SID Climb Restrictions - New UK RT Phraseology
 

Someone posted this on our company forum.

What do you guys make of this from the CAA.

Looks like frequency congestion is going up....

Cough

It's the last thing we need on already congested TMA frequencies. Whatever the hell was wrong with "Climb now"?

The amount of scenarios where climb is required immediately on instruction far outnumbers the amount of times where the SID profile needs to be followed. In fact, I cannot think of one occasion where an aircraft following the vertical profile of the SID on climb above the SID level would have been of any benefit at all. There is no guaranteed separation above SID levels.

If this instruction is to be followed on a London TMA departures sector at peak traffic, almost every aircraft is going to have to be given this instruction. Even now in our supposed quiet period I sometimes find it difficult to get in on the RT. What's it going to be like with summer traffic levels?

I'll not be using this new phraseology any time soon unless it causes confusion. A simple "Climb now" (with emphasis on the "now") will suffice. It's much safer and a lot more efficient.

It mirrors this from Eurocontrol, detailing the amendments (No. 5) to PANS-ATM that were applicable in November 2007.

As a pilot I could not agree more! Who dreams up this stuff? If it ain't broke then don't fix it!

If you're with NATS, it might not be a good idea to say this too loud, with an ICAO audit in the offing (and the 'suggestion' appears to have originated from them).

There are already a lot of people speaking out against this new phraseology. If the CAA listens, we'll be back to normal fairly soon. If controllers are forced to use the new phraseology, I can see it being pulled within a matter of days as it will cause airmisses if used in anger.

Who's going to be the first to instruct a Turkmenistan or a China Eastern to climb with a stack full of inbound traffic on top of them in the hope they'll wait until the end of the SID before they pull the nose up? Who knows, some people may do it to prove a point.:suspect:

In my experience many of the people at working level in the CAA are very good and sensible.

Unfortunately many of the problems we now face are a result of people signing up to rules which mean that the UK has to adhere to international and European rules and standards - in principle a good idea. But only if those rules themselves are good and not, as is often the case, the lowest common denominator that every State will accept.

So apparently the new clearance (climb) does not cancel the previous clearance (follow SID profile) unless you explicitly say so when departing, but when arriving, we don't say "Descend FL100, FL150 TIGER restriction cancelled" because the new clearance DOES cancel the old clearance.
That's good then, nice consistency.

Oops, forgot...
Let's count the number of times you give a climb clearance but DO want the plane to stop off at all the appropriate SID restrictions first. OK, never ever heard it or given it in 17 years, anyone else...

This is complete bollocks and it continues the trend that has been emerging over the past couple of years of dumbing down aviation to the lowest common denominator.

A new clearance cancels the previous clearance. End of story.

As pointed out on this thread, it is inconsistent if it is not used for inbound restrictions as well. I am sure I speak for everyone in the LTMA when I say that when I instruct someone to climb above the SID level, that means climb now.

As Not Long Now points out, how manytimes have we seen pilots follow the SID restrictions once a further climb has been issued?? Personally, never.

Why not educate the few pilots who do not understand the idea of new clerances cancelling old?

Before this phraseology came in, during the course of a working day in the LTMA, a handful of pilots might ask 'is that climb unrestricted', when given climb above the SID level, to which a simple reply of 'affirm' sufficed. That's a handful out of the hundreds of departures.

If we have to dumb down our profession could we at least do it with some thought? What would be wrong with the simple phrase of 'climb unrestricted FLxxx'?

It's what I used to use for Delta pilots etc and it is what I will continue to use.

It is one extra word, it is a short, concise and unambiguous instruction... which is the whole idea behind standard phraseology FFS :ugh:

I will also be sending an email to the CAA with my thoughts on the whole thing, with the backing of my colleagues on my watch at TC.

Those Damn Germans lol!
 

The CAA are sometimes prone to coming up with good idea... Admittedly I cant think of one now, but they sometimes do astound... Howver

This is a pile of Horlicks... No way will this work in the London TMA. Whatever happened to the instruction climb. What exactly does this mean?? It means climb! Pure and simple. Just because a few germans (air berlin, germanwings) tend to ask is it unrestricted! Well if they wanna ask, a simple affirm often fixes it. And to be honest, if i'm too busy to respond, I sort out all my other problems then go back to the unrestricted question! The german guys will soon climb when the wander over CLN at 4000ft, instead of FL110...

What will they come up with next? Cup of starbucks for the funniest answer...:ugh:

Oh and ps... why do lufthansa pilots not do it?? Most other german companies do...

Absolutely nothing - and it's still in CAP 413 and so available for use as UK R/T phraseology, if required.... :ok: :8

What can go wrong?
 

In the Scottish TMA, aircraft off Edinburgh on a Deancross and Turnberry jet SID climb to 6A on the SID but must then be climbed by Scottish to make FL100 or above in about 20 track miles, this is so they can climb over all the Glasgow inbounds routeing through Lanak. If an aircraft is observed by Glasgow to be slow climbing off Edinburgh their normal reaction would be to descend the inbound to say 6A to try and dive below the outbound which they assume must be climbing.
Ever body see the flaw - the inbound at 6A versus the outbound, say confused by the phraseology of the controller, unsure of the new procedures so playing "safe" and staying at the SID altitude of 6A.

I give it a week before there is some kind of event.

I have a feeling this will last approximately as long as "Squawk Seven Zero Zero Zero"

Or the "Taxi to Holding Position" trial. One day was it?

Why is the QNH still 'Wun Zero Zero Zero' then?

May I put forward a new holding phraseology, while we're on the subject, as the current phraseology works a little too well for my liking - eg. "...TURN RIGHT/LEFT* IMMEDIATELY TREE TOUSAND DEGREES - REPORT PASSING TOO TOUSAND FIFE HUNDRED DEGREES...". *(atcos are advised they shall not use both directions simultaneously)

perhaps there should be a new phrase-"Unable VNAV climb".

Thread also running over on Rumours and News about this, much the same sentiments as here. Not a good idea, my feeling is that in the same way that "take-off" is only ever said when issuing the take-off clearance to use "climb" when the aircraft is not actually cleared to do so is bound to cause trouble, it is a conditional climb clearance and not a good idea.

How many TCAS RA's and heart attacks all round will it need to get it withdrawn I wonder. This has come down from ICAO rather than originating at the CAA, wonder what the feeling is elsewhere in the world.