CX777 on 29 Mar. ATC: Where are you going [Archive]

garywonder00

29th Mar 2008, 08:00

Home base pilot got lost? On departure with approach frequency, ATC asked CX777's heading. Replied as heading to Ocean. ATC told them Sandi departure was the one in their system. Radar heading was then requested and given.

Are you lost???????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??
Or ATC gave a wrong SID on delivery??????????????????????????????????
:confused::confused::confused:

Bedder believeit

29th Mar 2008, 11:51

Just a couple of points Gazza, What do you mean by "CX 777", do you mean an aircraft type or flight number, when in fact more often than not "CX777" (Cathay FLIGHT 777) is done by an Airbus A340. At the time of the day that "CX777" departs, the PDC (Pre Departure Clearance) is in operation, and whilst I admit that it doesn't work 100% of the time (sometimes the aircraft does not receive the PDC), when it does work (like most things that are automated), it is 100% correct. The only time generally that ATC have to manually overide the system, is when a runway change has occurred and then we need to manually (by voice) give a new SID to the outbound aircraft. In this case it will only be a change of runway SID designator, i.e. "A" for rwy 07R to a "B" for rwy 25L or vice-versa. The actual SID identifer (in this case "SANDI") will remain unchanged. I would humbly suggest (without knowing the full facts) that the crew may have, and I stress may have inserted the incorrect SID....It does happen every now and then. One of the more infamous cases being at night when a departure was given a noise mitigating SID of 07R (ie an "A"), was then changed to 25L (ie a "B") whilst taxying, got airborne with the incorrect SID in the FMS/FMC and when LAT/NAV was selected immediately after airborne, the aircraft did a hard left turn at low level towards LANTAU as the automatics tried to get the aircraft to track to PORPA instead of PRAWN where it should have been going. All part of the big wide world of aviation!!
Just as an afterthought...not all operators through Hong Kong are part of the PDC regime...however, CATHAY definitely is.