Program the ATR FMS/MCDU in MSFS step by step: enter a route, set SID, STAR and approach, check performance data, and fix NAV tracking.
To program the ATR FMS/MCDU in Microsoft Flight Simulator, establish electrical power, initialise the aircraft position and route, enter or import the flight plan, select the runway, SID, STAR and approach, add the required performance data, then inspect every leg. Before take-off, confirm the active waypoint, navigation source and guidance modes.
ATR FMS, MCDU or ‘ATR FSM’: what do the terms mean?
The FMS is the flight management system; the MCDU is the keypad and display used to control it. ‘ATR FSM’ is normally just a transposition of FMS, not a different piece of equipment.
This procedure applies to modern ATR 42/72 add-ons in Microsoft Flight Simulator that model a custom FMS. Page names and simulator-plan transfer can differ between aircraft updates, MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, while older or third-party ATR models may use another avionics system entirely.
The ATR is not an Airbus with propellers. The general order of route initialisation, procedure selection and leg checking is familiar, but its pages and vertical-guidance logic differ. Use our A320-specific MCDU sequence only when flying the Airbus, rather than copying its key presses into the ATR.
How does the ATR MCDU accept entries?
Most ATR MCDU entries are made by typing into the scratchpad, then pressing the line-select key beside the destination field. Selecting a field first and expecting to type directly into it is a common reason an apparently powered MCDU seems unresponsive.
Read the field format before entering data. Airports normally use ICAO identifiers, a route pair may require an origin/destination format, and altitude or wind fields may expect a specific notation. If the scratchpad reports NOT IN DATABASE or an invalid-entry message, check the spelling, field format and installed navigation data rather than repeatedly pressing the same key.
What is the easiest way to load an ATR flight plan?
The quickest method is simulator-plan transfer, but a hybrid workflow usually produces the cleanest route: transfer the airports and en-route section, then select the live runway and procedures in the ATR MCDU.
| Method | Choose it when | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| Simulator-plan transfer | You want a quick setup or are learning the aircraft | The custom FMS may receive an old runway, unwanted transition or incomplete procedure |
| Manual MCDU entry | You need precise control or are diagnosing a bad route | Waypoint, airway and duplicate-identifier errors |
| Hybrid entry | You want speed without surrendering procedure control | Selecting a SID or STAR twice and creating duplicate legs |
A route created in the World Map or MSFS 2024 planning interface has not necessarily reached the ATR's custom FMS. After loading into the cockpit, open the flight-plan page and confirm the origin, destination and en-route fixes. If those fields are empty, use the aircraft's available transfer function or enter the route manually.
We recommend choosing departures and arrivals in one place. Importing a complete procedure and then selecting it again in the MCDU can produce repeated fixes, discontinuities and sharp turns that are easy to miss on the map.
How do you program the ATR FMS/MCDU step by step?
The reliable sequence is power, initialise, build the route, select procedures, enter performance data, review the legs and configure flight guidance.
- Power the avionics and let the FMS start
Place the aircraft on stable electrical power using the equipment appropriate to your chosen start state. Wait until the displays and MCDU have completed their start-up before entering data; entries made during initialisation may be ignored or lost.
- Complete the initialisation and position fields
Open the initialisation or position pages and verify the origin, destination and present position. Add the flight number if desired and enter the planned cruise altitude or flight level where the FMS requests it.
Do not assume that spawning at a parking stand has populated every field. A route built on an incomplete initialisation page can later produce missing predictions or guidance that will not activate.
- Enter or verify the route skeleton
Open the flight-plan page and confirm the two airports. For manual entry, type each fix into the scratchpad and use the adjacent line-select key to insert it in the correct position.
When entering airways, use the available airway or VIA/TO fields rather than typing every intermediate fix. If several waypoints share the same identifier, select the one whose region or coordinates fit the route; the wrong duplicate may place the next leg hundreds of miles away.
- Select the departure runway, SID and transition
Choose the runway you expect to use, followed by the SID and its en-route transition. If no published departure is required, a runway departure followed by a sensible first fix is cleaner than loading an unrelated SID merely to obtain a magenta line.
The runway in the box must match the runway actually flown. Departing from another runway commonly leaves the active leg behind or across the aeroplane.
- Select the STAR, approach and transitions
At the destination, choose the STAR and its transition, then the approach and approach transition. These transitions perform different jobs: one joins the en-route structure to the STAR, while the other connects the arrival to the final approach.
Check that the resulting route approaches the runway from a plausible direction. After a runway change, reselect the complete arrival and inspect it again instead of deleting individual legs at random.
- Enter the required performance data
Complete the fields supported by your ATR build, including the cruise level and any requested weight, fuel, take-off configuration, V-speeds, wind, pressure or approach-speed data. Some values may be supplied automatically from the loaded aircraft state; verify them rather than replacing them with invented figures.
Do not reuse performance data left from a previous flight. Route guidance may still work, but speed predictions and descent information will be unreliable.
- Inspect and activate the complete flight plan
Scroll from the departure runway to the missed approach. Check every waypoint, altitude constraint, discontinuity, vector leg and turn, using the navigation display to catch fixes that are geographically out of place.
If the MCDU shows a temporary or modified plan, use its displayed insert or execute action. Until that modification becomes the active plan, the aeroplane may continue following the old route.
