We will use the flight that we planned earlier, from JFK in New York to Chicago O’Hare as an example. Many of the illustrations here will be from the default FS2004 B737 cockpit, some are taken from the PMDG 737 NG cockpit. Other cockpits can and will look different.

Now it's time for you to learn the first part of every flight, the departure.

In this class we will teach you about:

• Gate ops and push-back
  
  
• ATIS
  
  
• The different aspects of taxiing
  
  
• Sequencing, Hold short and Position and hold
  
  
• The take off, departure and SIDs
  

You can obtain US departure and arrival charts at no cost, at myairplane.com and airnav.com. Charts for many countries are available from chartfinder.vatsim.net.

Here are the two pages for the KJFK Kennedy 1 departure procedure (SID):

KENNEDY ONE, page 1

KENNEDY ONE, page 2

Note that these procedures update continually, and the actual url links may change and outdate.

Clearance 

It’s a beautiful Monday morning and dispatch has given you your next assignment. You are going to fly a 737-500 from John F. Kennedy Intl (KJFK) to Chicago O’Hare Intl (KORD). Fuel and routing (discussed in a previous class) are taken care of and the plane is ready to go at the ramp.

You tune in Kennedy Clearance on 135.05 on the Com radio and say: “Kennedy Clearance, United 123 requesting IFR clearance to O’Hare”.

Clearance will respond in two ways, depending on how busy the controller is.

“Clearance on request, Stand by”

This means that the controller is busy or that you might need to wait a bit. Do not answer, do not say anything further, just wait.

Or with an immediate response with the clearance:

“Cleared to O’Hare via KENNEDY1 departure, Canarsie climb, radar vectors to COATE then as filed, expect FL320 10 minutes after departure, departure frequency is 135.900, squawk 1501”

Departure procedure names and versions can change from time to time, these are current as of this writing.

The clearance tells you that you are cleared to O’Hare, that you will be using the Kennedy1 departure, you are assigned the Canarsie climb (further explained below), you will get radar vectors to waypoint COATE, and in case you lose radio contact with the controller you are cleared to FL320 10 minutes after you depart. Your departure controller will be on 135.90 and you are assigned squawk/transponder code 1501.

Here, the departure procedure (Kennedy1, Canarsie climb) includes your initial cleared altitude, which is 5000ft, this is shown on the Kennedy1 departure plate. More often in the US the initial cleared altitude is not included on the departure plate, and ATC will specify it as part of the clearance.

You may do a full readback, like so:

“Cleared to O’Hare, Kennedy1 departure, Canarsie climb, radar vectors to COATE then as filed, expect FL320 10 minutes after departure, departure frequency 135.90, squawk 1501”

A full readback is not required. You must readback the intial cleared altitude (or the departure procedure if the altitude is included) and the squawk code:

“Cleared IFR O’Hare, Canarsie climb, squawk 1501”

On a different flight, where the initial altitude is specified explictly, you must read it back, for example a flight from O'Hare to San Francisco:

"Cleared IFR San Francisco, five thousand initial, squawk 1734"

But, that is not today!

One handy tip to help you copy a clearance, is:  "C-R-A-F-T"

You can simply write it vertically as depicted to the right, and then be ready to copy the clearance. US clearances are always given in that order for standardization.

To the right, you can see some scribblings, along these lines, but not for this flight.

        C – ORD - LAX   (Clearance)

        R – ORD1 to MZV, then as filed   (Route)

        A – 5,000ft, then FL360 (in 10)  (Altitude)

        F – 127.80   (departure Frequency)

        T – 5613   (Transponder code)

Below that you can see noted the expected runway (32L at intersection T10), and the ATIS code "L".

It is generally a good idea to write down ATC's instructions, to ensure that you don't confuse them. That is always possible in the busy and hectic departure or approach airspace, when you often need to do more than one thing at once.

Below that is noted the next instruction radioed by ATC, to turn Left to a heading of 270°. And then climb to 13,000 ft, and a turn to heading 250° "on course" and finally up to FL360. Yes, that is my sloppy writing, but I'm handflying a plane too!

Outside of the US you will find that the clearance items included and their order will vary somewhat from country to country. The readback requirements may differ as well. If not sure, do a complete readback.

ATIS 

You read back the clearance and Clearance gives you his last word: “Read back correct, ATIS is Alpha, contact Kennedy Ground on 121.90”

The ATIS is short for Automated Terminal Information Service and is the airport's current information with regard to weather and runways in use, as well as miscellaneous advisories. On VATSIM the ATIS is automatically sent when you tune into a controller. Recently voice mode ATIS has also been introduced on VATSIM, for this you tune a separate ATIS frequency, like in the RW. This will match the ATIS frequency noted in the charts! You must have the ATIS before you contact ground, and it is a good idea to get it before you contact clearance.

