The Basics of Flight #5 (Flight Formats)

                                     The Basics of Flight #5

                                                             By: Nirek Deepak

        Hello and welcome back to The Basics of Flight! Today we will be discussing about Flight Formats in aviation. Let's get started!

                                               What are the different Flight Formats?

        The flight formats we will be talking about today are VFR,IFR,IlS and finally ATS.Each of these formats are used on an everyday basis and include many different aspects for the format to be used in-flight.

                                                             What is VFR?

         VFR(Visual Flight Rules) is mostly used for general aviation on aircrafts like the Cessna 172, helicopters or small private jets although it can be used for commercial airliners for short distance routes. VFR is when the pilot has to use his/her own visuals to fly the aircraft from airport to airport. They don't have access to radio communications or transponders like commercial aircrafts. It is prohibited from the FAA(Federal Aviation Administration) for smaller aircrafts to fly VFR in bad weather. The pilots always have to follow the VMC(Visual Meteorological Conditions in their FPL(Flight Plan) to make sure there is no bad weather in the route they are going to fly.Pilots must be able to operate aircrafts using only their flight plan and their visuals. In order to fly VFR, pilots need a VFR license. 

                                                            What is IFR?     

        IFR(Instrument Flight Rules) is when pilots use their instruments in the cockpit and ATC(Air Traffic Control) to fly from airport to airport. IFR is mostly used for long distance commercial aircraft routes and on some larger private jets.IFR gives the pilots access to radio communications and transponders. You can fly in IMC(Instrument Meteorological Conditions) but they have to make sure that they can only fly into areas that don't have up to 76 knots of wind.IFR must require an ATC clearance for each part of the flight that can include change of heading(direction),change of altitude,routes to follow, and a change of frequencies and transponder codes. 

 

                                                            What is ILS?

        ILS(Instrument Landing System) is a navigation system that allows an aircraft to safely approach the runway at night or in bad weather conditions. This can be used in all types of aircrafts except gliders.It allows the aircraft to approach until it is 200ft away from the runway.  If the pilots are still not able to spot the runway, they perform a missed approach to get back to the runway. The ILS function used both the localiser and glideslope on the aircrafts MFD(Multifunctional Flight Display).

                                                            What is ATS?

        ATS(Air Traffic Service) is a service that has ATC assisting lots of aircrafts at the same time. ATS makes sure there is a constant flow of traffic en-route allowing ATC to have less pressure and making things more organised. This can be used on all types of aircrafts. It is required from the FAA to have the ATC notified before an ATS flight.

        Thank you for joining me today in the Basics of Flight #5! Please make sure to read the other posts in the Basics of Flight series and don't forget to comment below and share this post with your friends and family. See you next time!

The Basics of Flight #4 (Autopilot)

     The Basics of Flight #4

                                               By: Nirek Deepak

        Hello and welcome back to The Basics of Flight! Today we will be talking about the Autopilot system on an aircraft! Lets get started!

         I am using Boeing terminology for autopilot. However, autopilot can be the same for Airbus.

                                                    What is autopilot?

         The Auto Flight Control System (AFCS) is an automated flight system that allows the pilots to take their hands off the yoke. This system, which can follow the flight plan, can stabilize speed and height as well as the location of the front of the aircraft (heading). Autopilot is mostly used on passenger aircrafts. 

                                                   How does autopilot work?

        The main components of the autopilot system are the Autopilot Flight Director System and the Auto Throttle System. The autopilot is controlled by the Mode Control Panel(MCP) and the Flight Management Computer(FMC).  By using the MCP and FMC, pilots can command the autopilot to climb,cruise or descent,follow specific waypoints or vectors and in some circumstances, land by itself. For more info on the FMC, visit The Basics of Flight #3.  The autopilot relies on a series of sensors all around the aircraft collecting data such as the airspeed and altitude. The information from the sensors are sent back to the computers in the cockpit to determine where the plane is and how it is doing. If the plane veers of course a little bit, autopilot will make adjustments to put the aircraft back to its initial position. The autopilot can control the ailerons,flaps,spoilers on the wings,elevator pitch and trim as well as the rudder.To learn more about flight controls, visit The Basics of Flight #1.  The autopilot doesn't actually fly the plane without supervision from the pilots. When the autopilot is Banking or following the route, the pilots are always monitoring the autopilot. 

 

         Autopilot will follow the route and ATC(Air Traffic Control) clearance as shown above.

                                                When is autopilot activated?

           The autopilot is only activated once the pilots reach FL280(28,000ft) due to vertical separation requirements. When it is time to land, pilots generally disengage the autopilot and manually land the aircraft but in certain types of weather like low visibility, autopilot can land the plane in accordance with the necessary commands. It's called an automatic landing system. If the aircraft is trying to land under difficult conditions if there is a fog that completely blocking the sight, the aircraft's landing is performed in accordance with certain safety parameters with the help of ILS (Instrument Landing System). In such cases, the autopilot, acting in sync with the aircraft's other systems, provides the landing under the control of the cockpit team.

