Flight Simulator 2020 - Calculating Top of Descent Tutorial

In this video, we look at how to calculate the top of descent in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 since for now, there is no VNAV and the TOD is not shown on the aircraft (yet!). I hope you guys enjoy and I hope you learn these simple formulas for calculating the TOD so you won't be stuck at 35,000 feet forever! :)

0:00 - 0:47 - Intro
0:47 - 1:10 - Intro about TOD
1:10 - 5:05 - Calculating TOD + Extra Rules
5:05 - 7:08 - Calculating in game
7:08 - 9:49 - The ground speed calculation
9:49 - 11:19 - Descending + Talking about ALT constraints
11:19 - 12:15 - Capturing G/S + LOC
12:15 - 13:46 - Landing
13:46 - 14:48 - Final words/Outro

#MicrosoftFlightSimulator #MSFS2020 #Tutorial

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[thecorporatepilotdad]

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.

[dantebingham]

Finally a video for this! I descended down to FL040 way before I needed to do so

[dominiquez]

Master class (building my box to fly for the first time ever) ! THANKS for amazing down to earth information !! Feel less intimidated...

[chiefsimpilot]

Great video. Deserved a sub. Good stuff

[john_connerson]

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

[Kreemerz]

Awesome instructions! Very easy to remember.
And glad you speak english and are easy to understand... we lack this sometimes on Youtube.

[dostawczakk]

My gosh man I was just wondering if i can calculate that descent in different way than computer or something, thanks!

[drgaryarnold]

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.

[f]

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.

[opsman]

Would be nice if you posted "How To" notes on line.

[crawlysnipe]

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.

[oswaldohazbon]

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.

[dolfyparodies]

What about Crosswind, do we still subtract or add or does it stay the same?

[fernandosalas]

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.

[harbinguy]

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.

[nitram]

Thanks! By the way, why not just dial-in a 3-degree descent angle using the FPA knob?

[davidneraas]

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:).

[jtepsr]

it would be nice to have an app that does all this for you.

[richardswede]

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 :) :)

[Error]

Can be even simpler in a320 with all the math. 80 nm travelling at 250kn at - 2000ft/min will lose you 30, 000ft