a380v2 pilotsguide uk

(c) 2008 Wilco Publishing www.wilcopub.comFor Microsoft Flight Simulator use only. Not for use in real aviation. 32

PRODUCERSVictor Racz & Fred Goldman

PROGRAMMEREric Marciano

3D ARTISTSDen Okan, Tamas Szabo & Victor Racz

2D ARTISTSPeter Balogh, Tamas Szabo& Victor Racz

REPAINTSPeter Balogh, Kittisak RukkaewStéphane OBER

FLIGHT DYNAMICSRob Young

SOUNDMike Hambly,Eric Marciano& Victor Racz

MANUALEric Marciano, Eric Belvaux

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Airbus A380v2 (FSX) Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

The code used in Wilco Publishing products may under no circumstances be used for any other purposes without the permission of Wilco Publishing and its developers.

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WILCO PUBLISHING products, you will allow us to continue developing and improving the quality of our software.

THANK YOU.

World map on the Corporate Jetliner plasma screens is provided by www.absolutezero.de

Complete your Airbus collection !Available from the same publisher :

For more information, please visit www.wilcopub.com

PRODUCERS:Fred Goldman, Victor Racz

PROGRAMER:Eric Marciano

LEAD ARTIST:Tamas Szabo

3D ARTIST:Tamas Szabo, Victor Racz, VyacheslavFomin

PANEL ART:Peter Balogh

2D ARTIST:Peter Balogh, Tamas Szabo, ChristopheModave, Victor Racz

FLIGHT DYNAMICS:Rob Young

SOUND:Mike Hambly, Eric Marciano, VictorRacz

USER HANDBOOK:Eric Marciano, Eric Belvaux

TESTERS:Chip Barber, Charlie, Les Dillon, W.David Scobie, Craig Smoothey, NeilPerrin

A very special thanks to: Marc Brodbeck

Manual ADDENDUM located into your A380 folder (ex: Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes\Wilco A380)

To optimize FSX performances, we highly recommend the FSX Service Packs 1 and 2 installation, freely available from www.fsinsider.com - Downloads.

IMPORTANT FOR WINDOWS VISTA USERS :please refer to the Vista paragraph on page 95.

Flight dynamics and systems have been developed based on manufacturer specifications, within limits of Airbus confidentiality and information availability.

Airbus Series Vol.1 Airbus A318-A319-A320-A321

& Corporate Jetliner

Airbus Series Vol.2Airbus A330-A340

A330 Multi-Role Tanker

WELCOME ABOARD ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A. InstallationB. ExtraC. Quick Start D. 2D & 3D CockpitsE. Cabin & DoorsF. Cabin Crew VoicesG. Missions / Tutorial

TUTORIAL FLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11FLY-BY-WIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14AUTOFLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18EFIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46FMGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

(c) 2008 Wilco Publishing www.wilcopub.com 5

To open the external doors :SHIFT + E for the passengers door. SHIFT + E + 2 for the cargo door (from ext).

F. CABIN CREW VOICESWilco A380 brings you a set of digitalized crewvoices. They are played automatically or onPilots' request.

• Welcome 1 when doors are closed.• Welcome 2 when engines are started.• Fasten Seat Belt ON and OFF when seat

belt sign is turned ON or OFF.• Bar Open when the cruise altitude is

reached. The cruise altitude must be programmed into the FMGC before take-off. It will calculate the waypoint altitude and display the vertical visualization on the ND.

• Descent when the aircraft begins to descend from the cruise altitude.

• Landing when the aircraft touches the ground upon landing.

G. MISSIONS / TUTORIALTu launch one of the FSX missions provided,please refer to the manualA380v2_Missions_UK located into your aircraftfolder, or available through the Windowsbutton of your computer, Programs, WilcoPublishing.

This Flight Simulator X mission, supplied indifferent complexity levels, allow beginnerand expert pilots alike to train through a step-by-step tutorial, from cold and dark cockpit tofull kiss landing.

TUTORIAL FLIGHTThis tutorial describes all the phases of a flightfrom Toulouse Blagnac (home of Airbus) to ParisOrly, from the cold & dark situation to the landingat destination.

FLIGHT SETUPCold & DarkThis tutorial is supposed to begin with a cold &dark aircraft. In order to be in this situation,you can press the "Cold & Dark" button on theconfiguration window and place your aircraftat LFBO (Toulouse Blagnac) on a parking place.Batteries ONOn the overhead panel press both batteryswitches to turn on the batteries.All Generators ONEven if engines are not running yet, turn thegenerators on (they are in fault mode becausethe engines are not running).NAV Lights ONAs soon as the aircraft is energized, NAV lightshould be turned on.Radio Management Panels ONOn the pedestal, turn the Radios on using theRMP master switch.External PowerCheck the overhead panel. If an externalpower source (GPU) is available, press the EXTPWR switch.FMGC InitializationIf the MENU page is displayed, press the FMGC1L key or press the INIT key on the MCDU todisplay the INIT A page.• FROM/TO : Enter the departure and arrival

airports in the scratchpad and press1R LFBO/LFPO > 1R

• The route selection page appears. A routeexists between LFBO and LFPO, namedLFBOLFPO1.Let’s use it by pressing INSERT (6R)

• Align the IRS by pressing 3R• Enter the flight number in the scratchpad

and press 3L• Enter the cruise altitude in the scratchpad

and press 6L33000 > 6L or 330 > 6L or FL330 > 6L

Press NEXT PAGE to jump to the INIT B page.• ZFWCG/ZFW : Enter the ZFWCG and ZFW

in the scratchpad and press 1R25/59.1 > 1R or use assistance for this (inBeginner and Intermediate modes only) :press 1R with empty scratchpad, the 1R

TUTORIAL FLIGHT

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

For Microsoft Flight Simulator use only. Not for use in real aviation.4

A. INSTALLATIONInstallation is automatic. Insert the CD (ordouble-click on the downloaded file) andAutorun will take you to the start-up screen.If Autorun is disabled on your system, openWindows Explorer or My Computer, browse toyour CD Rom drive and double click“A380v2_FSX_v10.exe” (where x is yourversion).

Once setup is running, follow the on-screenprompts and ensure that the installationpoints directly to the Microsoft FlightSimulator folder (usually C:\ProgramFiles\Microsoft Games\FlightSimulator...).

B. EXTRA (for CD-Rom version only)We have included a full set of files and videoson your CD-Rom. Use your Windows Explorerto locate them into the EXTRA WILCOdirectory.

To fully enjoy the 3D Virtual Cockpit, theTrack IR lets you control your field of view inflight simulators by simply looking around byfew degrees.Track IR is available from Wilco Publishinghttp://www.wilcopub.com.

C. QUICK START1. To Pilot one of the Airbus1. Start Flight Simulator2. From the menus, select AIRCRAFT3. Under Publisher, choose Wilco Publishing

4. Select the Aircraft of your choice.5. Select the livery of your choice

2. Engines Start UpUse CTRL+E to start the engines (beginnermode).To start up engines from a 'Cold & DarkCockpit', please refer to the next pages forcomplete procedures.

D. 2D & 3D COCKPITS2D Panel ViewsThe following 2D panel views are availableusing the following key combinations :

SHIFT+1 = Main PanelSHIFT+2 = PedestalSHIFT+3 = OverheadSHIFT+4 = MCDUSHIFT+5 = PFD zoom popupSHIFT+6 = ND zoom popupSHIFT+7 = EWD zoom popupSHIFT+8 = SD zoom popupSHIFT+9 = GPS

3D Virtual Cockpit ViewsDisplay the different Cockpit views using thenormal Flight Simulator keystroke : “A” underFS X. About all controls found on the main 2Dpanels are functional within the virtualcockpit.Mouse clicking on some specific screens opena 2D window : FMGS, EADI...

E. CABIN & DOORSThe CabinTo move and walk inside the cabin, pleaserefer to the FSX manual.Under Flight Simulator X, you can access cabinview through a right-click sub-menu option.Press SPACE to switch to pan mode. Wheelmouse serve as zoom in/out while in panmode.

The Doors

WELCOME ABOARD !

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

CHECK OUTWILCO PUBLISHING WEBSITE :

http://www.wilcopub.comYOU WILL FIND INFORMATION, NEWS, AND

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.


External PowerIf external power was used, turn it off now bypressing the EXT PWR switch.APU Bleed ONTurn on the APU bleed by pressing the APUBLEED switch on the overhead.Beacon Lights ONAs the engines will soon be started, thebeacon lights must be turned on now using theswitch on the overhead panel.Strobes AUTO or ONStrobe lights should be turned on as soon asthe aircraft is moving. If you select AUTO,they will automatically turn on as soon as theaircraft is airborne.SignsTurn Seat Belts and No Smoking signs on, orset the auto position to have them automa-tically managed.Engine StartThe APU is available and APU bleed isengaged. The engines are now ready to start.• On the pedestal, set the ENG Mode switch

to the IGN/START position.You can check on the E/WD that the FADEChave turned on because the amberinformation is replaced by active displays.

• ENG 2 Master Switch ON.Check the engine is correctly starting onthe E/WD and SD. Wait for the engine 2 tobe started completely.

• ENG 1 Master Switch ON.Monitor the E/WD and SD.

• When all engines are running, set the ENGmode switch back to the NORM position.

• 2 minutes after engine start, the takeoffmemo will appear on the E/WD.

APU StopAs both engines are started, check thegenerators are turned on. The APU is notnecessary any more.Press the APU BLEED switch to turn air bleedoff, and press the APU Master Switch to turnthe APU off.FCUCheck the “dash-ball-dash-ball-ball-dash” onthe FCU to make sure all the settings are OK :

speed managed, heading managed, andaltitude managed with a target altitudehigher than the acceleration altitude.

Check the FMA and make sure the CLB and NAVmodes are armed. If not, reset the FCU byturning the FD off then on again. CLB and NAVshould appear in blue on the FMA.

PUSHBACKFlapsSet the flap configuration according to whatyou have entered in the PERF TO page.Spoilers ARMEDArm the ground spoilers in case of a rejectedtakeoff.Autobrake RTOThe autobrake should be set to MAX/RTO incase of a rejected takeoff only (never use MAXfor landing).Parking Brake RELEASEDRelease the parking brake to get ready forpushback.Taxi Lights ONTurn on the taxi light before taxiing.Cleared for pushbackAsk the ATC for pushback clearance and pressthe corresponding key (Shift-P by default) tostart the pushback.

Note : You can also change this sequence bystarting the engines during the pushback, as itis often done on the real aircraft.

TAXICleared to TaxiWhen pushback is finished and the aircraft isproperly positioned, you can ask the ATC fortaxi clearance to the departure runway.ThrustDuring taxi, move the thrust lever in themanual range. Around 40 % N1 should beenough to move the aircraft. Taxiing should beoperated at 20 knots, with 10 knots during the

TUTORIAL FLIGHT

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


again to enter it in the FMGC.• When ZFW is entered, the Block line

appears. Enter the block fuel and press 2R(assistance is also available).

Press the F-PLAN key on the MCDU to displaythe F-PLN page.• On the first line, the departure airport

(LFBO) is shown. Press 1L to display theLateral Revision page for this airport.

• On the LAT REV page, press 1L to displaythe DEPARTURE page.

• Select the departure runway and the SID(or NO SID).

• Press INSERT (6R) to validate, the F-PLNpage appears again.

• Resolve the discontinuity.• Scroll down to the arrival airport (LFPO) or

press the AIRPORT key on the MCDU tojump directly to the arrival airport.

• Press the left button adjacent to thearrival airport to display its LateralRevision page.

• Press 1R to display the ARRIVAL page.• Select arrival runway and STAR (or NO

STAR).If the arrival runway changes because ofthe weather (especially because of winddirection or IFR conditions), you will beable to update it during the flight.

• Press INSERT (6R) to validate, the F-PLNpage appears again.

• Resolve the discontinuity.At this time, with all the data entered in theFMGC and no discontinuity in the flight plan,the predictions are computed and displayedwith the flight plan.If you wish, you can enter the Estimated Timeof Departure (ETD) by pressing the right keyadjacent to the departure airport. TheVertical Revision page appears and you canenter the UTC CSTR by pressing 2R.Now it is time to set the performance data.Press the PERF key on the MCDU and the PERFTO appears to set the takeoff performance.• Enter the takeoff flap configuration (1, 2

or 3) and press 3R. In the real aircraft, this

information is used as a reminder only forthe crew. If you are in Beginner orIntermediate mode, the information isalso used by the system if you requestassistance for the reference speeds.Suggestion : Use Flap 1 configuration.

• Enter the FLEX TEMP and press 4R. Thistemperature will be used by the FADEC ifyou takeoff using FLEX thrust.Suggestion : A value of 50° is an averagevalue that should work fine.

• Enter V1, VR and V2 in the 1L, 2L and 3Lfields. These speeds are important for theSRS mode during takeoff. As soon as thesespeeds are entered, the red message ‘SPDSEL’ disappears from the PFD and thereference speeds appear on the speedtape.Remember you can use the assistance ifyou are not in Expert mode.

• Thrust reduction altitude and accelerationaltitude can be entered. By default, bothaltitudes are set to 1500 feet above thedeparture airport altitude. You can leavethis value for the thrust reductionaltitude, but the acceleration should be1500 feet higher than the thrust reductionaltitude.To leave the thrust reduction altitudeunchanged and update the accelerationaltitude to 3200 feet ; /3200 > 5L

Press NEXT PHASE to display the other PERFpages for climb, cruise, descent and approach(PERF CLB, CRZ, DES, APPR). Make sure allparameters are OK for you. You shouldespecially check the Cost Index, whichdetermines the speed used for climb, cruiseand descent if you use managed speed.

ENGINE STARTAPU StartBefore being able to start the engines, theAPU must be started. On the overhead, pressthe APU Master Switch ON.Then press the START button.Monitor the APU start sequence of the SD andwait for the APU to be available.

TUTORIAL FLIGHT

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


The takeoff can not be rejected so the groundspoilers can be disarmed.

CLIMBThrust Reduction AltitudeWhen the THR RED altitude is reached(1.800 feet in this example), a flashing ‘LVRCLB’ message appears on the FMA (1st column).Move the thrust lever back to the CL detent.Note : As the thrust reduces when the leversare moved back to the CL detent, the pilotshould anticipate the pitch reduction causedby this thrust reduction.Acceleration AltitudeCheck the CLB mode becomes active on theFMA (2nd column).The aircraft will now accelerate to the targetspeed of 250 knots.S SpeedAs the aircraft accelerates, you must retractthe flaps and slats when the S speed isreached and let the aircraft accelerate to 250knots.10.000 feetAt 10.000 feet, the 250 knots speed limitdisappears, so the aircraft accelerates to thetarget climb speed. If you did not change thedefault cost index of 50, the target speed is300 knots.Barometric Setting PULLWhen the transition altitude is reached(18.000 feet by default in Flight Simulator),the barometric setting flashes. Pull thebarometric knob to set the STD value.Cruise AltitudeAs soon as the cruise altitude is reached,check the FMA displays ‘ALT CRZ’ in the 2nd

column.

DESCENT & APPROACHTCASBefore engaging the descent, set the TCASmode to BLW (below) to monitor potentialintruders below the aircraft during thedescent.Engage Managed DescentWhen the top of descent point (T/D) is reached,

select a lower altitude (you can select 3.000 feet)on the FCU and push the ALT knob (left mouseclick). DecelerationAs the aircraft descends, it will reach thedeceleration point, shown as a big D on theND. At this time, the approach phaseautomatically engages and the target speed ischanged to the Vapp speed, which should bearound 140 knots in this case.Note that even if Vapp is shown as the targetspeed, the actual target speed will be themaneuvering speed before flaps are fullydeployed in landing configuration.

If you decide to be guided by the FlightSimulator ATC, it is highly probable that youraircraft will never cross the D point. In thiscase, you have to manually set the approachphase by pressing the ACTIVATE APPROACHPHASE (6L) in one of the PERF pages.ILS ONAs the approach phase is engaged, the ILS isautomatically tuned to the arrival runway ILS.You can press the ILS button at this time tohave the ILS information displayed on thePFD.Flaps ExtensionAs the aircraft descends, you can extend theflaps to help it decelerating and to keep goodlift while the airspeed is decreasing.Suggestion : Extend Flaps 1 at around 5.000feet.As the aircraft keeps decelerating, you canextend flaps as soon as the VFE NEXT speed isreached.Suggestion : Extend Flaps 2 and 3 as thespeed decreases.Landing ConfigurationKeep following the flight plan (or the ATCinstructions if you are guided by ATC). Itshould align you with the runway.At around 2.000 feet, get ready for landing:• Extend the landing gear• Extend full flaps• Set LOC mode on the FCU• Set Autobrake MED

TUTORIAL FLIGHT

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


turns. As soon as the aircraft moves, idlethrust should be enough to keep it going.Flight Controls CHECKEDMove all the flight controls in all possibledirections and check their movement on theF/CTL SD page, which appears automaticallywhen a flight control moves on the ground.Takeoff Configuration TESTOn the ECAM control panel (located on thepedestal), press the TO CONFIG key (or pressShift-Control-T on your keyboard). This actionsimulates takeoff thrust power and checks allthe important settings for takeoff.Landing Lights ONTurn the landing lights on to get ready fortakeoff.Parking Brakes SETBefore entering the runway for takeoff, setthe parking brakes.Takeoff Memo GREENOn the takeoff memo displayed on the E/WD,make sure all the items are green and no blueitem remains.Cleared for takeoffAsk the ATC for a takeoff clearance.

ALIGN AND TAKEOFFParking Brakes RELEASEDAs soon as the takeoff clearance is received,release the parking brakes to enter therunway.ThrustLike for taxiing, use around 40% N1 to taxi toline up on the runway.TCAS Mode ABVOn the pedestal, set the TCAS mode to ABV(above) to get ready for climb and watch forpotential intruders 8000 feet above theaircraft.Takeoff ThrustIf you are cleared for takeoff, push the thrustlevers to 60-70 % N1 and monitor the E/WD tomake sure thrust is available. If everything isOK, you can push to the FLEX detent. You canuse the TOGA detent for takeoff, but in thisflight we decide to save some fuel and useFLEX thrust takeoff.

IRSFor your information, the IRS areautomatically aligned with the GPS position atthis time. If the IRS were not perfectly alignedbefore, you may see the alignment on the ND.FMAAs soon as the thrust levers are in the FLEXdetent, check that the FMA displays :• MAN FLEX 50 in the 1st column• SRS in green in the 2nd column, in addition

to the blue CLB (armed mode) that wasalready displayed.

• RWY in green in addition to the NAVmessage already displayed in blue in the3rd column.

• A/THR in blue in the 4th column to indicatethe autothrust is armed.

Stick PositionDuring the takeoff roll, the stick should bepushed half way forward until the speedreaches 80 knots. This stick position can bemonitored on the PFD.Yaw BarAs soon as the takeoff thrust is applied, and ifthe runway has an ILS, the yaw bar appears onthe PFD to help you in guiding the aircraftalong the runway centerline.Stick PositionWhen the speed is over 80 knots, the stick canbe released to come back to the neutralposition.RotationWhen VR is reached (indicated with a bluecircle on the PFD speed tape), pull the stickfor the rotation. If the FD is not perfectlystable at this time, take a 15° pitch angle.Landing Gear UPAs soon as positive climb is achieved, thelanding gear can be retracted.The autobrake will automatically turn off 10seconds later.Landing Light OFFEven if the landing light is automaticallyturned off when the gear is retracted, itshould be turned off using the overheadswitch.Ground Spoilers DISARMED

TUTORIAL FLIGHT

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


SETUPFS SETUPKey AssignmentsSome key assignments are suggested foroptimal use of the panel. Some of them arenot defined by default in Flight Simulator, sotheir definition is recommended if it has notbeen done already.

The key assignment is available in FSX throughOptions > Settings > Controls...

The suggested key assignments as follows :• Standby frequency swap :

This commands swaps the active andstandby frequencies on the RadioManagement Panel (RMP). This device isdescribed later in this documentation.

• Autopilot arming switch :This command is mapped to the ‘Z’ key bydefault.It simulates the autopilot disconnectbutton located on the sidestick in the realaircraft. This is why it should be assignedto one of your joystick button, if possible.

• Autothrottle arming switch :This command is mapped to the “Shift-R”key by default.It simulates the thrust lever instinctivepushbuttons located on the throttle leversin the real aircraft. For this reason, itshould be assigned to a button on your

throttle device, if possible.Control Sensitivities and Null ZonesThe sensitivities and null zones of the stickcontroller (PC joystick or yoke) must beadjusted to have the fly-by-wire working asefficiently as possible. These settings aredescribed in detail in the section dedicated tothe fly-by-wire system.Throttle SetupIn the real aircraft, the throttle levers havedetents that correspond to specific throttlesettings. This is detailed in the Autoflightsection (“thrust levers” paragraph).If you have a single or multiple throttledevice, no specific setup is required. Thethrottle device is acquired to determine if thethrottle lever is in a specific detent or not.If you don’t have any throttle device and usethe keyboard to control the engines,everything works without needing any specificsetup, but the use of a throttle device ishighly recommended.

USER SETUPThe aircraft configuration window isaccessible through the Wilco Airbusconfiguration software :

The configuration window is accessible bypressing the top button labeled“Configuration”. The Load Manager, keyconfigurator and Fuel Planner will bedescribed in other sections.

Note : Than when you configure the aircraftthrough this configuration tool, any change istaken into account the next time the aircraft

SETUP

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


• Ground Spoilers ARMEDNote that the landing memo appears when theaircraft reaches 1.500 feet in approach.Glideslope captureAs soon as the localizer is captured (LOC* orLOC displayed on the FMA), you can set theapproach mode (APPR) on the FCU.If you want to make an autoland, you canengage the second autopilot at this time.Landing Memo GREENMake sure all the items on the landing memoare green. If not, take the corrective actions.Short FinalFollow the localizer and glideslope, or let theautopilot do it in autoland if you wish.As the aircraft gets closer to the ground, theLAND mode engages, then the FLARE mode.They are shown on the FMA. If you flymanually, just follow the flight director and itwill be fine.Thrust RETARDAt around 20 feet, an aural warning “Retard,Retard” is heard. Pull the thrust levers back toidle and let the aircraft gently touch theground.

LANDINGReverse Thrust & BrakingAs soon as the wheels have touched theground, you can engage the thrust reversers ifyou wish.The autobrake makes the aircraft decelerateon the ground. You can take the control at anytime by using the brakes. Any action on thebrakes automatically disconnects theautobrake system.Exit RunwayExit runway when able.As soon as it is done, retract the flaps anddisarm the ground spoilers to retract them.Taxi to the GateAs you taxi to the arrival gate, you may noticethe FMGC resets 1 minute after the aircrafthas touched the ground. Its memory is clearedto make it ready for the next flight. The FMAis also cleared.

Last TurnJust before arriving at the gate, you shouldstart the APU to get ready to stop the engines.• APU Master Switch ON• APU STARTAt the GateWhen the aircraft is stopped at the gate, shutit down :• Parking Brakes SET• ENG 1 Master Switch OFF• ENG 2 Master Switch OFF(Remember that the right mouse button mustbe used to shut down the engines)External PowerOne minute after the aircraft has stopped andthe engines are shut down, the GPU becomesavailable. Press the EXT PWR switch on theoverhead to use it.APU Shut DownAs soon as the external power source isavailable, you can save fuel and turn off theAPU by pressing the APU Master Switch.

