Hi y'all

Playing around with FS02 ATC recently it occurred to me that I don't actually understand some of it and that perhaps I should ask 'cos it's not in the MS book (or at least, I can't find it!)

a) What am I asking for when I request 'flight following'?

b) When the Controller says to me, after I've asked for a full stop landing, to proceed 'right downwind' does this mean I am to fly on the right hand side of the airport or I do I fly so that the airport is on my right hand side?

Paul Croft
10 miles SE of Heathrow (EGLL)

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• RE: ATC statements,Madape, 00:08z, 05-18-02
  • RE: ATC statements,PaulCroft, 05:11z, 05-19-02
    • RE: ATC statements,Madape, 10:12z, 05-19-02
• RE: ATC statements,Ben Chiu, 02:35z, 05-18-02
  • RE: ATC statements,PaulCroft, 05:11z, 05-19-02
    • RE: ATC statements,Ben Chiu, 05:52z, 05-19-02
      • RE: ATC statements,PaulCroft, 20:08z, 05-19-02

Hiyas Paul
>
>a) What am I asking for when I request 'flight
>following'?

I'm not too sure on that one, let one of the more experienced folk answer that!

>b) When the Controller says to me, after I've asked for a
>full stop landing, to proceed 'right downwind' does this
>mean I am to fly on the right hand side of the airport or
>I do I fly so that the airport is on my right hand side?

It does kind of mean that, I've attached a very simple circuit diagram that I have drawn, it illustrates a left hand circuit, but just reverse it for right hand operations;

As its the norm to take off into the wind, when requested to fly downwind, fly the opposite direction to which you would take off in, and make sure you have the runway on your left for a left hand circuit and vice-versa for a right hand circuit

Hope that helps

Sam Harvey
sam@crew.flightadventures.com

Hi Sam

> >b) When the Controller says to me, after I've asked for a
> >full stop landing, to proceed 'right downwind' does this
> >mean I am to fly on the right hand side of the airport or
> >I do I fly so that the airport is on my right hand side?
>
> It does kind of mean that

Sorry, which one? I understand about 'downwind' and left and right hand circuits but I still don't understand what the controller's asking for:-(

Paul Croft
10 miles SE of Heathrow (EGLL)

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Sorry to have confused you, Ben explained it alot better!

Sam Harvey
sam@crew.flightadventures.com

Greetings Paul:

> a) What am I asking for when I request 'flight following'?

"Flight following" refers to VFR Traffic Advisory Service. If you're not familiar with it, it's a radar service offered to VFR pilots usually by ARTCC when their workloads permit. Pilots are still VFR (responsible to see and avoid), but having an "extra set of eyes" (with radar!) is helpful. I always encourage pilots to use FF when available.

> b) When the Controller says to me, after I've asked for a full stop
> landing, to proceed 'right downwind' does this mean I am to fly on the
> right hand side of the airport or I do I fly so that the airport is on
> my right hand side?

"Right downwind" is gobblygook. There's right and left base and crosswind legs, but only one downwind. What MS's ATC is probably referring to is "downwind, right traffic ." In this case, you've probably been instructed to enter the downwind leg for the right traffic pattern.

Hope this helps!

Ben

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Hi Ben

> "Flight following" refers to VFR Traffic Advisory Service. If you're not
> familiar with it, it's a radar service offered to VFR pilots usually by
> ARTCC when their workloads permit. Pilots are still VFR (responsible to
> see and avoid), but having an "extra set of eyes" (with radar!) is
> helpful. I always encourage pilots to use FF when available.

OK, got that thanks, now understood.

> "Right downwind" is gobblygook. There's right and left base and
> crosswind legs, but only one downwind. What MS's ATC is probably
> referring to is "downwind, right traffic ." In this case, you've
> probably been instructed to enter the downwind leg for the right traffic
> pattern.

And a right traffic pattern would be clockwise, i.e. making right hand turns to stay in the circuit?

Paul Croft
10 miles SE of Heathrow (EGLL)

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Hi Paul:

> > "Right downwind" is gobblygook. There's right and left base and
> > crosswind legs, but only one downwind.

Actually, I take this back. On departure, you can call "right downwind departure" or "left downwind departure." I suspect that MS was trying to recycle as many phrases as possible and used these for arrivals that you heard.

> And a right traffic pattern would be clockwise, i.e. making right hand
> turns to stay in the circuit?

Correct. Right traffic = right turns, left traffic = left turns.

Ben

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Hi Ben

> Actually, I take this back. On departure, you can call "right downwind
> departure" or "left downwind departure." I suspect that MS was trying to
> recycle as many phrases as possible and used these for arrivals that you
> heard.

Noted.

> > And a right traffic pattern would be clockwise, i.e. making right hand
> > turns to stay in the circuit?
>
> Correct. Right traffic = right turns, left traffic = left turns.

Now understood, thanks Ben.

Paul Croft
10 miles SE of Heathrow (EGLL)

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