Continental ATC

(EGLL-OMDB Case study)

Based on the book: “Flying the Airbus A380, Cpt. Gib Vogel”
 Pre-flight

07:00Z (ETOT – 4h)

• Airline Flight Planning:
- choses the most suitable route with the help of a computerized flight planning system (e.g: LIDO,
STAR, Jeppesen, …)
- Fills the ATC flight plan >> EUROCONTROL NMOC Brussels
- EOBT = 10:45Z (ETOT = 11:00Z)

08:00Z (ETOT – 3h)

- Captain checks flight plan and weather on route trough internet
- Local airline dispatcher checks availability of the route and ETOT with EUROCONTROL NMOC ==
“slot time”; CTOT = 11:40Z
- Captain makes the fuel calculation
 Engine start and taxi
11:00 Z (CTOT = 11:40Z)

1st Officer contacts Heathrow Clearance

Delivery with a request for a “ready message”
to be sent to EUROCONTROL NMOC
hoping for an improved slot time

New CTOT 11:21 Z given

09:00Z (ETOT – 2h)

-Flight plan and other briefing documents downlinked to the EFB “e-folder”

10:15Z (ETOT -45m) Crew arrives on board

 Engine start and taxi
Clearance Delivery: Skybird 380, your new slot is
one one two one. Clear to start. Call one two one
seven for push. Good-day.

• F/O: Roger, one two one seven for push. Thank you Skybird 380.

11:05 Z
• F/O: Afternoon Heatrhrow Ground, Skybird 380 at stand three zero one requests push
• Ground: Afternoon Skybird 380, clear push, face east
 Engine start and taxi

11:07 Z
• Ground engineer gives clearance to start
• Cpt. begins the engine start procedure
• Ground crew disconnects the push-back tractor
• APU is switched off; Flaps Config 3 for take-off
 Engine start and taxi
11:05 Z
• F/O: Heathrow Ground, Skybird 380 request taxi
• Ground: Skybird 380, taxi via link 33, Alpha, link 29, Mike and hold at Lokki
……..
• Ground: Skybird 380, monitor Tower, 118.5
…….
• Tower: Skybird 380, taxi to holding point N2W
• F/O: Taxi holding point N2W, Skybird 380

11:05 Z
• Tower: Skybird 380, cleard to line-up and hold runway 27L
• F/O: Cleard to line-up and hold runway 27L, Skybird 380
 Take-off and climb out
11:20 Z
• Tower: Skybird 380, cleared for take-off runway 27L, wind 230 at 10.
• F/O: Cleard for take-off runway 27L, Skybird 380
Tower: Skybird 380, call Control, 120.52
F/O: 120.52, Skybird 380
F/O: Afternoon Control, Skybird 380 Super
passing 2.000 feet on the Detling DET2G
departure

Control: Skybird 380, squawk ident

Control: Skybird 380, identified, climb FL140
unrestricted
F/O reads back and removes the 6.000ft restriction
programmed in the SID in the FMS
 Take-off and climb out

11:20 Z
• Aircraft climbs through 6.000ft (transition altitude), pilots change altimeter settings to standard
1013hP
• Aircraft continues climb at 250kt (TMA speed restriction) until FL100, then accelerates to
327kt
• ….

• Skybird 380 requests 10NM deviation to the right to avoid CB formation 40NM ahead.
• …..
• 10 mins later, F/O requests direct to Koksy (KOK)
• ATCO approves and enters a DCT order in the ATC system
• Pilots selects KOK on the MFD
 Climb out

• Co-pilot sends a datlink link request to receive upper wind information and updates
the FMS
• …….
• London Control hands over to another London radar sector and the flight is re-cleared
to its cruise flight level FL370

• Aircraft passes FL300, target speed changes from IAS to Mach number. Speed adjusted
to M0.84
• …..
• FL370 reached (ToC). Autopilot changes from mode ‘CLB’ to ‘ALT CRZ’ (Cruise
Altitude). Thrust changes ‘THR CLB’ to ‘MACH’. Thrust is automatically modulated
to maintain optimal cruise speed of M0.84
 Cruise
• Ideally aircraft is flown between optimum and maximum cruise altitude (FL370 ‘OPT’
and FL395 ‘REC MAX’).
• FL370, M0.84, TAS=479kt + 15kt tailwind =494kt GS
• As fuel is burned, aircraft “step climbs” to maintain cruise altitude between optimum
and maximum FL
• A380 burns 10t between T/O and ToC and 12t/h in cruise >> step climb of 2.000ft
every 3hs.
 Cruise (CPDLC)
• Approaching London/Maastricht boundary:
• F/O selects the ATC page on the Multi-Function Display (MFD) and enters MUAC’s address “EDYY”

• Logon Request message sent via datalink to the MUAC ATC system
• Logon Response and Connection Request received
• Connection Confirmation sent back to the ground system
• CPDLC connection is established
• ….
• London Control: Skybird 380 contact Maastricht 132.75, Good-day
• F/O: Maastricht 132.75, Good-day
 Cruise (CPDLC)

