How do I set the course correctly in a Boeing 737 flight simulator cockpit?
In a Boeing 737 flight simulator cockpit, you set the course with the left and right CRS selectors on the mode control panel, but only for VOR, localiser and ILS guidance. It does not steer the aircraft along an FMC route in LNAV. For an ILS, set the published front course; for a VOR, set the desired inbound or outbound course.
What the 737 course knob actually does
A lot of simmers expect the course selector to work like an old-school heading bug for every kind of navigation. In the 737, it does not. The COURSE knobs mainly tell each pilot’s navigation display and flight instruments which VOR radial or ILS/localiser course to reference.
Think of it as a display and guidance reference, not a universal steering command. If you are flying an FMC route in LNAV, the aeroplane follows the programmed lateral path from the flight management system. Twisting the course knob will not make LNAV turn to a new track.
Where is the course selector in a 737 cockpit?
In most 737 simulations, the course selectors are on the MCP at the glare shield, one for the captain’s side and one for the first officer’s side. They are usually labelled COURSE or CRS. The left selector affects the left-side display and NAV source; the right selector affects the right-side display and NAV source.
Depending on the add-on and simulator, you may also be able to adjust course using a pop-up MCP, clickspots, hardware controls or key bindings. The underlying logic is the same.
When should you set the course in a 737?
| Situation | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ILS approach | Published front course on both sides | Gives correct localiser reference and approach presentation |
| Localiser-only approach | Published front course | Same localiser reference as an ILS, without glideslope use |
| VOR approach | Published inbound or outbound course as charted | Lets you track the correct radial/course with proper sensing |
| En route VOR navigation | Desired course to or from the station | Helps with raw-data tracking and situational awareness |
| FMC/LNAV route | Usually not critical | LNAV follows the FMC path, not the selected CRS |
How do I set the course correctly for an ILS in a 737 simulator?
For an ILS, set the published front course, not just a rough runway heading you guessed from the airport diagram. In many cases they are nearly the same, but not always exactly. The charted front course is the correct value.
- Tune the ILS frequency in the appropriate NAV radio, unless your aircraft or procedure auto-tunes it.
- Read the published front course from the approach chart or briefing data.
- Set that course on the captain’s and first officer’s CRS selectors. Many simmers simply set both sides the same.
- Select the correct display source so you are actually looking at the tuned ILS/localiser on the navigation display or PFD.
- Arm VOR/LOC or APP only when properly established for the approach, according to your normal sim procedure.
If you are flying a typical straight-in ILS, setting both course windows to the published front course keeps things tidy and avoids confusion during capture. On some 737 simulations, the aircraft will still track the localiser if the course is wrong, but your indications may be misleading or less useful.
How do I set the course correctly for a VOR?
For VOR work, the course matters more in the traditional sense. You are choosing the course or radial you want to track, and the instrument shows deviation from that selected course.
- Tune the VOR in the NAV radio you want to use.
- Identify the station if your simulator models identification audio or text.
- Decide whether you are flying inbound or outbound. That changes what you should set.
- Set the desired course with the CRS selector. Inbound means set the course toward the station; outbound means set the radial/course away from it.
- Check TO/FROM sensing if your simulation shows it in the relevant mode. Reverse sensing is a common source of errors.
Example: if you want to fly inbound on the 270 course to a VOR, set 270. If you want to fly outbound on the 090 radial, you would normally set 090. The exact display and labels vary a bit between aircraft variants and sim add-ons, but that basic logic stays the same.
Why the course knob does not work for LNAV
This is the biggest point to understand in a 737 sim. The FMC route is not flown by the CRS selectors. In LNAV, the autopilot or flight director follows the active leg in the FMC database.
So if you are flying from waypoint to waypoint and the aircraft is in LNAV, changing the course window will usually do nothing to the actual lateral path. You may see the selected course line move on some displays, but LNAV will continue following the FMC unless you switch to a different navigation mode.
Common mistakes when setting course in a 737 cockpit
- Using runway heading instead of published ILS front course. They are often close, but not guaranteed to match exactly.
- Expecting the course knob to command a turn in LNAV. It does not.
- Setting only one side when using the other pilot’s instruments. If you reference both sides, make sure both course selectors are sensible.
- Ignoring NAV source selection. The correct course setting is useless if the display is looking at the wrong radio or source.
- Flying a VOR with reverse sensing. If the indications seem backwards, check whether you set the wrong reciprocal.
Should both course selectors be the same?
Usually, yes, for an ILS or localiser approach. In most normal sim use, setting both sides to the same published front course is the cleanest way to brief and fly the approach. It also keeps both pilots’ displays consistent if the add-on models both independently.
They do not always have to match. If you are doing raw-data practice, cross-checking different navaids, or using each side for different references, the left and right course selectors can be set differently. That is more advanced use, but the aircraft allows it.
Do all 737 simulators behave the same way?
Not quite. The core idea is the same across most serious 737 simulations, but the detail can vary:
- Some aircraft simulate the course selectors very accurately, including separate left and right nav logic.
- Some lighter add-ons simplify the displays, so course setting may seem less important outside approaches.
- Some modern avionics packages auto-populate certain approach data, but we still recommend confirming the front course yourself.
If something feels odd, it is often not because the 737 logic changed. More often, the sim is in the wrong navigation mode, the wrong NAV source is selected, or the aircraft is following the FMC rather than raw radio data.
What should you see after setting the course correctly?
When you have set it properly, the result depends on what you are flying. On an ILS or localiser, you should see sensible localiser guidance aligned with the published approach course. On a VOR, the deviation bar and course line should make sense for the radial or inbound course you intend to track.
If the indications look backwards, wildly offset, or unrelated to the route you expect, stop and check three things first:
- Frequency — is the correct VOR or ILS tuned?
- Source — are you displaying the right NAV source?
- Mode — are you flying raw data, or is LNAV/FMC still in charge?
A quick rule you can remember
If you are flying an ILS or localiser, set the published front course. If you are flying a VOR, set the course you want to track. If you are flying an FMC route in LNAV, the course selector is usually not what is steering the aeroplane.
That one rule clears up most 737 course-setting confusion in flight simulators.
If you are building out your 737 setup, our downloads library at Fly Away Simulation is a good place to look for aircraft, panels and utility add-ons that expand classic and modern airliner procedures.