By RDPresets
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Table of content
1. Introduction.............................................................................................................. 7
1.1 General ............................................................................................................................................... 7
1.1.1 How to use this guide ..................................................................................................... 8
1.2 Abbreviations VFR.................................................................................................................... 9
1.3 Abbreviations IFR.................................................................................................................... 13
1.4 Phonetic alphabet ................................................................................................................. 17
1.5 Airspaces ....................................................................................................................................... 18
1.6 Radio check & Readability .............................................................................................. 20
1.7 Uncertainty in communication ................................................................................... 20
2. Charts ......................................................................................................................... 21
2.1 General ............................................................................................................................................ 21
2.1.1 Why charts are important ......................................................................................... 21
2.1.2 What chart type to use .............................................................................................. 22
2.1.3 How to use charts.......................................................................................................... 28
3. ATIS ............................................................................................................................................ 29
3.1 General ........................................................................................................................................... 29
3.1.1 What is ATIS ........................................................................................................................ 29
3.1.2 What information can you get from ATIS .................................................... 30
3.2 Abbreviations ATIS ................................................................................................................. 31
3.3 Understanding ATIS............................................................................................................. 33
3.3.1 METAR ................................................................................................................................... 34
3.3.2 TAF .......................................................................................................................................... 35
3.4 ‘Information’ .............................................................................................................................. 37
4. Flight Plans ....................................................................................................................................... 38
4.1 VFR vs IFR flight plans ........................................................................................................ 38
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4.2 ICAO Flight plan ..................................................................................................................... 39
4.3 VATSIM flight plan ................................................................................................................40
4.3.1 Equipment suffixes ....................................................................................................... 41
4.4 IVAO Flight plan..................................................................................................................... 42
4.5 Navigation equipment on board ...............................................................................44
4.6 Transponder capabilities ................................................................................................. 45
4.7 Navigation equip. & transponder capabilities per aircraft type ........... 47
4.8 Simbrief ........................................................................................................................................ 54
4.8.1 New flight ........................................................................................................................... 54
4.8.2 Operational flight plan ............................................................................................. 55
4.8.3 General information ................................................................................................... 56
4.8.4 Weight and fuel information .............................................................................. 57
4.8.5 ETOPS Information ..................................................................................................... 60
4.8.6 FMS & Route information ....................................................................................... 61
4.8.7 Company route 3rd party aircraft ...................................................................... 62
4.8.8 VATSIM pre-file flight plan ............................................................................ 63
5. VFR Phraseology ................................................................................................. 64
5.1 Example flight information.............................................................................................. 64
5.2 Stations.......................................................................................................................................... 64
5.2.1 Delivery ................................................................................................................................. 64
5.2.2 Ground ................................................................................................................................. 64
5.2.3 Tower ..................................................................................................................................... 64
5.2.4 Approach / departure ................................................................................................ 65
5.2.5 Information services ................................................................................................... 65
5.3 The traffic circuit ..................................................................................................................... 66
5.4 Bearings / headings ............................................................................................................. 68
5.4.1 How to request a bearing or heading ............................................................ 68
5.4.2 Different Q-Codes & Accuracy ............................................................................ 69
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5.5 Start-up .......................................................................................................................................... 71
5.6 Taxi ................................................................................................................................................... 72
5.7 Take-off.......................................................................................................................................... 73
5.8 VFR departures ....................................................................................................................... 74
5.9 Circuit flying............................................................................................................................... 76
5.10 En-route ...................................................................................................................................... 77
5.10.1 CTR crossing.................................................................................................................... 77
5.10.2 Information service ................................................................................................... 79
5.10.3 Restricted airspace ....................................................................................................80
5.11 VFR Arrival ................................................................................................................................... 81
5.12 Missed approach / go-around ..................................................................................... 82
5.13 Landing ...................................................................................................................................... 83
5.14 Taxi-in ...........................................................................................................................................84
6. Uncontrolled airports .......................................................................................... 85
6.1 What not to do ........................................................................................................................ 85
6.2 VFR .................................................................................................................................................. 86
6.2.1 Departing ............................................................................................................................ 87
6.2.2 En-route .............................................................................................................................. 88
6.2.3 Arriving................................................................................................................................. 89
6.3 IFR .................................................................................................................................................... 90
6.3.1 Departing ............................................................................................................................. 91
6.3.2 En-route .............................................................................................................................. 92
6.3.3 Arriving................................................................................................................................. 92
7. IFR Phraseology ..................................................................................................... 94
7.1 Example flight information ............................................................................................. 94
7.2 Stations ......................................................................................................................................... 95
7.2.1 Delivery .................................................................................................................................. 95
7.2.2 Planner ................................................................................................................................. 95
7.2.3 Ground .................................................................................................................................. 95
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7.2.4 Tower ..................................................................................................................................... 95
7.2.5 Approach / departure ................................................................................................. 96
7.2.6 Radar / control ................................................................................................................. 96
7.3 Wake turbulence ................................................................................................................... 97
7.4 Start-up & IFR clearance ................................................................................................. 100
7.5 Pushback .................................................................................................................................... 102
7.6 Taxi .................................................................................................................................................. 103
7.6.1 Small airports................................................................................................................... 105
7.6.2 large airports ................................................................................................................... 105
7.7 Take-off ........................................................................................................................................ 106
7.8 IFR departure .......................................................................................................................... 109
7.9 En-route ....................................................................................................................................... 110
7.9.1 Radar control .................................................................................................................... 110
7.9.2 Speed & Altitude..............................................................................................................111
7.9.3 Lateral offset......................................................................................................................113
7.9.4 SLOP .......................................................................................................................................115
7.9.5 Oceanic operations ......................................................................................................117
7.10 IFR Arrival ...................................................................................................................................121
7.11 Holding.........................................................................................................................................122
7.12 Missed approach & go-around ................................................................................... 123
7.13 Landing .......................................................................................................................................125
7.14 Taxi-in.......................................................................................................................................... 126
7.15 Switching off .................................................................................................................127
8. Non-Normal ........................................................................................................ 128
8.1 General ......................................................................................................................................... 128
8.1.1 What is ‘Non-normal’ ................................................................................................. 128
8.2 Non-normal VFR ................................................................................................................. 129
8.2.1 Different stages of emergency .......................................................................... 129
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8.2.2 Communication .......................................................................................................... 130
8.3 Non-normal IFR .................................................................................................................... 132
8.3.1 Different stages of emergency ........................................................................... 132
8.3.2 Communication ........................................................................................................... 133
9.
Let’s fly! ............................................................................................................135
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1. Introduction
1.1
General
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Welcome to the Online Flying Guide by RDPresets! In this guide, we will help
you understand everything that has to do with Air Traffic Control and
Communication when flying!
As a flight simulator user, it isn't easy to find good sources where you can
learn skills related to flying and because air traffic control and
communications is a vital part of flying and takes your experience to the next
level when using an online network when flying in your simulator we have
created this guide for our customers to use when flying and to learn
everything there is to know about communications so you can start flying on
an online network or continue flying with much more confidence than
before!
Everything in this guide is based on a combination of real-world experience
and the regulations in place around aviation communications. There are
many rules and regulations in place to keep the communication in aviation as
professional and as ‘fail proof’ as possible. This is because clear
communication is a critical element in the safe and control operation of your
aircraft.
In the next chapter, we will explain how to use this guide for yourself and how
to get started!
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1.1.1
How to use this guide
8
This guide is quite different from guides we have made in the past at
RDPresets. This because communication in aviation is more of a skill than
knowledge. We, of course, provide you with all the knowledge you need
about communications in this guide but after you have read/learned this
guide, you have to go online and try and practice.
This is why we have made this guide in such a way that you can keep it at
hand when practicing online on any network. Keep this guide open next to
your simulator, and when you need to request your IFR clearance, you scroll
to the sector in this guide that discusses IFR clearance request and apply the
examples we give you to your own flight.
After doing this and practicing, you will become better and better to the
point that you don’t need this guide anymore, and you can do all the
communications without thinking about it too much.
So to answer the question of how you should be using this guide, we
recommend you to first read through the guide separately without doing a
flight. And when you are done choosing a flight and practicing with this
guide open next to your flight simulator of choice.
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1.2
Abbreviations VFR
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Abbreviations are a big part of aviation and communications in general. It is
important to know what the abbreviations stand for and when is meant by
them when seeing them (In a flight plan, for example). This way, when ATC
asks you for estimated time en-route, you know you have to look for the ETE
abbreviation in your flight plan to let them know. Knowing your abbreviations
takes a lot of guesswork out of air traffic communication and makes you
much more able to respond and react to questions or situations that you may
encounter during your flights.
In this guide, we have listed all the abbreviations we think you should know
when flying and divided them into VFR and IFR abbreviations. You can always
use ctrl + F during your flight to quickly lookup an abbreviation when you
don’t know them from the head.
A
AAL
A/C
AD
AM
AMSL
APP
ATC
ATCC
ATIS
ATS
ATZ
Above Aerodrome level
Aircraft
Aerodrome
Accountable Manager
Above Mean Sea Level
Approach
Air Traffic Control
Air Traffic Control Centre
Automatic Terminal Information Services
Air Traffic Services
Aerodrome Traffic Zone
B
C
CAA
CTR
Civil Aviation Authority
Control Zone
D
DEL
Delivery
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E
EET
Estimated Elapsed Time
F
FIC
FIR
FIS
FL
FREQ
Ft
Flight Information Centre
Flight Information Region
Flight Information Service
Flight Level
Frequency
Feet
G
GMT
GND
Greenwich Mean Time
Ground
H
I
IFR
ILS
IMC
Instrument Flight Rules
Instrument Landing System
Instrument Meteorological Conditions
J
K
Kt
Knots
L
M
MAG
MHz
MIL
MSL
Magnetic
Megahertz
Military
Mean Sea Level
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N
NDB
Non-directional Radio Beacon
NM
Nautical Mile
NOSIG No Significant Change
O
P
Q
QDL
QDM
QDR
QGE
QTE
QTF
QUJ
See chapter
See chapter
See chapter
See chapter
See chapter
See chapter
See chapter
R
REFIS
RMZ
R/T
RVR
RWY
Regional Flight Information Service
Radio Mandatory Zone
Radiotelephony
Runway Visual Range
Runway
S
SSR
SUC
Secondary Surveillance Radar
Start-up Controller
T
TMA
TMZ
TRA
TWR
Terminal Control Area
Transponder Mandatory Zone
Temporary Reserved Airspace
Tower
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U
UHF
Ultra-High Frequency
V
VDF
VFR
VHF
VMC
VOR
VHF Direction finding Station
Visual Flight Rules
Very High Frequency
Visual Meteorological Conditions
VHF Omnidirectional Radio Range
W
X
Y
Z
Z
ZULU GMT
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1.3
Abbreviations IFR
13
Here you can find the most important abbreviations you need to know when
flying IFR. Like we said in chapter 1.2 (Abbreviations VFR), abbreviations are
very important, even more important when it comes to flying IFR compared
to flying VFR, scan through them, and when you encounter an unknown
abbreviation, you can always use ctrl + F to search in this guide and look up
the meaning of the relevant abbreviation.
A
A/C
ACARS
ACC
AD
AMSL
APP
ATC
ATCC
ATIS
ATS
Aircraft
Airborne Communications and Reporting System
Area Control Centre
Aerodrome
Above mean sea level
Approach
Air Traffic Control
Air Traffic Control center
Automatic Terminal Information Services
Air Traffic Services
B
C
CPDLC
CTA
CTOT
CTR
Controller Pilot Data Link Communications
Control Area
Calculated take-off time
Control zone
D
DA
DH
DCL
DEL
DME
Decision Altitude
Decision High
Departure Clearance
Delivery
Distance Measuring Equipment
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E
EET
EAT
ETE
Estimated Elapsed Time
Expected Approach Time
Estimated Time En-Route
F
FAF
FAP
FIR
FL
FREQ
Ft
Final Approach Fix
Final Approach Point
Flight Information Region
Flight Level
Frequency
Feet
G
GND
GP
GS
Ground
Glide Path
Glide Slope
H
I
IAF
IFR
ILS
Initial Approach Fix
Instrument Flight Rules
Instrument Landing System
J
K
kHz
Kt
Kilohertz
Knots
L
LOC
Localizer
M
MAG
MDA
Magnetic
Minimum Descent Altitude
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MDH
Minimum Descent Height
N
NDB
NM
Non-directional beacon
Nautical Mile
O
OM
Outer Marker
P
Q
R
RFL
RNAV
RVR
RWY
Requested Flight Level
Area Navigation
Runway Visual Range
Runway
S
SID
SLP
SMR
SRA
SSR
STAR
SUC
Standard Instrument Departure
Speed Limit Point
Surface Movement Radar
Surveillance Radar Approach
Secondary Surveillance Radar
Standard Arrival
Start-up Controller
T
TDZ
TMA
TWR
Touch Down Zone
Terminal Control Area
Tower
U
UTA
Upper Area Control
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V
VFR
VHF
VOR
Visual Flight Rules
Very High Frequency
VHF Omnidirectional Radio Range
W
X
Y
Z
-
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1.4
Phonetic alphabet
17
The phonetic alphabet is a very important part of air traffic communication as
it is used in almost every transmission and is something you really need to be
able to use on a regular basis without thinking about it.
The phonetic alphabet is used in air traffic communication to minimize the
possibility of confusion. Some letters can sound very similar to others when
pronounced separately, like N or M. To prevent confusion, every letter has its
own ‘name’, so to speak, to make sure messages are correctly interpreted and
read back. You can use the table below to learn the phonetic alphabet and
keep it close when flying so you can look a letter up when you want to
double-check if what you are about to say is correct.
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1.5
Airspaces
18
The air we are flying in is divided into different sections with different rules
into each of these sections in the sky. It’s important to keep in mind that
these different sections exist and what they mean for your type of flight.
These different types of airspaces are more important for VFR pilots
compared to IFR pilots, but it is still good information to have when flying IFR.
We have created an overview of all the different types of airspace and the
rules associated with them. You can use this when planning your flights
(Mostly VFR) to improve your situational awareness and to know what to
expect and comply with when flying through different kinds of airspace
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Using these charts, you are able to get a picture of what airspaces are and
where they are used. It’s mostly just the way of knowing what rules you must
comply with depending on where you are flying. The ATC towers in the chart
represent airports that can be located in the center of the respective airspace
class.
