MSFS 2024 737-8 MAX Cheat Sheet - Career Mission

737 Max Career Mission

======================

Quick & Dirty Version -- not technically accurate

I made a video of one of my 737 Career Flights in case you need help finding things: https://youtu.be/u_kvMruWqhM

Recommended: Test new airports with an Employee 737 mission before risking your Career plane. They can still randomly crash on spawn or during taxi.

DO: Use the EFB plane checklists to assist not missing anything

EFB: if skipping to Descent enter FL190 into flight plan (and make any other modifications) BEFORE you spawn into the mission, send to ATC & avionics

EFB: submit flight plan to ATC & send to avionics before you start anything else. The Exec light on the MCDU (the keypad) should come on.

For speed you'll want to work on overhead panel, FMS, and MCP (autopilot panel) configuration while you are waiting on Boarding/Baggage/Catering/Clearance/Engine Start/etc

DO NOT SKIP TO TAXI

Board Passengers as soon as able to start (don't leave until all passengers on board)

Request Baggage (don't leave until all baggage reported on board)

Request Catering (doesn't report back, watch in external view)

Request IFR clearance -- note your plane ID like RAW####

Acknowledge IFR clearance

[Dial in cleared Altitude on MCP]

[Set QNH from clearance or hit ',' to autoset]

Overhead Panel:

GRD PWR - ON

DOME WHITE & PANEL BRIGHT - as required

EMER EXIT LIGHTS - close cover (arms lights)

IRS L & IRS R (dials, way up there) - NAV

APU - START (returns to ON)

When APU GEN OFF BUS turns blue, turn L & R APU GEN ON

APU BLEED - ON

GRD PWR - OFF

No Smoking & FASTEN BLETS - ON

Turn All Lights On (Landing, Taxi, Strobe, Anti-Collision)

In MCDU:

[EXEC] (light should have been on, if not in EFB "Send To Avionics")

[POS INIT>] (hit the "softkey" next to these items)

[ROUTE>] (verify ORIGIN, DEST, and RUNWAY)

[PERF INIT>]

[ZFW][ZFW] (hit softkey next to "ZFW" twice to autofill)

350 -> [CRZ ALT] (set flight level, type numbers on keypad, hit softkey)

4 [RESERVES] (4 - thousand pounds of fuel reserve)

55 [COST INDEX] (how fuel efficient, 1=slow, 400=fast)

[EXEC] (light should be green again)

[N1 LIMIT>] (ignore for now)

[TAKEOFF>] 

5 -> [FLAPS]

[CG][CG] (autofill, TRIM will appear, set on elevator trim)

[V1] (autofill)

[VR] (autofill: important: rotation speed during take-off)

[V2] (autofill)

[DEP ARR] (select runways, SIDs, etc here)

[DEP ARR]

[ARR>] (the one next to your arrival airport)

(select your runways, approaches, STARs here)

[LEGS]

(use NEXT PREV PAGE and verify the plan)

(to remove a discontinuity, select the waypoint below it, then the [][][][][] boxes line, then [EXEC])

((Advanced: get free simbrief account and run the plan through simbrief to get expected fuel burn and winds enroute, enter those on the [LEGS][RTE DATA>] and the descent winds and enter those [VNAV][NEXT PAGE](til on DES page)[<FORECAST] -- this will give you better [PROG] fuel burn information))

CENTER COMMS PEDESTAL

Consider to turn up FLOOD and PANEL to suit

dial in the ILS frequency on BOTH nav radios, ACT(ivate) it

AP PANEL PREP

F/D ON both sides

Dial in cruise altitude, if not done above

A/T ARM - on 

IAS/MACH - dial up to 200 knots

NOTE where LVL CHG button is and HDG SEL right next to it

Dial in Runway heading

Lower Flaps to 5 degrees

READY TO DEPART

Disengage Parking Brake

Request Pushback (watch it doesn't push you into a building)

At some point during pushback you will get clearance to start the engines, do so (Control-E if you aren't sure)

Engine start takes a while, so give them time to get stabilized

Overhead Panel:
BLEED ON, APU BLEED OFF

L & R PACK - AUTO

YAW DAMPER - ON

Request and acknowledge taxi clearance

EITHER: Taxi or Alt-N to skip to Takeoff (both have risks)

Request Takeoff clearance & acknowledge

Line up on runway and take off

It's really hard to tell exactly what to do for takeoff but roughly:

On MCDU [LEGS], make sure correct waypoint is magenta

(can select a waypoint and "paste" it into the top slot to go direct to that waypoint next)

verify heading is aligned to runway (or points where you want to go when you enable autopilot)

A/T ARM on (verify)

[LVL CHG] on

[HDG SEL] on

Engines up to about 40%

Hit TO/GA button, throttles should automatically advance to max

At VR rotate and pitch up to 10 degrees (follow the flight director)

After positive rate of climb, raise gear

At 1000 feet AGL engage autopilot (or hand fly it, the more you hand fly the better you will get at it)

