A320 fully managed N.P. approaches

[A and C]

This is a Question for those of you working under a UK CAA AOC only!


Are you allowed to use the vertical management from the FMC or do you have to do the vertical management manually (ie with V/S) when doing a VOR or NDB approach?

Also are you allowed to do GNSS (GPS) approaches?

[javelin]

Yes, no, yes

[Thunderbug]

No, Yes, No

1). Can have the V/DEV displayed, but not to be used.

2) TRACK / FPA

3) Managed NAV can be used up to FAF.


The company wants to be able to do managed NP approaches but can't get the sims to accurately reflect the aircraft operation. As they can't train us to do it, we cant do it.

T'bug

[A and C]

Thank you for the answers vertical management seems to be a bit of a problem with the CAA.

I work on a German AOC at the moment and full use is made of all the auto flight systems so I am looking forward to EASA bringing these enlightened practices to the UK.

[Max Angle]

We do fully managed NPAs at bmi but not pure GPS (ie. no radio nav aid) approaches, works like a charm.

[Gary Lager]

Ditto in EZY. Fully managed, fine, but must have navaid back-up. (no RNAV, no GPS-only approaches (yet), no doing the FMGS VOR approach when the VOR is u/s etc etc)

[SIDSTAR]

Max Angle, Gary,

Interesting to hear that both BMI and Easy do Fully Managed NPAs. Given the onus on the operator to verify the accuracy of the lateral and vertical paths in the FMGS, do you know how your outfit happens to do this?

Last year Airbus made it a little bit easier if the Nav Database supplier is certified to some quality status that I cannot remember offhand (no FCOM to hand at the moment) but there is still a responsibility on the operator to verify the data.

It's a great facility on the bus and it's a shame not to be able to use it. Instead we do SEL/SEL for all NPAs - works very well but Managed would be so much nicer!