KLAX → KJFK Transcon (J146)

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📍 Route: KLAX → KJFK via J146⏱ ~10 minutes📊 10 steps🎓 Line Flying

Los Angeles to New York on the 737: RTE, a LAX departure, J146 across the country, and a JFK arrival.

What this scenario covers

The transcon chains every skill in the catalogue — route entry, procedure selection at both ends, and a long airway inserted as a via/to pair on RTE. J146 is real FAA jet route data, so the entry behaves exactly as it does on the line.

It is also the scenario where the difference between RTE and LEGS matters most. RTE says what you asked for; LEGS shows the waypoints the FMC actually built, and on a route this long, scrolling it is the only way to know.

How it applies in flight ops

A five-hour domestic sector affords a proper pre-flight: load, cross-check against the OFP, brief, execute. Longer flights are not more difficult to program; they simply have more to check.

The arrival into JFK carries constraints that shape the entire descent, and loading it at the gate is what lets VNAV build a realistic path from top of descent instead of rebuilding it on the way down.

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Step-by-step: KLAX → KJFK Transcon (J146)

  1. Open the RTE page. Enter ORIGIN KLAX (1L) and DEST KJFK (1R).

    KLAX = Los Angeles, KJFK = New York Kennedy. Real airline OFPs quote 4-letter ICAO codes (not 3-letter IATA like LAX/JFK) for navigation systems.

  2. Enter ORIGIN KLAX. Type KLAX and press 1L.

    KLAX is the FMC's anchor for departure procedures and runway selection. Without a valid origin, the DEP/ARR page won't list any SIDs.

  3. Enter DEST KJFK. Type KJFK and press 1R.

    KJFK is the anchor for the arrival side — STARs and runway selection pull from the destination.

  4. Open PERF INIT and set CRZ ALT FL350. Type 350 and press 1R.

    Eastbound (course 000-179°) above FL290 uses odd thousands per ICAO semicircular rule: FL310 / FL330 / FL350 / FL370. KLAX→KJFK is roughly course 080° — eastbound. FL350 is a sweet spot for transcons.

  5. Set COST INDEX 80 — typical transcon airline value. Type 80 and press 5L.

    CI 80 is on the higher end — used when on-time arrival matters more than fuel savings (typical for transcon morning departures hitting hub connection banks).

  6. Open DEP/ARR and select a KLAX SID. Pick the first SID on the left column.

    KLAX SIDs in this trainer come from the FAA 28-day NASR data — same source the Airbus trainer uses. Real-world examples include CATALINA, GARDY, DOTSS, CHATY, DARRK. Selecting one stores its name as the active SID.

  7. Airways are entered on the RTE page. Press RTE, then 6L to open RTE 2. Type J146 and press 1L to stage the airway in the VIA column.

    J146 is a real FAA jet route from KLAX east to KJFK, passing through LAS (Vegas), the Plains, and the Midwest. On the real 737 the airway goes in the VIA column of the RTE page (not LEGS); staging it puts it on the cyan VIA line.

  8. Stage the TO waypoint for the airway: type LAS and press 1R (the TO column).

    The TO waypoint anchors how far along the airway you want to follow. LAS is the first major navaid east of LAX on J146 — about 220 nm out, marking the climb-out completion and the start of the eastbound enroute phase.

  9. Press EXEC* (6R) to commit the airway insertion.

    EXEC* finalises the airway. On a real FMC the route would now re-sequence to include every intervening fix between origin and LAS along J146 — the trainer just notes the commit and moves on. On the real aircraft, the magenta path on the ND would show the airway curving across the western US.

  10. Return to DEP/ARR and select a KJFK STAR. Pick the first STAR on the right column.

    KJFK STARs (CAMRN, PARCH, PAWLN, PUCKY, etc.) come from FAA NASR. CAMRN is the most-used arrival from the west — most real LAX→JFK routings end on CAMRN, transitioning to the JFK 31 ILS feeder.

What to take away

  • Airways go on RTE as a via/to pair — airway, then exit waypoint.
  • Scroll LEGS on a long route; RTE alone does not show what was built.
  • Arrival constraints shape the descent path — load them early.
  • Time to program is time to cross-check, not a reason to skip it.

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