Keep in mind that airspaces can be encountered in lots of shapes and sizes
and don’t always have to look the same as plotted in the chart above. Those
shapes and sizes are the ones that are most common for the respective
airspace type.
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1.6
Radio check & readability
20
Before starting a flight, it can sometimes be useful to check your radio and
microphone by checking what we call our readability by performing a radio
check. We don’t recommend doing this on every flight, just when you think it
is necessary/useful to do so,
Air traffic control has five different options he/she can choose from when it
comes to rating your readability. Every one of them has its own meaning, and
it is important to know the meaning of these different ratings so you
understand how well the ATC is able to understand what you are saying
Scale:
•
•
•
•
•
Readability 1 / no response: Unreadable
Readability 2: readable now and then
Readability 3: Readable but with difficulty
Readability 4: Readable
Readability 5: Perfectly readable
1.7
Uncertainty in communication
When you aren’t sure if ATC was calling you on the frequency or somebody
else with a callsign that sounds a lot like yours, recommended practice is to
stay silent for about ± 10 seconds. This gives ATC the chance to call you again
or the station the transmission was meant for to respond, do not respond on
transmissions you are not sure of if they were meant for you or not.
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2. Charts
2.1
2.1.1
General
Why charts are important
21
Charts are one of the most important tools of a pilot during the flight. Some
people flying online still don’t use charts, and that is very unrealistic and not
very smart. By using charts like in the real world, you are able to plan the next
stages of your flight using the information given on the charts. This increases
your situational awareness and makes you able to deal with all of the
scenarios that you will encounter during a flight.
Charts give you all the information you need when it comes to airports and
airspaces you fly through during your flight. SIDS and STARS have to be
checked and planned using the FMC and the charts, this way, you have a
clear picture of what you are planning to do in the next stage of your flight. In
this chapter, we go over every type of chart and what information is given on
the charts. This way, when you are using charts for yourself, you know what
everything means on the chart and how to use it.
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2.1.2
What chart type to use
VFR
22
For VFR flights, you will mostly use VFR charts of the respective region or
country you are flying together with the VFR charts for the airports you are
flying to. These charts are available for free and published by the respective
country you are flying in. Every country has a so-called ‘AIP’ or Aeronautical
Information Publication. Like real VFR pilots, you can get access to the AIP of
a specific country via a simple google search: ‘AIP The Netherlands’ as an
example.
AIP’s are separated into three parts.
•
Part 1: General (GEN):
General information related to the country you are flying
•
Part 2: En Route (ENR):
En-route information related to the country you are flying
•
Part 3: Aerodromes (AD):
Information related to the aerodromes located in the specific country and all
the charts and other publications related to the aerodromes.
If we look closer at Part 3 Aerodromes, the most important thing you will
need to use are the charts for the airports you will be flying in and out of. You
can find these charts in section AD 2. Here you will find a list of all the airports
located in the country you are flying in. Select the airport you want and look
for the ‘Charts related to the aerodrome’. Here you can find all of the different
charts available for you to use.
There are a few different charts you will have to use when flying VFR.
1. Parking charts:
These charts are mostly used for ground planning from your stand or when
taxiing in to know where your assigned stand/gate is located.
22
2. Ground movement charts:
Charts used for your ground planning, when planning your taxi route and
when you are moving around the airport to keep an overview of the airport,
hotspots, and other things to improve your situational awareness.
3. Traffic circuit charts:
An overview of the traffic circuit area of the airport you are flying in, a very
important chart for VFR flight, and we discuss the traffic circuit in more detail
in chapter 5.3.
4. Departure and arrival charts:
Charts used when flying VFR and entering or leaving the traffic circuit of an
aerodrome via specific pre-determined departure and arrival routes.
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IFR
When it comes to IFR flight and the use of charts, it is very common for pilots
to use some sort of tool/app to have easy access to all of the different charts
they might need during their flight. When flying, IFR situational awareness is
even more important compared to VFR flight, and this means the use of
charts is significantly increased.
There are different chart suppliers when it comes to IFR flight, Jeppesen,
LIDO, and AIP charts, due to copyright reasons, we can’t show you all the
different types and what is on them, but we can show you some of the charts
and explain when to use them and what information you can find on the
different categories.
IFR charts are most commonly separated into the following categories:
Reference charts:
Reference charts are mostly used for providing the pilots
with information regarding procedures at and around
the aerodrome. Noise abatement procedures are
described here, and other information regarding
departure, arrival, and ground operations.
TAXI / Ground charts:
This one speaks for itself, information regarding ground
operations (Aircraft limitations) and aerodrome
overview charts for taxi planning. Keep in mind when
flying heavy aircraft. You look for charts that tell you
where you can and can’t go with your specific aircraft
type. Not every taxiway is strong/big enough for every
aircraft type, and some aerodromes will include a chart
highlighting the taxiways not to be used by heavy
aircraft.
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SID (Standard instrument departure) charts:
SID charts gives the pilot all the information he/she
needs to fly a safe and efficient standard instrument
departure. It is important to always have the chart
related to your SID open when flying this procedure
because it is important to comply with all the
restrictions and other special procedures related to
the standard instrument departure you are flying. A
lot of information is given on these charts, like
transition altitude, minimum save altitude, initial
climb, and all other restrictions, as well as a schematic
overview of the route you will be flying.
STAR (Standard arrival) charts:
STAR charts gives the pilot all the
information he/she needs to fly a safe and
efficient standard arrival route. It is
important to always have the chart related
to your STAR open when flying this
procedure because it is important to
comply with all the restrictions and other
special procedures related to the standard
arrival you are flying. A lot of information is
given on these charts like transition level,
minimum save altitude, approach fixes,
holding areas, and all other restrictions, as
well as a schematic overview of the route you will be flying.
25
APP (Approach) charts:
Approach charts normally start at the initial approach fix
and help you fly a stable and planned approach up until
touch down or a go-around. This is a very important chart
for IFR flight and should be looked at before decent to
determine your decision heigh / altitude and gain all the
needed information for a safe approach to the runway. Or
when an approach doesn’t go as planned, and you will
have to go around, this chart shows you the missed
approach procedure related to your runway/approach
type. Try to remember the missed approach procedure
because when you do have to go around, there is not
much time to look at the chart to see what you need to do.
(Especially in-sim flying an airliner by yourself).
Low en-route charts:
Low en-route charts show you the
airways and waypoints in the
respective area up to 18000 feet MSL.
You will mostly be flying in this area
during departure and arrival.
However, when flying a STAR
(Standard instrument arrival), these
low en route chart becomes
redundant because most standard
arrival procedures start at a height
above 18000 feet, and you will be
using the STAR charts, so if you are
executing a flight at a cruise level
below 18000 ft this chart can be
useful. Otherwise, not so much.
26
High en-route charts:
High en-route charts are very useful when you are in cruise flight above 18000
feet MSL. Here you can find your route and all the airways and waypoints that
are located in the area you are flying. This chart is very useful to know where
you are along your route and to
check your route against your
flight management computer
to see if you are still on the right
track and everything is going as
planned. This chart can also be
useful to request shortcuts from
ATC along your route when you
experienced a delay along your
route, and you want to make up
some time by cutting off a
section of your route.
27
2.1.3
How to use charts
28
A common question is when and how to use charts in the most effective way
possible. The best way to use charts as a pilot is to use them expensively in
the planning phase and use them regularly during flight.
During the planning phase of the flight you should study the charts and look
at all the procedures you are about to perform, this way you are familiar with
what is going to happen, but it is very difficult to know everything that is
written on the charts from your head, this is why you should always keep the
chart relevant to the procedure/stage of the flight you are in at that moment
open, so you can do a quick scan of the chart to remind yourself or to confirm
what you remember from the planning phase is correct.
We recommend having the charts open on your second monitor or on a
tablet if one of these things is available to you. This way, you can always look
at them next to your cockpit on your main display instead of looking at the
charts on the same display as your simulator is running. In this case, you
always have to switch between the two.
28
3. ATIS
3.1
3.1.1
General
What is ATIS
29
ATIS, short for Automatic Terminal Information Service, is used in aviation by
airports to provide pilots with information relevant to them for departure or
arrival. In some cases, there is 1 ATIS for both departure and arrival, and in
other cases (mostly big international airports) use two different ATIS
frequencies, one for departing aircraft to use and information relevant to
them, and one for arriving aircraft.
A lot of information is giving to a pilot using ATIS, mostly related to weather at
and around the aerodrome and other specific ATIS instructions. It is
important to list or read the ATIS for yourself when departing/arriving at an
airport to be up-to-date on everything going on at and around the
aerodrome.
ATC assumes you are aware of what is included in the latest ATIS. To confirm
to ATC that you are ‘Information’ is used, we go into more detail on the term
information in chapter 3.4.
When you have never heard an ATIS message before, it can be confusing and
difficult to understand. Important to remember is that an ATIS is a
continuous loop of the same ‘Information’ over and over again, meaning if
you didn’t understand something from an ATIS, you can continue to monitor
the frequency and listen closely when the ATIS repeats again, so you are
aware of what is included in the ATIS active for your departure/arrival
aerodrome.
29
3.1.2
What information can you get from ATIS
30
You can find a lot of useful information in the ATIS. We have compiled a list of
the things you may find in an ATIS message. Some of the items from the list
are always included in every ATIS message, like the name of the aerodrome.
And other things are only included if they are relevant, like other specific ATC
/ ATIS instructions.
The following information may be obtained from an ATIS message:
• Name of the Aerodrome
• Departure or Arrival indicator
• Designator (Information)
• Time of observation
• Type of approach to be expected
• Runway in use
• Runway surface condition (If appropriate)
• Holding delay (If appropriate)
• Transition level
• Other operational information
• Surface wind direction
• Visibility (If appropriate RVR)
• Present weather
• Clouds below 5000 FT or below the highest minimum sector altitude
(Whichever is greater)
• Air temperature
• Dew point
• Altimeter setting
• Wind shear information (If appropriate)
• Trend forecast when available
• Other specific ATC / ATIS instructions
30
3.2 Abbreviations ATIS
31
Because most of the time, ATIS is transmitted via an audio message,
abbreviations aren’t an issue when it comes to normal ATIS messages.
However, D-ATIS, the digital equivalent of normal ATIS. It is a digital version of
the ATIS message and does include a lot of Abbreviations you will also find in
METAR and TAF messages.
We will go over all the things you need to know to understand ATIS and DATIS messages as well as METAR and TAF reports, so you are well informed
and ready to go during your next flights.
Identifiers:
B - Began
BC Patches
BL Blowing
BR Mist = 5/8
DR Low Drifting
DS Duststorm
DU Dust
DZ Drizzle
E - Ended
Modifiers: - = Light
FC, +FC Funnel Cloud,
Well-Developed Funnel Cloud
Tornado / Waterspout
FG Fog
FU Smoke
FZ Freezing
GR Hail
GS Small Hail / Snow
Pellets
+ = Heavy
HZ Haze
IC Ice Crystals
MI Shallow
PL Ice Pellets
PO Well-Developed
Dust/Sand Whirls
PR Partial
PY Spray
RA Rain
P = More than
M = Less than
SA Sand
SG Snow Grains
SH Showers
SN Snow
SQ Squalls Moderate
SS Sandstorm
TS Thunderstorm
UP Unknown
Precipitation
VA Volcanic Ash
VC In the Vicinity
B = Began
E = Ended
Sky:
BKN : Broken cloud layer 5/8ths to 7/8ths
CB : Cumulonimbus
CLR : Sky clear at or below 12,000AGL
FEW : Few cloud layer 0/8ths to 2/8ths
OVC : Overcast cloud layer 8/8ths coverage
SCT : Scattered cloud layer 3/8ths to 4/8ths
SKC : Sky Clear
TCU : Towering Cumulus
31
Other:
PROB30 : Probability of 30% (Only 30% & 40%)
AMD : Amended forecast
R04 : Runway 4
AUTO : without human editing RMK : Remarks
BECMG : Becoming BECMG
RWY : Runway
0006 = becoming 00 to 06 Zulu RVRNO : Runway Visual Range not available
CAVU : Ceiling and visibility
SFC VIS : Surface Visibility
unlimited
SLP : Sea Level Pressure, add 10 to numbers
COR : Correction
given
DSNT : Distant weather
SLPNO : Sea Level Pressure not available
phenomenon
SM : Statute miles
FM : From FM0500 = from 0500 SPECI : Special Report
Zulu
TEMPO : Temporarily
FROPA : Frontal Passage
TWR VIS : Tower Visibility
LTG : Lightning
V : Varying
LDG : Landing
VIRGA : Virga
M : Minus, below zero, “less than.” VRB : Variable
NO : Not available
VRB VIS : Variable Visibility
NSW : No significant weather
VV : Vertical Visibility, indefinite ceiling
PK WND : Peak Wind
WS : Wind shear
WSHFT : Wind shift
32
3.3 Understanding ATIS
33
All ATIS messages and D-ATIS messages have the same format and
information they provide the pilot. We will break down an example of a DATIS message so you can see what everything in the message means.
33
3.3.1
METAR
34
METAR is a very important asset to pilots when flying. METAR stands for
Meteorological Aerodrome Report. METARs give pilots the latest weather
information for an aerodrome in a special format. This way, pilots get all the
information they need in one single message. We have a METAR as an
example so you can understand and use METARs during flight.
EHAM 101055Z 14006KT CAVOK 02/00 Q1006 NOSIG
34
3.3.2
TAF
35
TAF is very similar to METAR and uses the same language and abbreviations
to communicate weather information to pilots. In the case of TAF, the
information given is regarding the weather in the future. TAF stands for
Terminal Aerodrome Forecast. One important thing to note when it comes to
TAF is that only changes based on the METAR are given. As an example. If the
TAF includes the following message: BECMG 1100/1103 13014KT, This means that
between the 11th of the month 0000z and on the 11th of the month 0300z, the
wind will change from the wind given in the METAR to 130 degrees 14 KTS.
The rest of the METAR stays the same unless other changes are mentioned in
the TAF. We have an example of a TAF below to break everything down. Keep
in mind that we will also refer to the METAR in 4.3.1 as this TAF tells us about
forecasted changes in the coming 24 hours to the METAR in Chapter 3.3.1.
35
EHAM 100459Z 1006/1112 13009KT 9999 SCT030 PROB30 TEMPO 1006/1008 7000 BKN005 BECMG
1100/1103 13014KT PROB40 TEMPO 1108/1112 6000 RADZ BKN014
1. Schiphol airport, TAF published at the 10th of the month at 0459Z, TAF is
active from the 10th at 0600Z until the 11th at 1200Z, wind is 130 at 9 kts,
visibility is 10 km+, clouds are scattered at 3000 ft.
