Entries in 777 FMC when mixing in specified step points?
Hi, flight simmer and former UL pilot here.
IŽm having a discussion on what entries one makes in the 777 FMC when flying for instance a trans-atlantic route which has legs where the FL is set, such as NATs legs. As I understand it from Bulfers Guide any specified step points entered into the LEGS page(s) overrides the FMC calculated ones. Say that the FMC indicates a step climb at point D, but your flight plan says to make that FL later, at point E. When you enter that FL370S the calculations will use that, not the previously calculated one at D?
Also, I assume you always enter something else than zero as STEP SIZE since youŽll still want the FMC to calculate for the parts of the flight that are not restricted vertically for various reasons? The argument could be that the flight plan from dispatch should be used completely and not make use of the FMCs calculations. I think that sounds wrong since the FMC mixes in measured data as opposed to the dispatch plan that only uses predicted data (wind/temp/weights etc). Bulfers guide also says somewhere that the STEP TO fields are blank when STEP SIZE is zero?
Cheers!