Beta Video

[Jetspaul 24]

You learn something new everyday, I always thought that "TA" just meant Traffic Advisory, it would show the traffic on the TCAS but not give you Aural/visual warnings and the "resolution advisory" to eliminate conflicting traffic.

[kjjj11223344 48]

You learn something new everyday, I always thought that "TA" just meant Traffic Advisory, it would show the traffic on the TCAS but not give you Aural/visual warnings and the "resolution advisory" to eliminate conflicting traffic.

Same here. This is why I always switched to TA only on approach, but I assume it is SOP to leave the switch on TA/RA even on approach?

[Airbusman330 300]

 

 

but I assume it is SOP to leave the switch on TA/RA even on approach?

 

Yea because it will go to TA only automatically, I set TA/RA at the gate and then set it to standby after pulling in. 

[kjjj11223344 48]

Yea because it will go to TA only automatically, I set TA/RA at the gate and then set it to standby after pulling in. 

Cool, I didn't know that. Would any one happen to know what the specific requirements for it to switch to TA only mode are (flaps, altitude AGL, etc)?

[machine2035 176]

Normally transponder is set to a non-TCAS, Mode C mode (i.e XPNDR in the T7) after clearance is recieved so that ATC can see the aircraft on the ground-radar (ASDE-X) system. Switching it over to TARA is in the before-takeoff items.

 

After landing and vacated of the runway, back to XPNDR until parked up on bay. Then switched to OFF.

 

Obviously varies with different operators/airport environments (if airport doesn't have ground surveillance systems, transponder is usually kept off until takeoff).

 

Cool, I didn't know that. Would any one happen to know what the specific requirements for it to switch to TA only mode are (flaps, altitude AGL, etc)?

TCAS RA's are inhibited when below 1000" Radio Altitude.

[Airbusman330 300]

Disregard, long morning.

[johnsturm 22]

Cool, I didn't know that. Would any one happen to know what the specific requirements for it to switch to TA only mode are (flaps, altitude AGL, etc)?

 

In normal operations you would never use TA only mode. It is there so that if your aircraft is having problems that cause you to be maneuver limited you wont be given Resolution Advisories. Examples would be an engine out or flight control problems. If there is conflicting traffic and you have TA only set, the conflicting aircraft will be given Resolution Advisories to get it out of your way. If both aircraft have TA/RA set then the two TCAS systems will negotiate and one aircraft will be given a climb while the other will be given a descent to increase thier seperation. Of course this situation only occurs as a result of ATC failing to provide adequate seperation.

[kevinh 409]

Only just got around to watching this, very nice video, Kyle. Only you could make a video of a one hour flight video last 2 hrs 37.

 

Very informative and an excellent foretaste of what we can expect.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, well a video is worth a thousand screenshots.  A couple of questions/comments for you:

 

During preflight, why didn't you switch the ECL display to the inboard DU?  Then you could have both lower EICAS and ECL visible at the same time.

 

During engine start I think it's usual to leave the fuel switch off until there's an oil pressure indication. So you would initiate start with the overhead switch, check the EICAS oil pressure display was no longer blank and then turn on the fuel switch.

 

Great work, mate.  James Cameron had better watch out.

[kjjj11223344 48]

Normally transponder is set to a non-TCAS, Mode C mode (i.e XPNDR in the T7) after clearance is recieved so that ATC can see the aircraft on the ground-radar (ASDE-X) system. Switching it over to TARA is in the before-takeoff items.

 

After landing and vacated of the runway, back to XPNDR until parked up on bay. Then switched to OFF.

 

Obviously varies with different operators/airport environments (if airport doesn't have ground surveillance systems, transponder is usually kept off until takeoff).

 

TCAS RA's are inhibited when below 1000" Radio Altitude.

 

In normal operations you would never use TA only mode. It is there so that if your aircraft is having problems that cause you to be maneuver limited you wont be given Resolution Advisories. Examples would be an engine out or flight control problems. If there is conflicting traffic and you have TA only set, the conflicting aircraft will be given Resolution Advisories to get it out of your way. If both aircraft have TA/RA set then the two TCAS systems will negotiate and one aircraft will be given a climb while the other will be given a descent to increase thier seperation. Of course this situation only occurs as a result of ATC failing to provide adequate seperation.

Got it. Thanks for the helpful information.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

 

 

During preflight, why didn't you switch the ECL display to the inboard DU?  Then you could have both lower EICAS and ECL visible at the same time.

