Author Topic: Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type  (Read 9002 times)

Offline Marty Becker

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Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type
« on: December 31, 2008, 09:24:26 AM »
While listening to the Zurich Arrival, I notice that aircraft checking in with the Arrival controller will state their aircraft type.  Why is this?  I'm sure that the radar display has the aircraft type displayed in the data tag and that the aircraft type is on the flight strip.


Marty



Offline Аэрофлот Jr.

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Re: Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2008, 10:18:07 AM »
While listening to the Zurich Arrival, I notice that aircraft checking in with the Arrival controller will state their aircraft type.  Why is this?  I'm sure that the radar display has the aircraft type displayed in the data tag and that the aircraft type is on the flight strip.


Marty

Maybe the aircraft was VFR . or no squawk code .

Offline Marty Becker

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Re: Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2008, 10:25:51 AM »
It's the airliners that are reporting aircraft type.

Marty

Offline Casper87

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Re: Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2008, 01:04:40 PM »
This procedure is used at a few aerodromes around Europe, the larger ones anyway. Most notably in the London TMA. I cant quote any document to confirm the reason but I think its for wake vortex purposes in the LTMA so the correct spacing can be applied between succesive arrivals ( effectivley double checking that the a/c type displayed on the FPS is correct). So I can only assume a similar reason for Zurich.

Casper

p.s I ll have a dig around in some docs and see if anythings stated

Offline Marty Becker

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Re: Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2008, 02:40:36 PM »
Thanks, Casper.  I wonder if it is stated on the ATIS that the aircraft type should be given on initial contact.

Marty

Offline ramses12

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Re: Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2009, 05:25:02 AM »
Casper87 explanation is fully correct. The type is asked in order to apply the correct separation minima. They are depending on the vortex category.
Regards
Roland

Offline ect76

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Re: Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2009, 06:42:02 PM »
It is used for wake separation - Standard practice at most (if not all) uk/european airfields. I often wondered why they had to recite their aircraft type when it was in likelihood shown on the screen to the controller. I guess it must just be a reminder or something.

I've attached a clip of it used in my local airport's ATIS just for the hell of it.

Offline Casper87

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Re: Zurich Arrival - Aircraft Type
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2009, 12:30:19 PM »
Its not a standard practice per se, but is certainly more and more commonly used at the larger airfileds ( speaking purely from a UK perspecitve ). Depends on each airfileds individual procedures.
Ref the a/c type being on radar. Generally speaking the a/c type wont be automatically displayed on each aircrafts SSR label, but it will be printed/written on the flight progress strip. I would say that reporting the a/c type serves as;

1 - a reminder to the controller, similar to stating "(callsing) Heavy" on first contact.

2 - to confirm what is presented to the controller on the strip display, becasue the a/c type may have been incorrect in the FPL.


Casper  :-)