2. The chance of the following conditions actually occurring is 30%, the
conditions will be temporary, the conditions will take place on the 10th
between 0600Z and 0800Z, visibility will decrease to 7000 meters, and
clouds will change to broken clouds with the cloud base at 500 ft.
3. Conditions will be changing and will be staying like this until the next
‘Becoming’, the conditions will change on the 11th between 0000Z and
0300Z, the wind will change to 130 degrees at 14 kts
4. The chance of the following conditions actually occurring is 40%, the
conditions will be temporary, the conditions will take place on the 11th
between 0800Z and 1200Z, visibility will decrease to 6000 meters, there
will be RA = Rain + DZ = Drizzle, and clouds will change to broken clouds
with the clouds base at 1400 ft.
36
3.4 ‘Information’
37
Each ATIS is given a letter to identify it. This is to make sure you and ATC can
confirm you have monitored and are aware of the latest ATIS information.
When ATC asks you to ‘Confirm information Bravo is onboard’ and the last
ATIS you monitored was ATIS Alpha, you know there have been changes to
the ATIS, and you have to monitor the latest version (In this case, Information
Bravo). This was you can ensure ATC you are aware of the latest weather and
airport information relevant for your departure/arrival. Keep in mind that after
‘Information Zulu’, the next will be ‘Information Alpha’, for some pilots, the
most obvious thing in the world, but it can cause confusion if a pilot isn’t
aware of this.
In this example, the pilot doesn’t
Have the latest information, the
Information the pilot has is
information A, in this case, ATC
tells the pilot to monitor (Listen)
to the latest information (Info B).
This way, the pilot will have the
Most current information
about the airport. If information A
was the latest information, ATC
would have told the pilot:
‘Information Alpha is current’,
instead of:
‘Monitor information Bravo’.
37
4. Flight Plans
38
Completion of the ICAO flight plan form is quite simple and is only a matter of
inserting the requested information in the appropriate boxes. The white
boxes on the form relate to required information about the flight and are to
be completed by the pilot or dispatcher, while the shaded boxes indicate the
information that is to be inserted by appropriate ATS and COM services.
It can, however, be quite complicated and confusing if you don’t know what
everything on the flight plan forum means or don’t know where to find the
needed information to complete the flight plan and start your flight. Flight
plans are mandatory for a flight on networks like VATSIM and IVAO, and many
more, so we will explain the official ICAO Flight Plan format, the VATSIM, and
IVAO formats. We will also show you where to find all of the information you
need in your flight plan (Simbrief) to fill everything in.
4.1
VFR vs IFR flight plans
Before we start discussing flight plans in more detail, it is important to
understand the difference between VFR and IFR flight plans. Some of you will
only fly one or the other. Others will fly both types in their simulator.
Important to note is that the format of both flight plans is the same. Both use
the standard ICAO Flight Plan format.
The biggest difference between the two is that IFR flight plans are a lot
stricter and more precise compared to VFR flight plans. This is most notable
when it comes to section 15 route. When it comes to IFR routes, it’s
mandatory to fill in the exact route you are planning to fly. Of course, ATC can
provide you with shortcuts and other changes to your route, but in the
planning phase of your flight (when filing your flight plan), the route has to be
the exact route you are about to fly. When it comes to VFR, this isn’t the case.
You obviously have to specify your departure and arrival aerodrome. But
when it comes to the route, there is a lot more room for changes to the route
during your VFR flight. This is because VFR traffic isn’t as heavily controlled
like IFR traffic.
This enables you to file a route that you think you are going to fly and change
this route to your liking during the flight (If you are flying in an area that
allows this). Keep in mind that this only works during the ‘cruise’ phase of
your flight. Departure, arrival, and CTR crossings are a lot stricter when it
comes to your route because these areas are generally more crowded.
38
39
4.2 ICAO Flight Plan
The ICAO Flight Plan is an international
standard for flight plans. This way
everybody knows where to find the
information they need. The flight plans
we will be discussing in 5.3 and 5.4 are
based on this standard format. When it
comes to the standard flight plan on
the right, most sections where
information has to be filled in are
designed in such a way that you only
have a few options you can choose
from to fill in. This way, everybody in
the world will understand what you
mean. This is also true for the flight
plans used by VATSIM, IVAO, and other
networks.
Take section 8 Flight Rules as an
example. We wouldn’t go into too
much detail as we do in the next two
chapters (4.3 and 4.4), but it’s good to understand this real-life flight plan in
order to fill in the flight plans used by the network you are flying on.
When it comes to section 8 Flight Rules, you have to following options when
filling in your flight plan:
-
I:
V:
Y:
Z:
Used when the entire flight will be operated under IFR.
Used when the entire flight will be operated under VFR.
Used when starting the flight under IFR and later switching to VFR.
Used when starting the flight under VFR and later switching to IFR.
By making use of these standard flight plans and a standard way of filling
them in, the whole world will know what you mean, and every air traffic
controller will get all of the information he/she needs from your flight plan in
one glance. This principle is also used in the flight plans used by online
networks, and we will discuss these in more detail next.
39
4.3 VATSIM Flight Plan
40
The format for flight plans used by VATSIM is a lot simpler compared to the
IVAO and ICAO formats.
The Vatsim format has some elements that can be weird/difficult to
understand, but most of the elements you have to provide are very
straightforward. We go over every item and explain what you need to fill in
and where to find it. If you are using Simbrief, you can also choose to upload
your flight plan from Simbrief to Vatsim. When you have done so, you can
click on item 16 (Fetch from server), after which your flight plan information
will automatically be put in correctly.
1.
Flight type:
IFR / VFR
9.
Cruise altitude:
Written out in FT
2.
Departure airport:
See flight plan
10.
3.
Arrival airport:
See flight plan
11.
Heavy aircraft?
Your aircraft is heavy if MTOW is above
136000 KG
Equipment:
See next table
4.
Alternate airport:
This means arrival alternate, not any enroute alternate
Departure time:
Off block time, Zulu time
12.
6.
Time en-route:
See flight plan, use time next to trip fuel
14.
7.
Fuel available:
See flight plan, use time next to Take off
fuel (TOF)
Cruise speed:
In True Air Speed (TAS)
15.
File flight plan:
When done, click this button
16.
Fetch from server:
Fetch flight plan from Simbrief
5.
8.
13.
Route:
Your route from the Flight Plan
without runway + SID + STAR
Remarks:
Depends on your flight, example:
ETOPS alternate info.
Voice:
Own preference
40
4.3.1
Equipment suffixes
Navigation
capability
Any
RVSM
Transponder
capability
No GNSS, No RNAV
Failed transponder or failed
mode C capability
Transponder with mode C
RNAV, No GNSS
Transponder with mode C
GNSS
Transponder with mode C
No transponder
No DME
Transponder with no mode C
Transponder with mode C
No transponder
DME
Transponder with no mode C
Transponder with mode C
No transponder
No RVSM
TACAN
Transponder with no mode C
Transponder with mode C
No transponder
RNAV No GNSS
Transponder with no mode C
Transponder with mode C
No transponder
GNSS
Transponder with no mode C
Transponder with mode C
Suffix
/H
/W
/Z
/L
/X
/T
/U
/D
/B
/A
/M
/N
/P
/Y
/C
/I
/V
/S
/G
41
Here you can see an overview of all the different Equipment suffixes in use
today. We understand that this can be a little overwhelming for the average
flight simmer. If you understand everything in the overview, great! You can
see for yourself what equipment suffix is applicable for your aircraft. For the
people that don’t, when flying any modern airliner, use /L, when flying any
VFR aircraft, use /A.
41
4.4 IVAO Flight Plan
42
The IVAO Flight Plan format looks much more like the real-life ICAO Flight
plan format we talk about in chapter 4.2. This type of form is a lot more
complex compared to the VATSIM format.
The Vatsim flight plan can be 70% filled in without too much knowledge, but
the IVAO flight plan is more ‘crypted’. But when you know what to fill in and
where to find it it’s very easy! We explain every window you need to fill in so
you can file your flight plan correctly without any issues.
The information used in the example below is based on the flight plan used in
the example flight (IFR) from Amsterdam to New York.
42
7.
8.
9.
10.
13.
15.
ATC Callsign:
See flight plan
Fight rules:
I: IFR
V: VFR
Y: IFR -> VFR
Z: VFR -> IFR
Type of flight:
IFR = S
VFR = G
Number:
Number of aircraft
Type of aircraft:
See flight plan
Wake turb. Cat. :
See chapter 7.3
Equipment:
See next table
Transponder:
See next table
Dep. Aerodrome:
See flight plan
Dep. time:
Off-block time
Cruising speed:
IFR = Mach (M)
VFR = Knots (K)
Level:
F = Flight level = IFR
A = Hundreds of ft
VFR = uncontrolled = VFR
Route:
Route, without runway, SID, STAR
16.
Dest. Aerodrome:
See flight plan
Total EET:
Estimated en-route time, see
time next to trip fuel
Alternates:
See flight plan
18.
Other information:
It depends on your flight
E/
Endurance:
See flight plan, time next to block
take-off fuel
P/
Persons on board:
See flight plan
C/
Pilot in command:
Your name
A/
Aircraft type:
See flight plan
Airline:
See flight plan
43
Equipment IVAO Flight plan
44
The equipment listing is one of the most difficult and complex parts of the
ICAO and IVAO flight plan. Because there are so many different types of
navigation and communication equipment in use today, there are many
different things you can fill in. We will include three different tables below,
two of them are for you to understand what every letter and combination
means when it comes to equipment. In the 3rd table, we will place all of the
different recommendations, so you don’t have to look through everything
when it comes to the equipment of your specific aircraft. So don’t be scared
by the first two tables. You can use them to understand our
recommendations in the 3rd table.
4.5
Navigation equipment on board:
A
B
C
GBAS Landing system
D
E1
E2
E3
F
G
H
I
J1
J2
J3
DME
CPDLC FANS 1/A VDL Mode 4A
M2
M3
O
P1-P9
R
T
U
V
W
X
Y
J4
CPDLC FANS 1/A VDL Mode 2
Z
J5
CPDLC FANS 1/A SATCOM
S
J6
J7
CPDLC FANS 1/A SATCOM (MTSAT)
LPV (APV with SBAS)
LOREN C
FMC WPR ACARS
D-FIS
PDC ACARS
ADF
GNSS
HT RTF
Inertial navigation
CPDLC ATN VDL Mode 2
CPDLC FANS 1/A HFDL
(INMARSAT)
K
L
M1
MLS
ILS
ATC RTF SATCOM
(INMARSAT)
ATC RTF (MTSAT)
ATC RTF (Iridium)
VOR
Reserved for RCP
PBN Approved
TACAN
UHF RTF
VHF RTF
RVSM approved
MNPS approved
VHF with 8.33 kHz channel
spacing capability
Other equipment carried
or other capabilities
Standard equipment:
VHF RTF, VOR, ILS
CPDLC FANS 1/A SATCOM (Iridium)
44
45
4.6
Transponder capabilities:
N
no surveillance equipment for
the route to be flown is
carried, or the equipment is
unserviceable
B1
ADS-B with dedicated 1090
MHz ADS-B “out” capability
A
Mode A (4 digits - 4096 codes)
B2
ADB-B with dedicated 1090
MHz ADS-B “out” and “in”
capability
C
Mode A (4 digits - 4096 codes)
and Mode C
U1
ADS-B “out” capability using
UAT
E
Mode S, including aircraft
identification, pressurealtitude and extended
squitter (ADS-B)
U2
ADS-B “out” and “in”
capability using UAT
H
Mode S, including aircraft
identification, pressurealtitude and enhanced
surveillance
V1
ADS-B “out” capability using
VDL Mode 4
I
Mode S, including aircraft
identification, but no
pressure-altitude capability
V2
ADS-B “out” and “in”
capability using VDL Mode 4
L
Mode S, including aircraft
identification, pressurealtitude, extended squitter
(ADS-B) and enhanced
surveillance capability
D1
ADS-C with FANS 1/A
capabilities
45
P
Mode S, including pressurealtitude, but no aircraft
identification capability
S
Mode S, including both
pressure-altitude and aircraft
identification capability
X
Mode S with neither aircraft
identification nor pressurealtitude capability
G1
ADS-C with ATN capabilities
In the next table, we will give you all of the different equipment and
transponder codes for all of the most popular airliners, this way you yourself
don’t have to do all the work of finding out what your aircraft type has
onboard, you can copy-paste this information into your flight plan, and you
are good to go!
Just so you understand how these codes work, the next picture will show you
what every part of the codes below means (Use the first table in this chapter
to be able to understand if you want to do so).
46
47
4.7 Navigation equipment & transponder capabilities per
aircraft type
Boeing
B717-200
737 Classic
Equipment + transponder
SDE1E2E3GIRWYZ/LB1
SDFGHIRWY/S
Wake
turbulence cat.
M
M
B737NG
SDE2E3FGIJ1RWY/LB1
M
B747-400
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J5RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
B747-8
SDE1E2E3FGHIJ1J2J4J5M1RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
B757-200
SDE3FGHIJ3J7M3P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
M
B757-300
SDFGHIJ1LORVWXYZ/LB1
M
B767-200
SDE3FGHIJ3J4J7M3P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
B767-300
SDE1E3FGHIJ5LM1ORVWXYZ/LB1D1
H
47
B767-400
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J5M1P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
B777-200
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J5M1P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
B777-300
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J5P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
B787-8
SADE2FGHIJ4J5M1P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
B787-9
SDE2E3GHIJ3J5P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
B787-10
SDE2E3GHIJ1J3J5LOP2RVWXY/LB1D1
H
48
Airbus
Equipment + transponder
Wake
turbulence
cat.
A220 /
BCS3
SBDGIJ1LORVWXY/LB1
M
A300
SDFGHIRWXYZ/LB1U1V1
H
A310
SDFGHIRWXYZ/S
H
A32X CEO
SDE2E3FGIJ1LORWXYZ/HB1
M
A23X NEO
SDE2E3FGIJ1LORWXYZ/HB1
M
A330-200
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J5M1RWYZ/LB1D1
H
A330-300
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J5M1RWYZ/LB1D1
H
A330 NEO
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J7M3P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
A340-300
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J5LORWXYZ/LB1D1
H
49
A340-500
SDE1E2FGHIJ1J2J3J5RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
A340-600
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J4J5LM1OP2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
A350-900
SABDE1E3GHIJ1J3J4J5LM1OP2RVWXYZ/LB1D1
H
A350-1000
SABDE1E3GHIJ1J3J4J5LM1OP2RVWXYZ/LB1D1
H
A380-800
SADE3GHIJ1J2J3J4J5M1P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
J
50
Others
Equipment + transponder
Wake
turbulence
cat.
