A318 British Airways

[cannychen]

Hey guys!

I hope that's the correct forum for questions and maybe you can help me ;).

Which pilots fly the British Airways A318 to JFK (resp. back to LCY)?
Is every BA-pilot with TR for the A320 family able to fly this route or are there only a chosen few with a special qualification?

Always happy landings ;).

[411A]

Well, for starters, pilots on MNPS flights need specific training and a detailed briefing, least they muck up the works for everyone else....which has been known to happen, occasionally.:eek:

[kharmael]

I believe that they take a course and get an informal rating based on the fact that the LCY ILS has a 5.5 degree glideslope or something equally unusual. :ok:

[TopBunk]

They are a subset of the A320 LHR crews trained up as necessary for the task, both in terms of the A318 LCY operational differences and the nuances of Atlantic (and American!) operations.

[cannychen]

Thank you ;)!

[Nicholas49]

Can I ask a follow-up to the original question? It's about LCY airport.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that the glideslope is steeper at London City than at other major airports.

My question is: does the aircraft's autopilot adjust to the steeper ILS gradient automatically? Or do you have to "tell" the autopilot by making a manual adjustment that the approach is steeper than normal?

Nick

[Cough]

There is a 'steep approach' push button on the overhead panel which tunes the autopilot/autothrust gains and arms the spoilers for the approach.

[WindSheer]

I thought the steep app button raises a couple of spoiler panels to assist down the glide??

[champair79]

There is a steep approach button which allows the aircrafts spoilers to be extended as it goes down the 5.5 degree glide path (contrary to a standard 3 degree ILS approach). I'm sure it also changes a few other systems as well but I can't recall them off the top of my head.

The A318 crews are LHR-based A320-fleet type rated with some training to handle the steep approach at LCY as well as Atlantic Ops and American differences which the general A320 fleet will not experience on a regular basis in scheduled operations.

The A318 operation is very senior however so only the most senior crews get to join the A318 'club'.