Real World Cockpit - Full Instrument Letdown 

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Thank you for replying! Appreciate the gesture!

Konstantin Hikaru The thrust levers do not move in Airbus planes. It is set at the CLB detent when autothrust is engaged. If you are using manual thrust, you set a power setting of approximately 1.08 EPR. There are no markings on the thrust levers so you have to look at the engine display.

Trey Wong 1) Yes it is possible. Managed DES will command a V/S of 1000 fpm and hence we will reach 4000 ft earlier. I just want to optimise the descent by adjusting V/S to reach 4000 ft just before MAYAH. 2) On the contrary, the aircraft was not high on profile. The yo-yo was indicating high probably because of the altitude constraints at the earlier waypoints. Track miles from AJE to MAYAH is 22 miles. Aircraft is maintaining 8000 ft at AJE. So we only need to lose 4000 ft over 22 miles. This was why V/S was used. So this is a classic example on why automation and its predictions should not be solely relied upon. The pilot should always use simple mental calculations and cross check it with raw data so that a high degree of situational awareness is maintained. (i.e. the pilot will not need to ask "Why is it doing that???") 3) Er....I keep it really simple. Required V/S for a 3 degree descent path is half your groundspeed times 10. So if your groundspeed is 200 kts, you need a V/S of 1000fpm to maintain the 3 degree descent path. If your groundspeed is160 kts, then you need a V/S of 800fpm. So with these figures, you can adjust your V/S (and hence your descent profile) accordingly. 4) Seatbelt - whenever you're seated. Harness - preferably when you're not too busy (i.e. TOD) 5) Spot on.....you're getting very good! ;) 6) Yes, it happens very often. We can't do anything about the accents. So we double-check or triple-check if we have to. With experience we can anticipate the expected clearances. But if in doubt, just confirm again.

airtimbuk2 Thanks for the reply. Noted on 1) and 2). With regards to 3) Understood but lets say for eg. "Aircraft is currently at AJE (8'000ft) and is cleared to descent to MAYAH (4'000ft) and between them is 22 miles. My thought will be "For every 3nm, aircraft will lose 1'000ft, so (8'000ft - 4'000ft) = 4'000ft, so (4000/1000)*3 = 12NM. I will only descent 12nm from MAYAH at {(1/2 GS)*10| fpm. Is my way of thinking correct? Thanks for your time.

Trey Wong Yes that is correct. And you can also use the blue "level off arrow" that appears on the aircraft track (at 14:29 you see it appear near the 20nm range ring when I adjusted the V/S)

airtimbuk2 Just discovered your new channel, was surprised when the original channel went down (think it was the same username without the 2). Nice to see it up again. Not a real world pilot but: 2. Managed Descend probably tried to get you down and level at the decel marker for deceleration (hence VDEV got stuck at 4000 when approaching the DECEL marker). The FMGS is only as good as what the is fed in. Since you did not inform it that you will decelerate earlier using idle thrust in the geometric path, it assumes you would decelerate from 250 knts at level flight in clean config to clean dot speed.

+Nicolas Larrain Yes it would be similar to a Cessna on a Boeing, but a little different on the Airbus because of the fly-by-wire system.

Yes, if you need to reduce speed expeditiously.

Speedbrakes are normally use to help reduce speed quickly or to adjust vertical profile by increasing the rate of descent.

+airtimbuk2 thank u

Konstantin Hikaru No, it is a personal preference. I try to fly manually as much as possible, if workload and weather permits. I like to keep my skill sets sharp.... ;) Thanks for watching.

airtimbuk2 Thanks for great answer, keep it up! And thanks again for sharing Kansai approach, first time seeing it from a cockpit :)

+Николай Цонев Not sure if I understand your question but ATC will report the latest QNH when he/she clears you to an altitude. Readback of QNH is required. Radio altimeter comes alive at 2500 ft.

Let's say the Aircraft is on 2 miles final and the QNH goes from 1018 to 1017 ... is there a need to say this to the crew or once you have crossed ALT 2500 ft the crew/ autopilot (when is ON ) uses the radio altimeter and is better not to bother the crew or it's better just to make a wind-check if there is a need? ... and if there is a missed app procedure to inform the crew about the new QNH?

+Николай Цонев At 2 miles, probably not but it's ATC perogative. Yes I think ATC will broadcast the latest QNH at an appropriate time if there's a missed approach.

Earlier on, ATC probably asked us to maintain 280 kts or greater. Since our ECON speed was already greater than 280 kts, we were maintaining "normal speed" anyway. By saying "resuming normal speed", it means we no longer have to maintain 280 kts or greater.

@@airtimbuk2 what airport is this? I will love to flight over here on my simulator. Thank you

Kansai Airport (KIX)

Thanks. Invisible curve?

airtimbuk2 Lol by that I mean the curve no-one can see. The reason I say is because at that height if there was a curve we should be able to see it and as we both know gyroscopes do not go upside down unless the plane flies upside down. How would the gyroscope know it is Australia ,how would it account for the curvature? Also if you are a pilot have you noticed the horizon never drops away or that the plane follows Earths curvature which is said you'd need to keep dropping the nose or fly a big arc.

At low altitudes (yes, even at 40'000 ft), the curvature is not visible yet. You need to be alot higher (think U-2 or edge of space flights). Nowadays, the inertial reference systems onboard aircraft are very sophisticated. After they are initialised on ground, they are constantly adjusted/updated for errors by GPS/navaids - thus it knows where the sky and ground is all the time. We fly pressure altitude - by maintaining a constant air pressure (based on QNH 1013) between the plane and the ground. So the horizon will never drop away since we follow the curvature. I suppose the autopilot does very minute adjustments to maintain pressure altitude once in a while though I haven't really noticed it - there's too much things to do in a flight deck, like having my meal. :)

airtimbuk2 Thank you that was a great answer,I really appreciate your time with this. Have you any time lapse where you capture sunset/rise same journey? Either way these are great to watch, Thanks

So far, no.

+Domenico Scalzo I can't really read too.... ;P Maybe 200-300 fpm? Just a guess....

+airtimbuk2 oh ok thank you ;)

no worries!

Muhammad Firdaus Bin Raja Ali I'm not. And there is no trim.

Oh well thats embarrassing. Well, because it looks like you're pressing the top really hard makes me think that you're pressing it. Thanks! :)

+Muhammad Firdaus Bin Raja Ali The trimming wheel is in the middle of the cockpit right next to your seat (right side, when sitting left and left side if you are sitting right). Its also right next to the thrust-levers. So if he needs to trim then it would be with his right hand with his actual seat position.

RuLeZ1988 Thank you my brother! I fly Boeing so the trim itself is on the control column. Learn about Airbus no since I might need to change fleet in a few years.