I can see that there is the option to save the flightplan using the MCDU but I can’t work out how to load a plan once saved (assuming that clicking “save flightplan” does anything). Can anyone help (I expect it’s staring me in the face).
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As far as I remember it doesn’t work, just as you can’t save custom waypoints. I’ll check later but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work.
Confirmed it doesn’t work, just shows you a “not allowed” message when you tap the save route button.
Thanks for checking this out. If you go to the menu page you can “save route” and it appears to save. It even offers you a filename so for my test flight I have now “saved” TFFRTFFF1 to "TFFRTFFF4 inclusive. But I can’t see a way of retrieving them (if they exist and I rather suspect they don’t). I agree that if you try to SAVE FPL you get NOT ALLOWED.
So you can’t import a flight plan from the MSFS map and if like me you like to fly a route more than once, you have to enter all the waypoints each time you load the plane. Is the work around to create a flight plan in Simbrief and import it, I gather that works? I’ve never used Simbrief but it looks like I may need to.
The issue with Simbrief is that MSFS uses a different AIRAC, so some procedures or waypoints may differ (I had this happening lots of times). Unless of course you get a paid subscription, which will allow you to run both in Sumbrief and in MSFS the same AIRAC database.
The flight plan loading from Simbrief apparently works fine. I’m in the middle of a flight now and don’t want to lose it cause I’m testing the Dreamliner (tl;dr, it flies by itself, but let’s see landing), but after landing at Heathrow I’ll test the Simbrief import procedure and see if it works fine.
About a decent workaround, generally the ATR flies short routes. I’ve found that after loading SID and STAR I only have to manually set just a couple of waypoints, max 5-7, and that’s not too much work (and keeps my FMC typing skilled honed 
)
I really appreciate your help with this. Unfortunately this lack of functionality is a show stopper for me as I can’t justify a paid subscription at the moment. A disappointment as I like ATRs, enjoyed my one flight on one out to the Channel Islands.
Sorry I didn’t test last night. Just checked and seems to import the flight plan correctly from Simbrief using the EFB:
So, there you go, it works
I have had a go as well and am much happier! I was able to download my flightplan from Simbrief with no problems. Also if you enter the name of a flightplan you’ve downloaded on the ROUTE SEL page and press LSK1L (IDENT) it will load into the MCDU. You can also load flightplans you’ve created in the MCDU without using Simbrief (I’ve just done it) so the statement in my earlier post was 100% wrong. Perhaps I can be forgiven because of the lack of a manual and the fact that the procedure isn’t obvious, at least to a hobbyist like me.
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That’s awesome news! Just to get the archive and leave it for the community, can you do a step by step with screenshots guide? That’d be awesome and at least I would be grateful
EDIT: btw, have you found a way to save custom waypoints? Several visual approaches I do have custom waypoints for the visual approach but I’ve found no way to save those in the ATR, or even load a plan with custom waypoints.
Be glad to.
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Oh check my edit please, that’s driving me nuts
Sorry to disappoint but that didn’t go so well. I can save and retrieve files (with *.flp extension) but when I reload them all the intermediate waypoints have gone. At first I had a short test route with just one intermediate way point (that was TFFF to TFFR which some may remember as the first tutorial flight for the Flight One ATR) and I saved and retrieved that OK. But I tried a longer route with 5 intermediate waypoints and the file only displayed the departure and arrival airports. So either I’m doing something wrong (quite possible) or this feature is only half baked. It looks like the Simbrief procedure may be the only way to save and retrieve flightplans for the ATR for the present, which is OK as it works.
