Hey guys. This is a question for anyone with real world operations knowledge, hope you can bear some light into this matter :( I was wondering what real world value crews input on the PERF INIT pages of their acft (Boeing models)Last time I had the priviledge to accompany a flight in the flight deck it was a transatlantic T7 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris and Brazil still didn´t have RVSM implemented so we did 4000' step climbs (ICAO)Nowadays however, pretty much every continental airspace I´m aware of has RVSM and I was wondering if crews make their step climbs in 2000' increments. Is this how it´s done in Europe and continental US?Also, I´d like to know how this works in relation to ATC. Do you have to file the step climbs in the flightplan? If I remember correctly from the aforementioned flight, instead of following the FMS suggested s/c points the crew received a flightplan from dispatch already with stepclimbs planned in certain fixes and they just inserted these in the legs page. So ATC knew beforehand that the flight would eventually climb in these fixes. I´m surmising these planned s/c associated with airway fixes were as close as the dispatcher could get to the ideal s/c points (FMC calculated)that are not associated with any fixes. Also, I can´t remember correctly but I think the crew did not ask permission to climb higher. We were flying over the Atlantic and simply climbed and in the next HF position report we reported the new FL. Does this sound correct?However, when I go flying with VATSIM I file my flightplan well in advance of programming the FMC, and I don´t have any flightplanning software that is able to accurately foresee step climbs. Thus I file an initial FL and just input 2000' in the PERF INIT page and perform the 2000' s/c(s) according to the FMC´s predictions, after obtaining clearance from ATC. Is this also done in the real world or do dispatchers always "warn" ATC of stepclimbs by filing them along with the flightplan? One last question: in the NAT airspace and other one-way airways where all flight levels are available on the same direction, can we perform 1000' stepclimbs?Thank you for helping.

Yes, step climbs in the USA and Europe are done in 2000' increments. I do not think the dispatcher files with S/C included, but on-the-fly S/C are just transmitted as a request to increase altitude. Regarding trans-oceanic, step climbs are much harder. Because there is no radar coverage, aircraft are tracked by reporting points. Requesting a climb while over water means that the controllers on duty have to insure your climb will not interfere with other aircraft that they can only make an educated guess on their position. Usually an air-crew will fly at an altitude so high the next S/C will be closer to a continental radar station.Even though NAT airspace is a one-way road, switching at 12 hour increments, you may not climb by 1000 feet. You will still fly correct east-west flight levels.

Even though NAT airspace is a one-way road, switching at 12 hour increments, you may not climb by 1000 feet. You will still fly correct east-west flight levels.

That's not entirely true. Here's an excerpt from today's tracks;

051401 CZQXZQZX(NAT-1/2 TRACKS FLS 320/400 INCLUSIVEDEC 06/0100Z TO DEC 06/0800ZPART ONE OF TWO PARTS-V STEAM OYSTR 55/50 56/40 56/30 55/20 RESNO NETKIEAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400WEST LVLS NILEUR RTS EAST NILNAR N153C N155A-W REDBY CARPE 54/50 55/40 55/30 54/20 DOGAL BEXETEAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400WEST LVLS NILEUR RTS EAST NILNAR N137B N141B-X YAY HECKK 53/50 54/40 54/30 53/20 MALOT GISTIEAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400WEST LVLS NILEUR RTS EAST NILNAR N123A N129B-Y DOTTY CRONO 52/50 53/40 53/30 52/20 LIMRI XETBOEAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400WEST LVLS NILEUR RTS EAST NILNAR N107B N113B N115B-

Whether or not they'll give it to you is a different story.As far as flightplans with step information, you will see it on occasion in flightplans as information after a waypoint:

NARKA/M083F350

This means that at approximately NARKA, the flight is expected to request FL350 and the expected speed at that altitude is Mach 0.83 (you might also see N###F###, which is for filing knots instead of Mach; or K###F### for knots). That being said, the dispatcher may include the information in the plan but the pilot must still request clearance for the climb.

NAT tracks have 1,000ft seperation standards so 1,000ft climbs can indeed be made where possible.The filed flight plan will contain step climbs specified at waypoints,in the event of total comms failure ATC will examine the plan and be expecting you to climb where specified. During normal ops you are not obliged to climb where specified, be if you do want to a clearence must be obtained first(as you`d expect)The step climb size function just helps the FMC predict times and fuel burn and where to recommend you climb. Some people bother changing it,others dont, either 1,000 2,000 or icao, I think the icao setting now gives 2,000 steps anyway, not 100%. But the point is step climbs are normally done as shown on the computer flight plan and not where the FMC reccomends a step, the reason being the CFP uses more advanced software and is fed with lots more weather data than the FMC, which is relativly simplistic in its calculations.CheersJon Bunting