I used to use Simbrief way back for the CRJ, but then I started getting routes where the waypoints would just stop before the planes destination was reached. I thought it might be because I don’t buy current airac cycles, but read that some people use it same as me. So I guess that means I must be doing something wrong, but don’t what. I’m not a serious simmer so I don’t need the extra features from navagraph. Actually I prefer using the in game flight planning, but can’t with the CRJ. Any suggestions on what I could be doing wrong? Thanks
You are just needing to add in the star, transition & approach. You can do that manually enroute. It’s quite straightforward to manually add it in to the Proline FMS. You may need to edit the route a bit to remove any discontinuities and make the flight plan join together. Again this is easy to do. If you are using ATC then you will get assigned an approach 40 miles out or so so it’s good to be able to manually enter this or edit/change it on the fly.
Simbrief usually adds in SID/STAR but I find I usually have to do the manual entry for transition/approach/runway and check on screen that it’s all as expected.
So if you have your flight plan loaded in, go to DEP/ARR and select departure runway & SID then hit EXE to enable them, similarly go to DEP/ARR and click on arrival and select runway, STAR & transition the hit EXE to add it in to the flight plan.
Then go look at LEGS page to see if you have any discontinuities (you likely will) the either DEL those discontinuities or move a next waypoint over the previously listed discontinuity to paste it over it (using the bottons to the left of the listed waypoints). Do the same for any ‘vectors’. Hit ‘EXE’ after finished editing to save the change to your flight plan. Rotate the PFD2 knob (on the left side of the cockpit) to view the completely round circle pattern and zoom in to your plan on the PFD2 screen so say to the 20mile scale. Then page through all your legs using the up/down arrows on the FMS to check over the continuity of your route. If there are significant gaps then it’s because of discontinuities. It should go all the way from departure runway to arrival runway. If you are happy then you are ready to go use it.
I usually just leave the flight plan without a STAR/transition/approach until I get assigned it by ATC then manually enter it enroute.
Moved to #third-party-addon-discussion:tools-utilities as Simbrief is a Third Party Product and not stock sim.
Thanks, don’t know if I can manage all of that, but I’ll give a try in a day or so. Still is strange though, at one time I didn’t have to do anything else other than create a plan, & put it in CRJ/work.
I’ve only been using simbrief for a few months so can’t comment on how it was at a previous point in time. I’m very used to adding in an approach though. The brief itself says what runway to expect, so I’m guessing it’s a decision made while in the air by ATC most of the time. I don’t know I’m not a pilot.
But you play one on PC, sorry couldn’t help myself…thanks. 
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If you saw my post from earlier today, please disregard. I understand more now. I’m at the point where I have deleted the discontinuities. I’m not sure what to do after that, the route is closer to destination, but hooks in another direction, than back to where I want to go. I’ll have to keep on trying. Also the up/down arrows don’t work for me, says “not allowed”.
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Arrows only work in PFD2 review mode when the changes have been comitted with an ‘EXE’. Any stray points that deviate wildly from an approach you want to do can be deleted by ‘DEL’ then clicking next to them.
I typed this yesterday as a rough guide. Luckily copied it to a txt file with the forum being down for posting. The video at the end is quite good to watch too, but I don’t do full manual entry like this video is doing. Simbrief import takes most of this in, just not the approach which you add in manually.
ARRIVAL/STARS
DEP/ARR (maybe twice) until you see ‘arr’ hit ‘arr’ then you get desired runway top right PGDN PGUP to see runway and approach you want. After selecting the approach, the STARs are all listed on the LHS of the same screen. Just select one of them. The transitions if you need them are located under the active runway once selected. Once you have a desired combination then hit EXE to commit it to the flight plan.
If you don’t want to accept it then hit the option to ‘cancel mod’ on the same screen. The stars, transitions and approaches should show up as dotted lines on the screen until you hit ‘EXE’ so you can review where they are coming from/going to to see if they make sense for your flight and where you want to land.
DEPARTURE/SIDS
Similarly for departures hit DEP/ARR, select ‘dep’ then select departure runway for your airport it will appear top right of the screen. The SIDs are all listed on the LHS of the same screen you can page through them then just click on one, it will appear dotted on the screen, if you are happy with it then hit ‘EXE’ if you are not happy with it hit ‘cancel mod’.
Simbrief does seem to add in the SID fine though and it appears in the flight plan for me. It’s stars or more accurately transitions and approaches it leaves ‘open’. I guess that’s the final bit that ATC gives to you 30/40 miles out.
BUTTONS
In MCDU/FMS my mainly used ‘buttons’ are-
- buttons to LHS and RHS of screen to select stars/sids/transitions/runways/waypoints, also used to select and ‘paste’ a waypoint over another one say a discontinuity (which will remove it from plan)
- EXE - to commit edits to the flight plan (turns dotted line in PFD2 plan into solid line)
- PGUP/PGDN to page through SIDs/STARS/APPROACHES or in LEGS mode to page through the flight plan legs.
- ARROW UP/ARROW DN - scroll through waypoints in PDF2 flight plan review mode screen (the one with whole circles)
- DEL - to delete a waypoint, you can also use this to delete a discontinuity too.
- CLR - to clear your last typed text (like backspace) to correct mistypes
- DIR INTC - useful in flight when you say want to bypass current waypoint and head direct to the next one. Also useful if you find the aircraft stops following a flight plan, just get it to go direct to the next waypoint. Works well. All previous waypoints are dropped doing this.
This video is also very good description. The SID/STAR stuff is all from 2:45 onwards.
After some fumbling, I have it now, the clip was helpful also. Thank you very much for your time, instruction, & patience. 
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You’re welcome. Getting to grips with editing FMS/MCDU flightplans makes the CRJ infinitely more enjoyable I think. Just get used to removing points that make no sense in the plan, stepping through it on screen, and occasionally if close to destination and you change the plan all of a sudden on a star say, and the CRJ doesn’t follow your change, just use the DIR INTC to head directly to a waypoint further on. Remember there is also heading mode to switch over to if things go wrong. I occasionally use this if the CRJ isn’t doing what I want it to on an approach or the approach angle has too tight a turn (I prefer a wider swing and a 30deg LOC intercept).
Absolutely, it’s the only passenger plane I fly. The Boeing’s have never been what I would call flyable.
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I find I get bored with auto throttle airliners these days, not a whole lot to do after takeoff until on final. I like the hands on aspect of the CRJ. You’re fully involved for whole flight. Esp. on the shorter hops that it’s designed for. I’m using it just about every day now, when I’m not in the JF Warrior II doing the basics.