South atlantic crossings
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South atlantic crossings
Hi guys and gals! I was just wondering if anyone has crossed the South Atlantic recently, specifically from West Africa to South America/Brazil. Any peculiarities, idiosyncracies, or notes of importance I should be aware of. I am expecting to make the crossing in the Corporate jet in a few weeks and just wanted to know if there's anyone out there with specific info. and/or advice. I have done oceanic crossings before such as in Asia/India but not this one.
All comments are welcome.
Cheers
All comments are welcome.
Cheers
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Strange comments...
First of all the route.
You will probably fly first over Canary Islands to Cabo Verde Islands and then to FNO or FZA in Brazil.
All the route will be on Upper Airways under radar control, except from the border of Cabo Verde to radar coverage range of Brazil. So the communications are most of the time VHF except the part I mentioned, where you will contact HF with Dakkar and later HF with Atlantico, an HF control center located at Recife. RVSM all the time. I will talk later about communications.
First and the more important.
WX.
Winds are difficult to be accurate predicted. If you are used to fly NAT you will see the difference. Also the bad wx areas are not so accurate located as in the NAT zone. So be prepared to burn extra fuel due to wx. You can trust on predictions until Cabo Verde. Further, trust on your radar. When changing from North to South hemisphere, from 10ºN to 5ºS there is an area ITCZ where bad weather travel from Africa to Central America. It is easy to find CB up to FL500 and turbulence not too heavy. The rest of the route it is now a benign season for the wx. Brazil is now at winter and the past week was nice the wx.
Comms
VHF until leaving Cabo Verde OK. From there Dakkar. HF, not bad coverage, very poor English, and better to be establish at a good FL, because they are slow to answer. Fly 1 or 2 NM out of the track while in not controlled airspace (google EUR/SAM and read about). Later you will contact Atlantico HF, and when in range VHF. Brazil controllers are not complicated. The only complication is to understand them. But Brazilian are happy people. Do not get mad on them, only take an extra pair of eyes. In VHF they use to give you a main frec and a secondary. If you hear them poorly, try both and stay at the best. Both are same controller.
Enjoy and Tailwinds
First of all the route.
You will probably fly first over Canary Islands to Cabo Verde Islands and then to FNO or FZA in Brazil.
All the route will be on Upper Airways under radar control, except from the border of Cabo Verde to radar coverage range of Brazil. So the communications are most of the time VHF except the part I mentioned, where you will contact HF with Dakkar and later HF with Atlantico, an HF control center located at Recife. RVSM all the time. I will talk later about communications.
First and the more important.
WX.
Winds are difficult to be accurate predicted. If you are used to fly NAT you will see the difference. Also the bad wx areas are not so accurate located as in the NAT zone. So be prepared to burn extra fuel due to wx. You can trust on predictions until Cabo Verde. Further, trust on your radar. When changing from North to South hemisphere, from 10ºN to 5ºS there is an area ITCZ where bad weather travel from Africa to Central America. It is easy to find CB up to FL500 and turbulence not too heavy. The rest of the route it is now a benign season for the wx. Brazil is now at winter and the past week was nice the wx.
Comms
VHF until leaving Cabo Verde OK. From there Dakkar. HF, not bad coverage, very poor English, and better to be establish at a good FL, because they are slow to answer. Fly 1 or 2 NM out of the track while in not controlled airspace (google EUR/SAM and read about). Later you will contact Atlantico HF, and when in range VHF. Brazil controllers are not complicated. The only complication is to understand them. But Brazilian are happy people. Do not get mad on them, only take an extra pair of eyes. In VHF they use to give you a main frec and a secondary. If you hear them poorly, try both and stay at the best. Both are same controller.
Enjoy and Tailwinds
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Planning, planning, planning - see: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=51816&key=0
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abbreviated version to avoid cross posting
Be sure to have good HF and once on air be careful not to misrepresent LIMAL and LIMEL. LIMAL was formerly PLATY and is South of the Canaries whereas LIMEL is much further South twixt TITOR and AKDAK. But working the same HF, different native tongues…
Meantime visit http://www.aidu.mod.uk for a good browse. Two useful strip ERCs are available, namely AT(H)ST1 and AT(H)ST2. Not only do these show ATS routes but also dotted tracks into and out of Ascension.
You can also buy from aidu on an ad hoc basis the CD disk UK Military Aeronautical Planning Document [Unclassified version]. This contains a set of statistical wind/temperature tables useful for the region and also many other parts of the world. Wind is tabulated at 50% significance but interpolation formulae are provided to translate these into 85% significance and other values, most people would go for 85% I guess.
There also used to be an excellent “Yellow Book” or Flight Information Publication, produced regularly by them, quite slim and with useful gems of information, not least being the HF Flightwatch operated by Serco on behalf of the RAF. You call them, they’ll respond, take your position and weather and let you know who is knocking about.
Besides the yellow book there is a thicker AIDU publication called SAAFE that covers the region specifically with all you need to know about aerodromes, facilities, frequencies, ASDAs etc .
I’d advise you that http://www.ais-asecna.org particularly if you use UG853 in the vicinity of TITOR. where the directionality changes!
To get the mid-atlantic picture ring ASI ops (number in SAAFE) or ring Cable & Wireless on 00 247 6255. They can connect you.
Ascension AB will not take you no matter what you may have heard about agreements for civil traffic. Not only will the authorities imprison you but they’ll impound your aircraft. Just don’t think you can call an hour beforehand or wing it with a lame excuse. It’s a no-no-no.
GOOY the best of the African bunch. GCLP, GVAC civilised and helpful. FHAW very good on HF but no entry as described. SBFN spartan.
Enjoy.
Meantime visit http://www.aidu.mod.uk for a good browse. Two useful strip ERCs are available, namely AT(H)ST1 and AT(H)ST2. Not only do these show ATS routes but also dotted tracks into and out of Ascension.
You can also buy from aidu on an ad hoc basis the CD disk UK Military Aeronautical Planning Document [Unclassified version]. This contains a set of statistical wind/temperature tables useful for the region and also many other parts of the world. Wind is tabulated at 50% significance but interpolation formulae are provided to translate these into 85% significance and other values, most people would go for 85% I guess.
There also used to be an excellent “Yellow Book” or Flight Information Publication, produced regularly by them, quite slim and with useful gems of information, not least being the HF Flightwatch operated by Serco on behalf of the RAF. You call them, they’ll respond, take your position and weather and let you know who is knocking about.
Besides the yellow book there is a thicker AIDU publication called SAAFE that covers the region specifically with all you need to know about aerodromes, facilities, frequencies, ASDAs etc .
I’d advise you that http://www.ais-asecna.org particularly if you use UG853 in the vicinity of TITOR. where the directionality changes!
To get the mid-atlantic picture ring ASI ops (number in SAAFE) or ring Cable & Wireless on 00 247 6255. They can connect you.
Ascension AB will not take you no matter what you may have heard about agreements for civil traffic. Not only will the authorities imprison you but they’ll impound your aircraft. Just don’t think you can call an hour beforehand or wing it with a lame excuse. It’s a no-no-no.
GOOY the best of the African bunch. GCLP, GVAC civilised and helpful. FHAW very good on HF but no entry as described. SBFN spartan.
Enjoy.
