autopilot

Re: How often do you autoland

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Is there a specific alt. or place when you lower the landing gear and do you select flaps right at the end for landing, or progressivly on approach?

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For the most part there is a procedure for when to configure the airplane on an ILS. This is somewhat modified depending on a number of factors. Bottom line is that we have to be fully configured and stable by 1000'.

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When they say Cleared visual approach, that means you disengage the autopilot at that stage and fly in the whole way manually?

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Not necessarily. Depends on when you've been cleared for the visual. If I'm on a mid-field downwind when giving the clearance then I'll click off the autopilot and hand fly. If I'm say, 30 miles south of the field, I'll keep it on a while longer until I'm either on a downwind, or in the case of a straight in approach, somewhere between 5-10 miles out.
 
Re: How often do you autoland

A300capt, you were mentioning a visual approach, and being on a mid-field downwind leg.

How do "traffic patterns" in the big iron really work? Surely you can't be flying along at 1000 AGL, half a mile to a mile out from the runway, kicking in another notch of flaps for every leg of the pattern, like you might in my Cherokee 140 trainer ...

Or do you?
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Re: How often do you autoland

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How do "traffic patterns" in the big iron really work? Surely you can't be flying along at 1000 AGL, half a mile to a mile out from the runway, kicking in another notch of flaps for every leg of the pattern, like you might in my Cherokee 140 trainer ...


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Not much different than GA traffic patterns only a little higher and wider.

We use 1500' AGL as a minimum on downwind but typically ATC has us higher for noise (3-5000ft). The pattern is a little wider than for your Cherokee but you'd be amazed how tight we can keep it if we really wanted to.
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Once cleared on the downwind, we sort of "chop-n-drop" by pulling the power back to idle, popping the speedbrakes out to slow, dropping the gear and flaps at the proper speeds while doing a descending turn to final. Do it right and you'll roll out a couple miles from the end of the rwy fully configured, on speed and on glideslope.

Nothing I like better than hearing, "Cleared for the visual" while on the downwind!
 
Re: How often do you autoland

when you bring the power back to idle how long does it take for the airplane to start slowing? i know with that much inertia and without a big prop in front to cause drag id think it would be a little harder to slow down.
 
Re: How often do you autoland

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when you bring the power back to idle how long does it take for the airplane to start slowing?

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Without the aid of speedbrakes, flaps or gear a good rule of thumb is a loss of 10kts per mile while straight and level. Speedbrakes really help and once you start to "dirty up" it decelerates pretty fast.
 
Re: How often do you autoland

Is my understanding correct that, when landing, you don't actually deploy the spoilers until right before or right at touchdown? Are there any other instances where you use them?
 
Re: How often do you autoland

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Is my understanding correct that, when landing, you don't actually deploy the spoilers until right before or right at touchdown? Are there any other instances where you use them?


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The spoilers have a multifunction role. There are 7 on the top of each A300 wing. 5 flight and 2 ground spoiler panels on each wing. The flt spoilers are used to augment the ailerons to increase roll rate while inflight. In this case, only the panels on one wing are raised in relation to how much control wheel displacement is used. More yoke displacement=greater spoiler deflection=greater role rate.

We also have a speedbrake handle. Moving the handle aft while inflight raises the flt spoilers symmetrically on each wing to disrupt airflow and increase drag. The farther you move the handle aft, the higher the spoiler panels are raised on the wing. This helps to slow us down faster, to lose altitude quicker or both.

For t/o's and landings, the spoilers (via the speedbrake handle)are selected in an "armed" position. All the panels will raise automatically in the event the pilot retards the throttles on a rejected takeoff. This kills most of the lift generated by the wings as speed increases and gets the weight of the aircraft back on the tires for better braking.

For landing, the spoilers are also armed just like for t/o's. After touchdown, when certain criteria are met such as main wheel spin-up, all of the spoiler panels will fully raise for the same reason they do on t/o.
 
Re: How often do you autoland

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For landing, the spoilers are also armed just like for t/o's. After touchdown, when certain criteria are met such as main wheel spin-up, all of the spoiler panels will fully raise for the same reason they do on t/o.


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If the spoilers come up when the wheels start spinning, what if you bounce hard and come back up in the air a few feet? Does it wait till your back on the ground or start deploying once the wheels start the spin?

When I was about 14, I was on a flight to Dulles and holding short of a runway waiting for the aircraft on final to land. When it did, I noticed that the tail struck the ground and HUGE amounts of sparks went flying! That was pretty crazy!
 
Re: How often do you autoland

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If the spoilers come up when the wheels start spinning, what if you bounce hard and come back up in the air a few feet?

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Struts also have to remain compressed.
 
Re: How often do you autoland

A300capt, is there a speed limit at which you can deploy the speedbrake spoilers? i.e. Can you be cruising at mach .8 and move the handle aft (in conjunction with throttle reduction, of course)?
 
Re: How often do you autoland

Hey, thanks again, the reponses are great.

What made it too much work to hand fly the 737 all the way up?

If you can hand fly to a certain level you just keep maintaining that flying till your up higher right?
Maybe i just dont understand.

Cheers

Aussie
 
Re: How often do you autoland

The 737-700 is very slow in response. It is difficult to hand fly and maintain altitude. Since it climbs so fast we always made the next altitude before ATC gave us our next step-up.

I could do it but it wore me out.
 
Re: How often do you autoland

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when you bring the power back to idle how long does it take for the airplane to start slowing? i know with that much inertia and without a big prop in front to cause drag id think it would be a little harder to slow down.

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Even in our planes at flight idle, it takes about the same as A300Capt said to slow. About 10-15 knots per mile. On the glideslope, clean, at flight idle, sometimes it's 10 knots per 2 miles or more. Sometimes if ATC keeps us at high speed (like in MDW) while descending, we'll need to put the props forward into low pitch to help slow the airplane to gear speed of 200 knots.
 
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