INTRODUCTION

HOW TO READ THIS MANUAL ?This manual describes the panels and theaircraft systems. Reading this manual is veryimportant to understand how the panels andthe systems work, in order to use themefficiently.Within this manual, you will find some notesabout the usage of these aircrafts in FlightSimulator. They are written in italics. Eachtime you read a section in italics, rememberit is something related to the implementationof a system in the Flight Simulator context.You will also find some advice provided by reallife pilots who fly real Airbus aircraft. This isvery useful and aids understanding about howsome systems are used. For example, it willhelp you to answer the question: “Why should Iuse the TRK/FPA guidance mode instead of theHDG/VS mode?” It may also let you know whena system should be used, and when itshouldn’t.

TUTORIAL FLIGHT / INTRODUCTION / SETUP

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


quantities of documentation to start theengines and fly the aircraft. Intermediateusers will have more realism while enjoyingsome FS “shortcuts”. Expert users will have tofollow carefully all the required procedures tofly this aircraft.The table explains in detail the differencesbetween the various levels of realism.In summary, if you set the realism tobeginner, you will be able to start theengine, take off and land without reading asingle page of this manual. Otherwise, youmust read the documentation to set up theaircraft properly for take off and flight.

IRS Alignment DurationBy default, the IRS alignment time depends onthe level of realism, as shown in the tableabove.In the real aircraft, the alignment time isaround 10 minutes. For easier use, you canreduce this time and set the value you wishusing the slider.Remember that if you change the level ofrealism, the alignment time will be updatedaccordingly.

MCDU Keyboard InputYou may want to use your PC keyboard toenter data into the MCDU. You can do this byselecting a key modifier or a key locker :• A key modifier is supposed to be used in

combination with the keyboard keys. Forexample, if you select Shift-Control asthe modifier, pressing Shift-Control-L willenter an ‘L’ character in the MCDU.Note : A key combination may be inconflict with a FS command, such as Shift-Control-L for the aircraft landing lights.

• The use of a key lock will intercept allthe keys to redirect them to the MCDU.For example, if you select Scroll Lock asthe key lock and press the Scroll Lockkey, the scroll lock LED lights up on yourkeyboard and any key typed on thekeyboard enters a new character intothe MCDU. For example, if you press the

‘L’ key, an ‘L’ character is entered in theMCDU and the aircraft lights don’tchange. Pressing the Scroll Lock keyagain turns the keyboard back in anormal state.

Note 1 : Remember that when a lockerkey (such as Scroll Lock) is used, EVERYkey stroke is redirected to the MCDU.Don’t be amazed if the ALT key doesn’tdisplay the FS menu any more. This isbecause this key is also intercepted.Press the locker key again for normalkeyboard behavior.

Note 2 : In FSX, this key is used todisplay/hide the ATC window, which canalso be displayed/hidden using the‘accent’ key. For this reason, you shouldclear the ‘Scroll Lock’ assignment for theATC window and make this functionaccessible through the ‘accent’ key only.

StartupPress the “cold & dark” button to reset theaircraft in a cold and dark situation, with allthe engines and devices turned off.This feature is available only if the aircraft isparked on the ground.

Pushback TypeThis aircraft allow you to choose the type ofpushback you want to use. The standardpushback is the default pushback available inFlight Simulator, triggered by the Shift-P key(by default) with the 1 and 2 keys to steer theaircraft.The other pushback type simulates the use ofa Power Push Unit (PPU). Unlike the standardpushback, this device is not a pushbackvehicle attached to the nose wheel with a towbar. The PPU is a small remote controlledvehicle attached to a main gear wheel thatpushes the aircraft without steering it. Whenusing a PPU, the pilot has to steer the aircraftin the same way as taxiing.

SETUP

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


is loaded into FSX.

This cascade menu lets you configure theaircraft with several options, described in thefollowing paragraphs.

In FSX, the configuration window is accessible onlythrough the Wilco Airbus configuration software.

Weight UnitYou can select the unit used to display weights(aircraft weight, fuel weight...) The possiblechoices are kilograms (KG) and pounds (LB).European pilots may prefer the metric system(KG), while US pilots may prefer to useImperial measures.

Panel Sound VolumeThe panel has its own sounds: warning sounds,GPWS altitude callouts, etc. This slider letsyou adjust the panel sound volumeindependently from the other FS soundsettings, such as engine sound volume,cockpit sound volume, etc.

User Experience (Realism)This aircraft can be flown in different modesdepending on the level of realism you areexpecting. Three realism levels are available:beginner, intermediate and expert. To make itsimple, beginner users will not have to read

SETUP

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

Beginner Intermediate Expert

Engine Start FS shortcut allowed Full startup sequence Full startup sequence(Ctrl-E key operative) must be executed must be executed

RWY Mode Available on any runway, Available only if the runway Available only if the runway(runway lateral as long as the aircraft has a localizer and the has a localizer and themode) is aligned. departing runway has been departing runway has been

entered in the MCDU entered in the MCDU

Inertial Information Always available Available only when the IRS Available only when the IRS(aircraft heading/track are aligned are alignedand position)

Ref Speeds Automatically computed Automatically computed on Not automatically computed,(V1, VR, V2) with average values request. A warning on the PFD the pilot has to enter them

no warning on the PFD if they are not entered in the MCDU. Otherwise,a warning appears on the PFD

Gross Weight (GW) Automatically computed Must be entered in the MCDU Must be entered in the MCDUaccording to FS settings to compute the F, S, and Greento compute the F, S, and Green

Dot speed (available on request)Dot speed (available on request)

Default IRS Alignment 10 seconds 1 minute 10 minutesduration

Wind indication on Always visible Not visible if speed is too low Not visible if speed is too lowthe Navigation Display (unreliable inertial information)(unreliable inertial information)

MCDU Assistance Available Available Not available


commanded through the stick.If, for any reason (emergency situation forexample), if the pilot wants to exceed the 33°limit, he must continue the stick input tomaintain bank angle. As soon as the stick isreturned to the lateral neutral position, theaircraft comes back to a bank angle of 33°. Inany event, the aircraft cannot exceed a 67°bank angle in clean confi-guration (45° withflaps) to limit the structural acceleration of2.5 g in (2.0 g with flaps).The flight directors automatically disappearwhen the bank angle reaches 45°.The bank angle control is illustrated by thefigure below :

Why do these limits exist ?The aircraft is limited in terms ofacceleration, because of structural andaerodynamic reasons. These limits are 2.5 g inclean configuration and 2.0 g with flaps.If the aircraft wants to maintain a constantaltitude in turn, it has to increase the lift tocounter the bank angle, so it naturallyincreases the load factor weight.

With the help of some mathematics, we canunderstand that the load factor depends onthe bank angle: the more it banks, the more

it has to increase lift, which means increasingthe load factor. Increasing the load factor to2.5 g corresponds to a 67° bank angle, and 2.0g corresponds to 45°. This is theexplanation...

Pitch AngleWhen the pilot wants to command a climb ordescent, he pulls or pushes the stick. Insteadof commanding an elevator position, the pilotcommands a load factor change. As soon asthe stick is in vertical neutral position, thecurrent load factor is maintained in order tomaintain a constant pitch angle through theauto-trim system.The flight envelope protection system limitsthe pitch angle to 30° in climb and 15° indescent. The flight directors automaticallydisappear when these limits are reached.If the alpha protection triggers the alpha floormode (high incidence angle protection), thealpha floor will automatically command anose down situation until the incidence anglereturns to a correct value.

Fly-by-Wire management in Flight Simulator :The simulation of this system does not require anyadditional module in Flight Simulator. It works withthe standard installation of FS. Nevertheless, it onlyworks if a joystick is used to fly the aircraft.Keyboard contro is possible, but it is not totallyefficient. Any serious virtual pilot should not use thekeyboard to fly...The joystick sensitivities and null zones must beadjusted in order to make this system workefficiently in FS. These settings are found in the FSXpull-down menu Options > Settings > Controls...

FLY-BY-WIRE

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


PPU Simulation in FS :To control the PPU, use the keys or the device (suchas rudder pedals) that you usually use to turn thenose wheel.Note that the PPU pushback type is not available inFSX.

Power Push Unit, designed to be attached on one of the

main landing gear.

Auto-PauseChecking this option automatically pauses FSwhen the next waypoint is the computed topof descent point and the distance is less than20 NM. This is especially useful for long flightsduring which you might not be in front of yourcomputer when the aircraft is about to beginits descent.

FLIGHT RESETAn option is available to let you reset thecurrent flight. This operation consists of thefollowing actions:• The flight phase is reset (the value is set

according to the current aircraftsituation). Refer to the FMGC section toknow more about the flight phase.

• The flight plan is reset, which means thenext waypoint is the first waypoint of theflight plan.

• The recorded fuel used by each engine(displayed on the SD) is reset to 0.

Pressing Ctrl-Shift-R resets the current flight.A popup window confirms the operation.

FLY-BY-WIREOVERVIEWThis aircraft is equipped with a fly-by-wiresystem managed by the Flight AugmentationComputer (FAC) and the Elevator and AileronComputer (ELAC). It commands the flightcontrols electrically from the input given bythe pilot through the sidestick. In normal law,this system provides:• Flight automation : bank angle and pitch is

maintained as soon as the stick is releasedto the neutral position.

• Flight envelope protection : the systemprevents the aircraft from entering intodangerous situations, such as high bankangle or stall.

In direct law, the aircraft is controlled likeany standard aircraft : the elevator andaileron deflections are proportional to theside stick movements.

The aircraft automatically switches to directlaw when it is lower than 50 feet above theground (100 feet if autopilot is active).The normal law protections are active only ifat least one FAC is operative.

USAGEThe pilot uses the sidestick to control theaircraft. The stick's side to side movementscommand the bank angle. The stick's forwardand backward movements command thepitch, just like on any aircraft.Bank AngleWhen the pilot wants to make the aircraftturn, he uses the sidestick to command a bankangle. He doesn’t have to use the rudderpedals as the FAC manages the auto-coordination automatically. In normalconditions, the bank angle should neverexceed 33° (the autopilot always commands abank angle less or equal to 25°). When thestick is returned to neutral position, the bankangle is maintained until a new bank angle is

SETUP / FLY-BY-WIRE

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

• Null zone : The fly-by-wire system comes intoaction when the joystick is in neutral position,in order to maintain the bank/pitch anglecommanded by the pilot. If you find this featuredoes not work properly, it may be because thenull zone defined for the aileron or elevator axisis too small. In this case, increase the null zoneso that the fly-by-wire system can identify thenull zone more easily.

• Sensitivity : The pitch control works better if theelevator sensitivity is set to the maximum. Itprovides a better reactivity to the system.

The following parameters provide good results :

Real pilots suggest pushing the sensitivity to themaximum and reducing the null zone to the minimum.If your hardware is good enough to support these

settings (especially regarding the accuracy), you shouldapply these settings.

Note : The flight control system modeled in FlightSimulator is not designed for fly-by-wire systems. In thereal aircraft, there is no direct link between the sidestickand the ailerons/elevators. The sidestick gives an orderto the computer, which computes an electronic order forthe ailerons and elevators. In FS, there is always a linkbetween the user joystick and the simulated aircraftflight controls.In order to get the best results from the fly-by-wiresystem, move the joystick gently, and remember, thisaircraft is not designed for aerobatics, but for optimalpassenger comfort. If you feel uncomfortable with theaircraft control, just release the stick and let the fly-by-wire control the aircraft. Then you just have to adjustthe aircraft trajectory through small stick corrections.


Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


FLY-BY-WIRE

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


choose if the airspeed is displayed in knotsor in Mach.

• The HDG-V/S / TRK-FPA pushbutton selectsthe display mode. If HDG-VS mode isselected, the heading and the verticalspeed (in feet per minute) are shown. If theTRK-FPA mode is selected, the track and theflight path angle (in degrees) are displayed.

• The METRIC ALT pushbutton triggers thedisplay of the altitude in meters on thePrimary Flight Display.

• The six engagement pushbuttons (AP1,AP2, A/THR, EXPED, LOC, APPR) will bedescribed later in this chapter.

The four rotating knobs are the following :

• The airspeed knob controls the airspeed,in knots or in Mach depending on the modeselected with the SPD/MACH pushbutton.It can be pushed to have the speedmanaged by the flight managementsystem.

• The heading knob allows the pilot toselect the heading or track, depending onthe mode selected with the HDG-V/S /TRK-FPA pushbutton. It can be pushed tohave the lateral navigation managed bythe flight management system.

• The altitude knob controls the targetaltitude. It can be pushed to have thevertical navigation managed by the flightmanagement system.

• The vertical speed (V/S) knob controls thevertical speed in feet per minute or theflight path angle (FPA), depending on themode selected with the HDG-V/S / TRK-FPA pushbutton. The vertical speed cannot be managed. If the knob is pushed, ittriggers a level off action.

The FCU has four windows, corresponding tothe four knobs:• The speed window displays the target

speed, in knots or Mach. If the speed ismanaged, it is dashed and the managedspeed light is on.

• The heading window displays the targetheading or track. If the lateral navigationis managed, it is dashed and the managedheading light is on.

• The altitude window shows the targetaltitude. It is never dashed. The light is on assoon as the altitude displayed is higher thanthe acceleration altitude entered in theMCDU (refer to the FMGC section for moredetails).

• The vertical speed window shows thevertical speed in feet per minute, or theflight path angle in degrees.

Selected FunctionsWhen airspeed, heading or vertical speedvalue is selected, it can be adjusted byturning the corresponding knob until thedesired value is displayed in the FCU window.In the example shown below, the speed,heading and vertical speed are selected, andtheir values are 210 knots, 12° heading and a2100 feet per minutes to climb to the altitudeof 25000 feet (FL250).

FCU knob rotation in Flight Simulator :The knob rotation is simulated by clicking on theleft/right of the knob to decrease/increase thecorresponding value. For the vertical speed knob, youhave to click above/below the V/S knob toincrease/decrease the value.As soon as you move the mouse in one of the sensitivearea used for rotation, the hand cursor appears with a+ (plus) or a – (minus) to indicate the possiblevariation. If you click the left mouse button, itcommands a normal value change. If you click theright mouse button, it makes a bigger incrementalchange.


AUTOFLIGHTAUTOFLIGHT COMPONENTSThe pilot interacts with the autoflightmanagement system through the followingcomponents :• The Flight Control Unit (FCU) located on

the glareshield• The Multifunction Control and Display Unit

(MCDU) located on the pedestal• The thrust levers• The sidesticksThe autoflight status can be monitored on thefollowing components :• The FCU• The Primary Flight Display (PFD), especially

the Flight Mode Annunciator (FMA) and theFlight Director.

Flight Control UnitSelected and Managed functionsThe Flight Control Unit (FCU) has four rotatingknobs. It is a feature of the FCU that theseknobs can also be pushed or pulled.If a knob is pulled, it means the pilot takes thedecision to control the knob's function. In thiscase, the function is selected.If it is pushed, the pilot transfers functionalcontrol to the flight management system. Thefunction is managed.To remember this, think of the direction in

which the knob moves :• If you push a knob, it moves in the

direction of the aircraft systems, whichmeans you give the control to themachine.

• If you pull a knob, it moves in yourdirection, which means the control is givento the pilot.

FCU knob usage in Flight Simulator :The actions on the FCU knobs are simulated bymouse click actions. Pushing a knob is simulatedby a left mouse button click, and pulling a knobis simulated by a right mouse click.The following table summarizes the FCU knob actions :

Real world action FS simulated action FunctionKnob push Left-button mouse click ManagedKnob pull Right-button mouse click Selected

FCU LayoutThe FCU is composed of four rotating knobs,nine pushbuttons and four display windows.The nine pushbuttons act as follows :

• The SPD-MACH pushbutton lets the pilot

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

AUTOFLIGHTAUTOFLIGHT

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


1 - Flight Director pushbutton : FDThis button is used to engage the flightdirector. This is absolutely necessary beforeengaging the autopilot. Remember that theflight director determines how the aircraftshould be flown, and the autopilot justexecutes the orders coming from the flightdirector (the FD is “the brain” and the AP is“the muscle”).2 - Localizer : LOCThis button is used to engage the localizermode. When it is engaged, it commands thelateral navigation to follow the localizerwhich frequency is tuned on NAV1 (ILS).The LOC mode should be engaged before theAPPR mode.3-4 - Autopilot pushbuttons : AP1 and AP2The pilot uses these buttons to engage theautopilots. Two autopilots are provided forredundancy. You can engage either AP1 orAP2. However, AP1 and AP2 can be engagedsimultaneously only in approach mode, toincrease the safety of an autoland.These pushbuttons should not be used todisengage the autopilots. If this is done, acontinuous alarm will sound due to thisabnormal procedure. The autopilot should bedisconnected using the sidestick red button(or assigned key stroke, eg Z). When this isdone, the warning sound is temporary.Sidestick button simulation in Flight Simulator :In the FS Setup section (Key Assignments), theassignment of the FS autopilot switch to a joystickbutton is recommended. If you can do so, it allowsyou to simulate the real aircraft procedure thatconsists in disconnecting the autopilot only throughthe joystick button, and not through the AP1/AP2pushbuttons on the FCU.5 - Autothtrust : A/THRPressing this button engages or disengages theautothrust system. This system can also beengaged or disengaged using the thrust levers(discussed later in this chapter).This button illuminates when the autothrust isarmed or engaged. The only way to know theexact status of the autothrust is by looking atthe Flight Mode Annunciator (FMA).

6 - Expedite : EXPEDPressing this button initiates an expeditedclimb or descent. An expedited climbcorresponds to an open climb at green dotspeed. An expedited descent is an opendescent at the speed of 340 kts/M.0.80,regardless of any speed constraint.7 - Approach : APPRWhen the aircraft is on an ILS approach, pressthis button to engage the ILS approach mode.This will command the lateral and verticalnavigation to follow the localizer and glideslope. This mode has to be engaged to effectan autoland.If the LOC mode was previously engaged,engaging the APPR mode will turn the LOClight off. Nevertheless, the APPR will guidethe aircraft on the localizer and the glideslope.

Some AdviceLOC/APPR mode usageReal pilots say the LOC mode should ALWAYSbe engaged before the APPR mode. Even ifengaging the APPR mode before the LOC modeis possible, it should never be done. This isbecause the airport approach guides you on alateral and vertical path that avoids theterrain. The terrain avoidance is totallyreliable only if you descnd on the glide slopeand when you are aligned with the runway, orrunway localizer.AutolandIn case of lateral wind, the autopilot will havedifficulties to follow the localizer. Real lifepilots say the autoland is NEVER used in caseof lateral wind. The human pilot is muchbetter than the autopilot to make small andaccurate trajectory changes in order to fly agood ILS approach. The autoland is perfect forlow visibility approaches, but not for windyones.Autothrust usageMany pilots say you shouldn’t use the auto-thrust when flying the aircraft manually. Thisis because it may amplify the trajectorycorrection (especially in pitch) you make to


The value changes are summarized in the tablebelow :

Function Button mouse click VariationAirspeed (knots) Left +/- 1 knot

Right +/- 10 knots

Airspeed (MACH) Left +/- .01Right +/- .10

Heading/Track Left +/- 1°Right +/- 10°

Altitude Left +/- 100 feetRight +/- 1000 feet

Vertical Speed Left +/- 100 ft/minRight +/- 1000 ft/min

Mouse wheel usage :When the mouse cursor is moved over a knob or overa variation zone, you can use the mouse wheel toadjust the value. Turning the mouse wheel normallycommands a normal variation. Turning the mousewheel while pressing one of the Shift keyscommands bigger variations.

If you want to change the altitude selection,you must first turn the altitude knob todisplay the desired target altitude. Then youcan initiate the climb or descent by one of thefollowing actions :• Pull the altitude knob. This will make the

altitude ‘selected’ and it will result in anopen climb or open descent.

• Push the altitude knob. The altitude isnow ‘managed’ and it will result in amanaged climb or descent.

• Pull the V/S knob, and select a verticalspeed.

• Press the EXPED pushbutton, which will

result in an expedited climb or descent.Managed FunctionsIf a knob is pushed, the correspondingfunction is managed by the FlightManagement System. The corresponding FCUdisplay is then dashed and the managedguidance light turns on.In this example, the speed, heading andvertical speeds are managed.

Notes :• The vertical speed/flight path angle knob

can not be managed. Pushing this knobresults in a level off action.

• Even if the vertical navigation is managed,the FCU altitude window is never dashed.

Reminder :Before taking off, the speed, heading andvertical speed are managed by default. Tomake sure the FCU is correctly set for takeoff, remember the words “dash, ball, dash,ball, ball, dash”. It means speed display isdashed and speed light (ball) is on, heading isdashed and heading light is on, altitude lightis on and vertical speed is dashed (as shownon the image above).This is especially important for the altitudelight, which is illuminated only if the selectedaltitude is higher than the accelerationaltitude. If it is lower, the initial climb will notbe correct.

Engagement PushbuttonsSeven engagement buttons are located on theFCU. They illuminate when theircorresponding mode is engaged.

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)Airbus A380v2 (FSX)



The levers can be moved in :• the IDLE detent : the autothrust system is

automatically disconnected and idlepower is always applied, unless TOGALOCK mode is engaged,

• the CL detent : the Full Authority DigitalEngine Control (FADEC) commands climbpower,

• the FLX/MCT detent : FLX (flex) is used forreduced thrust take off, and MCT (maxcontinuous thrust) should be selected insingle engine operation,

• the TOGA detent : whatever happens, fullengine power is applied (for take off or go-around).

Standard UsageThe autothrust system should be used as oftenas possible, even if some pilots say itshouldn’t be used when the aircraft is flownmanually. It should be turned on just aftertake off and should remain on until theaircraft has landed.The standard usage of the throttle is thefollowing : • The levers should be in the IDLE position

when the engines are turned on.• They can be moved in the manual range

for taxi. Note that the aircraft can taxiwith idle thrust, you just need a littlethrust to initiate the roll.

• For take off, the pilot decides if flex ortake off power should be applied. Use flexpower as often as possible to save theengines. Maximum TOGA power should beused on short or wet runways or when theweather conditions are bad (especiallywindshears).As soon as take off power (FLX or TOGA) isapplied, the autothrust systemautomatically arms : the FCU A/THR lightturns on and A/THR appears in blue on theFMA (5th column).

• When airborne and the reduction altitudeis reached (usually 1.500 feet AGL), thepilot is requested to engage the climbmode by moving the levers into the CLdetent (flashing LVR CLB message on the

FMA).As soon as the levers are retarded into theCL detent, the autothrust system is auto-matically engaged : the A/THR message onthe FMA appears in white.

• During the whole flight, the levers shouldremain in the CL detent, unless max poweris needed in case of an emergency.

On this aircraft, the throttle levers don’tmove by themselves, even if thrust iscommanded by the FADEC. They aresupposed to stay in the CL detent when theautothrust system is engaged. For thisreason, the pilots must be warned when idlethrust is commanded. This is shown on theEngine/Warning Display (E/WD) with an IDLEmessage that flashes for a few seconds.MonitoringThe autothrust system can be monitoredthrough several autoflight components:• On the Engine/Warning Display (E/WD),

the engine power commanded by theautothrust system is shown with a blue arcon the N1 gauges.

• On the E/WD, messages can be displayedto indicate specific autothrust status (IDLEor A.FLOOR).

