E de B,
Thanks for your insight into the A380 operation - yes I'm learning all the time!
This movement happens at pretty much the same time every day so maybe a bit of airmanship and preparation for that too from your side?
Maybe - bit of a sweeping assumption on my airmanship however, which I'm sure isn't meant in a negative sense
Your assumption is that I'm a KK based pilot - I'm not. Despite having been based at several times over the last 25yrs at KK, I'm currently not. Neither are the pilots of a good number of flights operating into/out of the airport (not unlike any other).....
Are we saying therefore that as a matter of Airmanship I should pre-research the A380 schedules of EK, or indeed any other A380 operator at any other airfield? I'm sure you're not..... Do you know the exact schedules of A380 operations of SIA/Quantas etc etc at LL for example? I'm sure you don't, you're not expected to, and therefore it's not really a point of airmanship.
As you point out the A380 is now a normal operation, and quite rightly so. It's also going to be growing normal operation. My point is that we therefore need sufficiently robust procedures/notification in what is only going to be a growing problem....
So where are the procedures that change the 'normal' operation and planning for all other flight crews operating around an A380 operation published that allow Airmanship and foresight of planning to be applied? They're not in the AIP, not published by NOTAM, not published in the MATS Pt1....
They'll be in the MATS Pt2, unit procedures. This is a NATS internal document, classified, and for good reason. This particular element of how operations to all other aircraft/flights are affected however should be available elsewhere - perhaps the point I was perhaps poorly trying to make....
It wasn't just myself last night - KK INT became overloaded, several things happened that DID require my Airmanship to be applied. They were issues that meant 'loss of control' from the KK INT perspective - from intercept heading for the Rnav, under POSITIVE ATC speed control, in a gapping sequence, no further communication/instruction was possible due to the KK's overloaded position. I had to make airmanship calls on my own speed control, and self transfer to the TWR at 5nm because ATC were overloaded, unable to issue me instructions, and twice attempted communications from ourselves were stood on/transmitted over.
This is not normal operation, and my hence we ALL need to have more robust procedures and education as to the impact of A380 ops so that effective, safe, normal operatons can be applied.
I had a very pleasant discussion with the TC Watch Sup afterwards by phone, who later called me back having looked at the issue and admitted it was by far 'not their finest hour'. So we all learned - again we all need a better planned, better communicated procedure and planning of your A380 ops so flight safety can be maintained...
30W