E145
SDFGRWYZ/LB1
M
E170
SDE2E3FGIJ1ORWY/HB1
M
E175
SDE2E3FGIJ1RWY/LB1
M
E190
SDE2E3FGIJ1RWY/LB1
M
E195
SDE2E3FGIJ1RWY/LB1
M
E295
SBDE1E2E3FGHIJ1J3J4P2RWY/LB1
M
DH8D
SDFGIRY/H
M
DC-10
SDE1E2FGHIJ4J5RTUWXYZ/HD1
H
MD-11
SDE2E3FGHIJ3J7M3P2RWXYZ/LB1D1
H
MD-80
SDE2E3FGIRWZ/LB1
M
51
CRJ 700
SDE2FGIJ1LORWXY/HB1
M
CRJ 900
SDE2FGIJ1LORWXY/HB1
M
52
VFR aircraft & (Private) jets
53
When it comes to the navigation equipment, transponder, and wake
turbulence category, these can differ quite a lot from aircraft to aircraft. Most
VFR aircraft, like a Cessna 172, only carry standard equipment, with a standard
transponder.
When it comes to private jet aircraft, this is even more complex as these
aircraft can be very technologically advanced or quite basic. We leave the
equipment and transponder codes to you when it comes to your own specific
type of private jet. When it comes to wake turbulence, all of these aircraft
(VFR + Private jet) fall into the light category.
VFR
VFR
Private
jet
Private
Jet
Example:
Embraer
Phenom 100
Equipment + transponder
S/C
Equipment + transponder
Wake
turbulence
cat.
L
Wake
turbulence
cat.
Aircraft specific!
L
SBCDGJ1RWXY/LB1
L
4.5
4.6 N
4.7
53
4.8
4.9 Simbrief
4.9.1 New flight
54
Simbrief is a very powerful tool, and we highly recommend every one of our
users to use Simbrief to create their flight plans. It’s very modern and very
user-friendly. When clicking on new flight, you will be greeted by this screen
below. Here you will need to fill in all of the information about your flight,
from where to where you are going to fly, what your callsign will be, what
aircraft type and registration, etc.
We highly recommend changing everything you understand. For example,
when looking at the optional entries, a departure and arrival runway will be
automatically selected, we recommend going on flightradar24 to see what
runway is really in use, and you can expect on departure and arrival. This way,
your planning will be much more accurate and useful instead of delivery
telling you to depart from a different runway than you were expecting. Other
things such as sched. flight time and the different profiles (Climb, cruise,
descent) will be correct automatically, and you can leave alone.
One other thing you can change is the layout of your flight plan (On the righthand side, in the screenshot, the
KLM format is selected). You can
choose the layout you want,
maybe your favorite airline’s
layout is included! We do,
however, recommend sticking
with one layout so you can easily
find everything you need in the
flight plan without having to
search every time you use a new
layout.
When you are done, click on
generate OFP (Operational flight
plan). At this point, Simbrief will
generate a flight plan for you that
will be discussed in the next
chapter.
54
4.9.2
Operational flight plan
55
When flying on ATC networks, a lot of information is asked from you. So it’s
important to know where to find all the right information so you as a pilot can
be prepared for the situations coming up, and you will also be able to give
ATC all the information they need without having to search in your flight plan
for 10 minutes to find what you need.
There are many different flight plan layouts and differences between them. In
this guide, we use the KLM layout because it’s very detailed and easy to use
(And this layout also compliments the IFR example flight EHAM – KJFK).
In this chapter, we highlight 4 of the most important sections of the
operational flight plan, so you know where to look to find your information, all
of the flight plan screenshots are from the operational flight plan used during
the example IFR flight. If you don’t understand something in these
screenshots, have a look at the first pages of this guide, where a lot of
abbreviations are explained.
55
4.9.3
General information
56
Here you can find general information regarding your flight, not too much
detail but just enough so you can see some basic information as seen as you
open the flight plan. Useful items listed are, for example: cost index,
alternates, flight level, and in
real life, the connections
some passengers on board
have onto other flights after
arrival.
If you have a printed version
of your flight plan, you can
also write down your ATC
clearance in the top section
of the general information.
This way, you always have it
in the same place instead of
written on a random piece of
paper.
56
4.9.4
Weight and fuel information
57
Here you will find all of the information regarding the weight and fuel
planning to be loaded up to the aircraft, keep in mind that this can differ from
the actual weight and fuel on the aircraft and should be checked before push
and start.
The most important part of this
section is the list of fuel
information, starting at TRIP fuel
and ending at BLOCK fuel. The
numbers behind these fuel types
start with the fuel quantity in
weight (In this case, KG),
followed by the time you will be
able to fly with this quantity of
fuel. Example: the Trip fuel used
for this flight from EHAM to KJFK
is 55038 kg. With this amount of
fuel, we will fly 7 hours and 40
minutes (Also the En-route time).
Where dots are placed, you will
have to fill in the numbers
yourself. This is because you as a
pilot can load up more fuel due
to many different reasons
(Weather, delays, etc.). This
changes the fuel figures, and this is
why not everything is filled in yet. Example, PLN TOF is listed twice in the list,
where one has (CORRECTED) next to it. This space can be used to list the
actual and corrected planned take-off fuel if you have added extra fuel after
this flight plan was made.
To help you understand everything listed here, we have created a little list of
things you need to know to be able to understand this section of the flight
plan.
57
ZFW
Zero fuel weight
LAW
Estimated landing weight
TOW
Estimated take-off weight
TRIP
Fuel required from take-off to landing
CONT 5%
Contingency fuel for any unforeseen delays
or detours during the flight.
ALTN
Fuel required to proceed from your
destination to your selected alternate
airport
FINAL
Final reserve fuel (Usually 30 to 40 min
flying time)
PLN TOF
Planned take-off weight
PLN TOF (CORRECTED)
Planned take-off weight after corrections
and extra fuel
EXTRA
Extra fuel ordered by the pilot in command
58
TOF
Take-off fuel
TAXI
Taxi fuel
BLOCK
Fuel loaded onto the aircraft at the gate
prior to pushback
59
4.9.5
ETOPS information
60
If your flight operates under ETOPS (Extended twin-engine operations), you
will find this section in your operational flight plan. Here you can find all the
information you need when flying ETOPS. Important are the coordinates of
the ETOPS points along the route. Your ETOPS Entry point is at
N5302.8W02117.9 in this case. You can put this in as a fix in your flight
management computer so you can see on your navigation display where you
will enter ETOPS conditions.
Another important (the most important) point given here is the ETP (Equal
time point), this is the point along the route where the time it takes to fly to
the ETOPS alternates is equal, this means the choice of what airport to divert
to in the case of an
emergency is very easy,
before you reach your ETP
you divert to one airport,
after you cross the ETP you
fly the second airport, and
in the slim chance you are
exactly above the ETP you
can choose either.
Other things real pilots do
when flying in ETOPS conditions is
placing a FIX on the ETOPS airports. In
this flight plans screenshot above, the
ETOPS entry airport is EINN, and the
ETOPS EXIT airport is CYQX.
When you have placed a FIX on these
airports, you can place a circle of …. NM
around the airport (In this flight plan,
448 NM around EINN and 444 miles
around CYQX)(These numbers depend
on wind and aircraft type), which
represent one hour of flying time, this
means when you leave the circle, you enter
ETOPS conditions.
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4.9.6
FMS & Route information
Here you can find all of the information you will need to fill out everything in
the CDU (Control display unit) of your aircraft. You can almost look at this
section as a little summary of the flight plan. You can find things like your
route, cost index, reserve fuel, cruise altitude, and wind information. \
Keep this section of the flight plan open when you are working on filling in
your CDU during pre-flight. If you scroll down from the section we are at now.
You will get a detailed list of all the waypoints (including departure (SID) and
arrival (STAR) along the route. This includes all the relevant information
related to the waypoint: Name,
track, speed, altitude,
temperature, wind, and EFOB
(Estimated fuel onboard).
If you want to keep yourself busy
during cruise flight (which is the
case in real life), you can check
your actual fuel onboard and
compare it to the EFOB
(estimated fuel onboard) and
put a little check mark if you
within save marge from the
estimation made in the flight
plan. By using this technique, a
fuel system/engine problem can
be discovered way before it
would otherwise be noticed by
the crew.
In the detailed waypoint list, you
can also find information on the time you will arrive over a waypoint. This
information can also be found in your Flight Management System but can be
handy to have in certain situations.
Keep in mind that most flight plan layouts list the time you will arrive at a
waypoint by listing the time it took you to get to the waypoint. Example: if the
flight plan says you will arrive at a waypoint ‘at’ 0030, this means you will be
30 minutes en-route (since take-off) when you arrive at this waypoint.
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4.9.7
Company route 3rd party aircraft
62
In real life, pilots use a function called company route. When using the
method, the aircraft system connects to the airline database where the route
planned for your flight is ready to be sent to the aircraft when requested. This
way, pilots don’t have to type everything over from the flight plan but can just
double-check everything downloaded from the database with their flight
plan, and they are ready to go. This reduces the chance of pilots making
mistakes when filling in the route and other information, also reduces the
workload for the flight crew.
When using Simbrief together with high-level 3rd
party aircraft, company routes can be used in your
simulator. You can find the list of the supported
co route formats in the list below your
operational flight plan, here you can download
the file you need and find the instructions on
how to place it into your aircraft's company
route folder before the flight. You can also use
Simbrief downloader, this software places the
route files into the correct folders for you, so
it becomes even easier to use company
routes when flying.
Make sure you double-check everything
after it has been loaded in to make sure
your route and other information is
correct and you are safe to fly the route
programmed into the FMS.
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4.9.8
Vatsim pre-file flight plan
63
Vatsim prefiling is one of the best features of Simbrief. This feature allows you
to send all of your flight plan details to the Vatsim servers. This means you
don’t have to fill in any of the flight plan details yourself.
After you have created a flight plan, you will find the pre-file flight button on
the top of the page. This button will take you to the VATSIM page on their
website, you have to fill in your log-in details, and you can hit file flight plan.
When this is done, start up your simulator and everything related to your
flight. When you are connected to the network, and your aircraft is in the
correct position, take the following steps.
•
•
Click on Flight Plan
Click on Fetch from server (16)
When you have done so, your flight details should be filled in
•
Click on File Flight Plan (15)
Don’t forget to double-check the information as wrong information in your
flight plan can cause a lot of confusion during the flight between the pilot
and ATC.
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5. VFR Phraseology
5.1
Example Flight information
We have put all of the information regarding the example flight in a real ICAO
flight plan, to understand all of the information. You can use chapter 4.2 and
4.4. This is how a real flight plan would typically be filled in (Differs from flight
to flight).
5.2 Stations
5.2.1
Delivery
Delivery will issue flight plan clearances before aircraft taxi the runway. Unlike
the other positions, data/clearance will only involve departing aircraft, thus
limiting their traffic to just half of the overall traffic of the sector.
5.2.2
Ground
Ground Control is responsible for issuing safe taxi instructions to the aircraft
for movement on-ramps as well as other non-movement areas of the ground.
As the name states, this position deals with aircraft on the ground, either
arriving or leaving the sector.
64
5.2.3
Tower
a tower controller is responsible for controlling aircraft within the direct
airspace of an airport. These controllers use visual observation from the tower
as well as sometimes utilizing radar approach control positioning where
needed at high volume facilities.
Aerodrome controllers work in a group of positions, including flight data,
ground, local, and approach. Each position holds its own specific role in the
safe arrival and departure of aircraft.
Tower controllers will issue instructions for the safe and orderly takeoff and
landing of the aircraft in the sector. These controllers also issue authorizations
to aircraft for movements on or across the runways, preventing accidents
through radar and visual control.
The tower is also the one controlling everything in the VFR traffic circuit.
When you are used to flying big airliners, this might sound strange, a tower
controller controlling traffic in the air. But this is how it is. As an example,
reporting downwind is done in the tower frequency.
5.2.4
Approach / departure
65
The approach Controller is responsible for issuing the instructions to aircraft
in the sector who are preparing to land or aircraft departing. This involves
directing them in a safe and consistent manner, as well as stacking them at
various holding designations if necessary. All this must be done in a timely
manner due to schedules and traffic needs.
5.2.5
Information services
Some countries have areas that are covered by FIS ( Flight information
service). This is not a controller but more a little help for VFR pilots when it
comes to airspace and traffic information. This differs from country to country
so take a look at the AIP of the country you will be flying in the most to be
aware of any flight information service that might be available to you during
your flight (Only en-route). Keep in mind that contacting FIS is not mandatory
and is completely up to you if you want to make use of this service or not.
65
5.3 The traffic circuit
66
The traffic circuit is a standard path followed by aircraft when taking off or
landing. At an airport, the circuit is a standard path for coordinating air traffic.
Patterns are usually employed at small general aviation (GA) airfields and
military airbases. Most large airports avoid the system unless there is GA
activity as well as commercial flights.
Traffic patterns can be defined as left-hand or right-hand, according to which
way the turns in the pattern lie. However, the international standard for
circuits is a left-hand circuit at a standard altitude of 1000 ft AGL (Above
ground level) (See charts for circuit altitude at your airport).
This is because most small airplanes are piloted from the left seat, so the pilot
has better visibility out the left window. Right-hand patterns will be set up for
parallel runways, for noise abatement, or because of ground features (such as
terrain, towers, etc.).
Helicopters can use the circuit but are not required to do so, to use an
opposite pattern from fixed-wing traffic due to their slower speed and greater
maneuverability. Because the active runway is chosen to meet the wind at
the nearest angle (upwind), the pattern orientation also depends on wind
direction. Patterns are typically rectangular in basic shape and include the
runway along one long side of the rectangle.
66
Each leg of the pattern has a particular name:
•
•
•
•
•
Departure leg: The section extending from the runway ahead.
(Sometimes incorrectly called the upwind leg. However, upwind
properly refers to an approach leg outside the downwind leg and in the
opposite direction.)