At your destination, if an ATIS is available, you should get it. On first contact with the Terminal Airspace controllers, besides announcing your altitude, indicate the ATIS you have.

A example ATIS would be:

“Kennedy information Alpha, winds 320 at 15, visibility 10 miles, ceiling Broken at 15000 feet, Temperature 5°C, Dew point 1°C, altimeter 29.75. Runway 31L is used for departure, 31L/R for arrival This is Kennedy information Alpha, advise on initial contact you have information Alpha.”

ATIS reports are identified by alphanumeric codes (Alpha through Zulu). When a new ATIS is published, the code goes up by one letter. Telling a controller you have information "Alpha" lets him know what you copied and (if it has changed since you checked) he can give you the latest data.

Although winds are generally reported in true degrees and knots for weather reports, and also in aviation METARs, this is not the case in the ATIS or the reports from the Tower. To match all the other directions in aviation at lower latitudes, the winds in the ATIS are stated as relative to magnetic north. The direction is where the wind is blowing from. Visibility is self-explanatory. The ceiling is the lowest cloud layer that is either broken or solid. Temperature and Dew point are self-explanatory. The altimeter is the local barometric pressure corrected to sea level. In North America it is reported in inches of mercury (29.92 is standard), in most of the rest of the world it's reported in hectoPascals (something like 1006) and labeled "QNH".

Active runways allow you to plan for your arrival or departure. The weather information is extracted by the controller from the field's latest METAR. METARs are weather reports generated every hour (or more frequently in rapidly changing weather conditions) by an airfield approved observer, these will be explained in the next class. Some ATIS reports are automated.

Now, in the real world, you would contact the ramp manager and get pushed back by a little truck. But since we are not in the real world, we just use the push-back command in Flight Simulator. Some controllers will clear you to push back and start engines at your discretion when giving you a clearance. Others will want you to get specific permission as you may be pushing back into an active taxiway. In Europe it is common to get clearance for startup when at the gate. This does not mean to start the engines, it means to get the plane ready for pushback. You should not start your engines until you are clear of the gate, and at the very least not until you are in pushback.

Taxi 

Engines are started during pushback. Departure flaps vary from plane to plane and sometimes flight to flight. UVA has established SOP for flaps to be used for all its aircraft, and these are noted in the Dispatch Reports. Takeoff flaps should be set at the first point of movement under your own power.

When you are ready to taxi, contact ground on 121.90 and say:

“Kennedy Ground, United 123 holding short of taxiway Alpha, ready for taxi for departure, with information Alpha”

It's important to tell the controller where you are and where you want to go in an initial call-up. Ground can respond with different instructions. So let’s take a look at them all in order to make sure we always understand what Ground wants us to do.

“United 123, taxi to runway 31L via RIGHT on Bravo then Zulu”

This is pretty straight forward; he wants you to taxi to the departure end of runway 31L, making a right turn onto Bravo then using the Zulu taxiway.

“United 123, taxi to runway 31L via RIGHT on Bravo then Zulu, give way for and follow the American Boeing 737 coming from your left to right on Bravo”

Now, here’s something to think about. He now wants you to follow another plane. So, you taxi the same way, just make sure that you are behind the other plane. When you get to Bravo taxiway and are ready to make your right turn onto it, you should be looking to your left for that American 737 to pass ahead of you then you'll fall in behind it.

“United 123, taxi to runway 31L at KA intersection via RIGHT on Bravo”

Here we got instructions to depart from runway 31L, not at the full length departure intersection but rather intersection KA which is somewhere before the end of the runway. It is important to remember that at maximum load you may need the entire runway length available to take off and (under all circumstances) as pilot in command you have the right and authority to request a full runway length takeoff – you just may have a long taxi and wait for departure, intersection departures are frequently used to expedite traffic flow.

“United 123, runway 31L, taxi via RIGHT on Bravo, then hold short of Hotel, then give way for and follow the United 767 to the runway via Hotel and Zulu.”

Now, this is a tricky one. What he wants us to do is taxi up Bravo to taxiway Hotel, and then follow the United to the runway via Hotel and Zulu.

If on takeoff you were also following that 767, you would hear "Caution wake turbulence."  Because the 767 is a heavy, the controller issues a wake turbulence warning to remind you not to follow the jet too closely to avoid being caught in the wake turbulence. Wake turbulence exists only when a wing is generating lift, and gradually drops down to the ground behind it, as the aircraft flies.


There are longer and more complex taxi instructiions, but I doubt you will encounter them on VATSIM. The reason for “follow” instructions is to sequence departures, which is a puzzle of airplanes that Ground tries to fix so the Departure controller won’t be too stressed.

