A320 FMGC databases
 

For those flying with Thales FMGC that do not have an overlap day between databases, what does your operator do when you are airborne when the AIRAC cycle changes? ie you get airborne with a valid database and land after midnight when the cycle changes

TIL: There is no overlap in databases, never has been.

What you see is just an interpretation on the FMS screen, about the ending date. The non-overlapping view is the upgraded format, less confusing and more truthful.

Think about it, a procedure cannot exist and not exist at the same time. Or live in two different versions.

Handling the AIRAC swap inflight is easy with paper charts or EFB, but painful on some FMS configurations (all Airbus). That is, if the new data have actually been pre-loaded.

Relevant ICAO is Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services. But not required for understanding, I guess.

We use the database that’s effective at departure time. If a procedure changes en-route, we figure the best course of action.