Continue present heading - what does it mean to you?

[Jagohu]

Hi Everyone,

I've just had a nasty situation with a DLH and a KLM. DLH was told to continue on the present heading upon contact in order not to turn into the KLM.
A few minutes later I could observe the DLH turning right around 70 degrees, just as in the FPL route... Headings issued, nothing happened apart from a bit of flashing on the screen.

I can recall a few of my pilot friends telling me always why do we use the term continue present heading, and what is it for, because most of them can't see the point since they're already flying to a point on own nav.
I wonder if there're some pilots reading this thread - would you please share with us your point of view on the subject? Do you usually put the AP into HDG mode or just leave it in LNAV or whatever is it called on the type you're flying with?
Thank you!

[areyoubitter]

I would center the heading bug and then select heading mode, and suggest most would do this.

[126,7]

Pretty obvious to me too. No own navigation as per flight plan, just plain old straight forward.

[Lon More]

To emphasise it, "Continue present heading until advised for separation," doesn't take much longer and is self explanatory.

[Cough]

Press the heading button and keep going straight until someone tells me to do something else...

Keeps the safety report level down...

[controllerzhu]

We use "fly present heading" never had a problem with it...CZHU

[Cobalt]

Follow-on question - would you guys consider it good practice to read back giving the heading

ATC: xxxx, maintain present heading
A/C: maintain heading 070, xxxx

?

[coracle]

Cobalt.

At the risk of sounding pernickerty, one should always CONTINUE a heading NOT maintain one.

[Neptune262]

Cobalt - I use "Report and continue present heading"

[ZABatc]

Us Phraseology

In the US we use "Fly Present Heading" -- fly headings - maintain altitudes

[Pontius's Copilot]

We do as others suggest here - centre the HDG bug and select HDG mode. Always.

It appears to me that the 'DLH' aircraft took the lazy option and decided to leave things alone as the current heading wouldn't change (for the next 70 nm or so, at least); then he probably forgot to select HDG before the up-coming turn point. I guess he anticipated the heading being for just a couple of minutes followed by 'own nav' or 'direct to', and therefore wouldn't need to change anything.

[Jagohu]

Thanks for all the answers guys, that's reassuring. I know that from up above sometimes it's hard to see the point of our actions, but at least mostly there is a reason why we tell you to do so.

One more question - I've been flying with another European carrier a few months ago in the cockpit. We've had some traffic passing 1000' below and behind us and I was looking out on the left window behind the cpt to see what type was it. Then something happened what was quite surprising (and unacceptable) for me. The cpt just selected heading select (it was a B735) and dialed in a left 30 degrees just to give a better look on that traffic - without ANY ATC instruction. It didn't last longer than ~15 seconds, but now I can remember some occasions where I saw this on the radar - speed vector turning off-track and in 10-15 seconds back... Considering that we're sometimes just waiting for some other traffic to be nearly abeam of someone and give a climb/descend I don't think it's a nice thing to do especially in these busy areas or the world...
When I asked him and some other pilots later they said it's common practice to show the sight for passengers or to have a look below them... Is it really a common practice?

Cobalt: as others said - at least in Europe we use "continue" heading and I'd love to hear all the pilots saying the heading after this instruction, but it seems that most of them doesn't, so I rather use the longer "continue and report present heading"... It would be nice to win a few seconds at every transmission if everyone would say the heading when reading back the instruction.

Lon More: good idea, it just seems a bit long for me adding even the report part, but I'll think about using it, thanks

[controllerzhu]

Jagohu wrote: "When I asked him and some other pilots later they said it's common practice to show the sight for passengers or to have a look below them..."

Hope they don't fly through some of the sectors that I work, the passengers would really get an eyeful

CZHU

[Dream Land]

Do you usually put the AP into HDG mode or just leave it in LNAV or whatever is it called on the type you're flying with?

Just happened with me tonight, 80 miles from the next fix in NAV, ATC instructions, "XX maintain present heading, descend and maintain FL100", I pulled the Heading knob and due to the winds aloft I was drifting toward the opposite direction traffic in the climb out, in the part of the world I fly in though, many pilots turn to avoid weather first, then secondly ask for permission to turn.

[Cobalt]

Cobalt: as others said - at least in Europe we use "continue" heading and I'd love to hear all the pilots saying the heading after this instruction, but it seems that most of them doesn't, so I rather use the longer "continue and report present heading"... It would be nice to win a few seconds at every transmission if everyone would say the heading when reading back the instruction.

Thanks. I routinely reply "<whatever> heading xxx, callsign". <Whatever> is the phrase ATC uses, so probably would readback "swim" if ATC told me to "swim present heading."

Am sure I was told to "maintain" my present heading around Brussels the other week...

[javelin]

Press the heading button and keep going straight until someone tells me to do something else...

Keeps the safety report level down...

Nah - you have to pull heading on a modern aeroplane

[ron83]

well " Maintain present heading till advised" might help sometimes if situation allows :" Report heading, after getting answer,turn left/right by 5 degrees",this way they will switch to HDG mode

[DFC]

Originally Posted by Jagohu

so I rather use the longer "continue and report present heading"...

If that is what you actually used thenI can see perhaps why you had a problem - Non-standard R/T and language understanding problems / confusuon.

ICAO R/T is;

Fastair 345 report heading.........Heading 350 Fastair 345

Fastair 345 continue heading 350......continue heading 350 Fastair 345

I think that "Fastair 345 continue present heading and report it" is acceptable also.

However, "continue and report present heading", to me means keep doing what I am doing now i.e. own navigation and let you know what my heading happens to be.

I would question such a request because I am not sure exactly what you want.

If told to "continue present heading", like everyone else I will select heading hold and I do respond with the heading so that the subsequent turn if there is one can be given with less R/T. Always come across plenty ATCOs who don't record the heading I gave and again ask later.

As for watching the sights - it is often done. We at times even avoid weather by a tad left or right - say up to 1nm off to avoid a little bump. All provided that we are on own navigation and are in RNP5 airspace.

Ever watch a new right seat pilot hand flying and trying to track a VOR in gusty conditions - more heading changes than you can believe!

Regards,

DFC

[Jagohu]

DFC: actually I wrote it wrong - I use "continue present heading and report heading".
As for the 1 nm off - please don't do it at least if you see some traffic in the near... It can cause a lot of paperwork if you decide you go off-track (which of course you can do since it's RNP5), but it would mean we end up with 4 nm iso 5... or so...

[Wojtus]

but it would mean we end up with 4 nm iso 5... or so...

That's exactly why ATCO should say "continue present heading for spacing" in such situation. I was taught to issue vectors always when providing minimum lateral separation.