FMC-Company routes
 

Do scheduled airlines utilize this function, or is it a case of just entering the flight plan manually?

Is it common during a short turn-around, to just load the SID and first part of the route, then program the remainder once established in the cruise?

We're flying mainly domestic with some shorter european sectors and use company routes quite a lot. It is quite uncommon not to have it, just need to enter runways and SID/STARs and you're done. If no company route exists we do the complete route during turnaround, takes normally only around one or two minutes (but our routes are short, max close to 3 hours).

We almost always have canned routes uploaded into the FMC after initialization (minus the SIDS/STARS).We also upload 3-4 different alternate canned routes, but have to type the new canned route into the company route prompt if we going a different way, due to volume or weather. HTH

On 757/767 for charter airline - as the FMCs are only 200k, and we fly to a lot of places, the navigation department struggle to fit all the airfields, approaches, and navaids in to the limited space available. As such, there isn't room for any company routes, so all the flight plans go in manually - anything up to 10 hours across the pond! It's not actually that big a deal, doesn't take too long.

NW3

the company routeis always fed in its the simplest thing to do and even while diverting the company route takes care of everything

In BA on the QOTS (747) we have to load everything manually (SID/route/Star and winds) whereas on the light twin (777)
they just press a button and it magically appears frmo the ether.

It's no big deal and gives you something to before flight and at the start of the cruise before going to sleep:hmm:

In reality all you have to do is string the airways together - the box works out the intersections for you. In practise it can be quicker manually loading a flight from LHR to USA than one from LHR to FCO!

What about NAT tracks, surely these will always be entered manually?

On the subject of NAT's, how do you handle a "track change"? Is it a case of just re-entering the new Lat/Long, or do you have an adjacent track already stored in RTE2?

Our FMS sets have no preloaded routes, no Rt2, and they don't work out intersections for you- it all has to be done manually. All these bells and whistles cost extra! One little thing I miss is being able to load a time into the fix page to have a little green circle telling you where you'll be at that time.

NATs are always loaded manually (except 777?) in the form 5130N for 51N 030W. A re-route is no more complicated than loading the tracks initially.

Topbunk,

I reckon the light twin isn't carved from stone by cavemen either. :E