Roma FCO Briefing

[Speedwinner]

Hello friends,


Never been at this airport. Could you give me some hints and help concerning your experience with that airfield?


Thanks so much!


SW

[mokilu]

- check the local procedure: "continue standard one" after landing
- chek the apron charts for taxi before; there are some areas where you have to take care because the ground markings are/(were?) not very accurate.
- for departure check the stupid local procedures "ready to move"
- For landing you the either one of the parallel runways (mostly 16R/L the center is twy D), whilst for departure you usually get the other one (07/25)

ATC is OK (shortcuts for approach mostly)

Good coffe inside!
But, if you hear "capitano abbiamo un problema" from the ramp agent... seat back, relax and enjoy

[hetfield]

But be advised, you will never ever be #1 unless you are ALITALIA etc.

Like in SPAIN:oh:

[Right Way Up]

Plan plenty of taxi fuel for departure (min 30 mins)

Be ready for rat-a-tat taxi clearance after arrival on the ground freq followed by disdain when you don't manage to catch it all.

[Lord Spandex Masher]

Alitalia get priority in Spain now?!

[hetfield]

Oh Lord....

I'm damn sure you know what I mean....

Otherwise, can't help;)

[Callsign Kilo]

Be patient. Take a deep breath. Relax. It's one of the few places where I'd advise not getting involved.

[MD80rookie]

Roma FCO - the only airport where the fuel truck parks on the left wing and the pax bus parka by the fwd right service door.

[onehundred]

Sorry Hetfield,
I don't know what u're talking about.
Try to explain it?

:}:}:}

100

[hetfield]

@100

I'm sure you understand:O, but why not...

- FCO GRD: ah speeedeburde giva way to ALITALIA comming from the right on taxiweye M
- FCO APPCH: ah Luftehansa riduce speed
- LH: Why
- FCO APPCH: alleitalia in fronte

etc., etc.

[SILENT_BADGER]

Hi Speedwinner,

points I'd add are;

ATC can hold you a little high on approach and then impose speed control on you so its sometimes a bit of a fuss to get it stabilised early.

Departures from 25 have been restricted to intersection only for a little while, I haven't been for a couple of months, but I'd check and ensure you have perf figures for the intersection. If you have to use the north/south runways for departure you'll have to wait ages.

It's the only place I've ever been 'cut-up' on a taxiway

[pg wing tips]

FCO,where does one begin.....

Arrival :
1. Be prepared to sort of use the arrival and at times to be vectored to final to intercept at around 40 miles....

2. Watch the “speed control ” in descent or you will end up bumping the APU of one in front. Watch for crossing traffic on v long finals - for parallel runways.

3. Careful on the radio as everyone seems to want to talk at the same time...

4. Check Jepps for procedures such as “standard one”

Taxi /Parking:

5. Quickfire round of taxi instructions

6. Careful of ground traffic, especially at night. It seems to operate as it pleases.

Turnaround:

7. Widely variable, yet is sometimes surprisingly v good. The norm is somewhat different and anything deviating from standard or in fact - even standard sometimes seems to grind things to a halt, then involving all flavour of supervisors and managers, none of which able or indeed willing to take any responsibility. This of course assuming you have a handling agent in the first place.

8. Will agree with “good coffee” in terminal :). Although getting in and out is amusing sometimes...

Departure:

9. Busy..? The fun begins :) ... as every aircraft in FCO attempts to contact one delivery frequency at the same time for a clearance, each blocking each other several times, talking over read backs and so on.

10. Once getting a clearance, now you have to be able to taxi to use it. See point 3 and then 5, this is IF you can get on the radio.

11. Once taxing - see point 3,5 and 6. If busy could be 30 min taxi or more. Was even more fun when there were works on the taxi ways was and intersection departures from RWY 25.

All in all can be an interesting experience or one that tests the patience ... suppose it depends on how much you can be bothered to get worked up ;)

[onehundred]

@ hetfield,
ground movements at FCO are not much different then those at CDG or FRA.
FCO is AZ's hub so you will find more AZ planes then in other places.

LH reduce speed and bla bla bla it's quite simple to explain.
In order to reduce on the fuel costs AZ Airbuses fly at CI 7. That means that they start the descent already at 250 KIAS. Sometimes you'll find a controler asking the slow mover to increase the speed, sometimes not.

@ SILENT_BADGER

Runway 25 full length is available again.
In any case if you are not happy with runway 25 and ask for 16R, you have first of all to cross RWY 25, the active TO runway, and then put you in between the landing sequence on 16R. It takes time.

WHY going in to LHR and parking at T4 they send you to RWY 27R and not on RWY 27L ???
Why leaving T4 most of the times they sent you to RWY 27R and don't let you off from the left??

100

[Speedwinner]

Thanks folks!

Excellent answers!


Bye

SW

[The African Dude]

WHY going in to LHR and parking at T4 they send you to RWY 27R and not on RWY 27L ???
Noise abatement, I believe.

[looseobject]

Expect several RWY assignment :
Many years ago, when the 3 RWYs were usable ( 16L,16C,16R), first ATCO gave us #expect 16C#, the next one #expect 16L# but we. Ended on 16R. Not funny to manage such a workload .
Before departure, when calling # ready to move#, be really ready cos they have CCTV.
When departing on TWY W to join. A, pay extreme attention to Inbound ACFT landing on 16R, and vacating on HST AF.

Arrividecci

[aterpster]

"But, approach you've put two of us in this holding pattern at the same altitude!"

"Mama Mia, be careful."