007, you may do it in another way.
Today, February 23rd 2007, I will fly my Saturn Airways Boeing 737-700 from Vantaa (EFHK), Helsinki, Finland to Edinburgh, (EGPH), Scotland. A straightforward kind of flight. Flight time is 2 hours, the airliner is about 75% full and it's daylight and not to bad winter weather.
Before Start
I start AI Smooth. Then I fire up FS2004, select Aircraft (Saturn B737-700), airport (EFHK), time (9.30) and choose to have real weather with 15 minute interval updates. It's nice to have weather changes like in the real. If the weather is bad I set an IFR flight plan, to be able to request take off should the airport be IFR.
Then I push my favourite button: Fly now! and come to Vantaa, Helsinki, with only a few miles visibility and very cold and snowing, I turn off the engines and slew to a suitable gate. Now the flight preparation begins. This is almost as fun as the actual flying.
I turn on the position lights, start FSNavigator and check ATIS for take-off runway. Then I set up a flight plan in FSNavigator (if I don't already have one saved). I couldn't possibly be without FSNavigator. It's so much better than FS2004:s flightplanner, easier to handle, you have a moving map, you couple it to the autopilot, and do Nav settings easy within. A check with TAS for EGPH showed an easterly wind at 100° and 6 knots, so a landing on runway 6 is programmed. Here's the flight plan for this flight: Flightplan EFHK-EGPH
Now I programme the autopilot: Initial nav vector (to the first Nav 1), take off heading, cruising speed in Mach, cruising altitude and vertical take off speed. For this flight the numbers are: 303, 149, .77, 34 000 ft (Flight level 340), 3500 ft/min.
Fueling up is next. I need about 13.5 tons, I use %-setting, this will be about 50%, total weight is 58 tons. It will be well under the maximum take-off weight (70 tons), hence the steep take off angle. High temperature and high airport altitude are performance reducing factors. But EFHK is only 167 ft above sea level and the temperature today is -20° C.
Take off will be from runway 15, climbing straight ahead for 2 miles then turning right to NDB ESPOO 381.00 and from there make a slight right turn to VOR VIHTI 117.00 at vector 303°.
So now we are ready to read the Before start checklist. I do and request IFR clearance to Edinburgh. I got it (big surprise).
Preparing for Taxi
It's time for Push back. I set a push back for 50 m and a 70% turn to face the taxiways to runway 15.
Starting engines during push back is a normal procedure and I start up the two quiet, efficient General Electrics CFMI CFM56:s capable of generating 11,000 kg of thrust each. They start nicely (they always do in F2004 unless you set failures). Then I turn on the external lights, check that all flight controls are free (ailerons, rudder, speed brakes) and start the GPWS, Ground Proximity Warning System.
Checklist time again. It's a lot of checklists in the aviation world. But I need them, it's all to easy to forget important things. In a flight simulator it's not vital, but embarrassing should you mess things up. So I read checklists. I tune in Helsinki Ground to request taxi, "Big A (my call sign) 7377 requests taxi to the active". I get an ok to taxi to 15 and holding short and I turn on the progressive taxi which shows a line to follow to the runway.
Taxiing and take-off
I push the throttle up ten notches and the Boeing start to move and I decrease thrust as soon as the aircraft begins to pick up speed. Max 10 knots in the tarmac area is what I use in order to not hit something or miss any turns. Well underway on the high speed taxiway Yankee I increase power to maintain max 20-25 knots until I reach the runway. There are two Finnair airliners holding for take off at 15, an ATR72 and an Airbus 320, so I also hold and wait for the Air Botnia Bae146 on short final to land. I turn to Helsinki Tower ready to request take off. The Finnairs are shortly taking off and I am told to taxi into position and hold on the runway. I read the Before take off checklist. After a couple of seconds Helsinki Tower gives me "Big A 7377 cleared for take off".
The take off is an exiting moment for any aviation buff, to watch, to hear and to do. I push the throttle to 60% and then slowly increase to about 90% N1 turbine pressure. There is a little side wind so I have to use rudder to hold it straight on the center line. Strangely if the wind comes from the right you turn the rudder to the left due to all physical forces. Don't ask me to explain. In ten-fifteen seconds we reach what is called V1, the speed over which you are obliged to take off, you can't stop before the runway ends, about 130-135 knots. A second later or two we reach the rotation point, which means that you pull the joystick towards you and the nose lifts up and so the plane is in the air. VSpeed has called out 80 knots, vee-one, vee-rotate and vee-two. We are in flying mode.
