London Heathrow to Paris CDG
beginnerLondon to Paris on the 737: RTE, PERF INIT and TAKEOFF REF, the complete short-haul setup in one sitting.
What this scenario covers
This is the whole gate sequence on the Boeing side. The route goes on RTE, the weights and cruise level on PERF INIT, and the takeoff data — flap and V-speeds — on TAKEOFF REF, which is reached from INIT REF.
It is deliberately the same city pair as the A320 scenario, so the differences between the two boxes are visible rather than theoretical: the same flight, two design philosophies.
How it applies in flight ops
An hour-long sector gives no slack. European short-haul crews do this setup several times a day and the flow is fixed — which page, in which order, checked by whom — because a standard flow is what makes it fast and verifiable at the same time.
The last item, TAKEOFF REF, is also the one most sensitive to late changes: a runway change or a load change means new numbers, and the crew has to be willing to redo it rather than fly the old set.
Start this scenario
Open the SimTuts 737 CDU trainer and select “London Heathrow to Paris CDG” from the scenarios list to walk through it step-by-step on the simulated keypad.
Open trainer →Step-by-step: London Heathrow to Paris CDG
- Press the RTE page key. Then type EGLL and press 1L to set the ORIGIN.
EGLL is London Heathrow, LFPG is Paris Charles de Gaulle. These ICAO codes come from your Operational Flight Plan (OFP) — the document dispatch provides before every flight.
- Type LFPG and press 1R to set the DEST airport.
EGLL is London Heathrow, LFPG is Paris Charles de Gaulle. These ICAO codes come from your Operational Flight Plan (OFP) — the document dispatch provides before every flight.
- Type BAW304 and press 2R to set the flight number (FLT NO).
Your callsign from the OFP. BAW = British Airways ICAO code, 304 = flight number. ATC uses this to identify you on radar.
- Press 6R (ACTIVATE) to arm the route, then press the EXEC key to make it active.
A 737 route is not flown the moment you finish typing it. ACTIVATE stages it, and the lit EXEC key commits it. That two-step is the FMC safety net: you can review a staged change before it becomes the active route. Every Boeing tutorial you watch passes through this sequence.
- Press 6R to move to PERF INIT. Then type 35 and press 5L to set COST INDEX.
Short-haul flights often use a lower cost index than long-haul because fuel savings per hour are smaller over short distances. Your airline's dispatch sets this value on the OFP — it is not a pilot decision.
- Type 35000 (or FL350) and press 1R to set CRZ ALT.
For a 45-minute flight, you will not spend long at cruise. FL350 is a compromise: high enough for fuel efficiency, but not so high that you spend most of the flight climbing and descending. The OFP specifies the level.
- Press 6R (N1 LIMIT >) then 6R again (TAKEOFF >). Type 145 and press 1R to set V1.
V1 comes from takeoff performance tables or an EFB calculation. It depends on aircraft weight, runway length, temperature, altitude, wind, and surface condition. Below V1, you can still abort the takeoff. Above V1, there is not enough runway left to stop — you MUST continue.
- On TAKEOFF REF, type 148 and press 2R to set VR (rotation speed).
VR (rotation speed) is also from performance tables, based on the same factors as V1. At this speed, the pilot flying pulls back on the controls to lift the nose. Rotating too early risks a tail strike; too late wastes runway. VR is always at or above V1.
- Type 152 and press 3R to set V2 (takeoff safety speed).
V2 guarantees a minimum climb gradient even with one engine failed. It must be at least 1.13 times the stall speed in takeoff configuration. If V2 is wrong, you might not clear obstacles on the departure path during an engine-out emergency.
What to take away
- RTE → PERF INIT → TAKEOFF REF is the Boeing gate flow.
- Same sector as the A320 scenario — the contrast is the lesson.
- A standard flow is what makes a one-hour turnaround verifiable.
- Late runway or weight changes invalidate the takeoff data. Redo it.
The rest of Flight Plans & Routing
SID & STAR: KPHX → KLAS
intermediatePhoenix to Las Vegas: enter the route, then program a departure and an arrival from the DEP/ARR page.
📍 KPHX → KLAS — SID/STAR practice⏱ ~6 min📊 5 stepsRTE Airway Entry & the "NOT IN DATABASE" Fix
PremiumintermediateTwo error messages every 737 pilot meets on the RTE page — NOT IN DATABASE and INVALID ENTRY — and what each one is actually telling you.
📍 KLAX → … → LAS (via J146)⏱ ~4 min📊 8 stepsClosing a LEGS Discontinuity
PremiumbeginnerThe box prompts on the LEGS page are a route discontinuity. Here is what the FMC is asking for and how to close the gap.
📍 EGLL → DVR → LFPG⏱ ~4 min📊 4 stepsRoute Correction — Fix a Mistyped Destination
intermediateThe destination is wrong on the RTE page. Overwriting a field you already filled is a distinct skill from filling it.
📍 KJFK → EGLL (initially mistyped as EGKK)⏱ ~3 min📊 5 steps
Background reading
- GuideSimBrief to Cockpit: The Complete Flight Planning Workflow for MSFS 2024
Use SimBrief with MSFS 2024: generate the OFP, then program the PMDG 737 or Fenix A320 FMC step by step — and fix the fuel and weight mismatches.
- GuideA320 vs 737 in Flight Sim: Which Should You Fly?
A320 vs 737 in MSFS and X-Plane — fly-by-wire vs conventional, which addons get each right, the cost, and which airliner is more fun to fly.
- GuidePMDG 737 FMC Tutorial: Program Your First Flight Plan Step by Step
Program the PMDG 737 FMC from scratch: IDENT, POS INIT, ROUTE, PERF INIT, takeoff speeds, and VNAV setup. Every CDU page explained with the exact inputs.