Some serious confusion here I'm afraid. No where in any Boeing FCTM, FCOM or any Boeing document do they suggest checking the FMS as you have mentioned. Perhaps it's within a company document or SOP. Not saying this is a bad procedure, just not a Boeing procedure. It would depend on your paper flight plan having True data on it and I suspect that for those operators that are using Mag for crossing, the True data might not be there?
The Mag or True option is up to the operator and Boeing could care less how you do it. That's why the switch is there along with the requirement that you operate in True while in the AMU/NCA (Northern most Canada). As previously mentioned Track up, Heading up is a customer option, not a flight crew procedure. Yes you could fly in track by using the HDG/TRACK switch on the MCP, but I'm not aware of that being an acceptable Boeing procedure of oceanic crossing.
Last edited by Spooky 2; 29th Dec 2008 at 15:42.