• On the Flight Control Unit (FCU), theA/THR pushbutton light shows if theautothrust system is off (light off) orarmed or engaged (light on).

• On the Primary Flight Display (PFD), thefirst column shows the current autothrustmode, and the 5th column shows theautothrust status (off, armed or engaged).

Autothrust modesThe autothrust system has two kinds ofmodes:• The fixed thrust modes: a fixed thrust is

commanded and the airspeed is controlledby adjusting the aircraft pitch.

• The variable thrust modes: the speed iscontrolled by changing the thrust enginepower.


Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

fly the aircraft along the glide slope. Otherpilots think the auto-thrust is reactive enoughto be used even when the aircraft is flownmanually. You will make your own opinion.In case of strong wind, you may see the auto-thrust is constantly updating the thrust. Thismay sound weird, but if you look carefully,this is the best way to have the aircraft speedconform to the FCU required selected ormanaged speed. In my opinion, the impact ofthe wind on the airspeed in FS is not totallyrealistic, it is too strong.Flying the aircraft manuallyIf you disconnect the auto-pilot to fly theaircraft manually, many pilots suggest the useof TRK/FPA mode instead of HDG/V/S mode.In TRK-FPA, the green flight path vectorsymbol, called the "bird", shows the aircrafttrajectory in a way that is easier tounderstand by a human pilot :• on the lateral plan, you can observe the

impact of the lateral wind and see wherethe aircraft is really heading,

• on the vertical plan, you see the angle ofdescent that allows you to easily fly anapproach visually.

Sidesticks and Rudder PedalsIn the real aircraft, the sidesticks are firmlyheld in their center position when anautopilot is engaged. A strong manualmovement of a sidestick or a rudder pedalinput indicates that the pilot wants to takethe control of the aircraft. It disconnects theautopilot with an aural warning. This warningindicates it is not the right way to disconnectthe autopilot. This warning can be stopped byone of the following actions:• re-engaging the autopilot through the FCU

pushbutton,• pressing the sidestick button to confirm

the Autopilot disconnection action.In Flight Simulator, this feature is simulated by astrong movement of the joystick or rudder pedal. Ifyou move the joystick or rudder pedal to an extremeposition, it disconnects the autopilot like in the realaircraft.

Thrust LeversThe thrust system of this aircraft has fourdetents in which the levers can enter. Whenthe pilot moves the levers, he can feel “hardpoints” when they reach one of the detents.The four detents correspond to four possiblethrust modes:• IDLE• CL for Climb• FLX/MCT for Flex/Maximum Continuous

Thrust• TOGA for Take off go-aroundThe thrust levers have two red buttons on theside, called instinctive buttons. They are usedto disarm the autothrust system.

Simulation of the lever movement in Flight Simulator :As your throttle control does not have detents, thisis simulated by a sound that is played each time alever enters or leaves a detent. When you move yourthrottle, pay attention to this sound because itindicates when the levers have reached a detent. Youcan also see the thrust mode indication on theEngine/Warning Display (E/WD).The autothrust system works properly if you controlthe throttle through the keyboard. Nevertheless, theuse of a throttle device is highly recommended.Simulation of the instinctive pushbuttons in FlightSimulator :The instinctive pushbutton function is mapped onthe FS auto-throttle system. You can map any key orbutton to the “Autothrottle arming switch”command and it will simulate the instinctivepushbuttons.When the thrust levers are in the manualrange (not in a detent), the levers commandthe engines like any other aircraft : theengine power is relative to the lever angle.

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)



message “THR IDLE” is displayed on theFMA when the fixed idle thrust is provided,and a flashing “IDLE” message is shown onthe E/WD when the engine power is idle.The aircraft speed is then controlled bythe pitch (used for open descent).

The autothrust mode is displayed on the FMA,column 1. When armed, the autothrust modeis displayed in white inside a white borderedbox.The autothrust is disarmed when the A/THRbutton is depressed on the FCU, or when thethrottle levers are moved back to the IDLEdetent.

Autothrust ActiveIf the autothrust system is armed, it becomesactive when the throttle levers are movedinto the CL detent. If it is off, it can be madeactive by pressing the A/THR button on theFCU.When the autothrust system is active, theA/THR light illuminates on the FCU panel, anda white A/THR message appears on the FMA(column 5). The thrust mode displayed in the1st column of the FMA appears in green.When the autothrust is active, the fixed andvariable thrust modes are available. In thismode only, the autothrust fully controls thethrust to maintain selected or managed speedin level flight or when the aircraft is followinga specific vertical path (ILS approach forexample).

Variable thrust modes are :• SPEED

This mode is available only when theautothrust system is active. A “SPEED”message is displayed in green on the FMA(column 1) when this mode is engaged.The autothrust automatically switches tothis mode when :– the aircraft levels off from a climb or a

descent,– a vertical guidance mode that commands

a specific vertical path (V/S or ILS mode)is engaged,

– The flight directors are turned off.• MACH

It is the same as the SPEED mode. It is onlyavailable at high altitudes. The autothrustsystem automatically switches from SPEEDto MACH and vice-versa at apredetermined altitude.

The autothrust system can be changed toarmed mode by moving the throttle leversforward into the FLX/MCT or TOGA detent.The autothrust is de-activated if the A/THRbutton is depressed on the FCU, or when thethrottle levers are moved back to the IDLEdetent. In this case, an “A/THR OFF” messageappears on the E/WD for a few seconds and awarning sound is heard.

Thrust LimitationDuring normal operations, the thrust leversshould remain in the CL detent during thewhole flight. If the autothrust system isengaged and the levers are moved below theCL detent (in the manual range), the thrust islimited to the thrust lever position. If thethrust lever position is limiting the autothrustsystem, a master caution is generated and amessage is displayed on the E/WD to indicatethis. Repeated chime will sound until acorrective action if taken.Thrust LockWhen the autothrust system is armed with thelevers in the CL detent and the autothrust isdisengaged by pressing the FCU A/THRpushbutton, the engine thrust remainsconstant until the levers are moved out of theCL detent. This status is shown by a flashingTHR LK message on the FMA (1st column) anda message appears on the E/WD, asking thepilot to move the thrust levers. Repeatedchime will sound until a corrective action iftaken.

Lateral GuidanceThe lateral guidance modes provide guidancealong a lateral path according to the FCUsettings or to the flight plan stored in theFMGC.


Alpha Floor - Flight envelope protectionIf the alpha protection system detects highincidence angles, it engages the alpha floormode that automatically applies full TOGAengine power (even if the autothrust system isnot engaged and regardless of the thrustlevers' position). At the same time, theaircraft's pitch is decreased to reduce theincidence. A message A.FLOOR is displayed onthe FMA (1st column).When the incidence angle is correct again, thealpha floor stops and the autothrust systemlocks the TOGA power. The TOGA LK messageis then displayed on the FMA (1st column).To unlock the TOGA LK mode, the pilot mustfollow the recommendations:1. Move the trust levers to the TOGA detent

to avoid a thrust difference when theautothrust system is disengaged.

2. Disengage the autothrust system bypressing the A/THR button on the FCU orby pressing an instinctive pushbutton.

3. Retard the levers to the CL detent.4. Re-engage the autothrust system by

pressing the A/THR button on the FCUagain.

FLIGHT GUIDANCEThe flight guidance section covers all theautomatic flight modes : speed guidance,lateral guidance and vertical guidance.

Speed GuidanceIt is mainly related to the autothrust system.

Autothrust armingIf the autothrust system is off, it is armedwhen the throttle levers are moved to theFLX/MCT or TOGA detent during take off, orwhen the levers are moved in the TOGAdetent while the aircraft is in flight and theflaps are extended (go around).When the autothrust system is armed, theA/THR light illuminates on the FCU panel, anda blue A/THR message appears on the FMA.Note that the A/THR button light also

illuminates when the autothrust is active. Thisis why the pilot must look at the FMA (column5) to determine if it is armed or active.

Typical FMA display when take off power is applied.The first column shows FLEX power is selected,

and column 5 shows the autothrust system is armed.

When the autothrust system is armed, onlythe fixed thrust modes (constant thrustprovided) are available :• TOGA - Take off / Go around :

This mode provides the maximum thrust,“MAN TOGA” is displayed on the FMA(column 1).

• FLX – Flex :It is used for reduced thrust take off. Theprovided thrust depends on thetemperature that is entered in the MCDUPERF page. If the aircraft is on the ground,“MAN FLX” message is displayed on theFMA (column 1) with the selectedtemperature in blue.If the flex mode is used for take off and notemperature has been entered in theMCDU, a message “FLX TEMP NOT SET”appears on the E/WD. In this case, thetake off should continue in TOGA mode bypushing the throttle levers into the TOGAdetent. This removes the cautionmessage.

• MCT - Maximum continuous thrust :It provides a fixed thrust that is themaximum continuous thrust depending onthe current conditions. This is the normallever position if an engine fails.

• CL – Climb :Climb thrust is provided based on thecurrent conditions. A message “THR CLB”is displayed on the FMA when the fixedclimb thrust is provided. The aircraftspeed is then controlled by the pitch (usedfor climb).

• IDLE :This mode provides fixed idle thrust. A




manually through the FCU by doing thefollowing actions :• Select a new altitude on the FCU using the

altitude knob,• Then select a vertical mode using the

altitude knob, the V/S knob or the EXPEDbutton. This action will determine thevertical mode that will be used to fly theaircraft : V/S, FPA, Open Climb or OpenDescent.

Open Climb (OP CLB)This mode is used to climb at a selected altitudewithout taking care of any altitude constraint.This mode is linked to the THR CLB autothrustmode (fixed thrust mode with N1 set accordingto the CLB thrust setting). When this mode isactive, the current selected or managed targetspeed is held and the pitch is adjustedconsequently. This is why the V/S FCU display isdashed.If the EXPED mode is engaged when the openclimb mode is active, the aircraft will climb asquickly as possible, using the green dot speedas the target speed.

The open climb mode can be engaged onlywhen the autopilot and autothrust systemsare active, by the following actions :1. Select an altitude that is higher than the

current altitude on the FCU,2. Pull the altitude knob.Note : If the altitude change is less than 1.200feet, the vertical speed will be set auto-matically to 1.000 feet/min and the FMAindications don’t change.In open climb, the FMA looks like this :

Open Descent (OP DES)This mode is similar to the open climb mode,used for the descent. It allows the descent ata selected altitude without honoring anyaltitude constraint. It is linked to the THRIDLE autothrust mode, which means the

engines power will be set to IDLE.If the EXPED mode is engaged when the opendescent mode is active, the aircraft willdescend as quickly as possible, using themaximum speed of 340 kts/ Mach .80 as thetarget speed (potentially limited by the VMAXspeed).

The open descent mode can be engaged onlywhen the autopilot and autothrust systemsare active, by the following actions :3. Select an altitude that is lower than the

current altitude on the FCU,4. Pull the altitude knob.Note : The open descent should not be used atlow altitudes.

Vertical Speed / Flight Path Angle (VS or FPA)These modes let the pilot control the climb ordescent through the vertical speed or theflight path angle (depending on the FCUmode, V/S – HDG or TRK – FPA). Consequently,the FCU V/S or FPA display shows the selectedvalue.These modes are linked to the Speed/Machautothrust mode (variable thrust mode thatadjusts the engine power according to thespeed target).The FMA displays the selected mode (V/S orFPA) with the current selected value in blue.In V/S mode, the FMA and FCU may look likethis :

In FPA mode, they may look like this :


The pilot can control the lateral guidancethrough the FCU, in which case it is a selectedlateral mode. Or he may let the FMGC manageit, in which case it is a managed lateral mode.

Automatic Lateral ModesDuring take off (as soon as the throttle leversare in the FLEX or TOGA detent), the lateralRWY (runway) mode automatically engages.This mode is designed to help the pilot infollowing the runway heading. In fact, itautomatically sets the ILS frequency (if itexists) and the yaw bar is displayed on thePFD to help the runway tracking. If therunway has no ILS, no yaw bar is shown.

Typical FMA display when take off power is applied.Column 3 shows the runway mode is engaged (greenRWY), and the NAV mode is armed (blue NAV).

When the aircraft reaches the altitude of 30feet above the ground, the NAV modeautomatically engages if a flight plan isdefined. If no flight plan is defined, or if theflight plan leads to a discontinuity, the RWYTRK (runway track) mode automaticallyengages to help the pilot in following therunway track after take off until anotherlateral mode is selected.

Selected Lateral ModeThe pilot can control the lateral guidancemanually through the FCU by pulling the HDG(or TRK) knob on the FCU to select theheading (or track). Depending on the FCUmode, the heading or the track is selected.

Managed Lateral ModeThe crew can push the HDG knob to set theheading managed mode. The NAV mode thenbecomes active (shown in green on the FMA)and the aircraft follows the flight planentered in the FMGC.If the heading is in managed mode on theground, the NAV mode is armed (shown in blue

on the FMA). It will automatically becomeactive shortly after take off.

Vertical GuidanceThe vertical modes provide guidance alongthe vertical flight plan, according to the FMGCflight plan and pilot inputs via the FCU.The pilot can control the vertical guidancemanually through the FCU (selected verticalmode) or let the FMGC manage the verticalguidance (managed vertical mode).The vertical modes are always on the 2nd

column of the FMA. The active mode isdisplayed in green on the first line, and thearmed mode is shown on the second line inblue.

Automatic Vertical ModesDuring take off (as soon as the throttle leversare in the FLEX or TOGA detent), the lateral SRS(speed reference system) mode automaticallyengages if some conditions are fulfilled :• The flaps are extended,• V2 was entered in the MCDU Take off PERF

page.This mode is designed to manage the initialclimb, from the ground to the accelerationaltitude. It will make the aircraft climb at thehighest possible rate of climb, keeping V2+10knots if all engines are running, otherwise V2.This mode is very helpful, you just have to followthe flight director after take off to make aperfect climb.

Typical FMA display when take off power is applied.Column 2 shows the speed reference system mode is engaged

(green SRS),and the managed climb mode is armed (blueCLB).

As soon as the acceleration altitude isreached, the vertical mode automaticallyswitches to CLB mode.

Selected Vertical ModesThe pilot can control the vertical guidance




The top of descent point, computed by the FMGC,is shown with a white down arrow (1)

For any reason, you may initiate the descentbefore or after the computed top of descentpoint. In this case, the FMGC will do its best toput the aircraft back on the computed descentprofile. If you descend before, the FMGC willcommand a slow descent (at 1.000 feet perminute) until it intercepts the computed descentpath. If you descent after, the FMGC will initiatea idle descent with a high rate of descent whilekeeping the airspeed within the possible range(+/-20 knots around the descent target speed). Ifthe aircraft is very high above the descentprofile, the FMGC may be unable to intercept thepath because it would need a descent speedhigher than the maximum authorized speed. Ifthis happens, the only solution is to extend thespeed brakes so that the angle of descentincreases with the same airspeed.The example below shows a managed descentwhere the aircraft is above the computeddescent path :

During a managed descent, the PFD displays

speed and altitude information relative to the descent.1. The descent target speed is shown with a

magenta = sign.2. The FMGC can adjust the speed up to the

maximum managed descent speed, whichis the target speed + 20 knots.

3. If the aircraft has to slow down theaircraft, it can adjust the speed down tothe minimum managed descent speed,which is the target speed - 20 knots.

4. The descent path indicator (magentacircle) shows the vertical deviation withthe computed descent profile.

On this example, the aircraft is above thedescent path (the magenta circle is below thealtitude yellow line), which is why the FMGCcommands a speed higher than the descenttarget speed (300 knots) in order to increasethe angle of descent while keeping idlethrust. The managed descent speed will notexceed 320 knots. If this speed is still too lowto intercept the descent path, you can extendthe speed brakes, but you should be awarethat it will result in a VERY high descent rate.

During the managed descent, additionalinformation is computed by the FMGC anddisplayed on the ND with the pseudo-waypoints. These waypoints are computed bythe FMGC and added in the flight plan whenall the necessary information is entered bythe crew.The pseudo-waypoints are the following:• Speed Limit :

It is displayed as a magenta filled circle. Itshows where the aircraft will accelerateor decelerate to reach a new target speed.On this example, this waypoint ispositioned where the aircraft crosses10,000 feet and it will accelerate from 250to 300 knots.


Managed Vertical ModesIn Managed vertical mode, the FMGC deter-mines the best climb or descent profile.By default, the CLB mode (climb mode) isarmed when the aircraft is on the ground. It isshown in blue on the FMA. It means the climbmode will be automatically activated as soonas the aircraft reaches the accelerationaltitude set in the MCDU (refer to the FMGCsection to know more about the accelerationaltitude).Managed ClimbThe managed climb can be set at any time byselecting a higher altitude on the FCU andpushing the ALT knob. The managed climb canbe activated only if the NAV mode is active(lateral mode managed).The managed climb is very similar to the openclimb mode described earlier. The onlydifference is that the managed climb moderespects the altitude constraints. If there isno constraint, the open climb and managedclimb modes are just the same.If an altitude constraint is defined on the nextwaypoint, the managed climb mode respects it bylimiting the target altitude to the altitudeconstraint value. In other words, the targetaltitude will be the altitude constraint, even if thealtitude displayed on the FCU is higher. In thissituation, the target altitude symbol appears inmagenta on the altitude tape, and the ALTmessage is shown in magenta on the FMA toindicate the presence of a constraint. As soon asthe constrained waypoint is passed, the targetaltitude becomes the FCU altitude, unless anotherconstraint is defined.

Managed DescentThe managed descent should be used onlywhen the aircraft is at cruise altitude. It canbe engaged only if the NAV mode is activated

(managed lateral mode). To engage themanaged descent, an altitude lower than thecurrent altitude must be selected on the FCU,and the ALT knob must be pushed.

When the managed descent is initiated, theaircraft will try to descend using idle thrust aslong as possible to save fuel. It will also respectthe constraints, especially the speed limitationbelow the limitation altitude (usually, the speedlimit is 250 kt below 10,000 ft). In fact, the FMGCcomputes a ideal descent path it will doeverything possible to maintain the aircraft onthis path.As soon as you initiate the descent, the FMAlooks like this :

The thrust is reduced to idle, and a magentacircle appears on the altitude tape. Itrepresents the vertical deviation between thecurrent altitude and the computed descentpath. In managed descent mode, the FMGCwill adjust the vertical speed to minimize thevertical deviation. This will be done byadjusting the descent speed by +/-20 knotsaround the managed descent speed. Thisinterval is shown on the speed tape by 2 halftriangles showing the minimum and maximumspeed the aircraft can take to manage thedescent.The best option is to initiate the descentwhen you reach the Top of Descent point,displayed on the Navigation Display, unlessthe ATC commands you to descend at anothertime...



airport and the ILS signal is received, the pilotcan initiated an ILS approach by engaging theLOC and APPR mode to follow the localizerand the glide slope. Remember that thelocalizer should always be captured beforethe APPR mode is armed for the glide slopecapture.As soon as the APPR mode is engaged, you canswitch on both autopilots. This is the onlytime you can turn them on simultaneously inorder to provide redundancy for an autoland.If both autopilots are engaged and the ILS iscaptured, you can just let the aircraft go andit will proceed to an automatic landing.When the aircraft reaches 400 feet AGL, theLAND mode activates, as shown on the FMA :

As the aircraft comes closer to the ground, itwill automatically engage the flare, which isalso shown on the FMA :

During an autoland, the only action requiredof the pilot is to pull the thrust levers back tothe idle position when the "Retard, Retard"call-out is heard 20 feet AGL.

When the aircraft touches the ground, theROLL OUT mode engages to steer the aircrafton the ground. If the auto-brake was engaged,the aircraft automatically brakes todecelerate on the ground.


• Top of Climb (1) and Top of Descent (2) :They are shown with white arrows on theflight plan. The top of climb is placedwhere the aircraft is supposed to reachthe cruise altitude, and the top of descentis positioned where the crew shouldinitiate the descent to follow thecomputed descent path as closely asp o s s i b l e .

• Deceleration point : It is displayed with a big ‘D’. It showswhere the aircraft will startdecelerating for the approach. If theaircraft is in managed descent andmanaged heading, the FMGC willautomatically switch to the approachphase. It means it will automaticallydecelerate to green dot speed inclean configuration, then to S, F andVapp speed according to the aircraftconfiguration. In addition, the ILSfrequency of the arrival runway willbe tuned, if it is an ILS approach.

Managed Descent with the FS ATC :If you fly with the FS virtual ATC, there is ahigh probability that it asks you to initiateyour descent before the computed top ofdescent point. This is not a problem, you canengage a managed descent. In this case, youraircraft will be below the computed descentpath for a certain time (descent at 1000 feetper minute) and it will finally intercept thecorrect descent path.In addition, the ATC will probably ask you toturn to a certain heading before you reach thedeceleration point (D point). In this case, youwill have to select a heading manually, andthis will force you to leave the NAV mode(managed lateral mode). Consequently, theFMGC will not automatically switch to theapproach phase, you will have to do itmanually through the PERF page. I suggest youdo this when switching to the tower frequencyto get the landing clearance.

Approach & LandingIf the speed is managed when the approachphase is active, the target speed will be:• Green dot speed if the aircraft is in clean

configuration• S speed if the slats are extended• F speed if the flaps are extended• Vapp if the flaps are in configuration 3 or

FULLThese speeds are computed by the FMGC. TheVapp speed is continuously updated to takethe current wind into account and make surethe aircraft can land in safe conditions.

When the aircraft is close to the arrival

For Microsoft Flight Simulator use only. Not for use in real aviation. 31

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

Applying the brakes manually disengages theauto-brakes.The pilot is free to engage the reverse thrustif necessary (this action will never betriggered by the autopilot). If the pilot makesno action, the aircraft will come to acomplete stop.If the pilot wants to take control of theaircraft, he must disengage the autopilot. Itlooks obvious, but pilots often forget this anddon’t understand why they can’t control theaircraft to leave the runway...

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


EFISEFIS


Attitude Indicator

1. Horizon line : representation of thehorizon on the attitude indicator. Ticks aredrawn every 10° to visualize the headingvariation, especially useful during turns.When the flight director is off, a vertical blueline on the horizon shows the heading or trackselected on the FCU. This is very useful whenlanding manually with cross wind.

2. Pitch indicator : the pitch indicator, alsocalled “pitch ladder”, shows the pitch angle,in degrees, with a line every 2.5 degrees. Thetop image shows a pitch of about 5°.

3. Bank angle reference : on the top of theattitude indicator, ticks represent bank anglesof 10, 20, 30 and 45°.4. Bank angle indicator : this yellow indexmoves as the aircraft banks. It can be moved infront of one of the tick to manage a turn with anaccurate bank angle. This is especially useful tomanage procedure turns when flying in manualmode.

The image shows a right turn with amaintained bank angle of 25°.The yellow bank angle indicator is also a sideslip indicator. The bottom part slides on theleft or right when the turn is not coordinated.This never happens in normal law because thefly-by-wire system handles the auto-coordination.5. Reference bars : two bars represent theaircraft wings. They are the pitch reference.6. Fly-by-wire limitations : the green linesshow the limitations the fly-by-wire willrespect. On the left and right of the attitudeindicator, the green lines show the bank anglelimitation (67° or 45° in normal law). On thepitch ladder, green lines show the +30°/-15°pitch angle limitation. In normal law, the fly-by-wire system will prevent the pilot from passingthese limits.