 

...because I hadn't gotten too deep in the RTFM concept just yet enough to teach myself stuff, so thanks for teaching me that.  That's pretty freakin cool!

 

 

 

 

During engine start I think it's usual to leave the fuel switch off until there's an oil pressure indication. So you would initiate start with the overhead switch, check the EICAS oil pressure display was no longer blank and then turn on the fuel switch.

 

Hadn't read it in much detail yet.  All I saw was the basic:

F/O ---- START SELECTOR TO START

C------- FUEL CONTROL TO RUN

 

I think the last time I actually paid any attention to an autostart sequence was back with the B744 when I got it for FS9 in 2004.  I'm just realizing I've had it a little out of order this whole time.  Thanks for the additional detail.  I'll pay attention to it on the next start and look for the oil indication.

[kevinh 409]

No worries Kyle. I don't suppose PMDG would be too pleased if you spent all your beta test time reading the manuals.

 

I'm no 777 expert but I got plenty of practice with the PSS 777 which also did a good job with the ECL. You can do something similar on the 744. By switching the lower EICAS to the inboard DU you can more easily review the system synoptics. Useful for fuel management.

 

Autostart on the 744 is different in that nothing happens till you select both start and fuel switches on. The 777 logic gives the crew more control.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

 

 

No worries Kyle. I don't suppose PMDG would be too pleased if you spent all your beta test time reading the manuals.

 

True.  The only true manual time I got was one weekend where I was stuck in STL for a conference, which just happened to be the first weekend the beta had been out.  Even then, since the seminar was all weekend, I only got through part of the FCTM.

 

 

 

Autostart on the 744 is different in that nothing happens till you select both start and fuel switches on. The 777 logic gives the crew more control.

 

Gotcha - I'm hoping that's where my odd procedure came from.  I could swear I read it somewhere like that, but who knows.  I swore my meeting at 1200 yesterday was at 1230, and then looked at the paper I wrote the appointment on, and I'd even written "noon."

 

It's entirely possible that I've lost it...haha.

[pcubine 143]

 

 

You're correct that transition would be 18000, but since I was cleared to climb above that I just selected standard. If a controller told me to level off prior to 18000 I could have just reset it to local, but that would've been very unlikely. While knowing your altitude is important, the main reason we set the altimeter is to help maintain a certain level. As I was in a climb, it wasn't so important to know my current altitude as much as it was to make sure I leveled off at the proper one in the end. So, as others have mentioned, some SOPs are to just set standard when cleared above transition.

 

Kyle

 

What's the deal with altimeter settings during descent. Say you were cleared to descent from FL360 to FL230 and after leveling at FL230 for several minutes you are cleared to 15000. Is the altimeter reset from STD to local when the descent from FL230 starts or would you reset passing 18000 feet?

 

Thanks

Michael Cubine

[scandinavian13 5,192]

 

 

What's the deal with altimeter settings during descent. Say you were cleared to descent from FL360 to FL230 and after leveling at FL230 for several minutes you are cleared to 15000. Is the altimeter reset from STD to local when the descent from FL230 starts or would you reset passing 18000 feet?

 

Depends on what you're comfortable with.  As I mentioned in the video, a couple things are at play here:

1. ATC has cleared your descent, so the concerns of altitude for the purposes of cruise vertical separation are primarily nullified.  ATC wouldn't clear you to a lower level unless it were clear to do so.  As such, you don't necessarily need to know what your exact flight level is in the descent, so setting local as soon as you begin descent would be okay.
2. If you need to hit a crossing restriction out of the flight levels, your concern is the altimeter setting of the altitude you need to hit.  If this is outside of the flight levels (local altimeter), I'd set local as soon as possible to give the system more time to adjust and hit the altitude, if necessary.
3. Even with larger jumps in the altimeter setting, you really aren't too far off.  If each tenth of an inch of mercury, the altitude difference is about 100 feet (0.10" in hg = 100' altitude for those who are more visual), so even going from 29.92 to 30.12, you're only jumping about 200 feet in the transition.  The last year average pressure at IAD was 30.05, so on average, you only jumped 134 feet on the transition.  So, using the wrong setting either side of that only results in an error of 134 feet.  Kinda insignificant, right?

So, the setting is important in order to have organized and standardized flight levels, but the difference, by and large, really isn't so large that you want to spend too much time getting philosophical about.

 

You don't want to do it before you have been cleared down out of the flight levels, but you don't need to try and time it so that you transition perfectly at FL180.