• F/O: Good afternoon Maastricht Control, Skybird 380 maintaining FL370, datalink
established.
• Maastricht: Good afternoon Skybird 380. Roger, identified.
• ATCO “assumes” flight. Enters DCT BOMBI via datalink
• ‘ATC MSG’ received. Pilot checks message on the ‘ATC mailbox’: “Cleared present
position direct to BOMBI”. Pilot selects “ROGER”
• Pilot selects command ‘Direct to’ on MFD and sets aircraft to BOMBI
 Cruise (CPDLC)
• MUAC ATC system sends a ‘Logon Forwarding’ (LOF) OLDI message to the
Karlsruhe (KUAC) ATC System
• MUAC ATC system sends a ‘Next data authority EDUU’ message to the aircraft via
datalink
• ATC message on glareshield: ‘FROM EDYY CTL NEXT ATC EDUU’
• MUAC ATC system sends a ‘Next Authority Notified’ (NAN) OLDI message to the
Karlsruhe (KUAC) ATC System
• ‘FROM EDYY CTL SERVICE
TERMINATED’
• ‘ACTIVE ATC EDUU’
• ……..

• Rhine Control instructs the crew to

contact Prague Control
Prague Control: Skybird 380 identified, maintain 370 direct to ABITU.
 Cruise
• Flight continues over Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania

• Flight enters Ankara FIR over the Black Sea. 46t of fuel consumed so far. F/O requests
climb to FL390 (optimum)
• Auto Thrust changes from ‘MACH’ to ‘THR CLB’
• …….
• Pilot checks decompression procedure for crossing Zagros mountain range in Iran
 Descent

• ATIS report requested via datalink for Dubai

(OMDB) and Sharaj (OMSJ)
• ILS 30R unserviceable >> VOR non-precision
approach
• 130NM from Dubai, F/O contacts Teheran Control
for descent clearance
• Skybird380 cleared to FL310
• Thrust changes to ‘THR IDLE’. Flight Director mode
changes from ‘ALT CRZ’ to ‘DES’.
• Aircraft start descent at 2.500 ft/min at M0.84
initially, then 311kt when lower.
• Flight approaches FL310, F/O request further descent
 Descent

• Teheran Control instructs the flight to contact UAE Control and coordinates with
UAC Control the descent release
• UAE Control, good evening. Skybird 380 approaching FL310, squawking 2211,
requesting lower.
• UAE Control: Evening Skybird 380, identified, clear descend to FL150
• ……..

• UAE Control: Skybird 380, direct Desdi for the DESDI3T arrival, RWY 30R
• Descent rate increased to 5.000 ft/min
• UAE Control: Skybird 380 re-cleared to 7.000 ft, QNH 1004
• On passing FL150 (transition level), pilot selects pressure setting of 1004hPa.
 Approach and Landing
• UAE Control: Skybird 380 contact Dubai Arrival on 124.9, Good bye
• F/O: Dubai Arrival. Skybird 380 Super, passing 14.000 for 7,000 feet. (6NM separation required)
• ……..
• Dubai Arrival hands over to Dubai Director
• Evening Dubai Director, Skybird 380 Super approaching 7,000 feet
• Dubai Director: Evening Skybird 380 Super, descent 2,000 feet. Cleared for VOR 30R approach.

Aircraft passes 5,000 ft. Captain calls ‘landing

checks’
‘Config 1 Flaps’ (1+F) selected. Target speed 179kt.
 Approach and Landing
• Dubai Director: Skybird 380 Super, cleared for RWY 30R, VOR/DME approach, call
Geveg inbound.
• ………

• Aircraft crosses Initial Approach Fix (IAF) at BUBOK, turns on to a right base leg
with a continuous descent of 2,000ft
• Captain calls ‘Config 2 Flpas’. Target speed 164kt.

• ………
• Captain calls ‘Config 3 Flaps’. Gear down.
• F/O: Skybird 380 Super established Geveg inbound
• Dubai Director: Call Tower 118.7 Good day
• F/O: Dubay Tower, Skybird 380 Super established inbound 30R
Approach and Landing
 Approach and Landing

• Dubai Tower: Skybird 380 Super, clear to land RWY 30R, wind 250, 10kt.
• Captain calls ‘Full flaps, complete landing checks’
• Final approach and landing speed (Vapp) == 138kt. Go-around altitude of 4,000ft
selected.
• At 1,000ft captain disconnects the autopilot and proceeds for the visual approach
• Radio altimeter calls every 100ft below 300ft and every 10ft below 50ft
• ‘Retard’ reminds pilot to move thrust levers from ‘CL’ Climb to ‘Idle’. Auto Thrust
system disconnected.
• Aircraft touches down and starts braking

• Dubai Tower: Skybird 380 call Ground , 118.35

 Taxi and shut-down

• F/O: Evening Ground, Skybird 380 vacated RWY 30R

• Ground: Good evening Skybird 380, follow the greens to F12
• Ground controller selects taxiway lights
• Aircraft stops at gate. Doors are disarmed.
• Recorded flight details are downlinked to the Airline Operational Control (AOC)