The vertical and horizontal green lines are theflight director. It will be described later in thissection.

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

EFISPANEL GENERAL USAGEThe panel is composed of several windowsthat can be popped-up using the auto-hiddenicon bar or the following keys:• Shift-3 for the pedestal• Shift-4 for the overhead panel• Shift-5 for the MCDU

EFIS USAGE

All the EFIS (PFD, ND, E/WD and SD) areexpandable (pop-up), detachable, resizableand their brightness is adjustable.When the mouse is over any EFIS central zone,also called “active zone” (shown here inmagenta), you can :• Pop-up the EFIS by clicking with the left

mouse button. When it is popped-up, youcan drag it by clicking in the outer zone(shown in green) to move it around thescreen or on an additional monitor if youhave one. You can also resize it bydragging a border or a corner.

• Adjust the brightness by turning the mousewheel.

• Reset the brightness by clicking the middlebutton (on many mice, this corresponds toclicking the wheel itself).

You can also use the number keys combinedwith Shift to pop-up an EFIS, which isespecially useful when the EFIS is not visibleon the screen (i.e. when an outside view isactive):• Shift-6 for the PFD• Shift-7 for the ND

• Shift-8 for the E/WD• Shift-9 for the SD.

PFD – PRIMARY FLIGHT DISPLAYThe PFD shows all the essential informationrequired to fly the aircraft.

PFD, aircraft stopped on the ground

PFD in flightIt is composed of several parts :• Attitude indicator, also known as the

artificial horizon (center)• Flight director• Speed indicator (left)• Altitude indicator (right)• Heading/Track indicator (bottom part)• Flight Mode Annunciator FMA (upper part)• ILS guidance (localizer and glide slope)• Radio-altitudeAll these components will be described in thischapter.

If IRS is not aligned, some information isunavailable and can not be displayed on thePFD, which shows as following :

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

EFISEFIS


pilots switch the FD off and on at the verybeginning of the flight, in order to reset theFCU and make sure no mode remains engagedbecause of the previous flight.

Choosing HDG/VS or TRK/FPA guidance modeThe choice between these two modes is amatter of personal preference. Some pilotssay that TRK/FPA mode should be used whenflying the aircraft manually without using theflight director.My advice is that you should use your personalexperience. In my opinion, the TRK/FPA modeis very useful when you land manually withstrong cross winds. You shouldn’t use theauto-pilot and autoland is such situations.Guiding the aircraft manually along its finalapproach trajectory is made easy by the useof the “bird” in TRK/FPA mode. First, set theTRACK value to the runway orientation. Thenuse the ILS indication to put the aircraft onthe localizer and glide slope. When theaircraft is aligned with the ILS, you just haveto keep the bird aligned with the headingvertical blue line (lateral guidance) and keepthe bird at 3° on the pitch ladder (verticalguidance). Remember that the “bird” (flightpath vector) shows you where the aircraft isactually going. This visual assistance helpsyou in following the ILS indication very easily.Try it, and you will appreciate it, even withstrong cross winds.

Speed Indicator

The current airspeed The current airspeed The current airspeedis 276 knots is 296 knots is 298 knots

(Mach 0.56) and (Mach 0.59) and (Mach 0.6) andthe target speed is the target speed is the target speed is

290 knots (managed). 250 knots (selected) 310 knots (selected).

Standard Information1. Scrolling speed tape. The minimum airspeed

registered here is 40 knots.2. Target speed entered on the FCU (if

selected) or managed by the FMGC. Thetriangle index showing the target speed ismagenta if the speed is managed and blueif the speed is selected.If the target speed value is not visible onthe speed tape, it is displayed above thespeed tape if higher than the highestdisplayed speed, and below if it is lowerthan the lowest displayed speed. Again, itis displayed in magenta if managed and inblue if selected.

3. Mach speed. It is shown only when machspeed is greater or equal to 0.50.

4. Speed trend: shows the airspeed theaircraft will achieve in 10 seconds.

Additional InformationThe speed tape also shows additionalinformation:• VFE NEXT (1)

This is the VFE (maximum speedwith flaps extended) thatcorresponds to the next flap/slatposition. You should make sure theactual airspeed is below VFE NEXTbefore extending more flaps.It is shown with an amber = sign.

• Green dot speed (2) It is shown with a green circle on thespeed tape. It is the best lift overdrag speed. In clean configuration, itis the maneuvering speed.It is used as the target speed during singleengine climb and during expedite climb.

• At low speeds, the minimum safe speedsare displayed.

VLS (1)It is shown with an amber line next tothe speed tape. It is the lowestselectablespeed. If the pilot selects aspeed below VLS, the autothrust

When the aircraft is on the ground withengines started, the sidestick position isshown on the attitude indicator :

1. Maximum sidestick deviation box2. Sidestick position indicator

Flight DirectorThe flight director shows the pilot whatdirections must be taken to follow the aircraftguidance calculated by the FMGC. When theaircraft is flown manually, the pilot in commandis in charge of following the flight director inorder to fly the aircraft as required by the FCUsettings. When the autopilot is active, it will doexactly the same byl commanding the aircraft tofollow the flight director. If you want to fly theaircraft manually without taking the FCU settingsinto account, you should disconnect the flightdirector.The fly-by-wire system automatically hidesthe flight director bars when the bank anglereaches preset limits.

The flight director has 2 different shapes,accor-ding to the guidance mode selected onthe FCU :

In HDG/VS (heading/vertical speed) mode, the flight

director shows a horizontal and a vertical trend bars toguide the aircraft on the vertical and lateral path.

In TRK/FPA (track/flight path angle) mode, the flightdirector is displayed as a line with 2 triangles (1) and theflight path vector, also called “the bird”, is shown as anaircraft symbol (2). To follow the flight director in thismode, you should align the bird with the flight director

symbol.Some AdviceFlight Director UsageWhen the aircraft is flown by the autopilot,remember that the flight director is “thebrain”, and the autopilot “the muscle”. TheFMGC and the flight director “think” andcalculate the right flight control movementsto guide the aircraft on the right trajectory.The autopilot is in charge of moving the flightcontrols according to the orders given by theflight director.This means you can replace the autopilot andfly the aircraft manually, following thedirections provided by the flight director. Youractions on the sidestick will merely replacethe actions taken by the autopilot.Many pilots say the flight director should beturned off when flying the aircraft manually.For example, imagine you plan to land onrunway 25 at Paris Orly (LFPO). At the verylast moment, you change your mind (or ATCasks you to do so) and you have to land onrunway 26 instead. In this case, no time to re-program the FMGC, you switch FD off andfinish your approach on runway 26 manually,helped by the ILS.

Resetting the FCUWhen you switch the flight director off, itclears the FCU memory. This is why many


system limits the speed to VLS.Alpha Protection (2)The alpha protection system willtrigger when the airspeedreaches this value. It is displayedas black and amber rectanglesnext to the speed tape.Alpha max (3)This speed corresponds to themaximum angle of attack.It is shown as a red ribbon.

• At high speeds, the maximum speeds aredisplayed

VMAX (1)This is the maximum speed theaircraft can take, depending on itsconfiguration. It is shown by a redscale on the speed tape :• VMO/MMO in clean configu-

ration• VLE if landing gear is extended• VFE is flaps/slats are exten-

ded (varies with the flapconfiguration)

Max speed = VMO + 6 knots (2)Speed at which the fly-by-wiresystem will take correctiveactions to reduce speed.

• During take offV1 (1), speed at which takeoffcan not be aborted shown witha ‘1’ and a blue lineVR (2), rotation speed shown asa blue circleV2 (3), speed at which theaircraft can climb safely shownas a magenta triangle (targetspeed)

• In flightManeuvering speedThis is the normal procedure speed thatdepends on the aircraft configuration:• Green Dot speed in clean configuration• S speed (1) if slats are deployed (flap

handle in position 1)• F speed if flaps are deployed (flaps

in position 2, 3 or FULL)The maneuvering speed is not a

minimal speed (you can fly theaircraft below this speed), but itis the “standard” speed thatshould be used for proceduressuch as holding

patterns or final approach. If the speed is managed duringapproach, the maneuvering speed willbe used as the target speed.Note : If you fly the aircraft below themaneuvering speed, the autopilotbank angle will be automaticallylimited to 15°, instead of 25° innormal conditions.

When the autopilot and autothrust are active,the actual target speed will never be higherthan the current maximum speed, and it willnever be lower than VLS.For example, if you select a speed of 250knots on the FCU when the landing gear isextended, a target speed of 210 knots (VLE)will be taken into account by the FCU.

Managed Descent InformationIn the managed descent mode, the PFD displaysadditional speed information. During amanaged descent, the FMGC is allowed toadjust the target speed by +/-20 knots aroundthe target speed. This is shown on the speedtape as follows :

1. The target speed (300 knots in thisexample)

2,3.The minimum and maximum speed the aircraft can take to stay on the computeddescent path.

4. Vertical path indicator (refer to thealtitude tape section for more

EFISEFIS


information)

Refer to the Autoflight section for moreinformation about the managed descent.

Altitude IndicatorThe altitude tape displays the altitude justlike the speed tape displays the speed.

Altitude tape Altitude tape Altitude tapewhen the aircraft (in flight) during

is on the showing the FCU descent.ground. target altitude.

1. Current altitude value shown in thealtitude window. The altitude is shown ingreen in normal conditions, in amber whenthe aircraft altitude is below the MDA(Minimum Descent Altitude, entered in theMCDU).The yellow frame flashes when theaircraft is near the target altitude. It isamber when the aircraft is too high or toolow according to the FCU altitude mode.

2. Red ribbon showing the ground altitude.3. FCU target altitude: this symbol is shown

in blue, except when the target altitude is limited by an altitude constraint on the next waypoint. In this case, it is magenta.When the target altitude is higher than the highest altitude displayed (or lower than the lowest altitude displayed), the target altitude is displayed numerically above (or below) the altitude tape. It is displayed in feet or as a flight level (FLxxx), depending on the altimeter setting.

4. During the descent, the magentacircle shows the deviation betweenthe current altitude and thecomputed descent path.

5. In this case, the target altitude is lowerthan the lowest displayed altitude, so it isdisplayed below the tape altitude. As theaircraft is above the transition altitude,the target altitude is displayed in flightlevel.

Vertical Speed indicatorIt is located on the right of the altitudeindicator. It shows the current vertical speedwith a needle and a numerical value (inhundreds of feet per minute).

The vertical speed indicator turns amberwhen the vertical speed is too critical. Themaximum vertical speed depends on theaircraft configuration.

Heading Indicator

1. Heading reference line (yellow) shows thecurrent aircraft heading.

2. Track : the green diamond shows thecurrent track, which is the direction inwhich the aircraft really flies. There is nodifference between heading and trackwhen the wind is null. On this example,there is a light crosswind from the right.

3. Triangle showing the FCU target heading.It is hidden if the heading is managed.



EFISEFIS


Typical ND in rose mode.

Tyypical ND in arc mode.

If no IRS is aligned, the ND looks like this :

Rose mode.

Arc mode.

EFIS Control PanelThe ND can be used in different modes asselected on the EFIS Control Panel located onthe glareshield.This control panel is composed of 5 selectionpushbuttons that are used when the ND is inNAV, ARC or PLAN mode to show/hideelements in the aircraft’s vicinity :

1. Constraint pushbutton (CSTR) : Thisbutton is used to show/hide constraints onwaypoints on the waypoints where aconstraint is defined. A waypoint that hasa constraint is drawn with a magentacircle. Its altitude and/or speedconstraints are displayed with numbers.

2. Waypoint pushbutton (WPT) : Show/hidethe intersections on the ND. Theintersections are represented as magentatriangles.

3. VOR/DME pushbutton (VOR.D) : Show/hidethe VOR, DME or VOR-DME.

4. NDB pushbutton : Show/hide the NDB stations(non-directional beacons), represented asmagenta circles.

5. Airport pushbutton (ARPT) : Show/hidethe airports, drawn with magenta stars.The departure/arrival airport is drawn as awhite star, until the departure/arrivalrunway is defined.

Only one pushbutton can be selected. Whenthe pilot presses one of them, the others aredeselected. If he presses a selected button,the function is turned off.

The EFIS control panel also has 2 rotating

If the target heading is out of the headingindicator range, it is displayed on the leftor on the right (6).

4. Magenta cross showing the ILS course.5. If the ILS course is out of the current

heading range, it is displayed in magentain a window on the left or the right of theheading tape.

Flight Mode Annunciator (FMA)It is located in the top part of the PFD. It isthe most important indicator showing in whatmode the aircraft is currently flying.

It is composed of 5 columns. The first columnshows the speed guidance mode. The secondand third columns show the vertical andlateral guidance modes. Refer to theAutoflight section to know more about speedguidance, vertical and lateral guidance.The fourth column shows the approach mode:• Line 1 : Category of the current ILS

approach, if any. It is CAT 1 if the aircraftis flown manually or CAT 3 if the autopilotis engaged.

• Line 2 : SINGLE or DUAL depending on thenumber of autopilots engaged during anILS approach.

• Line 3 : Decision height (DH) or theminimum descent altitude (MDA) enteredin the MCDU. If a value has been enteredin the MCDU, it is displayed on the FMAwhen the aircraft is within 200 NM of thedestination.

The last column shows the automatic modes:• Line 1 : Autopilot mode: AP1 for the first

autopilot, AP2, for the second autopilot,AP1+2 for both.

• Line 2 : Flight Directors: 1FD for thecaptain FD, FD2 for first officer FD, 1FD2for both.

• Line 3 : Autothrust status: A/THR is

displayed in blue if autothrust is armed, inwhite if autothrust is engaged.

The crew should always look at the FMA toknow the autothrust status. The A/THRlight on the glareshield turns on when theautothrust is armed or engaged. Only theFMA shows the true autothrust status.

Tail strike Protection SystemThere is a potential risk of tail strike when theaircraft is close from the ground, especiallywhen the aircraft rotates for take off.This is why this aircraft is equipped with a tailstrike protection system. It shows anadditional symbol on the PFD when theaircraft is very close from the ground (duringtake off and landing).The tail strike protection symbol is framed inred on the following image:

When rotating the aircraft, the pilot shouldmake sure the tail strike symbols alwaysremains about the center of the PFD. In fact,it is easy and natural, but careful pilots shouldpay attention to this.

ND – NAVIGATION DISPLAYThe ND is designed to show the aircraft'sposition as it flies along the programmedflight plan.


EFISEFIS


1. Ground Speed (GS) : This is the aircraft’sspeed relative to the ground. Thisinformation is visible only when at leastone of the IRS is aligned (if you are inBeginner mode, the IRS are alwaysaligned).

2. True Air Speed (TAS) : This is the real aircraftairspeed. It is different from the Indicated AirSpeed (IAS) because the IAS varies withaltitude (the air is thinner at high altitudes). Ifthere is no wind at all, the TAS is equal to theGS. Just like for the GS, the TAS is notaccessible if no IRS is aligned, unless you arein Beginner mode.

3. Wind Speed & Direction : This indicatorprovides the wind speed (in knots) and theheading from which it comes. It isdisplayed with numbers and with arotating arrow that represents the winddirection.

4. Left Navaid : The left navaid symbol, type,name/frequency and distance are shown. Ifa navaid name is extracted from the signalreceived on the corresponding frequency itis displayed on the ND, otherwise thefrequency is displayed. The navaid type(VOR, ADF or nothing) is selected on theEFIS control panel.

5. Right Navaid : Same as above for the rightnavaid.

6. TCAS : The ND also shows TCAS informa-tion. Refer to the TCAS section to knowmore about this system.

7. Aircraft Symbol : It represents the current posi-tion of the aircraft. It is always used as thecenter reference of the ND, except in PLANmode.

8. Lateral Deviation : If the aircraft is not onthe programmed route, this number showsthe lateral deviation (in NM) between theaircraft and the route.

Navigation InformationThe ND displays some navigation specificinformation.

1. The vertical yellow line shows the currentaircraft heading.

2. Autopilot heading : The blue triangleshows the target heading selected on theFCU. If the heading is managed, thistriangle does not appear.

3. The green diamond shows the currenttrack, which is the direction in which theaircraft is actually flying. In this example,as the wind comes from the right, thetrack is on the left of the heading. If thereis no wind, the heading and the track arethe same.If the heading is selected, a full green lineis drawn from the aircraft position to thetrack diamond to visualize the aircrafttrajectory.

4. The flight plan entered in the FMGC isdrawn in green. If the heading is inmanaged mode, it is a solid green line. Ifthe heading is selected, it is a dashedgreen line.The flight plan waypoints are representedwith green diamonds, except the nextwaypoint, which is drawn in white.

5. Auto-tuned navaid: When the FMGC auto-tunes the VOR1 or VOR2 navaid, it isdisplayed in blue on the ND. In this

knobs :6. Mode selector : ILS, VOR, NAV, ARC or PLAN.

It lets the crew select the ND mode,explained later in this section.

7. Range selector (from 10 to 320 NM) : Itlets you select the ND range.

The EFIS control panel also selects the navaidinformation displayed on the ND :8. Left navaid selection: It can be set to ADF,

VOR or nothing. The left navaidinformation is displayed on the ND bottomleft corner.

9. Right navaid selection: It can be set toADF, VOR or nothing. The right navaidinformation is displayed on the ND bottomright corner.

ND Modes

ILS Mode : The ILS needle is displayed inmagenta with the course deviation indicatorand the glideslope indicator. The ILS name,course and frequency are displayed in the topright corner. TCAS information is visible.

VOR Mode : The VOR1 needle is displayed inblue with the course deviation indicator.The VOR1 name, course and frequency aredisplayed in the top right corner.TCAS information is visible.

NAV Mode : The flight plan entered in the FMGCis displayed in ROSE mode. The next waypointname, bearing, distance and estimated timeof arrival (ETA) is displayed in the top rightcorner. TCAS information is visible.

ARC Mode : The flight plan is displayed in ARCmode. The next waypoint is displayed in thetop right corner like on NAV mode. In thisexample, the surrounding waypoints are alsodisplayed (the WPT button is lit on the EFISCP).

PLAN Mode : The flight plan is displayed. Thereference waypoint displayed in the center isthe waypoint selected on the second line ofthe MCDU Flight Plan page. You can visualizethe entire flight plan by scrolling the waypointon the MCDU FPLN page.

General InformationThe ND also shows permanent informationthat appears in all modes except PLAN mode.


This example shows 2 engines (out of 4) E/WD,managed by N1 :1. For each information, the current value is shown with

a needle and a numerical value. They are green if thevalue is normal, amber if the value is too high. Ifa value is not available, amber XX are displayed.

2. The red zone shows the maximum value thatshould never be reached. If by any chance thevalue overpasses the maximum, a red bar showsthe maximum value that was reached. It can becleared only by maintenance on the ground.

3. The yellow bar shows the maximum value youcan get if you push the thrust levers to the TOGAdetent. It is computed by the FADEC (FullAuthority Digital Engine Control).

4. The blue ball shows the current position of thethrust levers. When they are in the manual range,their position determines the required thrust,and the FADEC computes the corresponding N1or EPR that corresponds to this request.

5,6.For each information, the name is indicated in white,and the unit is in blue. On this example, N1 is displa-yed in % and EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) in °C.

2. The current thrust mode is shownunderlined in blue. This display dependson the position of the thrust levers. If theyare not in a detent, nothing is displayedhere, except if you set the FLEXtemperature when the aircraft is on theground. In this case, 'CL' is shown here toindicate that climb thrust is set andaircraft speed is controlled by pitch.

3. The thrust value that corresponds to thethrust mode is displayed here. It is a N1value (in %) for the N1 driven engines, oran EPR value. It is regularly updated bythe FADEC because it depends on theaircraft altitude and the externaltemperature. If the autothrust system isactive, the engine thrust will becommanded to maintain this value,according to the thrust mode.

4. The Fuel on Board (FOB) quantity isdisplayed here, in kg or in lbs (dependingon the setup). It is the total quantity offuel available in the aircraft. If the totalquantity of fuel is not usable, an ambermark is displayed below the FOB (this canhappen if a fuel pump fails).

5. The flaps (F) and slats (S) position isdisplayed graphically here :

1. The current flap and slat position is displayed ingreen.

2. The target flap and slat position is shown in bluewhen the flaps or slats are moving. This dependson the flap handle position.

3. The target position is shown with blue dots whenthe flaps or slats are moving, and in green whenthey don’t move.

6. Warning/Alert area : It is dedicated towarning and alert messages. Their colordepends on the severity: green messagesare for information, amber messages arewarnings and red messages are seriousalerts. Please refer to the system sectionfor more information about the messagesthat can be displayed here.This area is also used to display the takeoff and landing check-lists. They show alist of item that must be checked beforetakeoff/ landing. Each item is shown inblue until the corresponding action istaken. They are shown in green if the itemstatus is correct.

The takeoff checklist shows the autobrakes, the

EFISEFIS

(c) 2008 Wilco Publishing www.wilcopub.com 43For Microsoft Flight Simulator use only. Not for use in real aviation.42

example, AGN is the auto-tuned VOR2 andit is the next waypoint. This is why AGN isdrawn both in white and in blue.

Flight Plan InformationRunwaysIf the crew has not defined the departure/arrival runways, the departure/arrivalairports are displayed as white stars.When the runway information is entered inthe MCDU, the runways are represented onthe flight plan display as a white rectangle.The rectangle length and orientationrepresent the actual runway length andorientation.WaypointsThe flight plan waypoints are displayed asgreen diamonds. The next waypoint of theflight plan is shown in white and itsinformation (name, distance, ETA) is shown inthe top right corner.ConstraintsIf a waypoint has a speed or altitudeconstraint, it is represented with a magentacircle (1). If the crew wants to have moreinformation about the constraints, the CSTRbutton of the EFIS control panel can bepressed to activate the constraint display foreach constrained waypoint. The altitudeand/or speed constraint is then displayed inmagenta (2).

Pseudo-WaypointsThe pseudo-waypoints are displayed withspecific symbols:1,2 A white arrow shows the computed top of

climb (1) and top of descent (2).

3. A magenta point shows a speed limitwaypoint where the aircraft will have torespect a speed limit. Usually, there is aspeed limit of 250 knots below 10.000feet.

4. A magenta circled ‘D’ represents thedeceleration waypoint. This is thewaypoint where the aircraft willdecelerate to the green dot speed and theapproach phase will be activated.

E/WD – ENGINE/WARNING DISPLAYThis EFIS shows the important engineinformation. It also displays warning and alertmessages.

General InformationAccording to the E/WD logic and panelgeneration, the E/WD screen looks like thefollowing image :

Whatever the layout, the E/WD shows theimportant engine information and thewarning/alert messages.


EFISEFIS


Wheel Page Flight Controls Page

signs (seat belts/no smoking) and the flaps arecorrectly set for takeoff, but the spoilers should be

armed and the takeoff config should be checkedprior to takeoff.

7. Status message area : Like for the warning/alert messages, their color depends on themessage severity. The only exceptions arethe takeoff and landing inhibit messages,which are displayed in magenta. Thesemessages indicate that low severity alertsare inhibited during takeoff and landing toavoid catching the attention of the crewduring these critical flight phases.

SD – SYSTEM DISPLAYThe content of this EFIS depends on the ECAMControl Panel located on the pedestal. If nopage is selected on the ECAM CP, the pagedisplayed on the SD is automatically selectedaccording to the flight phase and possiblealerts. The system automatically displays theright page at the right time.