Crosswind leg: The first short side after the first turn.
Downwind leg: The long side parallel to the runway but flown in the
opposite direction. (Sub legs: Early downwind, Mid Downwind & Late
downwind)
Base leg: The short side ahead of the runway.
Final leg: The section from the end of the base leg to the start of the
runway (also referred to as final approach or final)
67
5.4 Bearings/headings
68
Bearings can be very useful for VFR pilots when they need a direction or a
double check of their position with regards to a station that able to give you
the requested bearing. We discuss the different kinds of bearings in the next
chapters. Bearings can be requested from almost all ATC stations. When
doing so, ATC will give you a heading that you can use for different purposes.
Requesting a bearing is quite easy: see next chapter.
5.4.1
How to request a bearing or heading
The example below shows an example of requesting the magnetic heading
to steer (assuming no wind) to reach the DF station. This is also known as
QDM. The phraseology is designed to allow sufficient time for the ground
station to register the request from the aircraft. Each pilot transmission
should end with the aircraft callsign.
Also, notice the ATC message above, which mentions the accuracy class of
the Q-code that has been requested. You can find the different accuracy
classes and what they mean in chapter 5.4.2.
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5.4.2
Different Q-Codes & Accuracy
69
There are a few different Q codes that are most used during VFR flight that
you can use as well to make navigating a little easier. You can request these
different Q-codes from ATC stations by using the method from chapter 5.4.1.
Make sure you are aware of the Q-code you are flying and what north it’s
relative to. Bearings relative to true north can, in some places of the world, be
a lot different compared to the magnetic bearing to the same station, so
make sure you know which one you need to get where you want to go.
QDR
What is my MAGNETIC bearing from you
QDM
Will you indicate the MAGNETIC heading for me to steer
towards you
QTE
What is my TRUE bearing from you
QUJ
Will you indicate the TRUE track to reach you
QGE
What is my distance to your station
QTF
Position with relation to a point of reference or latitude and
longitude
There are many more Q-codes used in aviation, and if you want to check out
all of the other ones, you can, but we reduced them to the essentials above
because these are the ones that if people use Q-codes these days they
probably use one of the ones above.
69
Q codes have different accuracy classes, which reflect how much deviation is
accepted for the course or position in the different classes. As an example, a
deviation of ±2 degrees is accepted within class A for QDR, QDM, QTE, QUJ,
QGE.
QDR, QDM, QTE, QUJ, QGE
Class A
Accurate within plus or minus 2 degrees
Class B
Accurate within plus or minus 5 degrees
Class C
Accurate within plus or minus 10 degrees
Class D
Accuracy less than class C
There are different accuracy classes for Q codes with regard to determining
position. The most common one being the QTF.
QTF
Class A
Accurate within an area with a radius of 5 NM
Class B
Accurate within an area with a radius of 20 NM
Class C
Accurate within an area with a radius of 50 NM
Class D
Accurate within an area with a radius of 50+ NM
ATC will report the accuracy class to you after giving you the Q code, this way,
you know what you are working with and gives when it comes to accuracy.
70
5.5 Start-up
71
It’s common for VFR aircraft to request start-up instead of clearance like you
may be used to when you are an experienced IFR pilot. These two are sort of
the same as this gives the pilot permission to start the flight. As VFR aircraft
don’t have a pushback, the startup clearance also, as the name suggests,
gives them permission to start the engine. When the engine is started and
everything on board is ready to go, you have to switch to either Tower or
Ground for your taxi clearance.
Some smaller airports don’t have a ground frequency, but instead, the tower
controller controls the small number of taxi routes that are present at the
respective airport. In the IFR example flight, we depart from Amsterdam
Schiphol, where there is a ground frequency present. For this VFR flight, we
picked Rotterdam The Hague Airport. This gives us the opportunity to show
you how it works when switching from Delivery direct to Tower for taxi
clearance.
71
5.6 Taxi
72
Communication is crucial to the safety of the flight during taxiing. Any
mistake can cause an aircraft to enter an active runway. This type of error
could be catastrophic.
All taxi clearances will contain a clearance limit, which is the point at which
the aircraft must stop unless further permission to proceed is given. Complex
or lengthy taxi clearances should be noted down by crews. If a taxi route
involves crossing a runway, whether active or not, specific clearance to cross
that runway is required. Departure sequence information such as ‘number 5
to depart’ or ‘expect departure in …’ is NOT a take-off clearance.
Conditional clearances may expedite traffic flow, but there are risks. Readback must be in full and in the same sequence as given. A taxi clearance
allows taxi after another action has first taken place, the condition of the
clearance. Details such as livery and aircraft type are given to aid
identification. A conditional taxi clearance allows the aircraft to taxi only after
another action has taken place. Example: Give away to the Speedbird A320
left to right, when passed taxi to……… The structure and order of conditional
clearances are essential to their safe execution. Correct read-back of a
conditional clearance is vital.
Taxi clearance can also be given in different parts. This is especially popular at
big airports like London Heathrow. Here you will most likely be cleared to a
holding point on a taxiway, hold short for a bit, after which you get further
clearance to the runway holding point.
72
5.7 Take-off
73
Ensure you are holding short of the appropriate runway and are ready to take
off before contacting ATC. When you receive your take-off clearance, it is
good practice to repeat the runway number in your read back. This helps to
verify that you will be taking off of the correct runway.
Tower will also give you instructions on what to do after departure. In this
case, the instruction is to follow the ROMEO VFR Departure at 1500 ft and
report when airborne.
The tower may also ask if you are able to perform an immediate departure.
This means that because of other traffic, there can be no extra time spent on
the runway. You must taxi onto the runway and take off with no delay. If you
are unable to do this, say “unable”, remain holding short, and ATC will issue
you a standard take-off clearance when able.
When circuit flying at an airport tower will instruct you on if you have to fly
right or left-hand circuits and when to report again, most common is to
report again to the tower when downwind with your intentions. We discuss
this in more detail in chapter 5.9.
73
5.8 VFR departures
74
After you have reported airborne to the tower, you will be instructed to switch
to the approach frequency, here you will get the rest of the instructions with
regards to the departure. When circuit flying at an airport, you will not
transfer to the approach frequency after departure. If you are circuit flying,
you should ignore this chapter and continue from 5.7 to 5.9, where we explain
the procedures when it comes to circuit flying (There is no need to report
airborne when circuit flying, only when ATC asks). Don’t forget when you are
flying a predetermined VFR departure with a chart to report to ATC at the
compulsory reporting points. These can be identified on the departure chart
by the fact that the waypoint triangle is filled in instead of only an outline.
VFR departures are quite easy as the departure only has one altitude, and you
will just follow the departure route until you reach the end of the departure,
after which you report to approach you are leaving the CTR and you will be
instructed to contact UNICOM and continue on your own navigation.
74
Keep in mind that departures can also be done by using the traffic circuit.
You take off, enter the traffic circuit and leave the circuit in the direction you
want to go (Obviously not crossing overhead the runway without permission).
75
5.9 Circuit flying
76
When you are circuit flying at an airport, just for fun or for training, there are
specific procedures in place. When you are following the steps in this guide,
you should ignore chapter 5.8 if you are circuit flying as you will stay on the
tower frequency while you are in the traffic circuit. There is no need to report
airborne like in chapter 5.8. Instead, the first call you will make to ATC when
you are in the traffic circuit is when you are downwind of the runway. For all
the details on the different areas and names for the traffic circuit, scroll up to
chapter 5.3. When you are reporting downwind, you have to report your next
intention. This can be a number of things like a full stop landing, a touch and
go, or a low pass. When flying on downwind is the moment to information
ATC about this (Like in the example below).
After which your request will be either approved or denied with the
appropriate traffic information for you, you can be number 3 for landing when
you are flying downwind. You have to keep a lookout for the traffic that is in
front of you or already in final approach. The next report you will make to ATC
is when turning final (See chapter 5.3) or are on final to receive landing
clearance.
If you are doing anything else than a full stop, your next report will again be
downwind, and the circle starts all over again.
After you have reported to ATC what your intentions are, you can turn base
and final on your own discretion (As long as you have all other traffic in sight
and no other instructions are received from ATC). And the landing
communication continues in chapter 5.13.
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5.10 En-route
77
En-route while flying VFR, you are mostly busy with flying your planned route
and keeping track of your position and altitude. Other important things to
remember are all the different types of airspace and restricted areas you
might encounter during your flight and, at least as important, airports. In
chapter 5.10.1, we explain how to cross overhead of an airport without landing
or doing anything else. You just want to cross the control zone of a specific
airport as it’s in your route. You can request this on the tower frequency.
Keep in mind that your request can also be denied by the tower, and in this
case, you have to avoid the control zone and find a different way to your
destination. Most of the time, the crossing will be approved, but you never
know, so be prepared.
5.10.1
CTR crossing
Crossing a control zone during your VFR flight is quite common, and many
pilots will say quite fun. Flying over an airport you aren’t land on, but just
looking down at all the aircraft parked and taxing around is fun. In this
chapter, we explain how the communication between you and ATC should
go if you want to cross an airport where ATC is only during your VFR flight.
Keep in mind that for most big international airports, you need prior
permission from the controller to cross. When you have this permission, you
can start your flight, and when approaching the airport, you still have to do
the procedures and communication in this chapter, even if you already have
prior permission.
77
Clearance:
Entry & Exit:
78
5.10.2
Information service
79
In some countries, there is an information service available. This is a
frequency with a ‘controller’ that can provide you with traffic information and
other information you might need during the flying, such as information on
restricted airspace activity. Important to remember that information services
are NOT controlling traffic.
They are just there to help you and provide you with the information you ask
from them. They will not give you radar vector or give you any instructions,
you are still in ‘uncontrolled’ airspace, and you are responsible for staying out
of, as an example, prohibited airspaces. Take a look at the AIP of the country
you are flying in if they have an information service (And you also have to get
lucky when it comes to flying online and the information service frequency
being online). You can contact the frequency with your callsign and the
request you have, for example: PH-ABC request traffic information.
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5.10.3
Restricted airspace
80
You can find restricted airspaces on the VFR charts
of the area you are flying in. The letter of the
respective type is included in the name
in this case EHR4C, R = Restricted, see picture.
There are three types of restricted airspace:
•
R = Restricted
Restricted airspace is an area with special rules or an area that is sometimes
used for things such as military training or other activities that aren’t always
active. You may still be able to fly through restricted airspace if you have
permission to do so with the confirmation that the respective airspace is not
in use at the time you want to cross. You can get permission via the
responsible ATC.
•
P = Prohibited
When it comes to prohibited airspace, it very simple, you will never be
allowed to fly through prohibited airspace. This can have many reasons.
Important buildings or popular tourist attractions can have these prohibited
airspaces above and around them.
•
S = Special use
This is an area specially designated for special use such as gliders, balloons, or
other uses where, if active, it’s not practical/safe to have aircraft flying around
at low altitudes. You can check with the responsible ATC if this area is in use
and if you are allowed to fly through or if you have to avoid and fly around this
area.
Keep these different airspaces in mind when flying uncontrolled VFR. If you
want to ask permission to fly through a Restricted or Special use area, you
can do so via the respective frequencies that are responsible for these areas.
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5.11 VFR arrival
81
Some airports have VFR arrivals and have specific chats that display these
arrivals. Other airports rely on VFR traffic entering the traffic circuit and
arriving like other aircraft that are flying in the circuit, like reporting
downwind and final.
For this example, we chose the option where you enter the circuit and
continue the arrival from there are. We did a planned departure route in the
departure chapter of this guide. Departures can also be made by using the
traffic circuit. You take off, enter the traffic circuit and leave the circuit in the
direction you want to go (Obviously not crossing overhead the runway
without permission).
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5.12 Missed approach/go-around
82
If you are doing a training flight and you want to train approaches and
circuits, or you think the approach is unstable and you think you are taking a
risk by continuing the approach. You can always tell ATC you are going
around.
Going around is very common and good practice. ATC can’t deny a goaround and will give you instructions on what to do next after you have
initiated and communicated the go-around. This part is quite similar to the
IFR communication. However, a big difference is that when flying VFR, there
are no missed approach procedures. ATC will give you instructions on what to
do (In reality, this is almost always the case when flying IFR).
82
5.13 Landing
83
The landing phase is simple and tricky at the same time, there is not too
much difficult communication, but timing can be difficult. At busy airports,
landing clearance may come very late. This can cause you to go around.
When it comes to going around, you can find all the details in chapter 5.12.
You can also be given a number when you are on approach. This number
indicates how many aircraft will be landing in front of you and gives you an
idea of the situation and what to expect if you are on the base leg, and ATC
tells you: You are number 3. You know you can expect a late landing
clearance as you are already quite close to the runway, and there you still
have two aircraft in front of you. So keep communication short and simple
during the landing phase, remember the standard phraseology, and if the
situation is not clear, go-around.
When it comes to the landing itself, it can be beneficial when flying VFR to
land further down the runway instead of the touchdown zone. This can, in
some cases, make your taxi a lot shorter and makes you able to vacate the
runway much quicker. This is especially useful at airports where there are
airliners and small VFR aircraft active at the same time. In these scenarios, a
quick exit from the runway is highly appreciated.
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5.14 Taxi-in
84
When vacated from the runway, it’s time for the final stage of the flight, taxi
in. When it comes to taxi clearance (especially at bigger airports),
preparations before touch down is key, know what charts to use when taxing,
plan out a route you think you will be taking from your planned exit to your
parking. When you know what to expect, it’s a lot easier!
Having said that, ATC can also tell you to do something completely different
from what you had planned in the first place, in this case, writing down the
taxi clearance, doing your readback and when your interaction with ATC is
done, take a good look at the chart BEFORE moving the aircraft, in most
cases, you will discover the route ATC wants you to take quite quickly, and
you will be good to go.
In some cases, you will have to deal with traffic during the taxi phase of the
flight. You might be told to ‘Give away’ to an aircraft in your proximity. In this
case, readback what ATC told you and keep your position until the respective
aircraft has passed.
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6. Uncontrolled airports
6.1
What not to do
85
There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to flying at uncontrolled
airports. This is because most people, when flying online, just do what they
think is correct when no ATC is online. This is a logical consequence when
nobody really talks about what to do and what not to do when no ATC is
online or when flying to genuine uncontrolled airports (Airports that aren’t
ATC controlled in real life).