Consider that after you import the route from Simbrief several things will happen:
a) The ATC won’t work, since in World Map you’ll be loading only the departure airport, so for the ATC you’re VFR, not IFR.
b) You still need to select SID, STAR and approaches.
c) The flightplan from simbrief might not be perfect since AIRACs are different (unless you’re a Navigraph subscriptor) so some waypoints may not exists in MSFS and viceversa
d) You’ll need to manually check the flight plan to ensure there are no discontinuities (and there will be after you select your departure and arrival)
By the way, have you found a way to load custom waypoints into the ATR? I love the visual approach to SKMD as it is seen in Flightradar24 in SATENA flights, but it definitely has custom WPs.
I already encountered the airac problem I think: I had to edit the names of 3 from my 5 intermediate waypoints to make them work, thank you for highlighting the other problems. This is the first complex airliner I’ve tried to get to grips with, I think I chose the wrong one since it’s incomplete and has no manual. So I’ll be putting the ATR to one side for the present. I’m sorry I have made no progress with the custom waypoints.
To be honest, it isn’t that incomplete in terms of simulation. In real life, you would have to do the same (well probably some company routes would be pre-loaded, but you’d still need to know how to manage the FMC because you never know when the ATC will change your departure, arrival, gave you a hold, etc). Lately I learned how to do a hold after arriving too high and used the hold to lower my altitude and get the glideslope correctly).
In any case, be adviced that on most airliners you’ll find similar chores. For example in the A320FBW you also need to select SID and STAR after loading the flight plan from Simbrief and you also need to check the flight plan for continuities. All in all, it’s not that different. In your place, I would first learn the ATR since the procedure is simpler than on other airliners, and later when you jump to more complex airliners you will find that easier.
Most of us got less troubles because the ATR is a recent addition and we were already flying airliners previously, so sitting on the ATR wasn’t that much of an issue, except for its quirks, which aren’t all related to flight plans (actually just a few are related). And, as a plus, the ATR gives you more room to make corrections since it’s a smaller airplane than the traditional airliner.
A much difficult aircraft to fly is the BAe 146, which is a different beast (and I personally love it).
That’s very interesting. Perhaps I’ve been too hasty but although I’ve dabbled in flightsims for years I’ve always stayed clear of airliners so it is an uphill struggle without a manual and I’m wondering whether I should wait for something better documented. I see that there are several twin prop airliners in the works.
I found most of the ATR quite easy, the navigation was the only hard bit. I actually enjoy working through checklists. But I wanted to save a few of those company routes which I could fly more than once.
In FSX I spent most of my time in the Aerosoft Beaver in wild places which I loved and for some time now I’ve used Plan-G for navigation so you’re right IFR airliner flying does seem new and a bit of a cliff face.
I’m trying to load a flight plan from Little Nav Maps. I’ve figured out how to save a route by manually typing it, now I just need to find the folder these flights are saved in. Do you have any idea?
Edit: I found it! It’s under Appdata, Roaming, Microsoft Flight Sim, Packages, Microsoft-aircraft-atr, Work.
There you will find your FLP files, and Config files, and Simbrief files. I’m assuming all I would need to do with LNM is save it as a .flp file, and name it accordingly.
Edit 2: It does work. Unfortunately, there is no waypoints. Just Departure and Arrival: It is the same thing if I manually program it in, save the route, and then load it with no waypoints. What gives?
Edit 3: I FIXED IT!!! I downloaded a working .fpl file manually downloaded from simbrief, and opened it to see what was different from my LNM .fpl file (CRJ MSFS). You must delete everything after the waypoints. I believe it was cruise-level and stuff like that. After you delete everything past the waypoints, it loads just fine!
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DO NOTE!!! Once you load the saved flight plan from LNM, that is it; it will not work again for some reason. You must resave the flight plan and re-edit it again for it to work. For some reason, after the first load, the ATR corrupts the flight plan and will no longer work.
It does not work at all, its just departure and arrival airports, gigantic shame for MS to release a marketplace item branded by them, but incompatible with the base game’s flight planner, instead promoting 3rd party sub based service for a already paid product thats not even finished (side cockpit windows are milky and sticking out) and the fps is worse than a pmdg 737 or fenix a320.