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WTE_Pharoah

Basic questions on RL ops

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hi guysfor anyone that knows....can you answer this in regards to RL ops:1. when does the pilot engage LNAV after take off?2. what are the normal approach speeds under 10,000 ft? eg. when do they slow down to say 210kts or 180 kts prior to being established on the localizer? (barring of course any STAR overrides). I've seen jets at 5000 ft and 200kts or lower.3. whats the earliest a pilot takes over control for landing? I normally see 500 ft est on the ILS/Loc but I"m sure it could be earlier.4. on touch down, does the pilot actually 'fly the nose down' or is it a natural progression as a result of the loss of lift, etc through rev thrust/braking?yes I know, basic questions but what the hell blum.gif

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1) Usually it's engaged befor the takeoff and then it'll engage automaticly at 400ft AGL2) the restriction is 250kt IAS. You slow down when you reach the DECEL point (which is calculated by the FMC in the 737NG. The other possibility is that you slow down to meet ATC speedristrictions or those included in your SID/STAR.3) As long as you don't fly CAT III approaches you can take control whenever you want. I myself take control when I feel it's a good time. That's usually between 2500ft AGL or the minimum altitide.4) You flare the aircraft about 20ft above the runway. But it's important that you don't pull the nose up to much, so that you don't climb away. But you still have to "fly the aircraft onto the runway". So if you approach the ground you have to fly the aircraft down onto the runway, but still need to make the touchdown as smooth as possible.


Greetings from the 737 flightdeck!

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1. when does the pilot engage LNAV after take off?depends on SOP, can be armed on ground2. what are the normal approach speeds under 10,000 ft? eg. when do they slow down to say 210kts or 180 kts prior to being established on the localizer? (barring of course any STAR overrides). I've seen jets at 5000 ft and 200kts or lower.you don't fly the CL speeds 210 etc unless instructed by ATC, you'd fly UP speed and then speed schedule as indicated on the PFD. It's advisable to intercept the LOC at flap 1 or 5, in order to drop gear and flap 15 upon G/S interception. So plan accordingly and aim for an earlier slow down rather than being too late, as we all know it can be hard to kill the excess speed once on final and not configured properly.3. whats the earliest a pilot takes over control for landing? I normally see 500 ft est on the ILS/Loc but I"m sure it could be earlier.whatever he decides, you can take over to flare or take over at 10K.4. on touch down, does the pilot actually 'fly the nose down' or is it a natural progression as a result of the loss of lift, etc through rev thrust/braking?not exactly sure but common sense dictates not to smash the NLG onto the runway, so I'd rather suggest to just ease the yoke pressure and let the gear come down. What I've seen however (on takeoffs) is that the PF would push the yoke forward to around 80kts in order to increase NLG steering ability (although that wasn't exactly an NG). Maybe someone can comment on if this is done after landing too (after NLG touchdown, that is).
sig.gif Edited by badderjet

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1. when does the pilot engage LNAV after take off?
1) Usually it's engaged befor the takeoff and then it'll engage automaticly at 400ft AGL
If you arm LNAV on the ground, it becomes active at 50'. If you don't arm it on the ground, you can select it at 400'.

Matt Cee

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Guest dlrk
hi guysfor anyone that knows....can you answer this in regards to RL ops:1. when does the pilot engage LNAV after take off?2. what are the normal approach speeds under 10,000 ft? eg. when do they slow down to say 210kts or 180 kts prior to being established on the localizer? (barring of course any STAR overrides). I've seen jets at 5000 ft and 200kts or lower.3. whats the earliest a pilot takes over control for landing? I normally see 500 ft est on the ILS/Loc but I"m sure it could be earlier.4. on touch down, does the pilot actually 'fly the nose down' or is it a natural progression as a result of the loss of lift, etc through rev thrust/braking?yes I know, basic questions but what the hell blum.gif
1.When you want to follow a lateral path from the FMS. Arm it on the ground if you'll be following one right after takeoff. If not, engage when your intercepting a course or proceeding direct.2.Set the approach speed according to the FMS reference speed + a wind additive(see the FCTM). You can also use charts from the FCOM or TOPCAT, which I use. For speeds prior to final, use your own judgement. The illustrated procedures in the FCTM recommend flaps 5 prior to turning final, so that is good guidance.3.Whenever you want to. Personally, after takeoff I usually turn on the A/P at either 10,000 or FL180, except in IMC. For landing, I turn off the AP either when I see the airport or other necessary cues for a visual, when the runway is visible and on final for a instrument approach, except for VOR approaches which I like to handfly.4.Flare at 20ft with idle thrust. Touchdown on the main gear, and let the nose settle but itself, unless necessary to prevent floating.

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J. Thomas,There is no perfect answer to your first question, e.g., when does the pilot engage LNAV after takeoff? When to select LNAV will depend, in large part, on the departure procedure. LNAV can be selected on the ground when the track of your first leg is within 5 degrees of runway heading, in which case LNAV will become the active roll mode climbing through 50ft. However, some departures will require a series of headings following departure. These departures might best be flown using HDG SEL. Still other departures will require flying outbound on a departure radial, where a combination of HDG SEL and VOR/LOC will likely be used initially. You should always have a roll mode selected- if only to querry the FD, which one you choose depends on the procedure being flown.JW

Edited by Jeffrey L. Whitaker

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Just a note... LNAV will activate in FD mode on the ground (5 deg restriction as mentioned above) but the autopilot will not engage automatically. The 737NG autopilot is certificated to be activated at 400 AGL or above in the climb.-G

Edited by gmohr

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A buddy of min likes to the girl up to 10,000 before engaging the AP and taking it out again at 10,000. But it is up to company procedure. :-)


737 CL/NG skysurfer

Boeing777_Banner_Pilot.jpg2zzdi.jpg

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@2: Some guidance was mentioned, FCTM is worth a read.what I do:240 kts under FL100. Then slow down to 220 short before interception of localizer, plan for 180 and flaps 1 or 5 for the actual interception. after glideslope comes alive, I slow down to 160 and pull flaps according to schedule, or by policy to 10, however I feel. 4-5 miles from the touchdown zone, if the ILS is euqipped with DME, or by OM, if not, or by other relevant DME info or if nothing else helps by FIX Distance ring, I select Vapp on the MCP, put the gear down, select Flaps 15, and passing Flaps15 maneuvering speed, select landing flaps, usually 30.

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To expand on the other answers to the LNAV question, it depends on what you're doing. Many departure procedures can NOT be flown with LNAV. Take the LOOP6 at KLAX, it requires you to fly a certain heading depending on what runway you depart for VECTORS to the first fix. If you engage LNAV it does all sorts of crazy stuff, like turning you head on into arrivals..


Steve Caffey

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