Majestic Dash 8 Q400 - FMC Navigation 'No link' problem.

[Jay Oakley 1299775]

I'm constantly getting these 'No link' error messages when I attempt to enter a STAR in, most of the waypoints come out as working, but then only one waypoint will appear as 'No link' and it'll spoil the whole STAR approach, anyone know how to fix it?

[Svilen Vassilev]

Just delete the "No link" entries to create a continuous path.

[Randy Tyndall 1087023]

Edited out. Didn't add anything to the conversation.

 

Randy

Edited October 2, 2014 at 01:11 PM by Guest

[Tim Barber]

Mama always said if you can't say anything nice...edit your post.

 

Thanks Randy.

Edited October 2, 2014 at 01:22 PM by Guest

[Randy Tyndall 1087023]

Tim,

 

You are absolutely right. I have edited my post. If you could edit yours as well I would be grateful and then my momentary lapse in decorum will be hidden for the ages.

 

Randy

[Jay Oakley 1299775]

If I delete the 'No link' waypoint, then it will mess up my STAR approach and I'll obviously be missing waypoints.

[Randy Tyndall 1087023]

Jay,

 

If I delete the 'No link' waypoint, then it will mess up my STAR approach and I'll obviously be missing waypoints

 

Need to determine what you really mean here as you are using two different terms to describe the same event I think. A STAR is an arrival to an airfield and an approach is to a specifc runway at that airfield. Removing the "No Link" entry in your flight plan merely lets the FMC control the lateral navigation of the aircraft from the last waypoint of the enroute portion of your plan to the first point of the STAR. You shouldn't lose any of the STAR waypoints merely by removing the "No Link".

 

An example I will use is the CHINS9 arrival into KSEA. I fly this a lot in the Q400. My enroute portion usually ends at Baker City VOR (BKC) and BKC is one the arrival gates for the CHINS9 also. So, I usually get a "No Link" between the BKC of the enroute portion and the BKC of the STAR. I remove the "No Link" and that has me going BKC to BKC, so I also delete the second "BKC". Now I am on the STAR.

 

As the Dash follows the STAR I have another "No Link" at the end of the STAR after "AUBRN" This is the "transistion point" from STAR to Approach and usually I land South at KSEA so from AUBRN I have to fly a hdg of 340 degrees. At AUBRN, if I don't remove the "No Link", my aircraft will continue on a heading of 284 degrees, the heading last flown from HUMPP to AUBRN. So, I use this second "No Link" between "AUBRN" and "MGNUM", the first waypoint of the APPROACH to 16C at KSEA, as if ATC were vectoring me to the APPROACH, flying manually at a heading of 340 degrees and then removing the "no Link" as I get close to "MGNUM". Now the Dash will fly the approach.

 

All of these waypoints are in the plan, the enroute ones, the STAR ones, and the APPROACH ones, are in the flightplan in the Dash 8's FMC. They are just separated by "No Links". Removing the "No Links" brings them all together, but I don't "lose" any of them by deleting the "No Link".

 

Randy

[Jay Oakley 1299775]

When I delete the no link, the STAR looks completely wrong. It leads me in one direction then takes me back to where I was then back into the direction I was at before.

[Tim Barber]

When I delete the no link, the STAR looks completely wrong. It leads me in one direction then takes me back to where I was then back into the direction I was at before.

 

Hi Jay,

 

We will be able to help you much better if you post your flight plan, star procedure, and approach you are transitioning to at your destination airport.

 

Are you using paper approach charts as well?

 

Thanks,

Tim

[Jay Oakley 1299775]

Issue fixed, I forgot to place a transition waypoint.