When flying both VFR and IFR, it’s important to keep in mind why you are
even talking on the frequency in the first place when there is no ATC, reason:
to let all the pilots in the area know where you are, what you are doing and
what you are planning to do next. This is to enhance the situational
awareness of everybody in the area to keep everything going smoothly and
safely.
With this in mind, we want to highlight something a lot of pilots do that is not
necessary and annoying for other pilots in the area: Communicating
EVERYTHING you do. There is no need to add extra information to your
messages than you would if ATC was active at the airport, saying things like
the following during taxi: Now turning left, now turning right, pushback
completed with engines running are some of the things nobody wants to
hear. A rule of thumb is to talk on UNICOM like you are reading back to ATC.
When you are ready for taxi, say something like: Taxing runway 18L via A, B, C
to holding point V4. This is enough for the whole taxi phase of your flight (at
the departure aerodrome).
You can coordinate with other traffic if necessary but keep your messages on
the UNICOM frequency short and basic like you are used to when ATC is
online. This way, everybody is informed and knows where you are going
without being spammed with too many messages/information.
85
6.2 VFR
86
When it comes to flying to and from ‘uncontrolled’ aerodromes, there is a big
difference between VFR and IFR. This is because flying VFR at uncontrolled
aerodromes is common, and there are guidelines attached to flying VFR
without ATC coverage. When it comes to IFR, on the other hand, flying IFR at
uncontrolled airports doesn’t exist in real life. We experience uncontrolled IFR
in our flight simulator because not all ATC stations are online all of the time.
In this chapter, we discuss Uncontrolled VFR communication on the UNICOM
frequency (122.800). This is all based on how it’s done in real life, like the VFRcontrolled and IFR-controlled chapters. When we continue with uncontrolled
IFR, this will all be based on recommended practice by the networks
themselves and what is expected from you when flying online, not real-life
procedures like the rest of the guide.
We separate between the different phases of flight and have placed the
messages in chronological order, so you can use these formats as a form of
checklist when flying until you know everything from memory.
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6.2.1
Departing
87
When departing from an uncontrolled airport, it’s important to let the pilots
in the area know your movement. This is what the communication
procedures are based on. This is why there is no need to broadcast on the
frequency when you are starting your engine. This is not relevant to other
traffic. In the format below, you can read what the calls are you have to make
during the departure phase of your VFR flight.
Important to remember is that the departure phase ends when you are
either, leave the circuit, or when you are downwind of the runway. Being
downwind of the runway only ‘ends’ the departure phase if you are staying at
the same airport you departed from and are planning to stay in the circuit. If
that is the case, you can skip the last call in the format.
It’s important to keep monitoring the frequency for other traffic in the area.
This way, you can communicate and coordinate to keep everything going
smoothly. If you hear someone say they are on final for the runway you are
taxing towards, you can decide to let the other pilot know you will hold short
of the respective runway. This way, the other pilot knows he has to runway
clear for landing. This is what is necessary for smooth traffic at these types of
airports.
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6.2.2
En-route
88
En-route during your VFR flight, it’s sometimes necessary / recommended to
make a position report when flying in areas where others are flying around
you. Think of when flying overhead a different uncontrolled airport or other
hotspots where other VFR traffic is flying. There is a straightforward format
when it comes to these ‘position reports’, which is included below.
Keep in mind that these position reports aren’t necessarily part of every flight
you do. The recommended practice is to make a report on UNICOM when
overflying an uncontrolled airport (without entry the circuit) or when you as a
pilot think it’s necessary/wise to do so to improve the situational awareness of
the pilots around you.
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6.2.3
Arriving
89
The arrival phase is the most ‘complex’ phase of a VFR uncontrolled flight as
in this phase. You have to coordinate with traffic in the area, in the traffic
circuit, and on the ground for you to arrive safely at your destination. This
means that there are quite a few calls to be made on the UNICOM frequency
during this phase. Notable is that each call's purpose is to let everybody in the
area know what your position is at the time of the call and where you will be
going next.
If it’s really busy in the traffic circuit and you are not sure where all the traffic
around you is, you can do 1 of the following:
•
•
•
Make a call on the frequency letting everybody around you know where
you are, and coordinate with others if possible
Extend your downwind leg to make sure everything is clear before
turning base & final
Leave the circuit completely to avoid an incident and join the circuit
again when you know it’s safe to do so and you wouldn’t come too
close to other traffic
These three options go from least to most drastic, and on most flights, you
might fly to an almost empty airport but keep in mind these options are
yours to choose from when it gets busy, and you are sure about the things
happening around you.
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6.3 IFR
90
When it comes to uncontrolled IFR flight, it’s a different story compared to
uncontrolled VFR. This is because uncontrolled IFR doesn’t exist in real life
(not in the way we are used to when flying online in our simulators). This
makes it difficult as we can only give you information about uncontrolled IFR
we got from the online networks themselves and what they think is the right
way to operate your aircraft in uncontrolled IFR conditions.
There are no real-life procedures when it comes to this. Radio Failure
procedures are in some parts similar, but because that is a non-normal event,
a lot more information is asked from the pilot than usual when there is no
two-way communications. So this means that the best way to perform an
uncontrolled IFR flight is to use a minimized radio failure communication
style. We explain what we mean in the next chapters.
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6.3.1
Departing
Like we did in the chapter about VFR uncontrolled communications on
UNICOM, we have created a step-by-step format you can use for most flights
you do (IFR uncontrolled). Keep in mind that sometimes extra
communication is needed to coordinate with other traffic in the area, but the
calls we have included in the format are always part of your IFR uncontrolled
communications no matter what. This format is all based on informing
aircraft around you about your movements. If you look at all the different calls
for departure, en route, and arrival, they all have in common one thing, they
either report your position at that moment, tell traffic around you where you
are going, or both in the same message.
If you notice somebody at the same airport making a call on the frequency
that conflicts with your route, mention their callsign in your call co-coordinate
and suggest a solution to the problem, as an example: KLM11A (Other
conflicting aircraft) I will give away to you at intersection A13. This way, both
pilots know what’s going on. This also applies in the air. When you and
another pilot are on the same approach to the same runway, you can say
something like: reducing speed to 200 kts for separation with KLM11A (Other
conflicting aircraft). It’s a little like pretending to be your own ATC.
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6.3.2
En route
92
When it comes to communication en route, it’s very situation-specific.
Sometimes you have to climb/descending because of traffic, sometimes you
have to avoid weather, there are many different situations that require
different solutions, the format below gives you a standard format you can use
in almost all conditions, you just change the blue parts to the details that are
specific to you in the moment, and everybody will understand what you are
planning to do.
6.3.3
Arriving
The arrival phase is the most ‘complex’ phase of an IFR uncontrolled flight as
in this phase. You have to coordinate with traffic in the area and on the
ground for you to arrive safely at your destination. This means that there are
quite a few calls to be made on the UNICOM frequency during this phase.
Notable is that every call's purpose is to let everybody in the area know what
your position is at the time you make the call and where you will be going
next.
If it’s really busy in the area and you are not sure where all the traffic around
you is, you can do 1 of the following:
•
•
•
•
Make a call on the frequency letting everybody around you know where
you are, and coordinate with others if possible
Start holding and start the approach when there is space for you to
arrive.
Extend your downwind leg to make sure everything is clear before
turning base & final
Go around
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These four options go from least to most drastic, and on most flights, you
might fly to an almost empty airport but keep in mind these options are
yours to choose from when it gets busy, and you are sure about the things
happening around you.
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7. IFR Phraseology
7.1
Example Flight information
Route:
94
Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM) to New York John F. Kennedy (KJFK)
EHAM/36L VOLLA2V IDRID M40 SABER L980 LAM L179 UGBET Q60 UGNUS N14 BAKUR DCT
MALOT NATA 53N050W NATA RIKAL N438A TOPPS DCT ENE PARCH3 KJFK/22R
Altitude: FL340
Speed: Mach. 84
Aircraft Type: Boeing B777-206ER
Registration: PH-BQA
Flight plan info:
: Route information
: Fuel information
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7.2 Stations
7.2.1
Delivery
95
Delivery will issue flight plan clearances before aircraft taxi the runway. Unlike
the other positions, data/clearance will only involve departing aircraft, thus
limiting their traffic to just half of the overall traffic of the sector.
7.2.2
Planner
Planners are not present at every airport. Planners are mostly used at big
international airports to plan aircraft pushback and allocating slots to aircraft
for departure.
By using a planner on big airports, big waiting times and traffic jams are
avoided by controlling the aircraft when they are at the gate and only letting
aircraft pushback if they have a slot for departure in the coming 15 minutes,
this way, the only aircraft that will be departing and leaving the airport in a
short amount of time will take up space on the taxiways.
When a planner is active at an airport tower does not control pushback. You
will receive IFR clearance from delivery, and you will be transferred to the
planner to request a departure slot or pushback and startup.
7.2.3
Ground
Ground Control is responsible for issuing safe taxi instructions to the aircraft
for movement on-ramps as well as other non-movement areas of the ground.
As the name states, this position deals with aircraft on the ground, either
arriving or leaving the sector.
7.2.4
Tower
a tower controller is responsible for controlling aircraft within the direct
airspace of an airport. These controllers use visual observation from the tower
as well as sometimes utilizing radar approach control positioning where
needed at high volume facilities.
Aerodrome controllers work in a group of positions, including flight data,
ground, local, and approach. Each position holds its own specific role in the
safe arrival and departure of aircraft.
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Tower controllers will issue instructions for the safe and orderly takeoff and
landing of the aircraft in the sector. These controllers also issue authorizations
to aircraft for movements on or across the runways, preventing accidents
through radar and visual control.
7.2.5
Approach / departure
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The approach Controller is responsible for issuing the instructions to aircraft
in the sector who are preparing to land or aircraft departing. This involves
directing them in a safe and consistent manner, as well as stacking them at
various holding designations if necessary. All this must be done in a timely
manner due to schedules and traffic needs.
7.2.6
Radar / control
Also known as ACC (Area control center). Radar control controls aircraft in
CTA’s (Control area) and UTA’s (Upper control area). The radar control receives
and lays off aircraft from other radar controllers or from approach/departure
controllers. Names from the radar controllers are usually taken from the FIR
(Flight information region) they cover, for example: ‘Amsterdam radar’,
‘Langen radar’. In Europe, most radars operate up to FL245, after which
aircraft change over to Eurocontrol. In VATSIM and other regions, radar
controllers also control aircraft above FL245.
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7.3 Wake turbulence
97
Most flight simmers don’t really understand what wake turbulence is.
Because the wake turbulence category of your aircraft is something you have
to fill in in your flight plan, we explain what wake turbulence is and what you
have to keep in mind when flying and filling in your flight plan. Wake
turbulence is potentially hazardous turbulence in the wake of an aircraft in
flight and principally caused by wingtip vortices. This type of turbulence is
significant because wingtip vortices decay quite slowly and can produce a
significant rotational influence on an aircraft encountering them for several
minutes after they have been generated.
The origin of counter-rotating wingtip vortices is a direct and automatic
consequence of the generation of lift by a wing. Lift is generated by the
creation of a pressure differential over the wing surface. The lowest pressure
occurs over the upper wing surface and the highest pressure under the wing.
This pressure differential triggers the roll-up of the airflow aft of the wing
resulting in swirling air masses trailing downstream of the wingtips. After the
roll-up is completed, the wake consists of two counter-rotating cylindrical
vortices.
The strength of the vortex is governed by the weight, speed, and shape of the
wing of the generating aircraft. The vortex characteristics of any given aircraft
can also be changed by extension of flaps or other wing configuring devices,
as well as by a change in speed. However, as the basic factor is weight, the
vortex strength increases proportionately.
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Vortices typically persist for between one and three minutes, with their
survival likely to be longest in stable air conditions with low wind speeds.
Such conditions can extend their survival at higher cruise altitudes beyond
that at a low level because of the lower air density there. Once formed,
vortices are, in almost all cases, likely to descend until they decay or, in the
low-level case, until they reach the ground if this comes first. The decay of
low-level vortices will occur more quickly over land because of the boundary
layer effect. An across-track wind direction can carry them away from the
flight path which the aircraft generating them has followed.
There are four different wake turbulence categories (ICAO):
Code
Class
L
Light
M
Medium
MTOW
Less than 15,400 LB
(7000 KG)
More than 15,400 LB
(7000 KG)
Less than 300000 LB
(136000 KG)
H
Heavy
More than 300,000 LB
(136000 KG)
J
Super
A380-800
In chapter 4.6, we have included all of the wake turbulence categories for
every different aircraft type we mention in the chapter. This makes it easy for
you when looking up the equipment and transponder codes for your aircraft.
You can immediately see what wake turbulence category is linked to your
aircraft type.
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During the flight, when your wake turbulence category is heavy or super, it’s
recommended practice to let ATC know what your category is on first contact
(ONLY on first contact), as an example, you are established on the ILS,
approach tells you to contact tower, your first contact with tower should
sound something like: Heathrow tower good morning SpeedBird 451 Heavy
established on the ILS runway 27 left.
When the first contact with an ATC station has been established, there is no
need to mention your wake turbulence category again until you switch to a
different frequency.
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7.4 Start-up & IFR clearance
100
Getting your IFR clearance during pre-flight is, for some pilots, the part where
the most errors are made when it comes to the communication and the
readback of the message received by ATC. However, getting your clearance is
not difficult if you do it right. First things first, make sure you write down the
clearance you receive from ATC. This is not because you can’t remember
what ATC said 2 seconds ago, but to make sure that when the conversation
between you and ATC is over, and you have been distracted by other things,
you can double-check the squawk ATC gave you to check if you remembered
correctly (Or anything else mentioned in the clearance).
Second, do your research before asking for your clearance, what runway is in
use, what departure route can I expect, etc. This way, ATC will probably tell
you what you already knew in the first place, which makes the readback a lot
easier!
As with all the parts of the communication, we include an ‘Example flight’
segment and a ‘Format’ segment below, this way, you can read through the
example flight to see how the communication during a perihilar phase of the
flight goes. When you are ready to try for yourself, you can use the formats
next to the examples to fill in the information related to your flight, this way
you know your communication will be correct, and after practicing with this
guide by your side, you wouldn’t need this guide anymore in no time!
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When you have received your IFR clearance from delivery, and all of your
preflight preparations have been completed, you are ready to ask for
pushback and startup clearance. The first push and start call is done on the
delivery frequency. However, delivery isn’t allowed to give you pushback
clearance, this is the reasonability of the ground controller.
