European (UK) Operations

[Guest]

Hi all,I've been flying on VATSIM in the US for awhile now and find this easy primarily because I live here and understand the American ATC system. However, I recently joined Eurostar VA and am wondering, what kind of major differences, if any, can I expect in VATSIM ATC procedures in Europe, specifically in the United Kingdom.Any help is greatly appreciated :-)Thanks,MarcMarc Gibsonhttp://www.freewebs.com/flightsimcfi/http://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg

[Martin Georg EDDF]

Hello Marc,you may want to have a look at this website called the "European ATC Quick Primer" here: http://www.edff-fir.de/html/primer.html . While it is not specifically for the UK it still contains a lot of useful information about flying in europe.Yours,Martin Georg/EDDFVACC-SAG PR & Events Coordinator *** mailto:[email protected]http://images.vacc-sag.org/convention6.jpg

[Guest]

Thanks! Great link :-)-MarcMarc Gibsonhttp://www.freewebs.com/flightsimcfi/http://vatsim.pilotmedia.fi/statusindicato...tor=OD1&a=a.jpg

[Guest]

Marc,Hmm, the main differences that come to mind are:-1) transition altitude: In the US its always 18,000 feet regardless but in the UK, you'll find this altitude varys from airport to airport! For example, at Heathrow it is 6000 feet and at Manchester it is 5000 feet. Always a good idea to get the charts if you can where this info can be found on an airport-by-airport basis.2) Altimeter pressure settings: In the US, every pressure setting is given in inches of mercury and stated as "Altimeter 2991" or similar. In the UK, you'll hear the phrase (on the VATSIM network) "QNH" which refers to the altimeter setting and that setting is expressed in MILLIBARS or HECTOPASCALS, for example "Continental 334, descent to 3000 feet, QNH 1022" The pilot sets his altimeter subscale now to 1022 millibars. You won't hear pressure settings expressed in inches.3) The 250 knots below 10,000 feet rule still exists in the UK and Europe but in some cases you'll hear ATC say, perhaps just after takeoff from, say London Gatwick, " Continental 334, climb to FL 80 (8000 feet on standard pressure setting - 1013MB or 2992 inches - Gatwicks TA is 6000 feet) NO SPEED RESTRICTION " This means you can climb to a position which in this case is below 10,000 feet but you don't need to stay below 250 knots.4) Holding patterns: In the London area, most of the holds require set speed restrictions in the turns; Above FL140, speed not above 240 knots; Below FL140, speed 220 knots (think that is correct).5) runway line ups: You'll hear " Continental 334, line up and wait runway 27L" You will not hear "line up and hold" very much over here. Effectively means the same.Hope this helps. I'm sure there is more but I cannot think too much at this time of the morning! Regards,Lee JamesTraining Captain747 FleetBritish Airways Virtual...alias SPEEDBIRD 9 DELTA VICTOR (SB9DV)online with VATSIM