Altitude to lose i.e. 24,000 feet and estimated time en route to waypoint/fix is 8 minutes away. That is 24,000'/8 minutes until ETE to fix equals 3,000 feet per minute. That is how it is done. You can also use GS and divide by 60 to get miles travelled per minute. For example, 480 knots GS is 8 miles per minute. 64 miles to destinatation = 8 minutes until destination. Divide altitude to lose by 8 minutes to get fpm. Also keep in mind TAS will decrease as altitude decrease so it will actually take longer to go a particular distance while descending vs going fast in a descent at altitude when the calculation is first figured.
Awesome vid Cap! Thanks. Now I don't have to listen to that crazy FS ATC fly me 20000 feet below my cruise lol. Do you even use ATC at all? Just curious.
Thanks man! Hah I know it gets annoying! No I turned the ATC off. I don’t use it at all. The only ATC I use is Vatsim which is real people and 100x more realistic
This is EXCELLENT Capt, a very useful tool. However I would add that it is NOT Airport Altitude that you subtract from the Aircraft Alt, it must be 'RUNWAY' Alt. Some airports differ from their runways and it is after all the runway you will be aiming for, not the Departure Lounge LOL :) :)
Do these calculations only work for airliners? Or do they also work with slower, smaller aircraft? It's really hard to fly a Cessna 172 at 200+ knots lol
Nope! They work even for a Cessna. If you were flying a C172 at 5,000 feet, cut off two zeros to get 50 and divide it by 3 to get 16.6 NM which is when you should start descending! To get the three degree glide slope, if you are flying at a ground speed of 150 knots, just multiply that by 3 which is 450 FPM descent rate! Same calculations!
Hi Captain. Can you please tell me what video card you use. I’m using a (minimum)Memory:8 GBGraphics Card:AMD Radeon RX 570CPU:Intel Core i5-4460Microsoft Flight Simulator File Size:150 GBOS:Windows 10 I’m finding it next to useless, with unpractical long response delays of my rudder and yoke. Frustrating. I know these are the Microsoft Flight Simulator system recommended requirements Memory:16 GBGraphics Card:AMD Radeon RX 590Microsoft Flight Simulator CPU:Intel Core i5-8400File Size:150 GBOS:Windows 10. But I wonder if I need to wait up to 3 months for the (back ordered) Nvidia RTX 3080. Your recommendation please.
Should I use the travel distance which can be found on FP page on MCDU instead of direct distance on ND instead? I can be 100NM directly away from airport but I will fly 120NM according to my plane because of the arrival and approach turns, etc.
@Brett Maxwell Oh I'm sure it won't be long before there is a mod for that lol. I heard a rumor that MSFS is not going to step on the toes of modders and let them do their thing. But take into account that I haven't really dug around to see for sure, so it's just that to me as of now a rumor. Unless someone out there knows 100 please let me know thanks.
I have an app for this. It is called my brain ;) By the way, REAL PILOTS DO NOT USE this method to calculate when to descend. We use the vertical speed we want to descend at, how much time it takes to lose the altitude required at that rate, then descend at that rate when ETE matches said time. I also have a tutorial on it. It's much easier than the video method and works great. I use it in the real world with a few exceptions.
Thank you, captain! It seems to me msfs2020 never automatically decent to the altitude using the managed altitude according to the flight plan. I always have to manually decent.
I usually go by time if iam 15 min away and at 38,000' I'll start early if iam at lower altitude I'll start later same with high altitude I would start decent later. I do it this way because it's easier for me and don't have to deal with so much work since I don't have a copilot. Although thanks for info.
Hello my dear captain Thank you for all your videos and your guides. Here I am again requesting and needing your advice. I am a fan of the 787 and in all my flights what fails me the most is how to follow or apply the altitudes in the ascent and descent towards the destination airport and take the ILS from the final runway. I have no problems creating the flight plan, not even loading it on the plane, preparing the plane for takeoff and uploading it with the autopilot. Once I start to follow the route, the plane begins its ascent to the maximum altitude (top of ascend), with a single shot, without following the different stages of each point on the route that have their respective altitudes and speeds expressed in the fmc. In other words, the automatic pilot does not make the respective scales at the go altitudes or the fmc plan expresses it and even less say the altitudes at which the atc is continuously requesting my co-pilot. This same happens on the descent! Please could you make a video tutorial detailing and showing this topic of handling ascent and descent control. What altitude to set as we go up or down or only target final altitudes are set. My dear friend I really appreciate this tutorial for my literacy! Pls and many of your public that we follow you.
