Approach phase clarification

[mmakela]

Hello Dodiano,
Maybe it has been answered somewhere, but can You clarify me
when does a pilot activate approach phase in MCDU and is there any
exeption situation when it is activated differently?
Many thanks!
Oh, almost forgot... is it correct that in the beginning of take off when
a pilot moves thrust levers to the TOGA the A/THR goes ON without pushing it?

[dodiano]

Hello Dodiano,
Maybe it has been answered somewhere, but can You clarify me
when does a pilot activate approach phase in MCDU and is there any
exeption situation when it is activated differently?
Many thanks!
Oh, almost forgot... is it correct that in the beginning of take off when
a pilot moves thrust levers to the TOGA the A/THR goes ON without pushing it?

Hi,

Ok the approach phase in the Book says it should be activated 15nm before th Airport or it is automatically activated if in Managed Nav at the Decel point marked with a D in a magenta Circle... Most of us, that is line pilots as a technique Crossing 10,000 when we do the 10,000 check we select 250 on the speed and immediattelly activate the Approach Phase if we activate it and it is in Manage Speed it will decel to VAPP speed!

When the Thrust levers are moved to TOGA or Flex the Autothrust Arms itself automatically this doesn´t mean it activates itself although the Green Light on the switch turns on and A/THR is displayed in Blue on the FMa... When you take the power back at thrust reduction Altitude to the CLB detent it sets to A/THR white on the FMA that means you have now engaged the Autothrust before that it was only armed.

Regards,

Roberto

[mmakela]

Thank You Sir,
just one more guestion... how do "marker" leds light up in the glare section?
I mean those white ones with texts such as LOC, AT/THR, AP1, FD, ILS.
Do they come up when You push batteries ON or do they have a special switch
somewhere?
Many thanks again!

[dodiano]

Not sure what you mean ut if you mean the Lighting of the letters in the Glare engravings and the Pushbutton engravings there is a potentioneter below the glare that lits them up!

Regards,

Roberto

[mmakela]

Yes, exactly those lights. Do I turn ON those lights with that potentiometer
or is it just for dimming those lights?

[dodiano]

Just dim them! They are not turned ON or OFF!

Regards,

[toolpusher]

I have read somewhere that activating the approach phase before the radar altimeter turns on at 8500' causes some issues. Is this true? I am at work right now so I don't have the book in front of me to tell what it said.

[dodiano]

The Radioaltimeter becomes active at 2500 feet...

Regards,

Roberto

[Michael Carter]

Only 700' short feet from the pavement at Innsbruck!

[Peter Dowson]

Only 700' short feet from the pavement at Innsbruck!

But of course radar altimeters work on AGL not AMSL, so it's 2500' above whatever is below, whether it be LOWI's pavement or the slopes of Mont Blanc.

Pete