Start getting Flaps up as you pass 180 knots -- don't get overspeed

If needed, activate the next waypoint in the [LEGS] page

[LNAV] -- start following the flight plan Laterally

Increase selected speed to 240 knots until above 10,000 feet, then [VNAV] -- start following the flight plan Vertically

NOTES:

IPS (de-icing) and window heating is on the overhead panel, upper right

DESCENT (before T/D point or when ATC tells you to descend)

Dial in the floor altitude for the ILS approach or runway altitude + 2000'

To start manually:

    FMS [VNAV] [NEXT PAGE] (to DES page) [DES NOW>] (maybe can't do it if a step climb is still pending)

Otherwise should start automatically at T/D 

[INIT REF]

[<INDEX]

[<APPROACH]

(If ILS Approach: note ILS frequency and Course here, dial course into MCP and enter the ILS frequency into NAV Comms)

(subtract expected fuel burned from GROSS WT and enter that # back in)

130.5 [GROSS WT]

(then select softkey next to amount of flaps you want to land with, which will "copy" that value into the temporary input buffer like "40/130")

[FLAP/SPD] (enters the flaps and landing Vref)

ARRIVAL/APPROACH

(select your runway if it has changed in DEP ARR as above)

[INIT REF]

[<INDEX]

[<APPROACH]

Update GROSS WT if needed

Soft Key next to desired flap setting (probably full flaps) and use soft key to insert that into the FLAP/SPD entry

ILS and COURSE values will be displayed here also

Ensure NAV radios set to ILS frequency

Ensure COURSE on Captain and Copilot are both set to correct COURSE value 

Arm speed brake (ctrl \) & Set Autobrake to 3

Deploy flaps and gear as you approach, can use speed brake if need to slow down faster

If you have VNAV slowing you down to 240 on the descent below 10,000 you can stay in Managed VNAV mode all the way in, deploying flaps will automatically cause the plane to slow down.

LANDING

Even ILS approaches are sketchy to autoland, autothrottle is terrible.

Try to disengage autothrottle early and set speed a little fast and walk it back to the approach speed.

Disengage autopilot when you feel comfortable to finish the landing (if you see ROLLOUT and FLARE armed in white on the PFD you can try to autoland).

At touchdown, lower the nose, then activate reversers and go full reverse until 80 knots, then thrust to idle, close reversers at 40 knots.

NOTES:

T/C (top of climb), S/C (step climb), T/D (top of descent), E/D (end of descent)

To manually activate a leg on the FMS, [LEG] softkey on the waypoint you want next, and 'paste' (softkey) that into the top waypoint slot

To delete a leg, select the leg using the softkey and then softkey to 'paste' it into the slot above

Non-VNAV Speed Schedule on approach: 200kts until initial approach fix, 180kts at initial approach fix and 5 deg flaps, final approach speed (~140 kts) & start lowering flaps to 30 (or 40), arm the spoilers & set autobrake

AIRPORT NOTES

-------------

DOK = Departure okay

AOK = Arrival okay

ILSOK = ILS approach was okay

BADILS = ILS auto-landing not recommended

BADTAXI = Have had crashes during Taxi

NOBOARD = no boarding phase, might have issues

BADCOMMS = radio/clearance messed up (might be the airport or just random)

ROOF = starts on roof or otherwise broken airport

YEET = plane is yeeted into the sky during departure, NOT OK

"Safer" Departure Airports

==========================

BIJK -- DOK

EGLL -- DOK

EKCH -- DOK

FZQA -- DOK, NOBOARD

KFJK -- DOK, BADTAXI

KIAD -- DOK

KIAH -- DOK

KIND -- DOK (VIP)

KMIA -- DOK, ILSOK (smoothest ILS landing so far)

MPDA -- DOK, NOBOARD

MYGF -- DOK, NOBOARD

SBGL -- DOK

SEQM -- DOK, NOBOARD

SERO -- DOK, NOBOARD

SPJC -- DOK

TTPP -- DOK

Arrival

===================

BIJK -- AOK, BADILS, BADCOMMS

EGLL -- AOK

HECA -- AOK, ILSOK

HTKJ -- AOK, BADCOMMS

KATL -- AOK

KEWR -- AOK

KFLL -- AOK

KIAD -- AOK, ILSOK, BADCOMMS

KIAH -- AOK

KMIA -- AOK

KPHL -- AOK

KPQI -- AOK, BADILS

LFMN -- AOK

LIPZ -- AOK

LKPR -- AOK

SCEL -- AOK

SCFA -- AOK-RNAV

SEGU -- AOK, BADILS

SKBO -- AOK, ILSOK, BADCOMMS

SPJC -- AOK (no jetway)

Broken Airports

===============

KCAK -- ROOF SPAWN

SAAR -- YEETS

ROUTES

======

SKBO ✈ SEGU -- could not request IFR, on landing did NOT get credit for arrival, "skip to descent" almost immediately failed the mission due to being "too far off course" -- 2 hours utterly wasted

KIAH ✈ MYNN -- did not give me credit on landing after skip to descent, also seems after skip to descent autopilot is unreliable/freaks out: https://youtu.be/giMUa0YiOBQ?t=2868

Hit me up on Bluesky @drdarkstar.bsky.social