No problem man! Well, ascending is just a matter of reaching the top of climb after take off. Microsoft has not added Vertical Navigation into the simulator yet so the plane tries to climb fast as possible. You can manage the climb at a slower rate if you wish using vertical speed. I recommend not using the ATC as it is terrible!
@@captainhorn23 OK buddy, thanks for your advice and comments. But please could you please create a tutorial to give and show us your expertise on this issue? Really we will appreciate it. 🙏🍀👊😜
@@captainhorn23 OK buddy, thanks for your advice and comments. But please could you please create a tutorial to give and show us your expertise on this issue? Really we appreciate it. 🙏🍀👊😜
I just use one of the many rules of the thumb that fs academy had in their ifr course for msfs that was current airspeed times 5 , 100knots times 5 = descend 500feet per minute and it works pretty well for me atleast with small ga airplanes like cessna etc. Wether thats right or wrong i dont know , but it works for me:).
Altitude to lose i.e. 24,000 feet and estimated time en route to waypoint/fix is 8 minutes away. That is 24,000'/8 minutes until ETE to fix equals 3,000 feet per minute. That is how it is done. You can also use GS and divide by 60 to get miles travelled per minute. For example, 480 knots GS is 8 miles per minute. 64 miles to destinatation = 8 minutes until destination. Divide altitude to lose by 8 minutes to get fpm. Also keep in mind TAS will decrease as altitude decrease so it will actually take longer to go a particular distance while descending vs going fast in a descent at altitude when the calculation is first figured.
Thanks for the additional calculations!
Really Appreciate your help!
Awesome vid Cap! Thanks. Now I don't have to listen to that crazy FS ATC fly me 20000 feet below my cruise lol. Do you even use ATC at all? Just curious.
Thanks man! Hah I know it gets annoying! No I turned the ATC off. I don’t use it at all. The only ATC I use is Vatsim which is real people and 100x more realistic
This is EXCELLENT Capt, a very useful tool. However I would add that it is NOT Airport Altitude that you subtract from the Aircraft Alt, it must be 'RUNWAY' Alt. Some airports differ from their runways and it is after all the runway you will be aiming for, not the Departure Lounge LOL :) :)
Thanks for your kind words! I didn't realize it was the runway altitude and that some airports vary! Thanks for the tip!
Airport elevation works just fine. Runway elevation or TDZE only varies from airport elevation by 20-30 feet at most usually.
Do these calculations only work for airliners? Or do they also work with slower, smaller aircraft? It's really hard to fly a Cessna 172 at 200+ knots lol
Nope! They work even for a Cessna. If you were flying a C172 at 5,000 feet, cut off two zeros to get 50 and divide it by 3 to get 16.6 NM which is when you should start descending! To get the three degree glide slope, if you are flying at a ground speed of 150 knots, just multiply that by 3 which is 450 FPM descent rate! Same calculations!
Would be nice if you posted "How To" notes on line.
My gosh man I was just wondering if i can calculate that descent in different way than computer or something, thanks!
Hi Captain. Can you please tell me what video card you use. I’m using a
(minimum)Memory:8 GBGraphics Card:AMD Radeon RX 570CPU:Intel Core i5-4460Microsoft Flight Simulator File Size:150 GBOS:Windows 10
I’m finding it next to useless, with unpractical long response delays of my rudder and yoke. Frustrating.
I know these are the Microsoft Flight Simulator system recommended requirements
Memory:16 GBGraphics Card:AMD Radeon RX 590Microsoft Flight Simulator CPU:Intel Core i5-8400File Size:150 GBOS:Windows 10.
But I wonder if I need to wait up to 3 months for the (back ordered) Nvidia RTX 3080. Your recommendation please.
I use a GTX 1080ti. Your specs sound pretty good for MSFS. Maybe upgrade your RAM?
@@captainhorn23 Cap, thanks. Put 32 ram in. It helped.
Master class (building my box to fly for the first time ever) ! THANKS for amazing down to earth information !! Feel less intimidated...
Glad to help! I love the pun too "down to earth information"
Can be even simpler in a320 with all the math. 80 nm travelling at 250kn at - 2000ft/min will lose you 30,000ft
Finally a video for this! I descended down to FL040 way before I needed to do so
Glad it helped out my man!
