Help decoding ATC chat
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: London
Help decoding ATC chat
Return to LHR on a united 777, was listening to their "from the cockpit" audio channel. ATC asks for confirmation that plane is 777 Golf. Later on, hear BA flight say he's a 777 Foxtrot. What's the significance of the F and G?
And what's the smallest 'heavy'
Ta
And what's the smallest 'heavy'
Ta
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 3,585
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From: UK
At a guess - each flight was confirming to the controller that he/she had already listened to the latest updated ATIS information.
This is not really my aisle, so I stand to be corrected, but that would be a sort of educated guess.
This is not really my aisle, so I stand to be corrected, but that would be a sort of educated guess.
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 477
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From: East Midlands
Airfield information on that ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) broadcast on a radio frequency is letter coded to ensure that the current set of information is being used.
ATIS will go something like this "London Heathrow Information Golf: Landing runway 27L, wind 230 degrees 15 knots, visibility 5000 meters, few [cloud] 2000 feet, temperature +7, dewpoint +5, QNH (pressure) 1015..." When the details change, the letter is updated to the next one alphabetically. Passengers listening to channel 9 on United don't usually hear the ATIS, because the flight deck crew get it on another (secondary) radio.
In the above example, pilots may be asked to confirm they have "information golf" (G) - effectively they are being asked to confirm that they have the latest airfield/weather information. If the pilot says he has received foxtrot (F), he has received the previous report not the current one.
Andy
PS: Heavies - heavies are usually just the widebodies (can't remember the exact conditions for "heavy"), but 757 can be designated heavy as it produces more wake turbulence than many other narrow bodies
ATIS will go something like this "London Heathrow Information Golf: Landing runway 27L, wind 230 degrees 15 knots, visibility 5000 meters, few [cloud] 2000 feet, temperature +7, dewpoint +5, QNH (pressure) 1015..." When the details change, the letter is updated to the next one alphabetically. Passengers listening to channel 9 on United don't usually hear the ATIS, because the flight deck crew get it on another (secondary) radio.
In the above example, pilots may be asked to confirm they have "information golf" (G) - effectively they are being asked to confirm that they have the latest airfield/weather information. If the pilot says he has received foxtrot (F), he has received the previous report not the current one.
Andy
PS: Heavies - heavies are usually just the widebodies (can't remember the exact conditions for "heavy"), but 757 can be designated heavy as it produces more wake turbulence than many other narrow bodies
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 364
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From: North America
ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) basics
Albert,
A pilot flying into an airport needs to know certain information like wind direction and what runway is in use as well as several other items. When you have just a few flights a day it is a simple thing for the tower controller to give the pilot(s) this information. However, if you have several hundred flights a day then it would become terribly cumbersom.
There is a dedicated frequency that gives the pilot(s) that information it is called the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service). The information is updated hourly, and as necessary as significant changes take place.
When the pilot checks in with the approach controller he/she gives the flight number/aircraft number and the single letter designator of the ATIS information they have: A (alpha), B (bravo), C (charlie)-whatever. This communicates to the approach controller that this flight is aware of the current conditions and runway(s) in use.
Welcome to PPrune.
A pilot flying into an airport needs to know certain information like wind direction and what runway is in use as well as several other items. When you have just a few flights a day it is a simple thing for the tower controller to give the pilot(s) this information. However, if you have several hundred flights a day then it would become terribly cumbersom.
There is a dedicated frequency that gives the pilot(s) that information it is called the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service). The information is updated hourly, and as necessary as significant changes take place.
When the pilot checks in with the approach controller he/she gives the flight number/aircraft number and the single letter designator of the ATIS information they have: A (alpha), B (bravo), C (charlie)-whatever. This communicates to the approach controller that this flight is aware of the current conditions and runway(s) in use.
Welcome to PPrune.
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 97
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From: Nr.EGHI, UK
Suffix
Albert,
I believe this may be what you are after:
When providing aircraft type on a flight plan, pilots/operators are required to include information about the on-board, certified equipment using an identifier code as a suffix to the equipment type. For example, "B739/J" means a Boeing 737-900 with "Flight Management System (FMS) with DME/DME and IRU position updating and RVSM." ATC sometimes request confirmation of the eqiupment fit code.
A full list of codes is available here:
FlightAware > FAQs > Aircraft Equipment Suffixes
I believe this may be what you are after:
When providing aircraft type on a flight plan, pilots/operators are required to include information about the on-board, certified equipment using an identifier code as a suffix to the equipment type. For example, "B739/J" means a Boeing 737-900 with "Flight Management System (FMS) with DME/DME and IRU position updating and RVSM." ATC sometimes request confirmation of the eqiupment fit code.
A full list of codes is available here:
FlightAware > FAQs > Aircraft Equipment Suffixes
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,266
Likes: 1
From: Berkshire, UK
ATC is not really concerned with equipment fit - I never had any experience of such requests in a lifetime in ATC.
The simple answer to the original query has already been given several times - the arrival information code letter. ATC needs confirmation of the aircraft type too because airlines have a habit of changing aircraft and it can have significant consequences for wake turbulence spacing.
The simple answer to the original query has already been given several times - the arrival information code letter. ATC needs confirmation of the aircraft type too because airlines have a habit of changing aircraft and it can have significant consequences for wake turbulence spacing.