When it’s your time to go, and you request your push and start on the
delivery frequency, the delivery controller will tell you to switch to the ground
frequency. This sounds a bit redundant at first, but this is normal procedure at
most airports. This can, however, differ from airport to airport. In this guide,
we use our example flight which departs from EHAM, at which it’s normal
procedure to ask delivery (Or planner) for push and start before switching to
ground. At a different airport, delivery will tell you to switch to ground for
pushback and start-up together with the ‘Readback correct’ message from
the previous example. If that’s the case, you can skip this step.
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7.5 Pushback
102
When switched to the ground frequency, you are ready to ask for pushback
and start up again. This time you can expect two different responses from
ATC. One, you get clearance to push back with a direction or a taxi to push on
to. Or ATC tells you to stand by to let other traffic pass or pushback first onto
the same taxiway.
In this first scenario, you can follow the example below and start your
pushback and start the engines if ATC tells you to stand by. You should
respond by saying, Standing by KLM641. (In this case), when ATC asks you to
stand by, there is no need to ask for push and start again. ATC will call you
when there is room / it’s your turn to push back from the gate.
In the case of smaller airports, you may be parked at an aircraft stand that
doesn’t require pushback. In this case, you can remove your ‘Push’ part from
the request, and you just request startup. When your engines are running,
you can continue to the next step, taxi clearance.
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7.6 Taxi
103
When pushback is completed, and the engines are running smoothly, it’s
time for taxi clearance. When it comes to taxi clearance (especially at big
international airports), preparations during preflight are key, know what
charts to use when taxing, plan out a route you think you will be taking from
your gate to the planned holding point for the runway.
When you know what to expect, it’s a lot easier! Having said that, ATC can
also tell you to do something completely different from what you had
planned in the first place, in this case, writing down the taxi clearance, doing
your readback and when your interaction with ATC is done, take a good look
at the chart BEFORE moving the aircraft, in most cases, you will discover the
route ATC wants you to take quite quickly, and you will be good to go.
In some cases, you will have to deal with traffic during the taxi phase of the
flight. You might be told to ‘Give away’ to an aircraft in your proximity. In this
case, readback what ATC told you and keep your position until the respective
aircraft has passed.
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In other more favorable cases, you will be told by ATC to follow a certain
aircraft that is taxing to the same place as you are, in this case, your day will
be made a lot easier as you can just follow the aircraft in front to the holding
point of the departure runway, keep in mind that the aircraft in front can also
make mistakes and you should always be looking at the ground charts if
everything you are doing is according to your taxi clearance.
If you are planning / able to use an intersection for departure (Meaning you
don’t need the whole runway), you can advise this to ATC when requesting
Taxi. This way, ATC knows you are able to take off from an earlier intersection.
This makes your taxi shorter and makes it easier for ATC to divide traffic over
multiple intersections. Example: KLM641 request taxi, we are able V4 (Holding
point you want).
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105
7.6.1
Small airports
On smaller airports with only one runway, it’s common to see taxi clearances
that are shorter than you would expect. You just pushback from the stand,
and you request your taxi clearance. It could well be that ATC tells you the
following: Taxi to holding point Echo 1 runway 24. The difference here
compared to other bigger airports is that ATC doesn’t tell you how to get to
Echo 1.
This is possible because, in these scenarios, there is only one taxiway (Or one
logical way) you can taxi from your current position to the respective holding
point. Pilots that aren’t aware of this can be confused by a response like this
but keep in mind that when ATC gives you a response like this, there is
probably only one logical way to get to your respective holding point, so
readback the taxi clearance, go look at the ground charts and you will
discover the route you need to taxi (If you didn’t already look at this chart
during preflight).
7.6.2
Large airports
Compared to smaller airports, taxiing on larger airports can be a lot more
complicated compare to other airports. This is mostly due to the high
number of aircraft movements at the same time. To avoid collision between
aircraft on the ground, the most dangerous spots on the airport are
highlighted by so called ‘Hotspots’ (HS) on the ground charts. When taxing in
these hotspots, keep your eyes outside to look for any aircraft you might
come too close to.
Another difference compared to most other airports is that when taxing on
large airports, it’s not uncommon to have holding points in the middle of your
taxi route to or from the runway. This is to let other aircraft pass or to hold
short for another runway at the airport. Sometimes you only get the second
part of the taxi clearance after waiting at the holding point on the taxiway. So
be aware of these characteristics, don’t start asking ATC when your initial taxi
clearance doesn’t take you directly to the runway you planned to depart from,
taxi to the holding point, and you will probably receive the second part of
your taxi clearance there.
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7.7 Take-off
106
When you have taxied all the way to the holding point of the runway you are
about to take off from, in most cases, you will have to let ATC know
(Sometimes when airports use ground radar ATC will tell you to switch to the
tower before you even reported anything, in this case, you can skip the first
line of the example and format below). Ground controllers aren’t allowed to
give aircraft take-off/landing clearance, this is the tower controllers'
responsibility.
106
When switched over to the tower frequency, let the tower know where you
are and if you are ready for departure. In most cases, the tower controller will
give you take-off clearance immediately. In other cases, the controller may
tell you to: Hold short, Line up and wait, line up and wait behind (Traffic). This
all depends on how many aircraft are around you.
It’s important to note that part of the information given by ATC that comes
together with the take-off clearance isn’t included in the pilot's readback.
There is no need to readback the wind information to the tower controller.
This is just to inform you as a pilot of the latest measured wind at the
respective runway.
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In some cases, at some airports, the tower controller can tell you something
like: Stay on this frequency, report airborne. These are instructions you should
include in your readback and should, of course, follow.
Make sure you know what the standard procedure is at the airport you are
departing from. At some airports, the pilot should switch to the departure
frequency by him/herself. At other airports, the tower will tell you to switch to
a departures and arrival controller after you have reported airborne. This
changes from airport to airport and is information you can find on the
reference charts
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7.8 IFR Departure
109
After switching to the approach controller, don’t forget to mention your
respective wake turbulence category on first contact. After which most
departures are the same, you will first receive further climb clearance. And in
some cases, a direct clearance to the end of the Standard Instrument
Departure depending on how busy the airspace around the airport is at that
moment.
When flying a departure where vectors by ATC is required, the departure
phase can be a bit more complex as you don’t have a simple route to follow.
When flying vectors, we recommend turning the heading knob in the aircraft
while receiving the message from ATC, and when the new heading is set,
readback the heading you just set in the heading window of the MCP (Mode
control panel).
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7.9 En-route
110
When flying en route, a lot of different things can come your way. We try to
cover them all and include the ones we can predict you will encounter during
most of your flights. However, En-route, you 9/10 times have to adapt to the
situation. We have included all of the things you will encounter during
regular flights, so you know what to do when ATC asks you to fly an offset or
how to get your oceanic clearance via the old HF radio.
7.9.1
Radar control
When you first come in contact with radar control, chances are you are still
climbing to your cruise level. Therefore, common practice is to get further
climb clearance when contacting the radar controller, and again, don’t forget
the wake turbulence category if you are flying a heavy / super-category
aircraft.
In some cases, you will receive some other instructions from the radar
controller on first contact. In the example, we added the ‘High speed
approved’ instruction. In the example, we report we are passing FL90. This
means at the moment of the call, we are still flying at a speed of 250 kts or
less because we are flying at an altitude lower than FL100. To help us, ATC
clears us to fly at a higher speed before reaching FL100 to improve our climb
and speed things up. So, in this case, the high-speed approved part is added
to the readback of the pilot. This is one of other, all quite simple instructions.
Just include all of the instructions received by ATC in your readback and act
accordingly.
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7.9.2
Speed & Altitude
111
One of the most coming instructions during any phase of flight are the speed
and altitude restrictions/instructions. In these scenarios, ATC asks you to fly at
a certain speed or reach a certain height at a specified waypoint (Or any other
combinations).
We quite often see people struggle with this when they don’t use the flight
management system to their fullest potential. In the example blew, we show
you how to use the CDU/FMC in the Boeing 737 when it comes to speed and
altitude instructions.
Make sure you know how to program these basic restrictions into the flight
management system of the aircraft you are flying. In this example, ATC asked
us to fly 250 Knots until BERGI and be at or above FL110. This is how we
program one of these instructions in the CDU / FMC, and when done so,
everything will be managed by VNAV and the Autopilot.
Keep in mind that there are many different variations on these restrictions.
The example above is just one of them.
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Step 1
Step 2
Find the page where the
Select the button to the right
waypoint is located, in this
of the waypoint that the
case BERGI. Type in the Speed restriction has to be placed on
/ Altitude into the scratchpad. in this case button R3 (Row on
In this case 250 knots and
the right, 3rd button-down)
FL110 or above makes:
250/11000A
Step 3
When done, select ‘EXEC’ and
the restriction will appear in a
bigger font compared to the
other speeds and altitudes.
Make sure to double-check,
and if everything is correct,
the autopilot will handle the
restriction the best it can.
Make sure to monitor this as
in some situations. The
restrictions may become
unreachable due to other
factors (Wind, etc.)
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7.9.3
Lateral offset
113
During cruise flight and especially during oceanic flights, it’s very common for
ATC to ask you to fly a lateral offset. This means ATC wants you to fly an X
number of miles to the left or the right of your route.
In some cases, ATC gives you a start and an end waypoint, and in other cases,
you have to start flying an offset from your current position until ATC tells you
to continue on your original route. An offset is very easily put into the CDU.
We will show you an example of programming a lateral offset in the Boeing
737. If you are flying a different aircraft type, make sure you know how to
program a lateral offset so you are prepared when ATC asks you to do so.
How to program a lateral offset
•
•
Go to the ‘RTE’ (Route) page
Click on R6 (Offset)
•
•
Now you are on the Lateral Offset screen
Type in the first letter of ‘Left’ or ‘Right’
so L or R, depending on the clearance
Followed by the number of miles you
want to offset the route be.
Put this into the L2 slot (Offset Dist.)
Example: L15 or R5
•
•
•
•
•
Now you have selected the
direction and offset dist.
(If applicable) you can select a start
and end waypoint
113
•
Now select EXEC and your autopilot
will fly the offset automatically
If you look at the example on the right, you can
see there is an offset programmed to the right
by 5 miles starting at EH034 and no endpoint.
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7.9.4
SLOP
115
SLOP stands for Strategic Lateral Offset Procedures. SLOP is used in remote
locations of the world to increase flight safety. The SLOP procedure can be
very useful in flight simulation. Most flight simmers don’t know of the
existence of SLOP. We will explain what it is, how it works, and where to use it.
If you haven’t already, make sure you read through chapter 7.9.3 before
continuing with this chapter about SLOP
As GPS technology allows modern jets to fly very accurately, Aircraft can now
essentially fly exactly over an airway (think less than 0.05NM), separated only
by 1000FT vertically. SLOP Is A risk mitigation strategy and was proposed over
non-radar airspace to allow pilots to fly 1-2 nautical miles laterally offset from
their track, randomly, to increase flight safety in case of any vertical
separation breakdown.
There are a few very important rules and other things you need to remember
when using the Strategic Lateral Offset Procedures. We have listed them
below to make sure you use SLOP the right way.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
‘LEFT IS FOR LOSERS’ – never offset LEFT. On bi-directional routes, a
LEFT offset will INCREASE collision risk rather than decrease it. There
are areas in the NAT Region where bi-directional traffic flows are
routinely used. And there are times when opposite direction traffic may
be encountered in any part of the Region.
The system works best when every 2 out of 3 crossings you fly, you
apply an offset. This means generally means at least 1 out of 3 aircraft is
slopping.
You don’t need to ask ATC for approval; you can SLOP from the NAT
entry point to the NAT exit point.
Only offset if your FMC has the function to do so – do not do it
manually.
Co-ordinate on 123.45 or in chat if needed.
2nm RIGHT is the maximum approved SLOP.
Do it randomly, randomize the distance for every flight.
If you are overtaking someone, apply SLOP so as to create the “least
amount of wake turbulence for the aircraft being overtaken”.
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Where are you allowed to use SLOP
There are specific locations in the world where the use of SLOP is allowed. We
have listed the airspaces where this is allowed. Make sure you double-check
the charts when flying through these airspaces. In very few cases, even offset
to the left is allowed.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Africa, almost all remote locations employ SLOP. Check the Jeppesen
Airways Manual / Air Traffic Control / State Rules and Procedures –
Africa) to be sure. If you are in radar contact, you probably should not
SLOP.
Australia is another special case. You may only offset in the OCA, and if
you’re still on the radar, then you need to tell ATC, both when starting
the offset or changing it. Within domestic CTA airspace, you must fly
centerline.
China, on routes A1, L642, M771, and N892 In some areas, they employ
their unique SLOP offsets but do allow the standard 1 nm and 2 nm
offsets.
New York, Oakland, and Anchorage Oceanic FIRs
Oceanic airspace in the San Juan FIR
North Atlantic Track Region: SLOP is mandatory
The Pacific (including the NOPAC, Central East Pacific (CEP), and
Pacific Organized Track System (PACOTS)
South Pacific airspaces
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7.9.5
Oceanic operations
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There are three elements to an Oceanic Clearance: Route, Speed, and Level.
These elements serve to provide for the three basic elements of separation:
lateral, longitudinal, and vertical. Oceanic Clearances are required for all
flights within NAT-controlled Airspace at or above 5500 ft. To assist ATC in
pre-planning, when requesting oceanic clearance, you should notify ATC of
the maximum acceptable flight level possible at the boundary, taking into
account that a climb to the assigned oceanic flight level must be achieved
prior to entering oceanic airspace.
Keep in mind that with these communications in oceanic airspace, there is
no room for improvisation, because HF radio is used and it’s a very busy part
of the world when it comes to aircraft numbers it’s important to stick with the
standard messages and way of doing things, there are a lot of aircraft after
you waiting for clearance or do a position report so keep the conversations
short and powerful.
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The Oceanic Clearance should be requested at least 30 minutes before
Oceanic Entry Point. And after obtaining and reading back the clearance, the
pilot should monitor the forward estimate for oceanic entry, and if this
changes by 3 minutes or more, you must pass a revised estimate to ATC.
If you have not received their Oceanic Clearance prior to reaching the OCA
boundary, they must contact Domestic ATC and request instructions to
enable them to remain clear of Oceanic Airspace whilst awaiting such
Clearance. The Oceanic Clearance issued to each aircraft is at a specified
flight level and cruise Mach Number.
