One of the more common flight sim questions we get asked is how to program the Flight Management Computer. So, we have set up a step-by-step guide on how to create a route using one of the more popular flight simulation airliners, the PMDG 737, although, the procedure is almost identical on other Boeing aircraft. We have also created a video showing the necessary steps in setting up the route on the FMS at the end of this article.
The FMS automates tasks such as flight planning and aircraft performance to reduce the workload on the flight crew. It uses various sensors such as GPS and Inertial Reference System (IRS) to determine the position of the aircraft and guide it along a pre-programmed route. From the cockpit, the FMS is controlled via a Control Display Unit (CDU), which incorporates a small screen and a keyboard. As we input data via the keyboard, it appears in the scratchpad on the bottom of the screen. This data is committed to memory using Line Select Keys (LSK) on the right and left side of the CDU screen. The left LSKs are identified as 1L (top) to 6L (bottom), and 1R (top) to 6R (bottom) on the right (see Fig 1 ).
Before starting to program the FMS, we need to create a flight plan, so al…