Whatever page is displayed, the SD also showscommon information in the bottom part of thescreen.

1. TAT : Total Air Temperature, in °C2. SAT : Saturated Air Temperature, in °C3. Clock (UTC time)4. GW : Gross Weight, in kg or lbs (depending

on the unit system selected on theconfiguration page). The gross weight iscomputed by the FMGC according to thedata entered in the MCDU INIT pages. If nodata was entered, the FMGC is unable tocalculate the gross weight and amber XX isshown.

For information, all the SD pages are shownhere. They are detailed in the aircraft systemsection.

Air Conditioning Page APU Page

Air Bleed Page Cabin Pressure Page

Door Page AC Electricity Page

DC Electricity Page Engine Page

Fuel Page Hydraulics Page



voltage is displayed next to each switch.5. APU battery switch: Like the battery 1 and 2switches, it is dark when the APU battery is on.6. Generator switches (1 for each engine).

They are dark when in use. They are in faultwhen the corresponding engine is notrunning. An ‘OFF’ white light is visible if agenerator is turned off.

7 APU Generator. This switch controls theelectric power that comes from the APU. Itis on by default.

8. When an external power is available, agreen ‘AVAIL’ light turns on. Two groundpower sources are available, EXT A andEXT B.The crew can then press one ofthese buttons to use this electricity sourceand ‘ON’ appears in blue.

BatteriesThis aircraft is equipped with 3 batteries thatcan provide electricity for a limited time. Assoon as an external source is provided, thebatteries are charged if necessary.Each battery voltage is displayed on theoverhead panel according to the voltagedisplay selector switch. When the aircraft iscold and dark, the batteries should be turnedon first, even if a ground power unit isavailable.

Auxiliary Power Unit (APU)The APU is capable of providing electricity forthe aircraft. A specific section is dedicated tothe APU later in this chapter.When the aircraft is cold and dark and noground power unit is available, the APU shouldbe turned on as soon as possible becausebatteries can only provide electricity for alimited time.

GeneratorsThe generators provide electricity from theengine rotation. As soon as an engine isstarted, its generator can be used to provideelectricity to the aircraft and the APU andGPU can be turned off.When the engines are stopped, the generators

are in fault mode because no energy can beprovided. When the engines start, make surethe generators are turned on.

Ground Power Unit (GPU)When the aircraft is parked on the ground, aground power unit can be connected to theaircraft to provide electricity without needingto burn any fuel.This is simulated in this aircraft. When you areparked on the ground, with parking brakes setand engines stopped, the ground power unit isavailable 1 minute after the engines havestopped. The external power (EXT PWR)switch then shows the GPU is available.

At this time, the crew can press the EXT PWRswitch to use this energy source. A blue ‘ON’light then appears on the EXT PWR switch.

As soon as the aircraft moves on the ground,the external power becomes unavailable.

EL/AC PageThe AC electric circuits can be monitoredthrough the EL/AC page.

1. Generators associated to the engines.Each white box shows the generator load,the voltage and the frequency (amber XXare shown if the corresponding engine is

SYSTEMS


SYSTEMSThis section describes the aircraft systems.Most of them are controlled trough theoverhead panel and can be monitored on thevarious SD pages.You should always keep in mind that thisaircraft is based on the “dark cockpit”philosophy. It means that when no light is on,everything is all right.

ECAM CONTROL PANELThe SD EFIS is here to provide informationabout the aircraft systems. The SD page todisplay is automatically selected whenneeded. For example, when the crew startsthe APU, the APU page is automaticallydisplayed during the starting sequence.If the crew wants to display a page at any time,the ECAM control panel should be used. It islocated on the upper part of the pedestal. Itprovides one key for each page. If the pilotpresses a key, the associated light turns on andthe corresponding page is displayed on the SD.To give the control back to the system, thepilot can press the same key again. The lightthen turns off, which means the system willautomatically select the appropriate pagewhen necessary.

1. TO CONFIG : This button is used to checkthe takeoff configuration prior todeparture. It checks some elements of theaircraft configu-ration to make sureeverything is OK for takeoff.

2. ENG : The engine page displaysinformation about the engines.

3. BLEED : This page shows informationabout the air bleed system.

4. PRESS : This page displays information

about the cabin pressurization system.5. EL/AC : The AC electricity page shows the

AC electric circuit.6. EL/DC : The DC electricity page shows the

DC electric circuit.7. HYD : This page displays the hydraulic

system.8. C/B : The circuit breaker page.9. APU : This page shows information about

the APU.10. COND : Shows information about air

conditioning.11. DOOR : This page shows the aircraft door

status.12. WHEEL : This page shows the wheel and

brake status.13. F/CTL : The flight control page shows the

position of all the flight controls and theflight control computer status.

14. Fuel : TThe fuel page shows the fuelinformation with all the aircraft fueltanks.

15. STS : The status page shows the currentfailure status.

ELECTRICITYThe electricity circuit can be controlled fromthe overhead ELEC section.

1. Display selector: This switch determines thevoltage value displayed. It can be battery 1, battery2 or APU battery.2 - Voltage display screen.3.4 Battery switches. They are dark when

batteries are on (default). The battery

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energized through the corresponding AC busthrough transformers/rectifiers.

1. AC buses (4 on the A380), which are theenergy source for the DC buses.2. Transformers rectifiers that transform ACelectricity into DC.3. Batteries. These aircrafts have 3batteries: battery 1, battery 2 and APUbattery.

Possible Electric ConfigurationsThe DC electric configuration directlydepends on the AC configuration, described inthe previous section.If the AC buses are properly energized, the DCbuses are energized accordingly:

If not, the batteries energize the DC buses:

Alerts & WarningsMessage Color Reason

ELEC BAT 1 OFF Amber Battery 1 has been turned off.

ELEC BAT 2 OFF Amber Battery 2 has been turned off.

HYDRAULICSThe hydraulic system is controlled through the‘HYD’ section of the overhead panel.This aircraft has 3 independent hydrauliccircuits for redundancy, designated Green, Blueand Yellow.

1. An hydraulic pump is associated with eachengine. These switches allow the crew toswitch an engine pump off. If an engine isstopped, the corresponding hydraulicpump is in fault mode.

2. In addition, 3 electric pumps can be run toprovide hydraulic pressure even if allengines are stopped. In standardconfiguration,they are off and nothing islit, according to the dark cockpitphilosophy. As soon as an electric pump isturned on, an 'ON' light appears in blue.

On the A380, the Blue electric pump is on bydefault, and on 'OFF' white light appears if itis switched off.

HYD PageThe hydraulic system can be monitored on theHYD SD page.

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stopped).2. APU GEN : This box is visible as soon as the

APU is running and the APU GEN switch is on.3.4.EXT PWR : A and B: These boxes are

visible as soon as a GPU source is availableand provides electricity.

Possible Electric ConfigurationsAll the electric sources are configured so thatthe AC ESS bus has AC electricity. Thegenerators provide energy with the highestpriority. In flight, the standard configurationis shown in the following image, withbatteries and generators on, APU and GPU off:

In case of an engine failure, the associatedgenerator can not provide energy any more. Theother engine provides AC current to the wholesytem:

If the generators are off or the engines arestopped (when parked on ground forexample), the external power source (GPU)has the priority. If it is not available, it is

assumed the APU willprovide energy, asshown here:

If 2 engines are off on the same side on the A380,the APU can provide energy to the correspondingAC bus, as shown here;

As soon as the external power becomes availableand is selected by the crew as the energy source,it takes the priority over the APU. The APUsource is still available, but not used :

Alerts & WarningsMessage Color Reason

ELEC GEN 1 OFF Amber Generator 1 is offwhile engine 1 is running




EL/DC PageThe DC electric circuit can be monitoredthrough the EL/DC page. Each DC bus is

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1 - Left main pump 1 status2 - Left standby pump 1 status3 - Left main pump 2 status4 - Left standby pump 2 status5 - Right main pump 1 status6 - Right standby pump 1 status7 - Right main pump 2 status8 - Right standby pump 2 status9 - Center pump 1 status10 - Center pump 2 status11 - Fuel used by each engine12 - Total fuel used since startup13, 14 - Wing tank fuel quantities15, 16 - Center and trim tank quantities17 - High pressure valve status18 - Fuel tank temperature19 - Total fuel on board

Note : The fuel used is reset when the flight isreset through the ‘Reset Flight’ menu action.

Alerts & Warnings

Message Color Reason

FUEL L WING TK LO LVL Red Left wing fuel tank levelis too low

FUEL R WING TK LO LVL Red Right wing fuel tank levelis too low

FUEL L+R WING TK LO LVL Red Total wing fuel tank levelis too low

FUEL CTR TK PUMPS OFF Amber Center tanks pumps are offwhile center tank is not empty

FUEL GRVTY FUEL FEEDING Red Wing fuel pumps are offso the engines are fed

with gravity only

CTR TK FEEDG Green Status message to indicatethe fuel is pumped

from the center tank only

AIRThe air system is controlled through the AIRCOND overhead section.

1. Pack Flow. It lets the crew select the low,normal or high pack flow.

2.3 Temperature knobs that let the crew adjust the temperature in the cockpit, andthe cabin.

4. Hot air valve can be closed using thisswitch.

5. Pack switches.6. Engine bleed switches. The engine bleed

valves are opened in a standard configu-ration. Pressing these buttons close them.

7. APU bleed switch. By default, it is closed.The crew must press this button to let theAPU provide bleed air (necessary for initialengine start).

8. Cross bleed (useful for restarting anengine in flight, refer to the power plantsection for more information).

9. This knob lets the crew select the CrewHeater temperature.

The status of the air system can be monitoredon several SD pages.

COND PageThe COND page shows the temperature inevery part of the aircraft (the cockpit and the3 cabin sections). If the hot air valve is closed,no more hot air will be provided to heat theaircraft cabin.

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SYSTEMS

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

1. The 3 hydraulic reservoirs, with an arrowshowing the level.

2. The 4 hydraulic pumps. Their status dependson the pump switches located on the overheadpanel.

3. Engine references, shown in amber if thecorresponding engine is off.

4. The 3 engine pressures, displayed in poundper square inch (PSI). It turns amber if thepressure is too low.

5. Electric pump status. The white triangleappears filled amber if this pump is turnedon through the overhead panel.

FUELThe fuel system can be controlled through theFUEL overhead section.These aircraft have fuel tanks in the wings, inthe center fuselage and in the tail. For eachtank section, 2 fuel pumps are available.The fuel system manages the fuelautomatically. Fuel is pumped from the centerand tail tanks in priority, then inthe wingtanks.

The A380 has 2 main pumps and 2 standbypumps for each wings, in addition to the 2main center pumps.

1. Left main pump 1 switch.2. Left main pump 2 switch.3. Left standby pump 1 switch.

4. Left standby pump 2 switch.5. Center pump 1 switch.6. Center pump 2 switch.7. Right main pump 1 switch.8. Right main pump 2 switch.9. Right standby pump 1 switch.10. Right standby pump 2 switch.

According to the dark cockpit philosophy, noswitch light is visible when everything is OK,that is when all the fuel pumps are on.

Fuel Pump UsageThe fuel pumps should always be on. If a fueltank becomes empty, the corresponding fuelpump automatically stops. This is a normalsituation.If the crew turns the center pumps off, the fuelfrom the center tank can not feed the enginesany more. However, if the crew turns the left orright pumps off, the engines can still get fuel bygravity feed.

Warning : If the engines are fed by gravity,there is a high risk of engine failure at highaltitudes. If the fuel is not pumped out of thetanks, the altitude increases the risk ofcreating an emulsion that will damage theengines.

Manipulating the fuel pumps may be useful toreduce a fuel imbalance. If you have muchmore fuel in one wing than in the other, youmight want to shut off the fuel pumps to theless filled wing and pump fuel to the enginesfrom the other wing. On this aircraft, themaximum fuel imbalance is around 400 kg.

FUEL PageThe SD FUEL page shows the current fuelconfiguration.

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

CAB PRESS PageThe cabin pressure page shows the status ofthe pressurization system.

1. LDG ELEV : This is the elevation of thearrival airport. It is dashed when thearrival airport is not defined.

2. DeltaP : This is the pressure differencebetween inside and outside the aircraft.

3. Cabin V/S : This shows the vertical speedfelt by the cabin (the internal cabinpressure variation).

4. Cabin Altitude : This is the altitude thatcorresponds to the current cabin pressure.

5. Pack valves, controlled by the packswitches on the overhead panel.

6.7.8. Inlet, extract and outflow valves. Theyare automatically controlled.

9. Safety valve. It automatically opens if thedelta P is too high, to prevent any aircraftdamage.

BLEED PageIt shows the status of the air bleed system.

1. Pack outlet temperature2. Pack compressor outlet temperature3. Pack flow pressure4. Precooler inlet pressure5. Precooler outlet temperature6. Cross bleed valve. If the overhead is AUTO,

the cross bleed valve status is the same asthe APU bleed valve. Otherwise, it is openor shut according to the XBLEED knobposition.

7. APU bleed valve.8. Engine high-pressure valves9. Wing anti-ice air bleed (visible only if wing

anti-ice is turned on).10. Engine bleed valves, controlled by the

ENG BLEED overhead switches.

ANTI-ICEThe anti-ice protection system is controlledthrough the ANTI ICE overhead section.

1. Wing anti-ice. Its status can be monitoredon the BLEED page.

2. Engine anti-ice.3. Probe and Window anti-ice. It is fully

automatic. It provides low heating whenthe aircraft is on the ground (to avoidhaving ground personnel burnt if theytouch the probe) and provides full heatingas soon as the aircraft is airborne.

You can initiate full heating by pressing thisbutton. An 'ON' light then appears.


Alerts & WarningsStatus messages appear on the E/WD whenengine and wing anti-ice are used.


ENG A. ICE Green Engine anti-ice is on

WING A. ICE Green Wing anti-ice is on

AUXILIARY POWER UNIT (APU)It is managed through the APU section of theoverhead.

APU Start & StopTo turn the APU on, first press the masterswitch. The APU system is activated ('ON' bluelight appears on the master switch) and theAPU flap is opened to let the air enter into theAPU ('FLAP OPEN' message displayed on theAPU page). The APU page automaticallyappears on the SD.

If fuel is available, the START button can thenbe pressed, an 'ON' light appears on thebutton. This launches the APU start sequence.The start sequence can be monitored on theAPU page displayed on the SD.When the APU is started, a green 'AVAIL' lightreplaces the blue 'ON' light on the STARTswitch. An 'AVAIL' message appears on the APUpage and an ECAM message displays 'APUAVAIL'. The APU is now ready to provide air

and electricity.

The APU can be started at any altitude and atany airspeed.The APU fuel consumption is around 100kg perhour.

APU BleedAs soon as the APU is running, its air can beused to start the engines. To do this, the crewmust press the APU BLEED button in the AIRCOND overhead section (see the Air sectionfor more details).Note : If you are in Beginner mode, the APU isnot necessary to start the engines.

APU PageThe APU page appears automatically on the SDduring the APU start sequence. The crew canalso access this page by pressing the APUbutton on the ECAM control panel.

1. AVAIL message appears as soon as the APUstart sequence is finished and the APU isavailable.

2. FLAP OPEN message is displayed as soon asthe APU system is turned on and the APUflap is opened to let air in.

3. This white box displays the APU electricinformation : load, voltage and frequency.

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SYSTEMS



1. Fuel Used by each engine, as shown on theengine page

2. Oil quantity (in quarts), as shown on theengine page

3. Vibrations4.5.6. Cabin DeltaP, vertical speed and altitude,

as shown on the PRESS page7. Cabin and cockpit temperature, as shown

on the COND page.

Note that this page cannot be selectedmanually. It appears automatically on the SDas soon as the aircraft is above the transitionaltitude.

Engine Start & Stop on GroundWhen the aircraft is parked on the ground andengines have to be started, the APU must bestarted first in order to provide air bleednecessary for the engine start sequence.Refer to the APU section for more informationabout APU start and APU bleed.

When the APU is started and APU bleed is on,the engine start is managed through the ENGsection located on the pedestal, just belowthe thrust levers :

1. Engine Master Switches

To start the engine, the engine masterswitches can then be used to initiate theengine start sequence. The crew just has tomove each engine master switch up and the

FADEC does the rest to start the correspondingengine. On the twin-engine aircrafts, bothengines can not be started simultaneouslybecause the APU does not provide enough airfor 2 engines. Usually, engine 2 is started first.This is because it provides hydraulic pressureto the Yellow circuit, the one used by thebrakes. If for any reason the pilot needs to usethe brakes in an emergency, having the Yellowcircuit under pressure is safer.

Start engine 2 by using the left mouse buttonto move the ENG 2 master switch up. You canmonitor the start sequence via the E/WD andon the SD ENG page that automaticallyappears. As soon as engine 2 has started, youcan start engine 1 by moving the ENG 1 masterswitch up. When engine 1 is started, you shouldreturn the engine mode switch to the NORMposition.

On the A380, the APU is powerful enough tolet you start 2 engines at the same time. Theprocedure consists in starting the 2 engines ofthe same side simultaneously.

Note : If you are in Beginner mode, you canjust press Ctrl-E to start the engines, withoutneeding to start the APU. This function isinhibited in Intermediate and Expert modes.

To stop the engines, the pilot just has to movedown each engine master switch. The crewshould make sure the APU is running beforestopping all engines because generators willstop providing electric energy.

Engine Master Switch Usage in FS :To move the engine master switches down(engine off), you must use the right mousebutton and click the lower part of the switch. Thiswas done to prevent an unintentional engine stopwith a mouse click.

Restarting Engine in FlightIf an engine must be restarted in flight, thecrew can take advantage of the air bleed from

SYSTEMS


The box disappears if the APU is notavailable. The green arrow on top of the boxdisappears if the APU GEN is turned off onthe overhead.

4. This box shows the APU bleed information,with the air bleed pressure. Amber XX isdisplayed if the air bleed is not available.

5. Bleed air valve; controlled by the APUBLEED switch on the overhead.

6. APU rotation speed.7. APU Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT).

Alerts & WarningsStatus messages appear on the E/WD whenthe APU is used.


APU AVAIL Green The APU is up and running

APU BLEED Green The APU is available andthe bleed valve is open

POWER PLANTSThe engines are managed by the Full AuthorityDigital Engine Control (FADEC). This devicecontrols the engine during the start sequenceand during the flight to provide optimalusage.

Engine MonitoringEngine status is monitored through theEngine/Warning Display (E/WD), whichdisplays essential engine and FADECinformation. Information is also availablethrough the Engine and Cruise page of the SD.Depending on the engine type, the E/WD canhave different layouts. Refer to the EFISsection for more details. Anyway, the mostimportant engine information is alwaysdisplayed on the E/WD.

On these examples, N1, EGT, N2 and EPR (forEPR-driven engines) are displayed. Inaddition, FADEC information is displayed: themode, which depends on the thrust leverdetent, and the max N1 (or EPR) that dependson this mode.

In addition, engine information is displayed onthe ENG page :

1. Fuel used by each engine since laststartup.

2. Oil quantity, in quarts3. Oil pressure, in Pound per Square Inch (PSI)4. Oil temperature5. Vibration on the first compressor stage6. Vibration on the second compressor stage

The engine page is automatically displayedduring engine start sequence. It can bedisplayed at any time by pressing the ENG keyon the ECAM control panel.

During the cruise, the CRUISE page isautomatically displayed on the SD. It showsimportant information about the engines andthe cabin pressurization and temperature, asshown on the ENG and PRESS pages :

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not move during the IRS alignment phase.

RADIOStandard operation of the radio equipmentinvolves use of the MCDU for radio navigation(in fact, the crew rarely interact with theradio navigation settings because the FMGC isin charge of auto-tuning the VOR and ILS). Theradio management panels are used for voiceradio. Nevertheless, the Radio ManagementPanels can be used for radio-navigationsettings in case of an FMGC failure.

Radio Management Panels (RMP)Two Radio Management Panels are located onthe pedestal. One is available for the captain andone for the first officer. The Captain's RMP can beused to set VOR1 and the FO's RMP for the VOR2.

1. Active frequency window shows the currentfrequency used for the selected radio.

2. Standby/Course window shows the standbyfrequency for the selected radio. In caseof a VOR/ILS setting, this window is alsoused to set the VOR/ILS course.

3. Swap button is used to swap active andstandby frequencies.

4.5.Selection pushbuttons for the VHF radiochannels.

6. NAV pushbutton must be pressed if thecrew wants to use the RMP for radio-navigation setting, which is not thestandard procedure. If this button isdepressed, the RAD NAV page of the MCDUis blocked (see the FMGC section for moreinformation).

7.8.VOR and ILS selection pushbuttons.Remember that the left RMP adjusts VOR1and right RMP adjusts VOR2.

9. ADF selection pushbutton.

10. ADF frequency oscillator switch.11. Radio master switch.12. Frequency/Course knob : The outside

knob sets the integer part and the innerknob sets the decimal part of the standbyfrequency. In case of a course setting, theouter knob changes the course value by 10degrees and the inner knob by 1 degree.

In order to use an RMP to set a VOR or ILS, theNAV pushbutton must be pressed first toactivate the NAV pushbuttons (7, 8, 9, 10). Assoon as this is done, the FMGC can not be usedto set the radio any more.The crew can then set the VOR/ILS standbyfrequency using the frequency/course knob(12). When the swap button is pressed toswap the frequencies, the standby window(2) changes and displays the VOR/ILScourse, which can be changed at this timeusing the frequency/course knob. After afew seconds, the display turns back tostandby frequency.

RMP usage in Flight Simulator :Remember that the VHF1 and VHF2 buttons of theRMP correspond to the COM1 and COM2 radiochannels of Flight Simulator.Audio Management Panel (AMP)The audio management panel lets the crewselect the radio channels heard on the cockpitloud speakers.

Each pushbutton lets the crew activate/deactivate the audio for each radio channel :1.2.VHF1 and VHF2 channels (called COM1

and COM2 in Flight Simulator)3.4.OR1 and VOR2 channels5. Marker channel (inner, middle and outer

markers)6. ILS channel. Because of an FS limitation,

SYSTEMS


the engine that is still running. To do this, thecross bleed valve must be opened by settingthe XBLEED switch on the OPEN position(overhead, AIR COND section).

Air bleed is then available and the pilot canuse the engine mode switch and enginemaster switch to start the engine as explainedin the previous paragraph.

INERTIAL REFERENCE SYSTEM (IRS)The Inertial Reference System (IRS) providesthe aircraft position. To work properly, thesystem must be aligned. The IRS measures theaircraft accelerations and updates the aircraftposition, based on the original position usedduring alignment.

IRS AlignmentThe IRS are aligned through the INIT A page ofthe MCDU (refer to the FMGC section for moreinformation about this page). As soon as theFROM/TO airports are entered in the MCDU,the IRS can be aligned with the departureairport as the original destination.

The IRS can detect if the departure airportposition is significantly different from theactual aircraft location. This can happen ifthe crew makes an error when entering the

FROM/TO airport information. In this case, anerror message is displayed on the MCDU.

The crew should remember that the IRSalignment position taken into account when

aligning the IRS is the departure airportreference location stored in the database.This is different from the actual aircraftposition. In practice, you don't need to adjustthe IRS position before aligning. This isbecause this aircraft is equipped with a GPSsystem that will do this automatically whenthe takeoff thrust is applied. It means thecrew should not use the navigation displaywhen taxiing because the IRS may not beperfectly aligned at this time.

