Originally Posted by
anotherthing
'Reaching' is one of those annoying phrases that airline pilots who are given a climb to an intermediate level like to use to try to get continuous climb. I usually answer with the phrase "I do have a RADAR, thank you very much" if I have the time. Particularly Iberia pilots from EGLL I have noticed
Today's aircrafts are (for most of them fully automated (as you know)). Climbing out of low levels up to FL300 our rate of climb is often in excess of 2500 ft/mn. Our vertical navigation system is bound to take ANY level interception at ANY given rate just by changing its internal logic. When our Vertical navigation shows 'ASEL' sometimes 1500 ou 2000 ft before assigned altitude, the Flight director logic changes and initiate a level off, reduce the thrust on the engines the full monthy..
Therefore, the saavy and lazy pilot is quering the ATC to get an unrestricted climb, like that he does not have to push an extra button to reinitiate the climb. The VNAV, vertical navigation, is giving pilots the optimum climb/time/fuel schedule for a given weight, on top of it it does automatically levels off in step climb profiles and in descent manages the speed and altitude constraints (ie FL80 at sandy). All this works fine as long as we are on the published route and not in radar heading...
Downside. on a step climb profile we usually dial in the altitude selector the last altitude ( 3000 - 4000 - 5000 ) we will dial 5000 and the aircraft will do ALL the level off AUTOMATICALLY... (magic huuuu) BUT with the new radar ATC sees 5000 and start to freak out that we will not level, and start filling a potential level bust....
In descend, as soon as we go out of the published track, we have to give manual inputs to the AFCS (Autopilot) to comply with descent clearances and so on.
So when we call reaching, it is just to prevent all this logic to step in, and have more ressources to deal with what we are paid for : the unexpected..