Climbing and cruising aloft
As soon as the VSI (Vertical Speed Indicator) shows that we are climbing I request Gears Up and I raise the Gears. VSpeed indicates positive rate-gear up and gear up and locked. I activate the Autopilot and press F9 to open FSNavigator to engage flight plan following. Now you have to watch the speed. The General Electric engines are just so absolutely powerful. The speed increases swiftly and at max 190 knots you decrease the throttle to maintain climb but with a lower power level and lower noise level and not to exceed 190 knots, usually 85% N1. At about 3,000 ft you lower the nose to gain speed and retract flaps until all flaps are up when you are going faster than 220 knots. This is called a Noise Abatement Procedure. It is set up to reduce noise around large airports, and most western countries use it. I almost always use it. There are landing NAP:s too. Airports have their own specific NAP:s but I use a standardized one. In the Flight Simulator it shouldn't matter though, no one complains about noise. My neighbors, though, might complain about my computer speakers roaring out the jetliner sound. But I try not to fly at night.
So it's time for after takeoff/climb checklist. At 10,000 ft I set climb thrust at 90% and climbs away. This is when I increase simulator speed to 2x to speed things up. All you have to do now is check that you do not exceed maximum speed, check thrust and climb settings and set navigation beacons. And take a look or two out the windows to admire the scenery or watch the AI traffic or the beautiful Flight Simulator weather enhanced by Real Environment.
At cruising level, on this flight FL 340 (34,000), I increase sim speed again to 4x, 8x and 16x. This to reduce the wait for more exciting things to come; descent, approach, final and landing at Edinburgh.
Descent and preparing to land
This day the weather is fine, only light winds which give us some slight turbulence only now and then.
I check the TAF for weather at Edinburgh, mainly for winds, to decide which runway to head for.
To calculate descent I use the 3xALT method. Cruising altitude/1000 (minus destination airport altitude) x 3= distance to airport when to start descent. I turn simrate to 1, turn off the autopilot and set a lower altitude, turn vertical speed to minus 400-500 and engage autopilot again. The speed hold is also activated to get a smooth engine spool down until the N1 values are stable. So I descent at 1800-2500 ft/min. I turn to Edinburgh ATIS for winds, weather and active runway.
Today ATIS gives us a surprise, the active runway is 24 not 6 (winds at 158° at 7 knots), so I programme FSNavigator to take us to runway 24. Piece of cake.
Descent continues and I make sure that we are below 250 knots at 10 000 ft. We are. I request landing permission and is cleared for runway 24. ILS, landing beacon, NDB and vectors are set up for approach, and approach checklist is read.
At 5000 ft I lower flaps 1, 2 and 5 degrees to reduce speed, at 3500 to 15, turning on landing lights. At or above 2500 ft and 180 knots I set flaps 25 and lower the gears. We are given landing clearance and full flaps are extended 40°. I read the very important Landing check list to make sure we are ready to land safely. The air is a bit choppy which gives us some turbulence. I must hold against the shearing winds and it's a bit jumpy and I land a few inces of the center line. Nothing bad though.
I'm given Gate Alpha 1 and I taxi to the gate, using the progressive taxi-lines and watching out and holding for a taxiing British Embraer 145 on same taxiway. I turn to park and close the engines. Parking and secure checklist is the final item for the flight.
Now I'm ready to plan a new flight.
> Avsim
> Flightsim
> Simflight
> Flightsim.no
> FSNordic
> MSFS Gateway
> Flightplan EFHK rwy15 to EGPH rwy 06
Add-ons used for
My typical FS2004 Flight
Read about my add-ons, gizmos, gadgets, things, sceneries, aircrafts, stuff and all in myfs2004setup page
FSNavigator 4.7
Push Back
VSpeed
GPWS
TAF on the Electronic Kneeboard
HFA Checklist
Boeing 737-700
Boeing 737-NG Sound
Real Environment
Airport Environment Upgrade 7
EFHK by FISD (FS2002)
EGPH by Scotflight (FS2002)
AI Smooth
Traffic2005
AI Reverser sound
New contrails
And other small freewares that makes flightsimming even more enjoyable.