IRS UnitThis device is located on the upper part of theoverhead panel.

1-2-3. Mode selector : For each IRS, a switchlets the crew select the mode used foreach IRS :

• OFF : the IRS is turned off and requires anew alignment before being used again.

• NAV : all the IRS and air data informationare used for navigation.

• ATT : only the air data information isused for navigation.

IRS usage with Flight Simulator :1. The IRS alignment time is configurable through

the aircraft configuration window (refer to thesetup section for more information). In the realaircraft, a full IRS alignment takes 10 minutes.

Alerts & WarningWhile the IRS are aligning, a greeninformation message ‘IRS IN ALIGN’ appearson the E/WD, indicating the remaining timefor alignment.This message turns amber if the engines arestarted to indicate that the aircraft should

SYSTEMS



case of failure, to reset the flight controlcomputers by turning them off and back on.They are not designed to turn thesecomputers off.The primary computer are in charge of theflight envelope protection, the auto-trimsystem and the auto-coordination. If they areturned off, amber crosses appear on the PFDto indicate there is no flight envelopeprotection: no bank angle limit and no pitchangle limit.

Auto-coordination in Flight Simulator :When you load this aircraft in Flight Simulator, theFS auto-coordination is turned on according to theprimaru computer status. When the aircraft isunloaded from FS, the previous auto-coordinationstatus is restored.

Speed Brakes & Ground SpoilersSpeed brakes and ground spoilers aredifferent, even if they are controlled throughthe same handle and use the same aircraftparts. The speed brakes can be deployed inflight, they use 4 of the 5 moving panels onthe top of the wings and their movement islimited to approximately 50% of the maximumdeployment. The role of the speed brakes is toreduce the lift and increase the drag todecelerate the aircraft in flight. If they aredeployed, a green message 'SPPED BRK' isdisplayed on the E/WD.

The ground spoilers can be deployed on theground only. They are used to reduce theaircraft speed and to break the lift for optimalbreak efficiency. When they are activated, allthe 5 panels deploy at their maximum angle.The ground spoilers can be armed to deployautomatically during takeoff in case of arejected takeoff or during approach todeploy when the aircraft touches the groundupon landing. When they are armed, a greenmessage ‘GND SPOILERS ARMED’ is displayedon the E/WD. When the ground spoilers haveautomatically deployed, the action ofdisarming them will make them retract.

The upper and lower parts of the handle canbe clicked to move the handle up and down.Moving the handle higher than the RETposition (retracted) arms the ground spoilers.Moving the handle down deploys the speedbrakes progressively.

Speed Brake/Ground Spoiler control in FlightSimulator :The standard FS keys can be used to arm/disarm theground spoilers and extend/retract the speed brakes. Bydefault, the ‘/’ key is used to extend/retract the speedbrakes and Shift-/ is used to arm/disarm the spoilers.

FlapsThe flaps have specificity on this aircraft: theflap handle has 4 positions while the flaps andslats can have 6 positions.

If the handle is moved to the 1 position, theflap/slat position is set according to thefollowing diagram :

SYSTEMS


ILS channel is linked to the VOR1 channel.7. ADF channel.

TRANSPONDER & TCASThe transponder & TCAS device is located onthe pedestal. It allows the crew to enter thetransponder code required by the ATC toidentify the aircraft and to configure theTCAS.

1. Transponder Mode2. TCAS Master Switch3. Keypad for the transponder code entry

Transponder UsageTo enter a transponder code, the transpondershould obviously be turned on.Then any action on the keypad clears theexisting code to enter a new one. Pressing theCLR key erases the code being entered.The code entry is validated as soon as the 4digits have been entered.

TCAS UsageThe only important thing to think about is tochange the TCAS mode according to the flightphase :

• ABV mode should be set prior to takeoffto monitor potential intruders above theaircraft during the takeoff and climbphases.

• BLW mode should be engaged justbefore the descent is initiated tomonitor the potential intruders belowthe aircraft.

GROUND PROXIMITY WARNINGSYSTEM (GPWS)The GPWS provides aural alerts to indicatepotential danger related to the groundproximity, such as excessive descent rate or

bad aircraft configuration.The GPWS is controlled through the switcheslocated in the GPWS section of the overheadpanel. These switches let you turn off all orsome of the GPWS warnings.

1. TERR : The terrain proximity alerts areinhibited.

2. SYS : The whole GPWS is turned off3. G/S MODE : The glideslope alert is

inhibited.4. FLAP MODE : The landing aircraft configu-

ration warning is inhibited.Alerts & Warning


GPWS SYS MODE OFF Green The GPWS is totally off

GPWS FLAP MODE OFF Green The flap mode is off

GPWS G/S MODE OFF Green Glideslope mode is off

FLIGHT CONTROLSSidesticks & Rudder PedalsThere is not much to say about flight controlsas they were described in detail in the Fly-by-Wire section. The only thing to keep in mindis that a strong action on the stick or on therudder pedals disconnects the autopilot. Asthis is not the standard procedure, it triggersan alarm that can be stopped by pressing theA/P disconnection button.

Flight Control ComputersFive computers are in charge of the Fly-by-Wire system: 3 primaries and 2 secundaries.All these computers can be turned off usingthe switches located in the 2 FLT CTL sectionsof the overhead.

These switches are supposed to be used in

SYSTEMS



WHEEL PageThe WHEEL page is automatically displayedon the SD when the aircraft is on the groundwith engines started. It can also be selectedby pressing the WHEEL key on the ECAMcontrol panel.

1. Nose, left, right and center wheel statusThese indicators show the gear status. Thelines represent the gear doors. They are greenwhen the gear doors are closed, amber whenthe doors are open or moving.The triangles represent the landing gears.They are green if the landing gears are downand locked and red if the gears are intransition. No triangle is displayed if the gearsare retracted.2. Gear tire pressure, in PSI3. Brakes temperatures:The value is shown in green if thetemperature is normal. In turns amber over300°C. A green arc appears over the hottestwheel when the brake temperature isbetween 100°C and 300°C. An amber arcappears over the hottest wheel when its braketemperature is above 300°C.4. Brake status5. Ground spoiler status : vertical arrows

appear when they are deployed.

LIGHTING & SIGNS

External LightsThe aircraft lights are controlled through theEXT LT section of the overhead panel.

1. Strobe lights : They should be on when theaircraft is in flight. They can be turned on,off or set in AUTO mode. If set to AUTO,they automatically turn on when theaircraft is airborne, and turn off when theaircraft is on the ground.

2. Beacon lights : Red lights located aboveand below the aircraft. They should beswitched on as soon as the engines arerunning or the aircraft moves.

3. Wing lights : These lights should be usedto taxi to the gate. They can be turned offwhen the engines are stopped.

4. Nav lights should be turned on as soon asthe aircraft is energized.

5. Runway turn off lights are designed to beused with the taxi lights during taxi.

6. Landing lights : These lights are big and canbe retracted into the aircraft belly. Theyshould be turned on as soon as the aircraftis cleared to align on the runway for takeoffand can be turned off when passing 10.000feet.

7. Nose lights (or Taxi lights) must be turnedon just before the aircraft moves on theground. This is the best way for groundpersonnel to see the aircraft is cleared fortaxi. It must be turned off when thelanding gear is retracted, even if it isautomatically turned off if the gear is up.

When the landing lights are on, a greenmessage ‘LDG LT’ appears on the E/WD.If strobe lights are off when the aircraft isairborne, a warning message ‘STROBE LT OFF’appears on the E/WD.

Seat Belts & No SmokingThe Seat Belt & No Smoking signs arecontrolled with the switches located on theSIGNS section of the overhead panel.

SYSTEMS


The flap/slat position can be monitored onthe E/WD. Refer to the EFIS section for moreinformation.

TrimsElevator TrimThis aircraft is equipped with an auto-trimsystem managed by the fly-by-wire system. Itmeans the crew is not supposed to interactwith the elevator trim wheels located on theleft and right of the thrust levers, except incase of a failure.Note that any manual action on the elevatortrim disconnects the AP with an alarm.

GEAR, WHEELS & BRAKES

Landing GearThe landing gear is controlled through thegear lever located on the main panel.If the aircraft gets close to the ground duringdescent and the gear is still retract, a alert'L/G Gear Not Down' appears on the E/WDwith an aural warning. In addition, a redarrow light is illuminated adjacent to the gearlever.The landing gear status can be monitored onthe SD (WHEEL page) and on the LDG GEARsection of the main panel.

The lighted symbols indicate each landinggear status :

• Green Triangle : The landing gear isdown and locked

• Red ‘UNLK’ : The landing gear iscurrently unlocked (in transition)

• Nothing : The landing gear is retracted.

Autobrake system

The autobrake system is dedicated to manageaircraft brakes automatically when thetakeoff is rejected or when the aircraft lands.

The autobrake system is controlled through aknob and a pushbutton.1 - The TO pushbutton is used for take off toengage the RTO setting (Rejected Take Off)that will give maximum braking power is thetake off is aborted.2 - The knob lets you select the autobrakesetting for landing with more precision. Youhave 6 autobrake settings, from OFF (noautobrake) to HI (maximum braking power forlanding).

If the autobrake is engaged, its status isdisplayed on the E/WD.Pressing the button of the currently selectedposition disarms the autobrake. Whenautobrake is switched off, a flashing message‘AUTOBRK OFF’ appears for 10 seconds on theWHEEL page.

Brakes and Parking BrakesThe brake status can be monitored on theECAM Wheel page, detailed later in thissection. The most important information isthe brake temperature. If the braketemperature is too high when the takeoffcheck is operated, an alert ‘HOT BRAKES’ istriggered. The crew must be aware that heatin the brakes makes them less efficient.

The parking brake status appears on the E/WD:

• PARK BRK appears in green when parkingbrake is set.

• PARK BRK turns to amber if the parkingbrakes are set while engine power isgreater than idle.

SYSTEMS



Each switch has 3 positions : ON, OFF and AUTO.In AUTO mode, the seat belt sign turns onwhen the aircraft moves and turns off whenthe aircraft crosses 10.000 feet in climb. Itturns back on when the aircraft reaches10.000 feet in descent, and turns off againwhen the aircraft is landed and the enginesare stopped.In AUTO mode, the “no smoking” signs alwaysturns on because all the flight today are non-smoking flights.

The status of the seat belt and no smokingsigns is displayed in green on the E/WD.

CREW DIALOGS

The cabin intercom lets the pilot interact withthe cabin crew. The push button is located on thebottom left part of the overhead panel.

Don't hesitate to call the cabin crew to makesure everything is fine in the cabin, or if youwant a coffee…

SYSTEMS



You can use the keypad by clicking any key inthe keypad with the mouse. It may be painfulif you have a lot of data to enter. This is whyyou can also use your PC keyboard, using thekeys in combination with a modifier or alocker, to enter data in the MCDU scratchpad.Refer to the Setup section for moreinformation about the possible keyboardconfiguration.You can also use the function keys (F1 to F12)to simulate the 12 line select keys (F1 to F6for 1L to 6L, F7 to F12 for 1R to 6R).The Scroll Lock key is the default locker,which means that if you press this key, anykey typed on your keyboard will be directedto the MCDU. Refer to the Setup section formore information.When a locker key (such as Scroll Lock) is usedto enter data in the MCDU, the following keyssimulate the page keys:

PC keyboard key MCDU page keyCtrl-D DIRCtrl-O PROGCtrl-P PERFCtrl-A DATACtrl-N F-PLANCtrl-R RAD NAVCtrl-U FUEL PREDCtrl-M MCDU MENUCtrl-Pg Down NEXT PAGECtrl-Up Arrow Up ArrowCtrl-Down Arrow Down Arrow

The MCDU displays information on pages.When a page content can not be displayed onsingle page, the pilot has to use specific keysto display the rest of the information:- If the page can not display the wholeinformation on the 6 select key lines, the pilotcan scroll the page using the 2 vertical arrowkeys. On the bottom right corner, verticalarrow symbols show if the page can bescrolled upward, downward, or both.- If the information is displayed on severaldifferent pages, a horizontal arrow on the top

left corner shows that another page exists.Pressing the NEXT PAGE key shows the nextpage.

A vertical arrow in the bottom right cornershows the page can be scrolled upward.

FMGC


FMGCPREAMBLEThe Flight Management System is composed ofthe Flight Management and GuidanceComputer (FMGC) and the MultifunctionControl and Display Unit (MCDU).The MCDU is the device used by the pilot as aninterface between him and the FMGC. Itcomputes all kind of data to fly the aircraftsafely along its trajectory.

During cockpit preparation, the MCDU is usedto insert a route, from departure todestination. The FMGC computes vertical andspeed profiles according to the ATCconstraints and the aircraft performance. TheFMGC interacts with the flight directors, theautopilots and the autothrust system to guidethe aircraft, taking account of any parameterfthe pilot decides to manually select (speed,V/S, heading, …).

During the flight, the MCDU displays datacomputed by the FMGC, such as EstimatedTime of Arrival (ETA), fuel predictions,constraint management...

FMGC PHASES & FLIGHT PHASESThe FMGC manages several phases during theflight. They are described in the followingtable:

PREFLIGHT When the aircraft is on theground, prior to take off power.TAKE OFF When take off power isapplied (FLEX or TOGA) and the aircraft isbelow 1500 feet AGL.CLIMB From 1500 feet to the cruisealtitudeCRUISE All along the cruiseDESCENT During the descent from thecruise altitudeAPPROACH Final part of the descent,close to the destination.GO AROUND If TOGA power is appliedbefore landing

DONE When the flight is finished andthe aircraft has landed.

The FMGC also divides the flight into severalphases, used for the system internal use andfor the alert management:

MCDU USAGEThe MCDU is composed of- 12 line select keys, 6 one the left(referenced 1L to 6L) and 6 on the right (1R to6R).- The page keys that give direct access tosome predefined pages,- The alpha and numeric keypads to enterdata into the MCDU- The brightness control knob to modify thedisplay brightness.

To enter any data into the MCDU, you can usethe keypads. All the characters typed in aredisplayed on the bottom line of the screen,called the scratchpad. When the data istyped, you click the line select key to enter itwhere you require.

Some lines contain two values, separated by a‘/’ (slash). In this case, you can enter the 2values by separating them with a slash. If youwant to enter the first value only, enter itdirectly. If you want to enter the second valueonly, precede it with a slash.

The time information is displayed using aXXYY format, where XX are the hours and YYare the minutes. For example, 0120 means 1hour 20 minutes. Entering time informationinto the MCDU must use the same convention,where XX can be omitted if null.

Keypad simulation in FS:

FMGC



PAGE’ key of the MCDU.

INIT A page when no information has beenentered.

INIT A page when all the necessaryinformation has been entered.

CO RTE (1L)At the MCDU initialization, this field is shownwith amber boxes, which means it ismandatory. The pilot can enter a companyroute name in this field. If the route exists inthe database, it is loaded in the FMGC.Note that a route is composed of a departureairport, an arrival airport and waypoints. Itdoes not define the departure and arrivalrunways, or the departure and arrivalprocedures (SID/STAR). When a route isloaded, a discontinuity is created after thedeparture airport and before the arrivalairport.If the pilot enters a departure and arrivalairport in the FROM/TO field, the CO RTEbecomes optional (shown with blue brackets),

unless a company route has been selected inthe route selection page.FROM/TO (1R)When the MCDU is initialized, the field ismandatory. If a company route is selected,this field is automatically filled with thedeparture/arrival airport of the route.If you enter a departure/arrival airport in thisfield, the ROUTE SELECTION pageautomatically appears to let you select aroute between the departure and arrivalpoints, if indeed any route exists. If you selecta route, it automatically fills the CO RTE field(1L). If no route exists, it just displays "NONE".As soon as the FROM/TO field is filled, the 4Land 4R select lines (LAT and LONG) are filledwith the departure airport coordinates. The3R line (ALIGN IRS) becomes active toestablish an IRS alignment, based on thesecoordinates.ALTN RTE (2L)This field is dedicated to the alternate route.You can enter any data in this field. Thealternate route is not implemented in thisversion.ALTN (2R)This field lets you enter the alternatedestination. It is not simulated in this version.FLT NBR (3L)The current flight number must be entered inthis mandatory field. Assistance is availablefor this value.ALIGN IRS (3R)As soon as a Lat/Long position is defined (4Land 4R), this field appears to let the crewalign the IRS (Inertial Reference System)according to this position. If no position isdefined, this field is empty.LAT and LONG (4L and 4R)These fields show the position (inlatitude/longitude), as soon as the departureairport is defined. When the crew fills theFROM/TO field (1R), the lat/long fields areautomatically filled with the departureairport position.At this time, you can see vertical arrows (nextto LAT), which means you can adjust the

FMGC


A left arrow in the top right corner shows anext page exist. Press NEXT PAGE to display it.

CHARACTERS AND COLORSThe colors and the type of characters used todisplay information is important as theyrespect a convention that helps the pilot inunderstanding each information type.

DATA TYPE > COLOR & CHARACTERSPage title, comments, sratchpad> White, normal charactersModifiable / Selectable data > BlueMandatory data entry > Amber boxesOptional data entry > Blue bracketsNon modifiable data > GreenComputed data > Small charactersConstraints> MagentaData that impacts the flight plan> Followed by a ‘*’Primary flight plan > GreenNext flight plan waypoint > WhiteTemporary flight plan > YellowSecondary flight plan > WhiteFeatures that don’t exist in the real aircraft(used for simulation only) > Grey

ASSISTANCEFor some MCDU data, you may requestassistance. If you don’t know a value thatshould be entered in an MCDU field, you canask FS to assist you, and if FS knows the value,it will be provided to you. To requestassistance, just click on the select line withan empty scratchpad, and FS will fill thescratchpad with the value it has, if available.

For example, the pilot is supposed to enterthe aircraft “Zero Fuel Weight” (ZFW) in the1R line of the INIT B page. If you don’t knowthis value, make sure the scratchpad is emptyand click the 1R button. The scratchpad isthen filled with the ZFW value provided by FS.You just have to click on the 1R button againto enter this value.

³ Note that the assistance is never available ifyou are in Expert mode.

MCDU MENU PAGEThe MENU page is accessed by pressing theMAIN MENU page key. It shows the varioussystems the pilot can access through theMCDU.

The screen shows the name of the selectedsystem in green, all others in white.

System simulation in FS:Only the FMGC option is valid in FS. The ACARSand AIDS are not implemented at this time.

INIT A PAGEThis page can be accessed by pressing the INITpage key or by clicking the 1L key of the MENUpage.It is accessible only during the PREFLIGHTphase.

Note that a right arrow is visible in the topright corner because the INIT B page can beaccessed from this page by pressing the ‘NEXT

FMGC



200 kg.TRIP/TIME (2L)This field shows the trip fuel and the trip timethat are calculated by the FMGC when thepredictions are available. It is not modifiableby the crew (green).RTE RSV/% (3L)This field displays the route reserve and thecorresponding percentage of the trip fuel. Bydefault, it represents 5% of the trip fuel. Thecrew can modify one of the values, and theFMGC computes the other.ALTN/TIME (4L)This field shows the alternate trip fuel andtime that are calculated when the predictionsare available. It is not modifiable by the crew.FINAL/TIME (5L)This field shows the fuel quantity and time tofly to the alternate airport or to thedestination airport if no alternate is defined.The crew can modify one of the values, andthe FMGC computes the other.

Note: The time is displayed and should beinserted using a XXYY format, where XX arethe hours and YY are the minutes. Forexample, 0120 means 1 hour 20 minutes.

EXTRA/TIME (6L)This field shows the extra fuel quantity andthe available time for holding over thedestination or alternate airport. It iscalculated by the FMGC and is not modifiableby the crew.ZFCG/ZFW (1R)This field shows the Zero Fuel Center ofGravity (ZFCG) and the Zero Fuel Weight(ZFW). This entry is mandatory for the FMGCto compute the Gross Weight (GW), which isnecessary to determine reference speeds.i Assistance is available for this field.BLOCK (2R)This is the block fuel quantity (quantity offuel available on board when initializing theFMGC). It is mandatory to compute the GrossWeight (GW) and the fuel predictions.i Assistance is available for this field.

> Entering the ZFW and the Block Fuel isvery important to let the FMGC calculate theGross Weight (GW). The GW is necessary todetermine many data items by the FMGC,including the predictions. If you forget toenter this data, predictions are not availableand some FMGC features may becomeinoperative.

TOW (4R)This field displays the Take Off Weight (TOW),which is calculated by the FMGC when theZFW and Block fuel fields are filled. It is notmodifiable by the crew.LW (5R)This is the predicted Landing Weight. It iscalculated by the FMGC when predictions areavailable and is not modifiable by the crew.

ROUTE SELECTION PAGEThis page is only accessible when theFROM/TO field has been filled in the INIT Apage.The route selection page displays all thedatabase routes that exist with the FROM/TOairports that were defined in the INIT A page.If several routes exist, you can see them bypressing the ‘NEXT PAGE’ key of the MCDU.If no route exists in the database for thedeparture and arrival airports that weredefined, “NONE” is displayed on the routeselection page.

No route exists between LFRS and LFMN. Theroute selection page displays “NONE”, and

FMGC


latitude by pressing the MCDU vertical arrowkeys. You can press the 4R select key to movethe arrows next to the longitude field, thusletting you adjust the longitude with theMCDU arrow keys.When the LAT and LONG fields are defined ormodified, you can press the 3R select key toalign the IRS according to this position.

Note: When you enter the FROM/TO airports,the position is initialized with the position ofthe departure airport, which is not the exactposition of the aircraft. You don’t have toadjust the aircraft position accuratelybecause this aircraft is equipped with a GPSthat will align the IRS accurately when takeoff power will be applied.COST INDEX (5L)This value is very important for theperformance and prediction calculations. Itdetermines how you want to use the aircraft.You can decide to fly at low speed with lowfuel consumption, or to fly fast and burn morefuel.Enter a cost index value of 0 corresponds tothe lowest possible fuel consumption at lowspeed (long range), and a higher valuecorresponds to higher speed, with higher fuelconsumption. The cost index can vary from 0to 999.WIND (5R)This will bring the WIND page that lets thecrew define the winds along the flight plan. Itwill be described later.CRZ FL/TEMP (6L)The crew can define the cruise altitude in thisfield, and the temperature at the cruisealtitude if you wish.The altitude can be entered in feet, or inflight level. If you want to enter an altitue inflight level, you can enter it directly or enterit by preceding it with ‘FL’.

Value entered Cruise Altitude8000 8000 feetFL330 FL330

(33000 feet AMSL)

350 FL350 (35000 feet AMSL)

You can also enter the cruise altitudetemperature. If you enter both cruise altitudeand temperature, you must use a ‘/’ as aseparator. If you don’t enter the temperature,it is automatically calculated when the cruisealtitude is entered (in this case, it appears insmall characters).Entering the cruise altitude is very importantfor the performance calculations and for theflight phase sequencing. If you forget to enterthis data, some features of the FMGC may notwork properly.TROPO (6R)The crew can define the altitude of thetropopause, which is 36090 feet by default.