Remember to hold the standard taxi speed of 20kts, and no more than 10 knts on 90° turns, else you will make our A&P fellows (mechanics) grumpy and cost us money! On landing, you may safely exit onto high speed taxiways at 40 knts.

Hold short, position and hold

Once Ground doesn’t have anything more to say to us, he gives us the hand off, “United 123, contact Tower 119.10 holding short.”

This handoff can come at any time in the taxi process -- we don’t even need to be at the runway entrance yet, but you will always be handed off to tower before taking the active runway as Tower "owns" it. This call tells us that we are to contact Tower when we arrive at the entrance to the runway, but that we are to hold short.

Sometimes ground will hand you off in a different way, by saying, "United 123, monitor Tower 119.10." This will be while you are still taxing. As directed, you change frequency, but just "monitor", you do not need to announce yourself during the taxi.

When you hold short, you taxi up to the double line across the taxiway that marks the taxiway/runway boundary, and then stop. That line is called the Hold Short line and you cannot cross it without Tower's permission. After landing, you also don't contact ground until you are clear of the runway, meaning your tail no longer crosses that line. Now, at the hold short line, you contact the Tower.

You dial in 119.10 to contact tower, “Kennedy Tower, United 123 is holding short of runway 31L.”

Again, he can respond in different ways.

“United 123, Kennedy Tower, Runway 31L, Position and hold”

If there is a lot of traffic, you will encounter this. What he wants you to do is get on the runway in takeoff position, but don’t take off. In all likelihood someone else is still on the runway, or another aircraft just took off or is on short approach. He can't give you a takeoff clearance until the runway is clear and there is sufficient space in trail from the last aircraft. That is why it is so important to get across that "hold short" line after landing – until you do so, Tower can't clear other traffic to take off. Have your hand on the throttles though, because when that take off clearance comes, Tower expects you to start rolling immediately. You may also hear "Line Up and Wait", this is just the non-US version of Position and Hold.

“United 123, Kennedy Tower, Canarsie climb, winds 320 at 15, runway 31L, cleared for take off”

This is the basic take off clearance if you are on a DP (departure procedure). He reminds you that you are on the Canarsie climb, what the winds are and clears you for take off.

“United 123, Kennedy Tower, Fly heading 220, winds 320 at 15, runway 31L, cleared for take off”

This is a little different, what it tells you is that once you have cleared the runway, you should start turning towards heading 220. If not otherwise specificed, this is understood to mean at 400ft AGL, but some departures will call for a turn even earlier. The rest is the same. Either way, you're expected to comply with the clearance you were given by Clearance Delivery.

Take off

Ok, you are cleared for takeoff!

Set your Transponder to squawk Charlie (altitude), landing lights and strobes on, and now take the runway and center your aircraft if you were not in position and hold. At a full stop with your toe brakes, spool the engines up to 70% N1 to check for proper and symmetric operation (called the runup), then set to takeoff thrust and you are rolling.

Now, we are going to talk a bit about those mysterious VSpeeds, calculation of these is just a few clicks away, use the UVA Flight Planning Tool (FPD). There is also an explanation of VSpeeds, and a more lengthy discussion of landing and takeoff techniques, in the FPD docs.

The UVA SOP takeoff profile is as follows. With V2 speed set in the speed window (but do not use SPD mode), and with TOGA (takeoff/go-around) mode engaged, you accelerate down the runway. At Vr speed you rotate (by a deliberate pull back on the yoke)  to a pitch of 8° over about 3 sec, and your aircraft will take off. Continue the pitch up to no more than 15° (17.5° absolute max) to hold V2+10 to V2+25 knts, but if you miss the target, do not decelerate. On positive rate (1000fpm), seconds after liftoff, command gear up. Maintain the takeoff thrust and target speed up to 1000ft AGL, which is UVA SOP Acceleration height. You are holding the airspeed of the aircraft by adjusting pitch. Change to climb thrust at acceleration height, pitch your nose down to accelerate to 250 knts, and retract the flaps gradually as you pass the minimum speed for each flap setting.

DO NOT just blindly set a VS setting or SPD mode for takeoff or climb. If you do not have a panel that lets you use a LVL CHG type function, there are a variety of ways to simulate this with simple panels, both while hand flying or with the automatics. As always you will find abundant information in the Training sections of the forums. Find some quick notes on this, below.

For checkrides you must fly with the A/P off (A/T is allowed), up to and down from specified altitudes. When flying on your own, it is up to you. You should always set up as if you were flying on A/P, and then you can follow the Flight Director bars. It would be rare for RW pilots to fly with "raw" data unassisted by the FD. I personally always fly up to FL180, and down from 10k --it's fun. Once you are ready to switch on the A/P ...