Should I use the travel distance which can be found on FP page on MCDU instead of direct distance on ND instead? I can be 100NM directly away from airport but I will fly 120NM according to my plane because of the arrival and approach turns, etc.
Yes that might work better and give more accurate calculations!
it would be nice to have an app that does all this for you.
@Brett Maxwell Oh I'm sure it won't be long before there is a mod for that lol. I heard a rumor that MSFS is not going to step on the toes of modders and let them do their thing. But take into account that I haven't really dug around to see for sure, so it's just that to me as of now a rumor. Unless someone out there knows 100 please let me know thanks.
I have an app for this. It is called my brain ;) By the way, REAL PILOTS DO NOT USE this method to calculate when to descend. We use the vertical speed we want to descend at, how much time it takes to lose the altitude required at that rate, then descend at that rate when ETE matches said time. I also have a tutorial on it. It's much easier than the video method and works great. I use it in the real world with a few exceptions.
Thank you, captain! It seems to me msfs2020 never automatically decent to the altitude using the managed altitude according to the flight plan. I always have to manually decent.
No problem my man! Yeah until they add VNAV we gotta do it ourselves!
veeery useful! subbed! ^^
Thanks so much my man! :)
same
thanks for the tips cheers!
What about Crosswind, do we still subtract or add or does it stay the same?
Stays the same!
I usually go by time if iam 15 min away and at 38,000' I'll start early if iam at lower altitude I'll start later same with high altitude I would start decent later. I do it this way because it's easier for me and don't have to deal with so much work since I don't have a copilot. Although thanks for info.
Thank you thumbs up and subscribed
Thanks man!
Great video. Deserved a sub. Good stuff
Thanks for the sub!!!
YES
Great thank you so much!
No problem!!!
Will you still do lspdfr videos
Well a large majority of my channel is strictly MSFS right now
Hello my dear captain Thank you for all your videos and your guides. Here I am again requesting and needing your advice. I am a fan of the 787 and in all my flights what fails me the most is how to follow or apply the altitudes in the ascent and descent towards the destination airport and take the ILS from the final runway. I have no problems creating the flight plan, not even loading it on the plane, preparing the plane for takeoff and uploading it with the autopilot. Once I start to follow the route, the plane begins its ascent to the maximum altitude (top of ascend), with a single shot, without following the different stages of each point on the route that have their respective altitudes and speeds expressed in the fmc. In other words, the automatic pilot does not make the respective scales at the go altitudes or the fmc plan expresses it and even less say the altitudes at which the atc is continuously requesting my co-pilot. This same happens on the descent! Please could you make a video tutorial detailing and showing this topic of handling ascent and descent control. What altitude to set as we go up or down or only target final altitudes are set. My dear friend I really appreciate this tutorial for my literacy! Pls and many of your public that we follow you.
No problem man! Well, ascending is just a matter of reaching the top of climb after take off. Microsoft has not added Vertical Navigation into the simulator yet so the plane tries to climb fast as possible. You can manage the climb at a slower rate if you wish using vertical speed. I recommend not using the ATC as it is terrible!
@@captainhorn23 OK buddy, thanks for your advice and comments. But please could you please create a tutorial to give and show us your expertise on this issue? Really we will appreciate it. 🙏🍀👊😜
@@captainhorn23 OK buddy, thanks for your advice and comments. But please could you please create a tutorial to give and show us your expertise on this issue? Really we appreciate it. 🙏🍀👊😜
I just use one of the many rules of the thumb that fs academy had in their ifr course for msfs that was current airspeed times 5 , 100knots times 5 = descend 500feet per minute and it works pretty well for me atleast with small ga airplanes like cessna etc. Wether thats right or wrong i dont know , but it works for me:).
What? Why not just look at your VS indicators?
Thanks! By the way, why not just dial-in a 3-degree descent angle using the FPA knob?
Because not all aircraft have a FPA mode
Well done sir thank you 👏🏼
Excellent video !
Washington !
Oregon!
@@captainhorn23 Wow ! Its so strikingly similar to Washington approach !
@@Joles789 Lol this is actually at KCLT in NC.
Dude you are the man, subbed!
Thanks for the sub!
I believe Little Nav Map does this for you.
I'll have to check it out!
I found it elsewhere... good luck
Nicely done Captain!
Why, thank you very much my friend!
Awesome instructions! Very easy to remember.
And glad you speak english and are easy to understand... we lack this sometimes on UA-cam.