A little bit of thread creep, but related to the FIX page so hope nobody minds :)

Say you're going across the Atlantic with RTE of something like this:

5220N
5130N
5040N
4950N
etc.

... someone once showed me a clever way to check that you're on the correct route (FMC vs clearance) by plotting your position at, say, 32W (when going west), but I can't remember what it is.

Obviously you can just wait until you're at 32W, but there's something you can do on the Pegasus FMS like entering 32W or W32 on FIX or DIR INTC. A 'fix' is then created which is a waypoint at whatever stage your route intersects 32 West. You can then copy it to the scratch pad and see what the Latitude will be, plot this on the map, and make sure you're going where you should be.

Only problem is that whenever I try it these days I keep getting not in database, invalid entry etc. - I can't remember the format to use.

Anyone?

Many thanks

NW3

Greetings,
If you select the one of the IRS position in the scratchpad then enter it in the fix page I think it will do the trick, and show you were you are versus whatever is on your navigation display.
In any case if you are buiding intersections do not forget that the navigation display shows a lambert caneva therefore any line is a great circle :ok:

I have never seen a brown box that will accept a Lat/long on the FIX page. I'm not sure where you are going with this?

Thanks for the replies guys.

I feel my question above might have been a bit rambling... just to clear up:

On a NAT, you need to make sure you've programmed the FMC correctly, and so having plotted your clearance on a chart, you plot the FMC position 2 degrees of longitude after a waypoint, to make sure you're not in the wrong place.

So - you know where you are at 30W (position checks as 51N 30W or whatever).

The question is where will you be at, say, 32W - you need to check you're not heading off on the wrong course from 51N30W.

The notes I made said that you put 32W or W32 at L1 on the DIR INTC page, creating a waypoint called something like W3201. Bringing this down to the scratchpad would display N5123.4W03200.0 - plot that, then erase the change, and away you go.

NW3

Greetings,

Hi SPOOKY2, I was trying to recall 10 years ago B767 Brown Box:}, (I am curently on A330, however next month I am moved to the B777 fleet)
Maybe I was using the end of the FPLN, then creating a disco and after the disco entering the IRS lat/long to check Drifts during flight, the position would be white waypoints unstrung to the flight plan, and therefore adding no distances to the trip distance:ok:.

regards

The method you have described is frequently used to create ETP wpts. and just as you say, the milage remains the same as long as you don't close up the discontinuity.

Thanks for the replies
 

:ok:
I can see clearly now. It is NOT a Collins, you were right. It does NOT have the VNAV-key, so it is NOT a Pegasus and I can NOT draw circles.

See Ya!:ok:

Hi Guys,

Found the answer to my own question (above), so thought I might as well pop it here in case anyone was losing sleep...

On the scenario I had put forward, I was going across the pond and wanted to get the FMC to plot a waypoint at, say, 22W, or 32W - i.e. 2 degrees after the waypoint - to make sure we were on the correct track.

I was trying to insert the waypoint W22, whereas it should have been W022 (i.e. 3 degrees needed for the longitude). It's a built in function of the FMC.

Anyway, there you go. Take it or leave it :-)

NW3

3333333333333333333333333

NW3, also if you want to do one every x number of latitudes, you can do that too...

Say from W32, if you want a point every 5nm, W032-5 should do it.

Pop it on the active line, or before the waypoint comes up, and bobs your uncle you've got latitude crossing waypoints till the end of your route.

But I'm sure you knew that already :D