For lateral navigation in a simple panel, you need to use HDG HLD "manually" or in combination with any non-panel A/P that relies on HDG HLD like FSNav or a freeware FMC, like vasFMC mentioned above. If all else fails, you can also switch to NAV/GPS mode and use the default GPS, together with an FS9 flight plan, but this is a poor alternative. You can also fly the VORs, if not on an RNAV plan, and your panel supports that. Note that you cannot do this in a real world 757, 767 or 777 or 747 (you use an FMC plot instead), only 737's have that direct fly to VOR capability.

For vertical navigation in a simple panel you could use SPD & V/S for the climb, but this is unrealistic and actually dangerous or inefficient, or both. There is no guarantee that you can maintain a given V/S at a specific speed. If you don't have VNav or even a LVLCHG mode in your panel, then you could set the throttles to climb thrust, and then slowly adjust the V/S control watching your speed like a hawk. You could also set a climb speed with the SPD setting and set a very conservative V/S, but you will waste fuel as your climb will be slowed. These are poor options, here is the better one ...

How to maintain the speed and climb without the V/S control? Here is the trick - disengage the vertical mode of the A/P, and then just pitch up & down until you have the correct speed. Then trim the aircraft to hold that attitude. That is really all a LVLCHG or VNav mode does in the climb. The plane will then almost magically continue to maintain that same speed even as it climbs. You see your elevator, not the throttle is actually your speed control!

So to summarize, for the climb - set climb thrust (no SPD mode), adjust your pitch to get climb IAS, and then trim it to hold it, and then sit back and climb - safely & efficiently.

Of course your climb rate will gradually reduce as you climb at the same speed. If you want to increase your climb rate you give it more throttle, if you have any more. The Throttle is really your climb/descend control.

If you are using a complex panel, then be sure to correctly program the FMC! (discussed in the next section) Take the time to learn how to use this valuable tool, the time spent will pay itself back many times over. You will then be shown exactly what pitch and bank to fly with the Flight Director bars on the Navigation Display! All you need to do is put the nose of the aircraft on the pink cross or chevron. Aircraft cannot give you guidance for rotation, but certainly once you reach 800ft in the air and a lateral and vertical mode is selected, you can just follow the Flight Director Bars. More advanced aircraft can give you FD direction from 50ft AGL.

Much more information on proper takeoff techniques is found in other training materials.

Departure 

Before the take off, you must study the Kennedy1 plate, and in particular the Canarsie climb, and be familiar with it. The Canarsie climb, and other departures from this busy airspace are more complicated then you typically see elsewhere. Many departures are very straightforward, perhaps just runway heading take offs. We chose this example, so we can cover a number of concepts.

We saw that the Canarsie cliimb went over CRI (VOR) and then over OGY (NDB) for the 176 radial of CRI. On take off, as you pass 400ft AGL, start a left turn so you pass over CRI, then OGY. You can do this by hand-flying if you wish, or by inputting the data into your navigation equipment. The path is shown in red in the diagram right.

Shortly after your wheels leave the runway Tower will hand you off, “United 123, contact New York Departure on 135.90.” This will usually be the departure freq you were given in your clearance.

We tune 135.90 and we contact departure, “Departure, United 123 passing 1500ft climbing 5000ft." Whenever you contact a new controller you should say your altitude. If in a climb or descent, say your altitude passing and what altitude you are climbing/descending to. If you are not on your filed flight plan track already, then you should indicate your heading. Sometimes you will be speed restricted, if so, indicate this as well.

Once you are flying a heading of 176 from CRI, departure will start vectoring you to your exit waypoint, which is COATE in this flight. You will gradually be cleared to higher altitudes, on you way up to FL320.

When you are in the air, there’s a basic rule pilots use that is always appropriate: "Aviate, Navigate, and Communicate". This means your first priority is safely flying the airplane, second is going where you want to go and third is talking to the controller. Don't get so wrapped up talking to ATC that you neglect the first two!

The Climb

Once past acceleration height, as mentioned above, with climb thrust set you pitch your nose down to accelerate to 250 knts, and retract the flaps gradually as you pass the minimum speed for each flap setting. You continue your climb to 10,000ft at 250 knts, then a final pitch down to accelerate to your final climb airspeed.

Your final climb speed will vary by aircraft, but you should always climb at an IAS (indicated airspeed) up to FL250 (range of 280 to 340 knts), then switch to a Mach Speed (range of 0.72M to 0.84M), up to your cruise altitude. Typical cruise altitudes (travel distance allowing) for a turboprop are in the FL200's, and FL300's for the turbojets.

When flying in the Flight Levels up to FL410, in most places of the world you will fly on the even flight levels while travelling West, and on the odd flight levels when travelling East. For example, if you were flying west from ORD to DEN, FL340 or FL360 would be valid flight levels to fly.

You might think this is much to remember and complicated, but once you get the hang of it, you will see that it is piece of cake.