INIT B PAGEThis page is only accessible from the INIT Apage by pressing the NEXT PAGE key. It is notaccessible if the engines are started. Pressingthe NEXT PAGE key again brings back the INITA page. If you start the engines while the INITB page is displayed, it jumps to the FUEL PREDpage.Note that all the weights on this page areshown in tonnes or in 1000 LBS, depending onthe unit system that has been selected in theconfiguration window (metric or imperialsystem).

TAXI (1L)This field shows the fuel quantity for taxi. Thedefault value (shown in small characters) is

FMGC



information and enters it into the FMGC,which will take this information into accountfor the future predictions.Note the ‘*’ characters, which means the windinsertion may have an impact on the flightplan.

FLIGHT PLAN PAGEThe flight plan page is accessible by pressingthe F-PLAN key on the MCDU. Basically, theflight plan page displays the flight plan storedin the FMGC memory. It also gives access tothe lateral and vertical revision pages.

Example of a flight plan where the predictionshave not been computed.

Example of a flight plan with predictions.

The layout of the flight plan page is explainedhere:

1 – The flight number is displayed in the topright corner, if it was entered in the INIT Apage.

Left Column:2 – The FROM waypoint is the waypoint fromwhere the aircraft comes. It is the originwaypoint of the active leg.3 – Name of the airway. In this example, theairway name is automatically generated withthe course to fly from the departure airport tothe initial waypoint computed by the FMGC.4 – NEXT Waypoint: This is the waypoint towhich the aircraft is currently flying. It iswritten with white characters.5 – Overfly symbol: When this symbol is drawnnear a waypoint, this waypoint will beoverflown. If you want to have a waypointoverflown, press the OVFY key on the MCDU.A white triangle then appears on thescratchpad and you can select a waypoint tomake it overfly.

Center Column:6 – TIME: This column indicates the time to flyto each waypoint. On this example, no time isdisplayed because the predictions are notavailable yet. If an Estimated Time ofDeparture (ETD) is entered, the UTC time isdisplayed instead of the time.7 – Bearing to fly from the FROM to the NEXTwaypoint.8 – Track to fly from the NEXT waypoint to the

FMGC


you just have to press RETURN (6L) tocontinue.

A route exists between LFRS and LFPO. Youcan use it by pressing INSERT (6R), or ignore itby pressing RETURN (6L).If a route is defined, you can press INSERT (6R)to use it.Note that a database route is supposed to beused as a base for the flight plan, is not acomplete flight plan itself.It is composed of a departure and an arrivalairport, and waypoints that define the routeusing airways or direct. A database route doesnot contain the departure and arrival runway,and does not contain the departure andarrival procedures (SID and STAR).When a route is inserted to create a flightplan, a flight plan discontinuity existsbetween the departure airport and the firstwaypoint, and another one between the lastwaypoint and the arrival airport. Managingthese discontinuities will be explained in theflight plan section.

WIND PAGEThis page is accessible from the INIT A page bypressing the 5R select key. It lets the crewdefine the winds at different altitudes.

When it is displayed for the first time, itdisplays the history winds. These are thewinds recorded by the FMGC during theprevious flight. This is very useful if you flythe same route back and forth. For example,if you fly from Paris Orly to Nice Cote d’Azur,

there is a very high probability that you havethe same winds if you fly back from Nice toParis one hour later.As soon as you modify or enter windinformation, the HISTORY WIND page becomesthe WIND page.

The History Wind page shows the winds thatwere recorded during the previous flight(small characters). We can see that theprevious flight didn’t reach the FL330, whichis why the wind is not defined for the cruisealtitude.

The wind has been defined for the FL330 (bigcharacters). Consequently, the page becamethe Wind page.

Wind Information (1L to 4L)You can enter wind information at anyaltitude by entering the wind direction andthe wind velocity (in knots), separated by a‘/’.INSERT (6R)Pressing the 6R select key validates the wind

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information about this.NEXT WPT (3R)This key lets the crew add a new waypointafter the revised waypoint. The process ofadding a new waypoint in the flight plan isdetailed in the next section (Flight PlanManagement).NEW DEST (4R)It allows the crew to define a new destinationfrom the revised waypoint. An airport namemust be provided here.If you define a new destination airport, do notforget that you will have to define the arrivalrunway also.DEPARTURE PAGEThis page is accessible from the LAT REV pageof the departure airport. It is dedicated to thedefinition of the departure runway and SID.

All the available runways of the departureairport are listed, with their length (in metersor in feet, depending on the selected unitsystem), their orientation, and the ILSname/frequency, if any. You can select one ofthe runways by pressing the left adjacent key.As soon as a runway is selected, the SIDselection page is displayed.If a runway has already been selected, it isshown without the arrow on the left toindicate the fact that it is already selected. Inaddition, you can directly jump to the SIDselection page by pressing the NEXT PAGE keyon the MCDU.

The “ELMAA7” SID has been selected, andno transition has been selected yet.

The SID selection page shows the StandardInstrument Departures on the left and thetransitions on the right. You can select a SIDby pressing its left adjacent key, and thetransition list is updated according to the SIDselection. You can then select a transition bypressing its right adjacent key.If you do not want to select a SID, you canscroll the SID list to the end. The last SIDdisplayed is named “NO SID”. If you select thisone, the transition selection automaticallyturns to “NO TRANS”, and a waypoint isautomatically created in the runwayalignment at 5 NM of the runway threshold.After the SID and transition have beenselected, all the corresponding changes areset out in a temporary flight plan drawn inyellow on the Navigation Display. You mustpress INSERT (6R) to validate it or ERASE (6L)to abort.

ARRIVAL PAGEThis page is accessible from the LAT REV pageof the arrival airport. It is very similar to thedeparture page. It lets the crew define thearrival runway and the STAR if needed.

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following waypoint.If you scroll the flight plan, the BRG and TRKare always displayed between the first andsecond waypoint displayed on the page.

Right Column:9 – Predicted speed (in knots or in Mach) orspeed constraint at each waypoint. In thisexample, speed predictions are not available.The speed prediction is displayed in green,the constraints are in magenta.10 – Altitude prediction/constraint.The altitude prediction is displayed in green,the constraints are in magenta.11 – The distance between two consecutivewaypoints is displayed here.

Bottom Line:The bottom line shows all the informationabout the destination.12 – Name of the destination airport.13 – Total flight time, if predictions areavailable. If an ETD is defined, the predictedarrival time (UTC) is displayed.14 – Distance to destination.15 – Estimated fuel on board (EFOB) atdestination.

LATERAL REVISION PAGEIt is accessible by pressing a MCDU button onthe left of any waypoint displayed in the flightplan list. Depending on the type of thewaypoint, the LAT REV page has differentaspects.

LAT REV page at the departure airport.

LAT REV page at a normal waypoint.

LAT REV page at the arrival airport.

DEPARTURE (1L)This is available for the departure airportonly. It brings the Departure page, whichallows the definition of the departing runwayand SID. It is described later in this section.ARRIVAL (1R)This is available for the arrival airport only. Itbrings the Arrival page, which allows thedefinition of the arriving runway and STAR. Itis described later in this section.HOLD (3L)Available for the standard waypoints only. Itbrings the HOLD page that lets the crewdefine a holding pattern at this waypoint.VIA/GO TO (2R)Available for the standard waypoints only.Using this key lets the pilot use an airway toadd waypoints in the flight plan. Refer to theFlight Plan Management section for more

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distance is computed according to thepredicted speed for the holding. Thepredicted speed is the speed constraint at therevised waypoint if it is defined, or green dotspeed.If you want to enter the distance (in NM), itmust be preceded by a ‘/’. The time is thencomputed according to the predicted speedalso.REVERT TO COMPUTED (3R)Pressing this key brings back the defaultholding pattern computed by the FMGC.

VERTICAL REVISION PAGEIt is accessible from the flight plan page bypressing one of the right keys adjacent to alisted waypoint. Depending on the revisedwaypoint type, the VERT REV page consists ofdifferent components.

VERT REV page at the departure airport.

VERT REV page at a standard waypoint.

VERT REV page at the arrival airport.

CLB SPD LIM or DES SPD LIM (2L)This field defines the speed limit below agiven altitude. By default, it is a 250 knotsspeed limit below 10,000 feet. The crew canchange these values. The climb speed limit isshown only on the departure airport verticalrevision page.SPD CSTR (3L)This field appears on the standard waypointrevision page only. It lets the pilot define aspeed constraint on the revised waypoint.ALT CSTR (3R)This field also appears only on the standardwaypoint revision page. It lets the pilot definean altitude constraint on the revisedwaypoint. It must be preceded by a – (minus)or a + (plus) to indicate if it is a minimum ormaximum altitude constraint.WIND (5L)This field lets the crew enter the windforecast at the revised waypoint, using thedirection (in magnetic degrees) and velocity(in knots).UTC CSTR (2R)This field appears on the departure airportrevision page only. It allows the pilot to definethe Estimated Time of Departure (ETD). Assoon as this information is entered, the timepredictions are shown in UTC time instead ofduration.The time must be entered in UTC, using theformat XXYY, where XX are the hours and YYare the minutes (i.e. 1050 for 10h50).

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Just like on the departure page, the crewmust first select the arrival runway. Then theSTAR page is displayed, allowing the selectionof the STAR and transition if needed. Whenthe STAR selection is validated, a course fixwaypoint is automatically added before thearrival runway, in the runway alignment, at 10NM of the runway threshold for the finalapproach.

HOLD PAGEThis page is dedicated to the definition of aholding pattern at the revised waypoint,which is called the hold fix. When you selectit, a default holding pattern is automaticallycomputed and presented on the HOLD page,and it is added to the temporary flight plan(displayed in yellow on the ND).

The title of the page is “COMPUTED HOLD”.The default holding pattern takes the headingto the revised waypoint as the inboundcourse, turns on the right and the holdingduration is 1 minute below 14000 feet, 1.5above.You can change the holding pattern by using1L, 2L or 3L. As soon as a change is done, thetitle changes to “HOLD” and the option“REVERT TO COMPUTED” appears on 3R.

INBOUND COURSE (1L)The crew can change the heading of theholding pattern, which is the heading to therevised waypoint by default.TURN DIR (2L)This is the turning direction of the holdingpattern. It can be L for left or R for right.TIME/DIST (3L)The pilot can enter the time or distance inthis field. Entering one information computesthe other.If you enter the time (in minutes), the

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4L key displays a page requesting the routename (1L) or the from/to airports (1R).If you enter a route name, the correspondingroute is immediately displayed. If you enterthe from/to airports, all the existing routesthat correspond to these airports aredisplayed. The title indicates the number ofroutes available and you can display them bypressing the NEXT PAGE key on the MCDU.

A/C STATUS (5L)This page shows the current aircraft status.The title is the aircraft type. The engine typeand navigation database version are alsoshown.Note that the number displayed on 2R is theAIRAC cycle number of the FeelTheredatabase. It may be useful for you if you planto update it regularly.The performance factor shown in 6R is notsimulated in this version.

STORED WAYPOINTS, NAVAIDS, RUNWAYS(1R, 2R, 3R)These functions are not implemented in this

version. If you want to add waypoints, navaidsand runways, you can do it through theFeelThere database modification tool.

STORED ROUTE (4R)This function allows you to store the existingroute in the database. Pressing 4R brings apage that shows the stored routes:

The only action you need take at this stage isto press NEW ROUTE (6R) to store a new routein the database. The NEW ROUTE pageappears and you are asked to enterinformation about the route to save:

You can enter the name of the route in thescratchpad and press CO RTE (1L). This namewill be used later to retrieve this route for afuture use.You can press STORE ACTIVE F-PLN (2L) tostore the route that corresponds to the activeflight plan by giving it an automatic name. Inthis case, the name is composed of thedeparture and arrival airports, followed by a

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QNH (4R)This field appears on the arrival airportrevision page only. It lets the crew define theQNH at the arrival airport for betterpredictions.

DATA PAGEThis page gives access to the FMGC navigationdatabase content.

WAYPOINTS (1L)Pressing this key gives access to the waypointsstored in the database. The pilot is asked toenter a waypoint name whereupon thecorresponding information is displayed:identifier and lat/lon coordinates.

NAVAIDS (2L)

It works exactly like for the waypoints. All thenavaid’s relative information is displayed onthe resulting page: identifier, class, position,frequency, elevation, figure of merit (this isfake information not supported by the currentdatabase) and the magnetic variation at thestation location (station dec).

RUNWAYS (3L)This is a little different because the pilot isrequested to enter the airport ICAO namefollowed by the runway name. For example,for the runway 32L at Toulouse-Blagnac, enter“LFBO32L”.

The runway identifier is displayed, followedby its coordinates, the runway length (inmeters or in feet, depending on the selectedunit system), the runway course and theassociated ILS identifier, if any.

ROUTES (4L)You can explore the routes stored in thedatabase through this function. Pressing the

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number (i.e. LFBOLFPO1 for a route that goesfrom Toulouse-Blagnac to Paris-Orly). If aroute with the same departure/arrivalairports already exists, the number isautomatically incremented to avoid erasingany existing route.

Important Note:When you save a route based on an existingflight plan, only the route information issaved including the departure/arrival airportsand all the waypoints and airways thatcomposed the flight plan. If you re-use a routelater, you will have to define thedeparture/arrival runways and procedures(SID/STAR) to have a complete flight plan.

IMPORT FS FPLN (6R)You may notice this line is written in grey. It isbecause it does not exist in the real aircraft.It lets you create a route from the FlightSimulator flight planner. You must open the FSflight planner, create an FS flight plan or addan existing one and press this key on theMCDU to load it.As soon as this key is pressed, a temporaryflight plan is created with the loaded flightplan. You just have to validate it. Refer to theflight plan management section for moreinformation.

FLIGHT PLAN MANAGEMENTNow that you know the meaning of all thepages involved in the flight plan creation andupdate (F-PLN, LAT REV, VERT REV, …), it is

time to learn how to create and manage aflight plan.

Flight Plan CreationThere are several ways of creating a flightplan, they will be explained here.

Creating a flight plan from a routeWhen you enter the FROM/TO airports in theINIT A page, the ROUTE SELECTION pageappears. If a route is available and you selectit, the contents appear as a basis for thecreation of the flight plan.

Enter FROM/TO in the INIT A page.

A route exists, select it by pressing INSERT(6R).

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The route waypoints are added in the flightplan with discontinuities after departure andbefore arrival.

When a route is used to create a flight plan,you just have to define the departure andarrival runways, select the SID and STAR andclear the discontinuities. Click the CLR keyand then the LSK adjacent to thediscontinuity.

Creating a flight plan from scratchAs soon as the departure and arrival airportshave been defined in the FROM/TO field ofthe INIT A page, the flight plan page appearswith the departure and arrival airportstogether with their elevations displayed inmagenta.Pressing the 1L key brings the departurelateral revision page.

F-PLN page with only departure and arrivalairports.

Lateral revision page at departure LFRS.

On the lateral revision page, pressing 1Lbrings up the DEPARTURE page. It shows theairport's available runways. Selecting arunway brings up the SID selection page.

LFRS has 2 runways: 21 and 03 with ILS NT.

Runway 03 has been selected, it has no SID.



A temporary flight plan is displayed with ANGfollowing ‘1573’.

At this stage, you can:- abort the modification by pressing ERASE(6L)- confirm the modification and validate thetemporary flight plan by pressing INSERT (6R)- continue modifying the temporary flight planby adding or removing waypoints beforevalidating it.

Immediate Mode:To add a waypoint in immediate mode, enterits name in the scratchpad and click thebutton on the left of the waypoint beforewhich your waypoint will be inserted. Thisaction immediately inserts the new waypointwithout needing any confirmation, but a flightplan discontinuity appears after thiswaypoint. If you want to fly direct, you mustclear the discontinuity.

NAMAR is entered in the scratchpad, pressing

3R inserts it in immediate mode before CHW.

NAMAR has been added before CHW withoutthe creation of a temporary flight plan. Adiscontinuity is added between NAMAR andCHW.

Using AirwaysIn the process of creating a flight plan, youmay want to use airways to avoid entering thewaypoints one by one. This can be done fromthe lateral revision page by entering the nameof the airway and the name of the lastwaypoint you want to fly to. All the waypointsof the selected airway are then automaticallyadded to the flight plan.To do this, use the VIA/GO TO (2R) key on theLAT REV page:

From ARDOD, you want to fly airway UN873 toSORAP. Enter UN873/SORAP in the scratchpadand press 2R.

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It is now necessary to select a SID by clickingone of the left buttons and a transition(TRANS) by clicking one of the right buttons.If you select NO SID, the TRANS selection isnot used. Whatever you select, a waypoint isautomatically created in the runwayalignment, at 5 NM of the runway thresholdwith an altitude of 1500 feet above theground, named with the altitude value. This isdone to force the aircraft to follow therunway direction after takeoff when the NAVmode engages.To validate the selection, press INSERT (6R) orpress ERASE (6L) to abort.

Validating makes the flight plan page appearsagain, showing the waypoint created by theFMGC with the overfly triangle icon. This isthe first waypoint of the flight plan.

You can repeat this procedure to select therunway and STAR at the arrival airport. Awaypoint point (course fix) will be created bythe FMGC, on the arrival runway alignment at10 NM from the runway with an altitudeconstraint of 2000 feet AGLIt is now time to create the other waypointsof the flight plan. There are 2 ways of addinga waypoint: the immediate mode and thetemporary mode.

Temporary Mode:This is the standard way to add a waypoint. Itis called “temporary mode” because atemporary flight plan is created.Click the left button of the waypoint afterwhich you want to add a waypoint. The lateralrevision page appears for this waypoint.

Press 2L to add a new waypoint after thewaypoint ‘1573’.

Lateral Revision page allows you to add a newwaypoint.

Enter the name of the next waypoint andpress 3R (NEXT WPT) to define it as the nextwaypoint. A temporary flight plan is thencreated and displayed in yellow.

ANG is entered in the scratchpad. Pressing 3Rdefines it as the next waypoint.

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Consequently, you should be careful whenusing this function.

Clearing a DiscontinuityA discontinuity appears in the flight plan whenthe FMGC does not know how you want to flyfrom one waypoint to another. If you want tofly direct, you have to clear the discontinuityin the same way as you delete a waypoint:press the CLR key, then press the button onthe left of the discontinuity to clear.

Managing holding patternsThe process of creating a hold pattern isdescribed earlier in the HOLD Page section. Assoon as a hold is defined, it is integrated inthe flight plan right after the hold fix (BELPAin this example) with the predicted holdspeed.

If the holding pattern has to be modified, thecrew can press the left key adjacent to thehold fix (2L in this example). The LAT REVpage appears and pressing HOLD (3L) bringsthe hold page which allows modification ofthe hold settings.To delete a holding pattern, the pilot candelete the hold fix or the holding patternitself (2L or 3L in this example).

Saving a routeAfter the flight plan is created, you may wantto save it for future use. You can do thisthrough the DATA page, which allows you tosave a route (refer to the DATA page sectionfor more information). Remember that a

route is not a flight plan. If you save theroute, the departure/arrival airports and allthe waypoints/airways used in the flight planare saved. The departure/arrival runways,procedures (SID/STAR) and flight plan relatedinformation (cruise altitude, cost index, …)are not saved.The saved routes are accessible when theFROM/TO airports have been entered in theINIT A page (see the ROUTE SELECTION page).

DIR PageThis page is accessible by pressing the DIR keyon the MCDU. It allows the pilot to create aDIRECT. This operation consists in flyingdirectly to a waypoint instead of goingthrough all the waypoints of the flight plan.This operation is usually commanded by theair traffic controller if traffic conditions allowthe aircraft to fly its route as directly aspossible. This saves time and fuel.

Pressing the DIR key brings up the DIR page,which displays all the flight plan waypointsfrom the NEXT to the arrival airport. The crewcan command a DIRECT to an existingwaypoint by pressing the left key adjacent tothis waypoint. Making a DIRECT to anotherwaypoint not listed in the flight plan is alsopossible by entering its name in thescratchpad and pressing 1L.

PERFORMANCE PAGESThe performance pages are accessible bypressing the PERF key on the MCDU.Depending on the current flight phase,

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All the waypoints of the airway UN873 fromARDOD to SORAP are added in the flight plan.

Importing a flight plan from Flight SimulatorThis operation can be done from the DATApage, which will be described later in thissection. It is accessible by pressing the DATAkey on the MCDU.In this page, an option that does not exist inthe real aircraft has been added. This is whyit is written in grey. It is the IMPORT FS FPLN(6R) function.

Pressing this button immediately imports theFS flight plan loaded or created in the flightplanner. If no flight plan exists in the flightplanner, an error message “NO FS FPLNLOADED” appears in the scratchpad.

After loading or creating an FS flight plan,press DATA to display the data page and press6R.

The FS flight plan is imported in a temporaryflight plan with discontinuities afterdeparture and before arrival.

When the flight plan is imported, a temporaryflight plan is created (displayed in yellow) andyou can validate it (6R) or erase it (6L). Allyou need do now is define thedeparture/arrival runway, the SID/STAR andthen clear the discontinuities.

Flight Plan ModificationDeleting a WaypointA waypoint can be deleted when the flightplan page is displayed, even if a temporaryflight plan is displayed. You just have to pressthe CLR key on the MCDU keypad (or press theBackspace key on your keyboard if a locker isactive) and a CLR message appears on thescratchpad.Then you can select any waypoint displayedby pressing the button on its left and thewaypoint is deleted from the flight plan.Note that the departure, arrival waypointscan not be deleted. If you are flying in NAVmode, the NEXT waypoint can not be deletedeither. You must first leave NAV mode (byselecting HDG mode for example), then youcan delete it.

Warning: The waypoint deletion is immediateand is not subject to any confirmation.

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This field displays the transition altitude, thealtitude at which you should change fromaltitude in feet to flight level by altering thebarometric setting from QNH to STD (1013 hPaor 29.92 inHg).By default, this altitude is set to 18000 feet(written is small characters) because this isthe value that is taken into account by FS. Youcan change it as you wish, knowing that in reallife, each airport has its own transitionaltitude.If you enter a value here, it appears in bigcharacters (entered by the crew).

THR RED/ACC (5L)This field shows the altitude for throttlereduction and acceleration. By default, thesevalues are set 1500 feet above the departureairport altitude. You can alter these values(minimum value is 400 feet AGL), butremember that acceleration altitude must beequal or greater than the reduction altitude.

The reduction altitude is the altitude at whichthe pilot in command should switch thethrottle levers from take off power (FLEX orTOGA) to the climb power (CLB). When theaircraft reaches this altitude, a flashing ‘LVRCLB’ message appears on the FMA (column 1)to remind the pilot to pull the throttle leversto the CLB detent. The climb then continuesin SRS mode until the acceleration altitude isreached.

On reaching the acceleration altitude theaircraft begins to accelerate. The verticalmode switches to CLB (climb mode). Theautopilot manages the pitch to accelerate toinitial climb target speed until the targetaltitude is reached.

Note: The FCU target altitude should alwaysbe higher than the acceleration altitude. If itis not the case, the FCU altitude LED is off. Itmeans you should always check this light isilluminated prior to take off.

The FCU target altitude (2500) is lower thanthe acceleration altitude (3000), the LVL/CHlight is off. This is a wrong situation becausethe aircraft will tend to descend when theacceleration altitude is reached.

The FCU altitude (5000) is higher than theacceleration altitude. This is perfect and safe.When the acceleration altitude (3000) will bereached, the aircraft will accelerate to 5000feet.