             Thank you for joining me today in the Basics of Flight #4. Hope you learned about autopilot. If you didn't read the Basics of Flight #3,#2 and #1, make sure to check them out. Don't forget to comment below and share this with your family and friends and I'll see you next time!

The Basics of Flight #3 (Flight Planning)

The Basics of Flight #3 

 By:Nirek Deepak

    When you are on a plane, you may have got many questions, for example, How do pilots file a flight plan or what instruments they use to navigate. Today in the Basics of Flight, You will learn how to make a flight plan using the WANNTRAM format.

    First, We need to know what WANNTRAM stands for. The first letter we have is W which stands for WEATHER.  You will do this by checking the weather status that day and you will get an updated Airac weather report showing winds,rain and other weather effects. Make sure you mark the information like wind, rain or anything else so you know what the weather is going to be like during your fight.

    The next letter on the list is A which stands for AIRCRAFT. Make sure to know the differences between an aircraft. For example, an A319 can be different than an A320 so be aware of that. Also make sure to include what type of engines your aircraft has.Highlight the differences like engine start procedures to anti-ice and engine shutoff procedures. These can be very useful during your flight.

    The next letter we have on the list is the letter N which stands for NOTAMS. NOTAMS means Notice for airmen. This means that you need to know if there are any runway closures or any restricted airspaces in the area. You should be aware of the rules and regulations in airspaces. 

    The next letter is the letter N again. This time, it stands for noise abatement procedures. This basically means when you can start up the APU and engines to avoid a lot of noise since in most airport properties, Airport staff are supposed to keep the noise level down for areas nearby to not get disturbed by the noise of aircrafts.  

    The next letter on the list is T which stands for Taxi. Brief you and your other pilot about the taxi instructions to the designated takeoff runway. Also, point out taxi hotspots on the taxi charts and during whiteout procedures, mark the recommended taxi speed.

    The next letter on the list is R which stands for ROUTING. Make sure you include SID(Standard Instrument Procedures) In your plan to know when to climb to the necessary flight level and when to start the approach. Air Traffic Control will tell you this but it is always good to have a backup just in case.  

   

    The next letter on the list is A that stands for Automation/AFDS (Autopilot Flight Directory System).  This means that you will be briefing what lateral/vertical guidance by the flight directors you will be using mainly VNAV and LNAV. This is when you will be climbing to a certain altitude and when you will be contacting controllers and what routing you will be using. 

    Lastly, the letter M that stands for miscellaneous. Here you can put any thing that does not fit under any other topics. For example, fuel and other calculations, Amount of passengers onboard and aircraft handling guides.

  

    This may seem like it takes a long time to do but a making a flight plan can only be up to 10 mins if you are prepared and the briefing should only take up to 3 mins. 

    Thank you for joining me today in the Basics of Flight 3. Hope you learned about flight planning and briefings. If you didn't see The basics of flight 1 and 2, please check them out. Don't forget to comment below and share this with your friends and family. See you next time!

The Basics of Flight #2

                                                                   The Basics Of Flight #2

                                           Author: Nirek Deepak

    

        Hello everybody, welcome back to The Basics of Flight #2. Today we will be talking about the flight systems on the Cirrus Vision Jet SF50. So let's get started!

        First, You turn on generator 2 and generator 1. These generators are also called bus 2 and bus 1 if you look on the electrical screen.  Then you turn on battery 2 and 1. After you turn on battery 1 and 2, wait for the heading on the PFD(Primary flight display) to stop.  Heading is the direction you are facing.  Air Traffic Control (ATC) can give you instructions to turn to a new heading. They can either direct you to waypoints or vectors. A normal heading callout from ATC can be "Speedbird 214 heavy turn ILS right heading 054°."  Then turn on Nav light and LNDG light. Then start up the master oxygen, bleed air, and probe heat. After those are enabled, turn on ALL Anti-ice switches.  You can now move over to the MFD(Multi-functional Flight display)  and select your departure and arrival airports and FPL(Flight plan).  You have successfully completed a Cold and Dark startup.

  

    The Cirrus Vision Jet SF50 has all the same functions as a Boeing 737-800 from the same kind of landing gear to reverse thrust. The only thing is that you don't have spoilers on the SF50,which makes it harder for the plane to slow down. The reason for this, is the small wingspan of the SF50. It already has flaps and ailerons as you can see on the MFD.   

    If you see my MFD and the minimap on my PFD, you can see that ATC already has directed my to a vector PHFS, north east of runway 34R.   

Thank you for joining me in pt.2 of "The Basics of Flight". Don't forget to comment below and share this post to your family and friends. See you next time!