The Captain Sim 777 is a bit weird when it comes to the OPT/MAX altitudes. By that, I mean it rarely shows anything other than FL301/FL344. So this might explain why the CDU/FMC is giving you the UNABLE CRZ ALT message.

I fly at between FL310 and FL350. The one thing I do to help figure out how much fuel I need for the flight, is to complete the setup of the CDU, then check the PROG page to see how much fuel is expected to be remaining at my destination. I then use the Fuel and Payload > Fuel menu to adjust the fuel so that I will have somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 - 25,000 pounds of fuel remaining (in the CDU, my reserves will be set at about 10.0 (10,000 pounds)). The main reason I will add an extra 10-15 thousand pounds is because
(1) I have to taxi to the runway on departure
(2) the CDU/FMC is not very accurate during the CLIMB and DESCENT
(3) a tailwind or headwind will increase or decrease, respectively, the remaining fuel upon arrival
(4) I have to taxi to the Gate

The system works really well for me and I use it in all my addon aircraft that have an CDU/FMC that will give me an estimate of the fuel that will be remaining at the end of the flight.

Mark, to determine the fuel at the gate before leaving is in fact pretty simple.
It involves a little work.
First I go to my favorite flight tracking site. Flightaware, check the airliners for the same flight. I will take the average time of the last week
as my flying time. Has to be the same aircraft. In my case 777-200LR
I only do flights >4hrs.
I do shorty training flights, to fine tune my CG to come over the threshold at the required attitude of 1 or 2 degrees nose up. From that
I work to perfect my "autoland to have very smooth touch down.
From that point manual landing are fairly easy. All my CS planes fly great.

Back to fuel.

Airliners and me do this.  200LR

Taxi   18 min at 66.6lbs per minute    1320lbs
Burn  flight time in min X 271.3lbs/min  crz .82
Arrival delay (ATC, Hold etc..) 36 min
Altn  distance varies -allow 20min per 80nm
Final reserve 30 min
No add on fuel or ballast

This become your " block fuel at the gate.
It is imperative you fly in real weather  I also check the box in FSX to obtain "wind aloft in custom weather.

It works !!  

Following a straight in approach, you are expected to land with 21120lbs  Fly high -the 200LR goes to FL390 to save fuel
The last step up has to provide a minimum of 20 min of crz before TD
to be feasable.
Step up every 1 1/2 hr or 2 to the max.

This guy needs 221725 of fuel to complete the flight.

If we want to duplicate the flights airliners do. We have to prepare like them.

Happy flying    

Raymond  Boeing or nothing  
KFLL South Florida

Hi, Today, alone and with time, I decided to make the Flight from
KSEA to SBGR   Seattle to Sao Paulo Br. and test my prediction
time and fuel.

I took my trusty B777-200LR, in the Air Canada livery, out of the hangar at 9AM, loaded my forescast fuel of 221K lbs, did my preflight in order
and I took off at 6.25AM Seattle time, it was raining - no surprise there.

Initial alt was set FL290 to make it easy. The rte was a long diagonal across the country to New Orleans, on the gulf of Mexico.
From there south across the gulf and from Central America to South
again diag south east over the rain forest and then left turn to Sao Paulo.

Opt and Max did not work so I step up 2000 each time every 90 min to a max of FL370 - speed set to M .82. I crossed a storm over the rockies no damage, light turbulence, clouds over me IFR condition.
Then I benefited from tail winds around 75kts for 3 hours.
It tapered when the rte turned over the gulf.
Over the rain forest, the wind was 13kts on the nose and it lasted for
4 1/2hrs - I think FSX could not get update in this region and that was simply a default.
bracket here. I have a complete set - two large books of Jeppesen plates for all of South America, the Carabean, central America and Mexico.
each airport has about 25 pages of info. Jeppesen has very thin pages.
After I got the Atis, I picked the side of the runway I wanted to land-
2 parall runways 9/27 suitable for the 777.
So I pulled the sheet ILS rwy 09R/ Jeppesen is strong on security.
It says alt 6000 to Station VOR STN then 109 degrees to intercept LOC
decrease alt to 5200 over the next 14nm then over 3.7nm down to 4700 to intercept. There are a number of hills in the city, so I was very careful to follow the instructions, it was night time over a strange city
STN was my last wpt before the airport. Now the crosswind was a 90
at 11kts, almost max., straight on the side. set APP over STN, I am about 4 miles from intercept on a nice angle, 109 vector
////////////////////  be ready for the unexpected///////////////////////////

The plane locked at the far end of the runway rwy 27L and turned !!!!!
Still far from the runway 09 at 200kts. My Vref30 was 133 ( no additive because 90 degrees crosswind )  I disconnected AP and AT and decided to do manual from 6000, I went to the runway and headed 94 - runway heading, let the plane go in a crab, managed the flaps and speed
as good as I could and steer the plane with the ailerons to bring it back
on heading. Thank god the ILS bugs were on the ND. I dont remember any callout after  500. With the runway coming up I made a huge rudder correction to line up the runway but I was drifting left fast. Airlerons to bring it back, over the runway, drifting again I used ailerons as much as I dare -potential wing tip contact. Low enough I did a light flare, throttle to idle, touch down on one main, then the other and nose.
When I triggered rev, I knew I was ok.
I landed long on the left side of the runway , I took the first taxi off.
stopped, and took a deep breath.

Verdict.  the flight took me 12.9 hrs instead of 12.25
            fuel at destination 30.4  instead of 21.1

better to be over when you fly.
I was careful to prepare, today I have no explanation
I did not have the benefit of airliners flying this rte. I gave it my best shot.  We all have limitation !!   No ??

Any landing you can walk out alive is a good landing !!!  

Raymond    Boeing or nothing
KFLL  South florida  

You're a very serious flight simmer. Much more than I am. Although I get quite a few flight plans from flightaware.com, I tend to create my own. I use FSC 9.3 (or PFPX, which I'm still figuring out).

My wife doesn't touch my Flight Sim because she isn't interested in it. She's just happy that I'm having fun with it.

Blover wrote on Oct 4^th, 2013 at 1:52pm:


Better you start as soon as possible.

Mark, your problem is pretty simple.  If you dont want to clean up now, some timely candle dinners and some flowers might be able to buy you some time !!!!

In a previous post I wrote the 757 had extra fuel over what I have seen in other planes. My mistake. regulations in USA stipulate, enough fuel to make the flight with extra :  30 minutes, then enough for the aleternate and then an extra 45 min.  This for all IFR planes.
The other flight plans I checked was AC, different rules for IFR.
Enough fuel, regardless of weather to complete the flight. then anough fuel for alternate, one engine out, low altitude, and then an extra 30 minutes. Must have improved weather from destination in the first place.
Simple enough, two countries, different rules.

Happy flying !

PS  I also gained three flight plans.  One extra !  

Raymond   Boeing or nothing
KFLL  South Florida

I've never seen the VNAV display the T/D to soon! I know I sometimes consider that it might be a bit later than it should be (or not show it at all), but never too soon.