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Final Approach Pheonix Arizona

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- BirdsEyeView

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Flying the PMDG 737NG
Friday, 30 December 2005

Tired of cruising? The time to prepare the descent has finally come and we're now ready to get very busy again. Let's now review the STAR and approach and make sure the aircraft is properly configured before the descent.

Still in cruise altitude, you would receive a STAR and an APPROACH clearance from a real controller, but your options on the simulator are limited. You have basically two options: fly online in a controlled network or get tune the ATIS in-flight to know what runway will be in use. With that information in hands, open the FMC and select a STAR and an approach (with their respective transitions). A good rule of thumb is to choose an approach for the active runway and a STAR that picks you close to the final waypoint route and leaves you close to the initial approach fix. I've chosen a STAR and an approach for this flight and you should have had it set on the FMC since pre-flight. Now I want you to make sure there are no route discontinuities.

Go to the LEGS page and set the speed and altitude restrictions for every waypoint that requires it. If there are no restrictions set for a waypoint, the FMC automatically calculates altitude and speed. The restrictions I want you to set are: LUNAT - /260 (only speed restriction); NOAL - 13000/230 (speed and altitude restriction); TIEL - 9000/ (only altitude restriction); XARA - 6000/190 (speed and altitude restriction); ERNA - 5000/ (only altitude restriction); EUJE - 3000/ (only altitude restriction); LOBO - 2100/ (only altitude restriction). The FMC should set the empty fields automatically, but feel free to override them if you don't agree to a FMC setting. This is what your approach should like like...

It's now time to configure the approach speed, flap configuration, tune the ILS frequency and do some minor system configuration. The descent will start soon and we need to be fully configured.

Back on the FMC, open the INIT REF page and choose a landing flap configuration - we normally use 40 degrees in a 737-800 and 30 degrees in a 737-700. The FMC will automatically calculate your approach speed, known as VREF. Tune both NAV1 and NAV2 radios with your ILS frequency (111.50 for ILS 28), turn the course knob to 276 (which is the runway heading) and change TCAS mode to below (B). Turn the autobrake knob to "2" and make sure you reset the altimeter to local setting when descending though transition level. Also, change the altitude selector to 5000ft. The FMC is now prepared to start the descent automatically at the top of descent (T/D), but you might want to descend earlier using the DES NOW> button on the DES page.

-- RUN DESCENT AND APPROACH CHECKLIST --

At an FMC-calculated point, known as "top of descent" (marked with a green spot), the autopilot will initiate the descent and a pink bar on the left side of your display should appear - that is known as the VNAV path and serves to indicate your position relative to the programmed vertical path. If the pink diamond is above the middle, you're too low. If it is below the middle, you're too high. The number that appears above the bar is the indication of how much you are off the VNAV path. Don't let the diamond get too low or too high - use the spoilers as necessary, but remember to retract them when the desired path is reached again. Don't let the aircraft get too fast or too slow, make use of the LVL CHG mode (commands idle thrust and uses pitch to adjust altitude - excellent for "too fast, too high" situations) or any other autopilot mode you want.

In this screenshot, the aircraft is 760ft above the vertical path - autopilot will pitch the airplane down to reach the descent path regardless of the speed restrictions... if the speed gets too high, VNAV will disconnect and LVL CHG mode becomes active to restore the planned speed. Use the speedbrakes as required, you can also enter a holding pattern if necessary (HOLD page of the FMC). Turn on the fasten belts sign, landing and taxi lights when appropriate. Keep descending... now it's time to start extending the flaps and gear and prepare for the approach.

At this point you should have slowed down to about 180 knots. Remember to extend flaps on schedule, always extending the flap one position more when passing though the speed bugs: above the UP marking, extend flaps to 1; above the 1 marking, extend flaps to 5; above the 5 marking, extend flaps to 15 and extend the landing gear; above the white bug, extend flaps to the landing flaps (30 or 40). The aircraft will now turn to final approach and continue the descent.