A full example and format are shown below. You can use this format for every
cross-Atlantic flight you will do. This way, you will be confident all the required
information is included in your messages to ATC
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Position report
For ATC to know where all of the aircraft in their airspace are located, they use
position reports made by pilots. Every waypoint you cross during your oceanic
crossing, you are required to do a position report. This includes your entry and
exit point of the route.
You can almost see yourself as the ATC when doing a position report as ATC
will be the one reading back the information you have just given them, and
you have to end the position report by either correcting them if their
readback was wrong or telling them their readback was correct. You can find
all of the information you need to fill in the position report format in your
flight plan and your flight management computer (FMC) / control display unit
(CDU).
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Exit
When passing the exit point of your oceanic route (In the example’s case,
PIKAL), you are required to do one last position report, after which you will be
handed over to the respective domestic controller whose airspace you will
enter next.
This means the exit is at own initiative, and it’s not like other regions where
ATC will tell you when it’s time to switch, only when you have reported to ATC
that you have left oceanic airspace and you have successfully crossed that
you will be instructed to switch frequencies. When contacting the domestic
frequency, everything will be like you are used to when it comes to en route
ATC communications.
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7.10 IFR arrival
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The arrival phase of flight is the most complex and requires the most
planning. We highly recommend looking through the charts and planning
your taxi route for when you have vacated the runway before starting the
descent. Doing this will make your arrival a lot smoother! Communication
during the arrival phase requires you to adapt to different situations.
Sometimes you can follow the STAR as the charts describe, and other times
you will be holding, vectored around be too high or too low because of other
traffic. All of these different scenarios require different ATC messages. The
messages are, however, very easy as they 9/10 times are as follows: ATC gives
you an instruction, you read back the instruction, and you execute the
instruction. You can find the example and format of the arrival phase below!
We have left out the readbacks by the pilot for some calls as they are very
straightforward. It’s a matter of reading back the instruction ATC has just
given you. We highly recommend to first put in the instruction and then
readback. As an example:
•
•
•
ATC: KLM641 Heavy turn right heading 130 degrees
You (Pilot): *Turns heading knob to 130 degrees & clicks heading select*
You (Pilot): Turn right heading 130 KLM641 heavy
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This way, you can easily remember the readback, as the instruction is
already in your MCP, and second, it enables you to quickly execute the
instructions received by ATC.
7.11 Holding
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When airspace is busy, ATC can ask you to enter a hold over a specific
waypoint at a specific altitude and speed to give away to other aircraft in
front of you so you can wait until it’s your turn to start the arrival phase. On
STAR charts, there are waypoints designated where the holding for that
specific arrival is located. This is 9 out of 10 times around the initial approach
fix (IAF).
Keep in mind that when in the hold, it’s very important to keep the correct
speed and altitude. It’s highly recommended to fly holds with autopilot on.
This because when it’s busy, ATC will use something that’s called stacking.
This means ATC will place multiple aircraft in the same holding pattern on
different altitudes. This means there are aircraft holding above and below you
in the same pattern, meaning a deviation from your assigned altitude can
mean flying into an aircraft above or below you.
There are different holding entries depending on from which direction you
approach the hold waypoint. When flying IFR, the most commonly used entry
is, of course, the direct entry, but when you approach a waypoint from a
different direction, you are expected and required to enter the holding
pattern via one of the different entry procedures below.
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Below you will find the example and format for holding during your IFR
flights. Important to remember is that you should never exit the hold without
having permission from ATC to do so. In the example waypoint, CCC
(Standard holding waypoint for the PARCH 3 arrival at KJFK) is the waypoint
we will be holding around with specific speed and altitude requirements, all
of these requirements can be programmed into the flight management
computer (FMC), so the aircraft will fly a perfect hold automatically.
7.12 Missed approach & go-around
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When, for any reason, you notice that an approach cannot be continued to a
successful landing, a missed approach/go-around should be flown.
Reasons for going around:
•
The runway is obstructed
•
Landing clearance has not been received or is issued and later canceled
•
The required visual references have not been established by the
Decision Altitude/Height (DA/DH) or Minimum Descent Altitude/Height
(MDA/MDH) or is acquired but is subsequently lost
•
The approach is or has become unstable
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The aircraft is not positioned so as to allow a controlled touch down within
the designated runway touchdown zone with a consequent risk of aircraft
damage with or without a Runway Excursion if the attempt is continued
A missed approach procedure is specified for all airports and runway
Precision Approach and Non-Precision Approach procedures. The missed
approach procedure takes into account: ground obstacles and other air traffic
flying instrument procedures in the vicinity.
Make sure you are aware of the missed approach procedure and have the
charts prepared. You never know when you might have to go around for
whatever reason. The go-around from an instrument approach should follow
the specified missed approach procedure unless otherwise instructed by air
traffic control.
Remember! A go-around should NEVER* be initiated not lower than the
DA/H in precision approach procedures, or at a specified point in nonprecision approach, procedures not lower than the MDA/H.
*An exception to this is, for example, You see an aircraft taxing onto the
runway you are about to touch down on. This obviously disregards this rule of
not going around below DA/H / MDA/H altogether. Remember that song?
You can always go around.
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7.13 Landing
125
The landing phase is simple and tricky at the same time, there is not too
much difficult communication, but timing can be difficult. At busy airports,
landing clearance may come very late (A hundred feet above minimums).
This means you have to be able to communicate effectively even when you
are, in some cases, manually flying the aircraft at 200 ft. When it comes to
going around, you can find all the details in chapter 7.12.
You can also be given a number when you are on approach. This number
indicates how many aircraft will be landing in front of you and gives you an
idea of the situation and what to expect if you are 8 nm from the runway, and
ATC tells you: You are number 3. You know you can expect a late landing
clearance as you are already quite close to the runway, 8 nm, and there you
still have two aircraft in front of you. So keep communication short and
simple during the landing phase, remember the standard phraseology, and if
the situation is not clear, go-around.
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7.14 Taxi-in
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When vacated from the runway, it’s time for the final stage of the flight, taxi
in. When it comes to taxi clearance (especially at big international airports),
preparations before touch down is key, know what charts to use when taxing,
plan out a route you think you will be taking from your planned exit to the
expected gate/terminal
When you know what to expect, it’s a lot easier! Having said that, ATC can
also tell you to do something completely different from what you had
planned in the first place, in this case, writing down the taxi clearance, doing
your readback and when your interaction with ATC is done, take a good look
at the chart BEFORE moving the aircraft, in most cases, you will discover the
route ATC wants you to take quite quickly, and you will be good to go.
In some cases, you will have to deal with traffic during the taxi phase of the
flight. You might be told to ‘Give away’ to an aircraft in your proximity. In this
case, readback what ATC told you and keep your position until the respective
aircraft has passed.
In other more favorable cases, you will be told by ATC to follow a certain
aircraft that is taxing to the same place as you are. In this case, your day will
be made a lot easier as you can just follow the aircraft in front to wherever
you are going. Keep in mind that the aircraft in front can also make mistakes,
and you should always be looking at the ground charts if everything you are
doing is according to your taxi clearance.
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7.15 Switching off
127
When it comes to flying IFR to big airports, there is no need to let ATC know
you have arrived at the gate and you are switching off. Big airports are busy
places where communication per aircraft is kept at a minimum.
So when you arrive at your gate/stand or wherever you are shutting down,
don’t say anything on the frequency. If you think it’s necessary to thank ATC
for their assistance or you want to switch off, we recommend doing so via the
chat function of the network you are flying on. This makes it easier and less
disturbing for others.
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8. Non-normal
8.1
8.1.1
General
What is ‘Non-normal’
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The regulations define an emergency as a condition of distress or urgency.
Pilots in DISTRESS are threatened by serious and/or imminent danger and
require immediate assistance. Distress conditions may include in-flight fire,
mechanical failures, or structural danger.
An URGENCY situation, which is not immediately dangerous, requires prompt
assistance to avoid a potentially catastrophic event. Any condition that may
adversely affect your flight, such as low fuel quantity or poor weather my
result in an urgent condition that can develop into a distress situation if not
handled in a timely manner. During the course of the emergency, if you are
given priority handling by ATC, you may be required to submit a detailed
report within 48 hours to the manager of that ATC facility, even though you
do not violate any rule.
An emergency can be either a distress or urgency condition as defined in the
pilot/controller glossary. Distress is defined as a condition of being threatened
by serious and/or imminent danger and requiring immediate assistance.
Urgency is defined as a condition of being concerned about the safety and
requiring timely but not immediate assistance; a potential distress condition.
Pilots do not hesitate to declare an emergency when faced with distress
conditions, such as fire, mechanical failure, or structural damage. However,
some are reluctant to report an urgent condition when encountering
situations that may not be immediately perilous but are potentially
catastrophic.
An aircraft is in an urgent condition the moment that the pilot becomes
doubtful about the position, fuel endurance, weather, or any other condition
that could adversely affect flight safety. The time for a pilot to request
assistance is when an urgent situation may, or has just occurred, not after it
has developed into a distress situation.
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8.2 Non-normal VFR
8.2.1
Different stages of emergency
129
There are different stages you can choose from when you are thinking of
making an emergency call. The PAN PAN PAN call is a less urgent choice
compared to a MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY call. It’s important to choose the
right one for your situation. A common mistake made in the flight simulation
world is pilots immediately calling a MAYDAY when the situation doesn’t
require a MAYDAY call but instead better suit a PAN PAN PAN call.
Example: When one of your six-pack instruments has stopped working, you
have perfect visibility outside and plan to return to the departure airport. You
can easily stay with a PAN PAN PAN (Urgency). However, when the one
engine you have is on fire, and you require immediate assistance, a MAYDAY
MAYDAY MAYDAY call is very much fitting in that case. There are a few
differences between the different options you have as a pilot. We have listed
the different options below, so you now know the difference between all of
them!
• A distress call (a situation where the aircraft requires immediate
assistance) is prefixed: MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY. !
• An urgency message (a situation not requiring immediate assistance)
is prefixed: PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN. !
• The distress/urgency message shall contain (at least) the name of the
station addressed, the call-sign, nature of the emergency, fuel
endurance and persons on board; and any supporting information such
as position, level, (descending), speed, and heading, and pilot’s
intentions.
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8.2.2
Communication
130
When it comes to emergency communication, it’s not that difficult in theory.
However, in practice, it’s experienced by many to be much more difficult than
it might sound. If you look at the phraseology below, you can see it’s all quite
basic. This is on purpose. The way these emergency procedures are designed
is in such a way that ATC gets all the basic information they need to guide
and help you to land safely. ATC can always ask and will ask for extra
information down the line, but all the basic information is given by the pilot in
the initial message.
It’s, therefore most effective than you use the exact phraseology like the
examples. This can sound easy, but the challenge is to keep the messages
short and how they are supposed to be structured when you as a pilot are
surprised and have to handle quickly. When you see an engine catch fire, it’s
easy to scream over the radio and completely forget that there are
procedures to be followed to lead to the best possible outcome.
URGENCY:
DISTRESS:
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So keep the messages short, steady, and easily understandable. You don’t
want ATC to ask you to repeat everything when time is limited because you
were panicking too much and not talking clearly and effectively.
And last but not least, make sure you know the difference between a PAN
PAN PAN and MAYDAY call by heart, you have to decide when a situation
arises which one of the two you choose, it’s vital to choose the right one for
your emergency.
We have not included the ATC response to these messages as they will
always adjust to your needs and help you where they can. Have your flight
information ready to answer their questions to be able to help you the best
they can.
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8.3 Non-normal IFR
8.3.1
Different stages of emergency
132
There are different stages you can choose from when you are thinking of
making an emergency call. The PAN PAN PAN call is a less urgent choice
compared to a MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY call. It’s important to choose the
right one for your situation. A common mistake made in the flight simulation
world is pilots immediately calling a MAYDAY when the situation doesn’t
require a MAYDAY call but instead better suit a PAN PAN PAN call.
Example: When you think you are having a problem with one of the hydraulic
systems and would like to return to the departure airport, you can easily stay
with a PAN PAN PAN (Urgency). However, when one of the engines is on fire,
and you require immediate assistance, a MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY call is
very much fitting in that case. There are a few differences between the
different options you have as a pilot. We have listed the different options
below, so you now know the difference between all of them!
• A distress call (a situation where the aircraft requires immediate
assistance) is prefixed: MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY.
• An urgency message (a situation not requiring immediate
assistance) is prefixed: PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN.
• Make the initial call on the frequency in use, but if that is not possible,
squawk 7700 and call on 121.5.
• The distress/urgency message shall contain (at least) the name of the
station addressed, the call-sign, nature of the emergency, fuel
endurance and persons on board; and any supporting information such
as position, level, (descending), speed, and heading, and pilot’s
intentions.
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8.3.2
Communication
133
When it comes to emergency communication, it’s not that difficult in theory.
However, in practice, it’s experienced by many to be much more difficult than
it might sound. If you look at the phraseology below, you can see it’s all quite
basic. This is on purpose. The way these emergency procedures are designed
is in such a way that ATC gets all the basic information they need to guide
and help you to land safely. ATC can always ask and will ask for extra
information down the line, but all the basic information is given by the pilot in
the initial message.
It’s, therefore most effective than you use the exact phraseology like the
examples. This can sound easy, but the challenge is to keep the messages
short and how they are supposed to be structured when you as a pilot are
surprised and have to handle quickly. When you see an engine catch fire, it’s
easy to scream over the radio and completely forget that there are
procedures to be followed to lead to the best possible outcome.
URGENCY:
DISTRESS:
133
So keep the messages short, steady, and easily understandable. You don’t
want ATC to ask you to repeat everything when time is limited because you
were panicking too much and not talking clearly and effectively.
And last but not least, make sure you know the difference between a PAN
PAN PAN and MAYDAY call by heart, you have to decide when a situation
arises which one of the two you choose, it’s vital to choose the right one for
your emergency.
We have not included the ATC response to these messages as they will
always adjust to your needs and help you where they can. Have your flight
plan ready to answer their questions to be able to help you the best they can.
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9. Let’s fly!
135
You have made it to the end of The online flight guide by RDPresets! We
hope you have learned a lot from our guide, and we hope you now have a lot
more fun when flying online communicating like a professional!
If you have any suggestions or feedback, feel free to contact us via the
RDPresets website!
We want to thank you very much for buying our product!
Now it’s time for you to start flying and put all of your new communication
skills into action!
Happy flying!
- RDPresets
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