Question about ACARS and the MCDU etc from the aircrew's view.

[John Hill]

I am interested in what is involved in using the aircraft MCDU, for example, for making information requests etc.

As an example, just how would one request an ATIS report for a particular aerodrome? Does the pilot/user have to type in the cryptic message or are these all pre-loaded somehow.

Maybe there is a good simulator or training aid available on line but I have not found one.

I have only just looked at one of these units online so I dont know anything about them. The other end, where the ATIS report is made up etc, that I do know.

Thanks

[K.Whyjelly]

Hi John
On my machine (A330) we go into the MCDU menu on the FMGC and then access the requests key. This brings up a list of items, one of which is the ATIS. Others include weather requests (METAR, TAF and SIGMET). If you key select ATIS another page comes up and you can select Arrival or Departure ATIS for the airfield you want info on. The system usually presents the departure ATIS on the ground for your departure airfield and once airborne will show your arrival field (derived from flight plan city pairs typed in). You can opt for a single report or for the updates facility which will offer a new ATIS every time a new one is issued.

As an aside, on the weather function you can get up to 3 airfields worth of info at one sitting by typing in the four letter code (EGLL) or its three letter code (LHR).

Very basic info but I hope it was of some use:)

[John Hill]

Thank you for that, so it is a matter of choosing the right menu items, which I guess you do with the buttons at the side of the display?

Does the received weather infomation get printed?

Perhaps you wonder why I am asking these details, simple really. I am engaged in development of the ground end, the system that takes the met reading and the data from air traffic services to make the ATIS and VOLMET reports in both audio and text form and it is useful to know, especially when talking to clients (who are the ATS organisations) just how the end user utilises the service.

[Dan Winterland]

Yes, that's correct. It's a menu where the items are selected by the side buttons. A selectable item is marked by a caret (>) or an asterisk depending on the manufacurer.

The reply can be stored in the sysytem to be read at your convenience and/or printed later, or can be automaticly printed on receipt. The option is yours selected on the MCDU.