With the flaps and landing gear deployed, the APP mode of the autopilot should be activated to track the localizer and glideslope. Turn the speed selector manually to VREF + 5 knots (safety margin). Finally arm the spoilers (so that they extend automatically at touchdown), turn the engine start switches to CONT, and turn the heading selector to the runway heading. Make sure you have a Go Around (G/A) power setting announced above the engine indicators. You will want to disengage the autopilot/autothrottle and fly manually at this point... the autopilot is not configured to autoland and flying manually is much more fun!

-- RUN LANDING CHECKLIST --

Now, set the ND display mode knob to APP for easy visualization of the localizer/glideslope bars and keep them always centered. Maintain the speed VREF + 5 knots during the entire approach. I also want you to look outside... don't rely completely on the instruments!

Keep the approach speed until 30ft AGL. At this height, you should smoothy put the throttles back to idle and start flaring. Rise the aircraft's nose to about 4 degrees of pitch up attitude - that should reduce the descent rate but not cause the aircraft to float excessively. Adjust the attitude as required to increase or decrease the rate of descent. While flaring, control the throttles so that you reach idle thrust exactly at touchdown. Everything happens very fast at this point, you must be paying a lot of attention and react quickly.

Right after touch down, ensure that the brakes are being applied by the autobrake system and that the spoliers have been deployed. Also deply reverse thrust by pressing and holding the F2 key.

At 80 knots, start reducing the reversers power so that you reach reverse idle exactly at taxi speed. At 60 knots, disable the autobrake system and start braking the plane manually. At taxi speed, press F1 to set thrust to forward idle, release the brakes and turn into the next taxiway. You have just landed the aircraft!

When exiting the runway ...

You have now performed a complete landing, slowed down to taxi speed and cleared the runway. It's time to star configuring the systems for engine shutdown.

1. Disarm A/T. It's obviously not needed anymore. [main panel]
2. Place the speedbrake lever in the down position. The speedbrakes are not needed that you are taxiing. [throttle quadrant]
3. Turn the autobrake off. They are useless now that you are taxiing. [main panel]
4. Command flaps up. After landing, the flaps must be retracted. [throttle quadrant]
5. Turn probe heat off. We also don't need probe heating anymore.
6. Turn the engine start switches off. Now that we're taxiing, it's fine to turn the engine start swithces off - they will not shutdown the engine.
7. Turn off landing and stobe lights. Turning them off indicate that you're leaving an active runway but still have your engines and electrical power in operation.
8. Turn the flight director off. It's not needed on the ground. [main panel]
9. Set TCAS to STBY. The TCAS antenna emits radiation that can be hazardous to the ground personnel, and traffic collision is not a problem on the ground. [radio stack]

When arriving at the gate and ready to shutdown ...

Now that you have taxied to the gate, it's time to shutdown the engines and prepare to leave the aircraft. Let's proceed with the final configurations.

1. Set the parking brakes. They will keep you parked at the gate. [throttle quadrant]
2. Put both cutoff levers in the cutoff position and turn the anti-collision lights off. This will shutdown the engines completely. [throttle quadrant]
3. Turn ground power on. With the engines off, you have no source of electrical power other than the battery.
4. Turn all fuel pumps off. You won't need fuel anymore.
5. Turn CAB/UTIL and IFE/PASS off. This will turn the cabin lights off.
6. Turn both fasten belts and no smoking signs off.
7. Turn window heat off. Window heating is now needed now.
8. Turn off both electric hydraulics ("ELEC 1" and "ELEC 2").

-- RUN SHUTDOWN CHECKLIST --

9. Turn PACKS off and close the isolation valve. The aircraft will not be climatized nor pressurized now.
10. Disarm emergency exit lights and turn off position lights. They indicate that the aircraft is not longer powered up.
11. Turn off battery and ground power. This will completely shutdown the aircraft and put it back in the cold and dark cockpit state.

-- RUN SECURE CHECKLIST --

You are now ready to leave the aircraft. Congratulations, you have just completed this flight tutorial!