VNAV departures are an operator choice and some do not use them. I find on some departures the option is good to have - eg the DISIT1G out of EGKK where the workload is high
Is cutoff part of the derate page?
I ask because I’ve never had Vnav not activate on the ground only LNAV when there is a near immediate turn.
When I launched MSFS today there was a small update. Doing a flight in the 737 now and the PFD is no longer flickering! Until now I have had this issue on all my flights.
Anyone else see this as fixed or was it just a lucky coinsidence?
I don’t remember exactly, but it should be somewhere near the performance pages.
I think it was where you can define the engine out alt.
It’s part of the Noise Abatement Departure Procedure / Quiet Climb System, and I did not manage to arm VNAV on the ground with it yet. May be pilot error, but without using the cutback option, I had no problem arming VNAV on the ground.
Perhaps a dumb question but, have you followed the procedure in the tutorial document? Page 43 in particular lists the prerequisites for being able to arm LNAV and VNAV on the ground, things like making sure flight director is turned on for both pilots etc. Maybe you missed one of those steps?
Yes. Sometimes I get VNAV. Sometimes not. Some of the points made above are worth exploring/testing
Just a coincidence. That small update was about some bugs in a tutorial. Yesteday I had some flickering and today two flights with no flickering.
P.S.: That update was deployed on Friday 17th and I installed it that day.
LNAV won’t arm unless your first waypoint is within a certain number of degrees of your takeoff heading. I don’t have the manual in front of me but that’s why you can arm it sometimes and sometimes you can’t.
Indeed! Discussion is about VNAV however…
oops, my bad.
You are spot on. I made sure that my power source was correct and all has been well since.
The update looks a little underwhelming - I think I was expecting a few more substantial things, but mayeb they will come when the 600 comes out.
I have never been unable to select VNAV (not sure if you mean arming or selecting) and I set up the airplane correctly. So chances are there is something wrong you’re doing. Just set up your FMC correctly on the ground, including a route and performance figures in PERF INIT. And don’t forget to execute.
I don’t use VNAV until Flaps Up no lights, but nothing would prevent me from arming on the ground.
Exactly as I’ve been doing. and as is detailed by @SkyVagrant4490 in this other short linked thread.
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I recreate my flightplan with simbrief through my flights multiple times. So simbrief update the wind and i download only the .wx file with the simbrief downloader while flying. And import it again in the Leg Page → RTA Data. So i have more acurate wind speeds and direction.
The tutorial flight (such that it is) specifically mentions arming VNAV (and LNAV) on the ground. I’ve been using that method, with no issues.
Still trying to complete a full flight (aside from the tutorial). I picked Bermuda (TXKF) to KBOS. First flight, I select pause at TOD. Sim locked up, flight lost.
2nd attempt - just prior to take off, had to abort due to short notice family commitment.
3rd attempt - Just off of Cape Cod, had to pause (ESC) sim due to daughter’s soccer game. Came back, unpaused and found my self out of fuel at 12,000’. Almost made a dead stick landing into KHYA (Hyannis), came in to0 hot, overshot the runway at 220 knots. Tried to turn around, stalled and that was it.
I found the gliding characteristics of the 737 to be pretty impressive. Wonder if that’s true to life or not.
As may be but not every flightplan lets you arm LNAV on the ground, depending on the airport, the SID and local traffic.
In any case, so long as the FMC is fully-configured and you’ve entered all the necessary data, there should be no issue with VNAV so long as you activate it before you start your descent.
I see in your next post you still haven’t yet completed your first non-tutorial flight. Here’s a free tip: pick a short route of 30 - 45 minutes. There are a LOT of them out there, true-to-life and not. So just pick one. You can get a full flight experience in well under an hour, even with the time necessary to set up the flight, taxi, takeoff and climb, cruise and descent/landing.
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Does this actually work? I wasn’t able to load a new flightplan I created in simbrief after landing without starting a new flight from the worldmap, or load a new .pln I downloaded after hitting “flight”. At least the .pln files have to be in the folder before loading the flight or I can’t import them in the FMC.
After learning this I didn’t even try with the .wx files but if this actually works it’s getting interessting 
If you’re downloading files and putting them into the PMDG-specific folders in your \COMMUNITY folder, you must have them there before you spawn into the plane.
If you follow the instructions in the Introduction PDF and put them into the working directory inside the sim’s installation, then you can download them and load them up into the FMC “live” without restarting the flight. I’ve done it on a multi-leg flight and know it works.
Basically, stuff in those \COMMUNITY folders is copied into the working directories inside the sim folders when the plane is loaded in, but not afterwards. Conversely, the data inside those main sim folders is accessible all the time.
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