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Need help with this questions please.


MIQUEL_

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Hello forum members, 

 

I have 2 questions that I'm stuck on...

 

Question 1

 

- How do pilots calculate their heights on cruize? 

Do they just choose the altitude or how do they know which flight level they must follow? 

 

Question 2

 

- How do pilots know the arrival runway at airports?

I know this is by the wind but how do they calculate it? 

 

Sorry for all my questions, I just want to know answeres. 

 

Thank you 

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  • Aerosoft

1) basically any aircraft will fly as high as it can during cruise because that is cheaper. It's only when the routes are really short and the cruise phase is very short that they might stay lower. The exact altitude depends on the plane and what route there is available. 

2) when you file your flight plan you are supposed to check what runway is in use (or if it is a very long flight you do so enroute). As you get close to your destination you could listen to the ATIS or listen to the ATC. Of course when you get really close ATC will tell you what the exact procedure and runway will be.

 

 

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Hi,

 

1) There are two ways, both basically do the same thing though:

 

If you are old school you'll check the performance charts of your aircraft for the given weight, temprature, density altitude, etc. to see where the optimum and maximum levels are.

You then choose the flight level that gets closest to get optimum level without of course exceeding the maximum level.

 

In modern times these are usually calculated by the computers during dispatch already.
 

In both cases you lateron crosscheck it with the information in your FMS and adjust accordingly.

 

2) The active runway is published in the ATIS and that is what you use to plan.
Lateron the approach controller will tell you which runway to expect when you start the approach.

 

For flight simming purposes you can just look at FlightRadar24 to see which runway they are using in real life.

 

This must not always be by wind by the way, often political reasons are also an argument.

Each aircraft has a maximum crosswind and tailwind component for landing published in its AOM, so it remains with the pilot to check if that runway is acceptable or not.

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For daily use, the following simplified rules help:

 

Question 1) If the route is short, you can use as a rule of thumb the distance in nm for the approximate flight level. For example, if the distance is 150nm between the airports, your cruize altitude will be around FL130 to 160.

 

Now, you also want to apply the semicircular rule to determine the appropriate flight level (FL):

  • Eastbound – Magnetic track 000 to 179° – odd thousands (FL 250, 270, etc.)
  • Westbound – Magnetic track 180 to 359° – even thousands (FL 260, 280, etc.)

In the above example, when flying to a western direction, you could fly at FL160.
 

Question 2) Determine the wind direction of your destination airport. Active runway is usually the runway that faces into the wind.

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5 hours ago, Cargostorm said:

For daily use, the following simplified rules help:

 

Question 1) If the route is short, you can use as a rule of thumb the distance in nm for the approximate flight level. For example, if the distance is 150nm between the airports, your cruize altitude will be around FL130 to 160.

 

Now, you also want to apply the semicircular rule to determine the appropriate flight level (FL):

  • Eastbound – Magnetic track 000 to 179° – odd thousands (FL 250, 270, etc.)
  • Westbound – Magnetic track 180 to 359° – even thousands (FL 260, 280, etc.)

In the above example, when flying to a western direction, you could fly at FL160.
 

Question 2) Determine the wind direction of your destination airport. Active runway is usually the runway that faces into the wind.

 

Okay, for example at LFMN, Nice Airport, the wind is now according to Flight-radar24, 7 knots at 160 degrees, so how can I know the runway for landing? 

 

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  • Deputy Sheriffs
9 minutes ago, miquel.pappijn said:

Okay, for example at LFMN, Nice Airport, the wind is now according to Flight-radar24, 7 knots at 160 degrees, so how can I know the runway for landing? 

To avoid tailwind during landing choose the appropriate rwy or the rwy being approached by the aircrafts on Flightradar24.

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vor 19 Stunden , miquel.pappijn sagte:

 

Okay, for example at LFMN, Nice Airport, the wind is now according to Flight-radar24, 7 knots at 160 degrees, so how can I know the runway for landing? 

 

 

In LFMN you have runway 04R/L or 22L/R available. If the wind blows from 160 degrees, the preferred runway would be 22L or 22R (greater head wind component than rwy 04). Usually one runway is preferred for takeoff and the other for landing. In realworld / IVAO / VATSIM you will know this from ATIS.

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23 hours ago, Cargostorm said:

 

In LFMN you have runway 04R/L or 22L/R available. If the wind blows from 160 degrees, the preferred runway would be 22L or 22R (greater head wind component than rwy 04). Usually one runway is preferred for takeoff and the other for landing. In realworld / IVAO / VATSIM you will know this from ATIS.

Okay, the ATIS will tell me if it is runway 22R or 22L for arrivals?

 

if I know it's runway 22 I can't just choose R/L?

 

 

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1 hour ago, miquel.pappijn said:

Okay, the ATIS will tell me if it is runway 22R or 22L for arrivals?

 

if I know it's runway 22 I can't just choose R/L?

 

 

Usually ATC will tell you which one to use, as there is a good change both R and L will be in use. If you're flying without ATC, you'll just have to make a judgement call yourself.

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On 3.8.2016 at 11:08, miquel.pappijn sagte:

Okay, the ATIS will tell me if it is runway 22R or 22L for arrivals?

 

Exactly. If you fly on our own with no online ATC (e.g. VATSIM, IVAO), you can land whereever you want.

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