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Good Mirning, Doug:
When you guys were cleared by Denver Center direct to RMG. Did you guys just erase the waypoints and just leave Rome2 arrival waypoints on FMC?
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Yup.
But I had a 'position/weather report' due over some point along the way so I went direct to RMG, then put the reporting fix into the FIX page, had the FMS plot an 'abeam point', went direct to that and then direct to RMG.
The FMS still figures out a good 'great circle' route to RMG and gives me a good reminder when my position/weather report is due.
We do position/weather reports during longer flights thru the ACARS because we can uplink live/"actual" weather conditions (tubulence, static air temp, winds aloft, sky condition) to our dispatchers so they can use the live data in their flight planning and create performance data that is highly accurate.
When the dispatcher predicts 2 hours and 48 minutes from takeoff to touchdown, we're usually within 2 minutes of that unless we get delayed by ATC. But even then, there are historical delays at certain times of the day/season and even those are anticipated.
Ok, I'm sure all that was "TMI" but stuff you're not going to hear anywhere else.