- Configure guidance before take-off
Set the cleared altitude, flight directors and intended initial lateral and vertical modes. Confirm that the navigation source points to the FMS rather than a radio aid, and check that the active leg leads from the runway towards the next sensible fix.
After departure, use heading guidance or hand-fly until the aeroplane can intercept the route cleanly. Pressing NAV while the first leg is behind the aircraft does not repair the flight plan.
Should you delete an F-PLN discontinuity?
Delete a discontinuity only when the legs on either side should form one continuous route. A discontinuity associated with a vector, manual termination or expected ATC instruction may be intentional.
- Join the legs when an imported route has placed a gap between two consecutive fixes in the same published procedure.
- Leave the break when the charted procedure expects vectors or a manual turn. Joining it may create an unsafe or nonsensical track across the airport.
- Use direct-to when cleared to a later fix or when the active leg has ended up behind the aircraft. Select the next logical fix, verify the proposed turn and consider terrain before activating it.
- Do not join the missed approach to the arrival merely to remove every gap from the page. Missed-approach and holding legs should remain in their proper sequence.
The active waypoint matters more than the overall shape of the magenta line. Always identify which leg the FMS is sequencing before deleting anything.
Why is the ATR not following the FMS route?
The ATR usually fails to track the route because the wrong leg is active, NAV guidance has not captured, the navigation source is wrong, or a discontinuity is blocking sequencing.
- Wrong runway or SID: The stored departure does not match the runway flown. Once clear of obstacles, use heading guidance and select a safe direct-to fix or rebuild the departure.
- Active fix behind the aircraft: The FMS is trying to return to a leg that was never intercepted. Activate the next appropriate leg rather than waiting for NAV mode to solve it.
- NAV selected but not captured: Read the flight mode annunciator on the primary flight display. The annunciation, not the button lamp, tells you which lateral mode is actually controlling the aeroplane.
- Wrong navigation source: FMS guidance can be valid while the display or flight director is set to VOR or localiser guidance.
- Excessive intercept angle: Use heading mode to establish a manageable intercept, then arm or select NAV again.
- Route break: A genuine discontinuity gives the FMS no continuous next leg. Resolve it only after deciding whether it represents vectors or an import error.
If cockpit inputs, cursor modes or navigation-source controls do not respond at all, the broader checks in our MSFS 2024 avionics-control troubleshooting also apply to the ATR: verify electrical power, cockpit focus and conflicting controller assignments.
Does the ATR manage climbs and descents like an Airbus?
No. The ATR FMS provides route predictions and vertical planning information, but the aeroplane requires more direct management of altitude, speed, power and vertical modes than an Airbus-style managed climb or descent.
Select the cleared altitude and use the ATR's available climb, vertical-speed and altitude-capture logic while monitoring every published restriction. A constraint displayed in the FMS is not proof that the autopilot will meet it automatically. Starting down late will still leave the aircraft high, even with a perfectly programmed arrival.
How do you set up an ILS or RNAV approach in the ATR?
Set up either approach by loading the correct runway and transition, checking the final legs and confirming that the selected guidance source and approach mode match the procedure.
ILS approach
- Select the exact ILS and runway
Do not rely on the airport alone; parallel and reciprocal runways have different procedures.
- Check the arrival connection
The STAR and approach transition should place the aeroplane on a sensible localiser intercept rather than requiring a turn back across final.
- Verify frequency and inbound course
Even when the FMS or radios auto-tune, confirm the displayed ILS data before intercept.
- Use the correct source and approach mode
Arm approach guidance only when positioned for a proper localiser intercept, normally below the glide path. Confirm localiser and glide-path capture on the flight mode annunciator.
RNAV approach
- Load the RNAV procedure and correct transition
Review it again after any runway or arrival change, as old legs can remain or reconnect badly.
- Check the final approach sequence
Confirm the initial, intermediate and final fixes appear in the correct order and that no vector discontinuity blocks the route.
- Keep the lateral source on FMS guidance
Unless being vectored, the ATR should follow the programmed lateral procedure rather than a VOR or localiser source.
- Manage altitude constraints deliberately
Vertical guidance availability depends on the procedure and aircraft implementation. Do not assume the autopilot will descend through each restriction without selected-mode input.
Why is the ATR MCDU blank, missing or rejecting entries?
A blank or unusable MCDU normally points to electrical power, cockpit interaction, invalid data format or an aircraft-package problem rather than a route-planning fault.
- Blank display: Confirm stable electrical power and allow the avionics to finish starting. Avoid repeatedly switching power while the FMS is booting.
- Keys do nothing: Check that the cockpit has input focus and that mouse, keyboard or controller bindings are not capturing the same commands.
- Entry remains in the scratchpad: Press the line-select key beside the required field. The MCDU does not insert scratchpad text automatically.
NOT IN DATABASE: Check the ICAO code, waypoint spelling and field format. A planner and the aircraft may also use different navigation data, leaving a procedure or airway unavailable in the FMS.- Custom ATR pages are absent: Verify that the intended ATR model and package loaded, not another aircraft or an incompatible installation. Our aircraft package and installation checks cover simulator-version mismatches, duplicate folders and incorrect package structure.