RWY (1R)This field displays the runway that has beenselected for take off. It is dashed if therunway has not yet been selected. It is notmodifiable by the crew.

TO SHIFT (2R)This field contains the Take Off Shift, inmeters or in feet depending on the unitsystem. It is supposed to be used when theaircraft does not take off from the beginningof the runway. The FMGC takes the shift valueinto account to manage the take off andinitial climb.This function is unnecesary on this aircraftbecause the GPS provides a perfect IRSalignment as soon as the take off power isapplied. Consequently, the FMGC knowsexactly the aircraft position during take offwithout needing the TO shift.

FLAPS/THS (3R)This field is only a reminder for the crew, it isnot used by the FMGC. The pilot can enterhere the flap configuration and the Trimmable

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different pages can be displayed, according tothe following table:

Flight Phase PERF PagePREFLIGHT TAKE OFFTAKE OFF TAKE OFFCLIMB CLBCRUISE CRZDESCENT DESAPPROACH APPRGO AROUND GO AROUNDDONE APPR

When a PERF page is displayed, you have theability to display the page that corresponds tothe next phases, but you can not access theprevious phase pages.When a PERF page is displayed, its title isdisplayed in green if the corresponding phaseis active, otherwise in white.

When the flight is finished and the flightphase is DONE, pressing the PERF key resetsthe flight phase to PREFLIGHT.

PERF TAKE OFF PAGE

This page is displayed when the flight phase isPREFLIGHT or TAKE OFF. It lets the pilot enterall the necessary data for take off.

The page appears like this when no data hasbeen entered. Some fields are filled withdefault values, others are mandatory.

The same page with all the necessary dataentered.

V1, VR, V2 (1L, 2L, 3L)The crew should enter the V1, VR and V2speeds here. These speeds depend on theaircraft gross weight, the flap configuration,the weather (wind, rain on the runway,pressure) and the runway length. In order toenter these speeds, real pilots have sheetsthat describe each airport runway and thatgive these numbers in all the possibleconditions.As you may not have all this information, thesimulated FMGC can help you:- If you are in Beginner mode, these fields arealready filled with average speed values thatshould work in all situations. Even if they arefilled, you can change the values in thesefields as you wish.- If you are in Intermediate mode, assistanceis available to provide you average values ifyou wish.- If you are in Expert mode, no help isavailable.

> In Beginner or Intermediate mode, theassistance is available only if you have filledline 3R to let the FMGC know which flapsetting you want to use for takeoff.

TRANS ALT (4L)

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CI (2L)This is the Cost Index used for the climbphase. As explained earlier (INIT A page), thecost index determines if you want to fly slowand far (CI near 0) or fast and not far (CI near999).On this page, the cost index value directlyimpacts the ECON speed/Mach computed bythe FMGC. The higher it is, the higher thespeed will be, but the fuel consumption willalso be higher.This field can be modified by the crew (blue)only when the CLB phase is not active.Otherwise it is displayed in blue.ECON (3L)This field displays the ECON speed/Machcomputed by the FMGC according to thecruise altitude and the cost index. It is notmodifiable by the crew.The aircraft will automatically switch fromairspeed to Mach when the crossover altitudeis reached.If a ‘*’ character is displayed in this field, itmeans this field is selectable. The pilot canpress the 3L select key to revert to the ECONspeed mode.SPD/MACH (4L)When the climb phase is not active, the crewcan enter a preselected speed, mach, or bothin this field to set the speed target the FMGCwill use during the climb. When a value isentered in this field, the ACT MODEautomatically switches to SPEED xxx or MACHxxx.If a ‘*’ character is displayed in this field, thepilot can press the 4L select key to revert tothe SPEED xxx or MACH xxx speed mode.When the climb phase is active, this field isnot editable. The crew may select a newspeed on the FCU (by pulling the SPD/MACHknob). In this case, the FCU selected speed isdisplayed in this field.PREV PHASE or ACTIVATE APPR PHASE (6L)If the climb phase is active, the 6L select lineshows ‘ACTIVATE APPR PHASE’. If you press 6L,a confirmation is requested and the FMGCswitches directly to the approach phase.

Consequently, the PERF APPR page isimmediately displayed.If the climb phase is not active, the 6L selectline lets you display the PERF TAKE OFF page.DEST EFOB (1R)This field displays the Estimated Fuel OnBoard (EFOB) at the destination. It is notmodifiable by the crew.PRED TO XXX (2R)This field lets you define the altitude forwhich the predictions will be computed onlines 3R, 4R and 5R. This altitude must belower than the cruise altitude.Predictions (3R, 4R, 5R)These fields show the predicted time anddistance to reach the altitude entered in 2R,according respectively to the ECONspeed/Mach, the preselected speed/Mach andthe expedite mode.NEXT PHASE (6R)Pressing 6R select key displays the cruiseperformance page.TIME or UTCOn the center of the page, the time or theUTC to the destination is displayed,depending on the fact that the EstimatedDeparture Time (ETT) has been defined ornot.

PERF CRZ PAGEThis page can be accessed by pressing the

PERF key when the cruise phase is active, orby pressing the 6R key in the PERF CLB page.

This page is very similar to the PERF CLB page.

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Horizontal Stabilizer (THS) position chosen fortake off.

In the real aircraft, this field is used as areminder for the crew, the FMGC does not useit. If you are in Beginner or Intermediatemode, the flap setting you enter here isimportant because it determines the V1, VR,V2 values provided for you as an assistance.

FLEX TO TEMP (4R)This field displays the temperature used for aFLEX take off. It's used to determine thetemperature for a reduced-thrust take off,when the aircraft is below the Maximum TakeOff Weight (MTOW).In order to enter this temperature, real pilotshave sheets that describe each airport runwayand that give these numbers in all possibleconditions.ENG OUT ACC (5R)This is the altitude at which you shouldaccelerate if an engine is out.NEXT PHASE (6R)Pressing 6R select key displays the climbperformance page.F, S, O SpeedsIn the center of the page, the F, S and GreenDot speeds are displayed. They can becalculated only when the Gross Weight (GW) isdefined (INIT B page). They can not bemodified by the crew.The F speed is the speed at which the flapscan be retracted, displayed on the PFD whenthe flap configuration is 2 or more.The S speed is the speed at which the slatscan be retracted, displayed when the flapconfiguration is 1.The Green Dot speed is the best drag-to-liftspeed, used for expedite climb or for holdingpatterns. It is displayed when the aircraft is inclean configuration.

PERF CLB PAGEThis page can be accessed by pressing thePERF key when the climb phase is active, orby pressing the 6R key in the PERF TO page.

The ECON speed/Mach computed by the FMGCwill be used as a speed target during the climbphase.

The speed entered by the crew (290 kts) willbe used as the speed target during the climbphase.

ACT MODE (1L)The value in this field depends on the otherfields of the page.This field displays the speed mode that is usedfor the climb:- ECON: the ECON speed/Mach combinationdisplayed in the ECON field (3L) will be used.- SPEED xxx: the speed entered by the crew inthe SPD/MACH field (4L) will be used.- MACH xxx: the Mach entered by the crew inthe SPD/MACH field (4L) will be used.- EXPEDITE: the expedite climb mode hasbeen selected on the FCU. In this case, theaircraft climbs as efficiently as possible, usingthe green dot speed as the target speed.

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A clearing action on this field reverts to theECON speed/Mach and updates the ACT MODEaccordingly.If the descent phase is active, this field cannot be modified.

PERF APPR PAGEThis page is dedicated to the approachsettings. It can be accessed by pressing thePERF key when the approach phase is active,or by pressing the 6R key in the PERF DESpage.

QNH (1L)You can enter the QNH here in hecto-Pascalsor in inches of mercury. It is mandatorybecause it is used by the FMGC to perform theapproach calculation.TEMP (2L)Enter the temperature forecasted at thearrival airport, in °C.MAG WIND (3L)Enter the forecasted wind (direction/velocity)at the arrival airport. This entry is optional,

but if you have the information available, theFMGC will perform better predictions.TRANS ALT (4L)This is the transition altitude used for theapproach, which can be different from thetransition altitude used at departure. Bydefault, it is set to 18000 feet because it isthe default transition altitude managed byFlight Simulator (small characters).Clearing this line brings back the defaultvalue.VAPP (5L)This is the approach speed. If it is drawn withsmall characters, the value displayed is thevalue computed by the FMGC, according tothe aircraft gross weight and the currentwind. You can enter any other value in thisfield. Clearing this line brings back the valuecomputed by the FMGC.Vapp is the speed that will be used by theFMGC if the FCU is in managed speed duringthe final approach, with landing flapconfiguration.PREV PHASE (6L)You can click 6L to come back to the PERF DESpage, unless the approach phase is active.FINAL (1R)This is a reminder of the arrival runway. It isnot modifiable.MDA and DH (2R, 3R)MDA is the minimum descent altitude, DH isthe decision height. Remember that MDA is analtitude, which is measured from the seallevel altitude, and DH is a height which ismeasured from the ground.The MDA is the minimum altitude at which theaircraft can descend safely, and the DH is theheight at which the captain decides if theaircraft lands or go around (especiallyimportant with low visibility).The MDA and the DH can not be definedtogether, you must choose one or the other. Assoon as one is filled, the other is erased. If DHis entered, an aural warning “minimums,minimums” is heard when the DH is reached.If MDA is entered, the digits in the PFDaltitude window turn amber when the aircraft

FMGC


The speed management works exactly like forthe climb, with select keys 1L to 4L.DES FORECAST (2R)Pressing the 2R select key brings the descentforecast page. This page lets the crew enterthe wind information forecasted for thedescent.

DES FORECAST PAGEThis page can only be accessed from the PERFCRZ page, by pressing the 2R select key.

WIND/ALT (1L to 4L)The crew can enter the wind forecast for thedescent. Each information line is composed ofthe wind direction (in degrees), the windvelocity (in knots) and the wind altitude (infeet or in flight level). Don’t forget that if youenter an altitude in flight level, it shouldbegin with ‘FL’.The wind information lines entered here areautomatically sorted by altitude.CAB RATE (2R)This field displays the default cabin rate usedfor pressurization. It is modifiable by thecrew. Clearing this value reverts the defaultvalue of -350 feet/minute.

PERF DES PAGEThis page can be accessed by pressing thePERF key when the descent phase is active, orby pressing the 6R key in the PERF CRZ page.

ACT MODE (1L)The value in this field depends on the otherfields of the page.This field displays the speed mode that is usedfor the descent:- ECON: the ECON speed/Mach combinationdisplayed in the ECON field (3L) will be used.- AUTO SPEED xxx: the speed entered by thecrew in the speed field (3L) will be used.- AUTO MACH xxx: the Mach entered by thecrew in the speed field (3L) will be used.- SPEED xxx: if the descent phase is active andthe speed is selected on the FCU, the targetspeed value is displayed here.- MACH xxx: if the descent phase is active andthe Mach is selected on the FCU, the targetMach value is displayed here.- EXPEDITE: the expedite descent mode hasbeen selected on the FCU. In this case, theaircraft descents as efficiently as possible,using the green dot speed as the target speed.CI (2L)This is the Cost Index used for the descentphase. It impacts the ECON speed/Machcomputed on line 3L.ECON / AUTO SPD / AUTO MACH (3L)If the descent phase is not active, this fieldtitle is ECON until the crew enters a value inthis field. As soon as a value is entered, thetitle switches to AUTO SPD xxx or to AUTOMACH xxx, and the ACT MODE (1L) is modifiedaccordingly, as shown here.

FMGC



This field is exactly the same as the oneshown on the INIT B page.Refer to the INIT B page section for moreinformation about these fields.EFOB (1R)This is the fuel prediction at destination. It isnot modifiable by the crew.FOB (3R)This field allows the crew to enter a FOB (FuelOn Board) quantity. You should be verycautious when enter a value here because itcan make the fuel predictions wrong. It can beused only when engines are stopped. As soonas engines are started, the FOB information isacquired from the fuel sensors again.In addition, you have the ability to define howthe FOB quantity is computed:- FF + FQ: the fuel flow and the fuel quantitysensors are used- FF: the fuel flow sensors are used only- FQ: the fuel quantity sensors are used onlyCRZ TEMP/TROPO (4R)This field displays the temperature at thecruise altitude and the tropopause altitude.Both values can be modified by the crew.

PROG PAGEThe PROG page is a multifunction page.

The title is composed of the current flightphase (TO for takeoff, CLB, CRZ, DES or APPR)and the flight number.

CRZ (1L)This field displays the current cruise altitude.The crew can modify this value to change the

cruise altitude during the flight (it is the onlyway to do this as the INIT page is notaccessible during the flight).This field is empty when the aircraft is indescent or approach phase.SEND POS (2L)Pressing this key sends a position report.UPDATE AT (3L)This field allows the crew to update the IRSposition with a navaid position. This functionis not implemented in this aircraft because itsposition is updated by the GPS.BRG/DIST (4L)As soon as a navaid name is entered in the“TO” field (4R), the bearing and distance tothis navaid is displayed and updated in realtime.

OPT (1 Center)This value shows the optimal cruise flightlevel computed by the FMGC, depending onthe gross weight and the cost index.REC MAX (1R)This is the maximum flight level, displayed inmagenta. VDEV (2R)This field is visible during the descent andapproach phases only. It shows the verticaldeviation between the current aircraftposition and the computed flight plan. Thisinformation is also shown on the PFD altitudetape (refer to the EFIS section for moreinformation).TO (4R)This field lets the pilot enter a navaid name. DIR DIST TO DEST (5R)

FMGC


is below this altitude.LDG CONF (4R, 5R)The pilot can choose the flap landingconfiguration here. By default, FULL isselected (written in big characters) and CONF3 is selectable (shown with a *).This choice determines the content of thelanding check-list that will display therequired flap configuration when the aircraftis close to land.Note that if you select the CONF 3, you willstill have a GPWS warning “too low, flaps”when the aircraft gets close to the ground. Toavoid this, press the GPWS flap button on theoverhead (refer to the system section formore information about the GPWS).NEXT PHASE (6R)Displays the PERF GO AROUND page.F, S, O SpeedsIn the center of the page, the F, S and GreenDot speeds are displayed. They can becalculated only when the Gross Weight (GW) isdefined (INIT B page). They can not bemodified by the crew.

PERF GO AROUND PAGEThis page lets the crew set the aircraft readyfor a possible go around.

THR RED/ACC (5L)Like on the PERF TAKE OFF page, this field letsthe crew select the thrust reduction altitudeand the acceleration altitude in case of a goaround. Remember that the accelerationaltitude must be equal or greater than the

thrust reduction altitude.ENG OUT ACC (5R)This is the altitude at which you shouldaccelerate if an engine is out.F, S, O SpeedsIn the center of the page, the F, S and GreenDot speeds are displayed. They can becalculated only when the Gross Weight (GW) isdefined (INIT B page). They can not bemodified by the crew.

FUEL PRED PAGEThis page is accessible by pressing the FUELPRED key on the MCDU. It allows you to enterflight information like on the INIT B page. It isespecially useful if you forgot to enter data inthe INIT B page and the engines are started(the INIT B page is accessible only when theengines are stopped).

AT (1L)This is a reminder of the destination airport.It is not modifiable by the crew.GW / CG (3L)This field contains the Gross Weight and thecenter of gravity. The gross weightinformation is mandatory, so amber boxesappear here if this information is notavailable.RTE RSV / % (4L)This field is exactly the same as the oneshown on the INIT B page.FINAL / TIME (5L)This field is exactly the same as the oneshown on the INIT B page.EXTRA / TIME (6L)

FMGC



Refer to the Systems section for moreinformation about the RMP usage.

PAGE SEQUENCINGNow that you know the FMGC and all theMCDU pages, you may still be lost as to theiruse… There are so many pages and you maynot know in which order you should use them.So here is some further advice:

1 - InitializationIf the menu page appears, press FMGC (1L) tobring the INIT A page. Otherwise, press theINIT button.Enter the FROM/TO airports. If a route existsand you select it, it brings up the flight planpage with a temporary flight plan. Validate itand come back to the INIT A page.Align the IRS if they are not already aligned.The alignment time will be useful to set theflight plan and everything else.Enter the flight number and the cruisealtitude. Edit the cost index if the defaultvalue is not appropriate for your flight.

Then press NEXT PAGE to gain access to theINIT B page and have the gross weightcomputed. If the engines are started, you cannot access this page and you have to definethe gross weight on the FUEL PRED page.If INIT B is accessible, set the taxi fuel, routereserve, final etc, …

2 – Flight PlanPress F-PLAN to access the flight plan page

and create the flight plan as necessary (referto the flight plan management section formore information).Anyway, enter the DEPARTURE page throughthe lateral revision page of the departureairport and define the departing runway andSID. Do the same at the arrival airport todefine arrival runway and STAR.As soon as the gross weight is defined, theflight plan is created and all thediscontinuities are cleared, the predictionsare computed by the FMGC and appear on theflight plan page.

3 – Performance SettingsPress the PERF button to access theperformance page. The PERF TO pageappears. Set the FLEX temperature and V1, VRand V2 speeds for takeoff. Remember that ifyou have entered the takeoff flapconfiguration and you are in Beginner orIntermediate mode, assistance is available forthese values.You can navigate to the climb, cruise, anddescent performance pages to make sure thespeeds and modes are correct, according tothe cost index.

4 – Done…The FMGC is now set for takeoff. Do not forgetto turn the flight director on. All the FCUmodes will engage to help you during thetakeoff and climb phases.During the flight, you may have to use someMCDU pages, such as RAD NAV to manually setradio, flight plan to watch the flight along the

FMGC


This information is visible during the descentand approach phases only, if you are not inNAV mode. It shows the direct distance to thedestination approach. It is very useful if theATC makes you leave your flight plan andguides you with heading, in which case youuse the HDG mode.

RAD NAV PAGEThis page is dedicated to the management ofthe radio equipment. Remember that anyinformation written with small characters isgenerated by the FMGC, and big characterscorrespond to information entered by thecrew.

VOR1/FREQ (1L) and FREQ/VOR2 (1R)These two fields are dedicated to VOR1 andVOR2. They display the current VOR namesand frequencies. If you see the identifier andthe frequency both written is smallcharacters, it means the FMGC has autotunedthis VOR.The crew can enter a VOR identifier orfrequency in these fields.If a name is entered, the VOR frequency isfetched in the database, displayed here, andset on the VOR receiver. In this case, theidentifier is written in big characters, and thefrequency is in small characters.If a frequency is entered, the FMGC will fetchthe closest VOR that corresponds to thisfrequency. The found identifier is thenwritten is small characters (set by the FMGC)and the frequency, entered by the crew, is inbig characters.

As soon as an identifier or a frequency hasbeen entered, the VOR can not be autotunedby the FMGC until it is released. To do so,press the CLR key on the MCDU and press 1L or1R to release the VOR1 or VOR2. As soon asthe VOR is released, the FMGC will take backcontrol and use it for autotune.CRS (2L and 2R)These fields let you enter the course for VOR1and VOR2.ILS/FREQ (3L)Just like for VOR1 and VOR2, this field showsthe ILS identifier and frequency. You can setthe ILS identifier or frequency like for theVORs. If the ILS is released, the FMGC willautomatically set the arrival runway ILS whenthe approach phase becomes active.

> Because of a limitation in Flight Simulator,the VOR1 and the ILS are linked and share thesame frequency. Consequently, if you set theVOR1, the ILS setting is lost, and conversely.This is why you should make sure VOR1 isreleased if you want to have the ILS autotunedon approach.

CRS (4R)This field lets you set the ILS course. If the ILSis autotuned on approach, the ILS course isautomatically set by the FMGC.ADF1/FREQ (5R)This field lets you set the ADF in the same wayas the VORs.ADF BFO (6R)This activates or stops the frequencyoscillator. This feature is not used by FlightSimulator.

> The RAD NAV page is the standard way to setradio equipment manually. You can also usethe left and right Radio Management Panels(RMP) located on the pedestal to do this. Inthis case, the RAD NAV page becomes inactiveas soon as you press the NAV page on any RMPand it appears like this:

FMGC



plan and see the remaining distance todestination, or the PROG page to monitor yourdescent and your distance to destination ifnot in NAV mode.

FMGC APPENDICES

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

APPENDIX AFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Windows Vista crashes to desktop when Iselect one of the aircraft.Select the directory where your FS is (default :Program files\microsoft games\ ), right-clickand select the SECURITY tab. Click on yourusername (not on Administrator) and then onEdit. Allow full rights and click OK to exit.

It is recommended to run the installation withthe Administrator rights.

When I push the ALT button to engage amanaged climb or descent, nothing happens.The lateral and vertical modes are not fullyindependent. The managed climb/descent isaccessible only when the FCU is in NAV mode.For example, if you are in heading mode("HDG" displayed on the FMA), nothing happenswhen you push the ALT button. Nevertheless,you can pull the ALT button to engage an openclimb/descent.

I have engaged the V/S mode to climb, and theFCU turns into Open Climb.This is called "mode reversion". It is justbecause you ask the aircraft to climb verysteep. In this situation, if the airspeedbecomes too low, the FCU automatically turnsto Open Climb (OP CLB displayed on the FMA)to prevent a low speed situation. When inOpen Climb, the aircraft will adjust the pitchto maintain a correct and safe airspeed.

When the aircraft was on the ground, I haveunintentionally pushed the thrust levers tothe FLEX or TOGA detent, so the SRS and RWYmodes have engaged. How can I clear them?You just have to pull the thrust levers back toIDLE and reset the FCU by switching the FD offand on. Real pilots often do this operation inthe beginning of a flight to make sure no modeis active.

All the systems are turned on, but the EFIS

are still black.This is just because the EFIS brightness is set to0 (full dark) like when they are off. You justhave to move the mouse in the central zone ofeach EFIS and turn the mouse wheel toincrease the brightness, or press the mousemiddle button to reset the brightness.

I press the MCDU INIT button, and nothinghappens.This is because the INIT A page is accessibleonly when the engines are stopped. If youpress the INIT button with engines started,nothing happens.

My flight plan is set up, all the associated dataare entered, but the flight plan predictions arenot available.Make sure all the necessary data (cruisealtitude and gross weight) have been enteredin the MCDU. Also make sure the flight plancontains no discontinuity. The predictions cannot be computed if any discontinuity is still inthe flight plan.

I have saved my flight in FS while the aircraftwas in flight. When I tried to reload it, theFMGC status was inconsistent.This is normal. The MCDU & FMGC data ispersisted in a file that is independent from thefile where the FS flight is saved. Consequently,the FMGC data is retrieved correctly when theflight is reloaded in the same conditions.

I cannot import the FS flight plan into theFMGC.Make sure you have the FS flight plan loaded inmemory. If it still doesn't work, look into yourFS\Modules directory and check that"gps_export.dll" (6144 bytes) is included. It issupplied by FS X but some add-ons remove orreplace it by an older one.

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)


APPENDICES

STDBY Standby (TCAS)

TA Traffic Advisory (TCAS)

TA/RA Traffic Advisory & Resolution

Advisory

TAS True Airspeed

T/C Top of Climb

TCAS Traffic Alert and Collision

Avoidance System

T/D Top of Descent

TERR Terrain Proximity Alert (GPWS)

THR Thrust

THRT TCAS Threat

THS Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer

TOGA Takeoff Go-Around

TOW Takeoff Weight

TRANS Transition

TRK Track

UTC Universal Coordinated Time

V1 Speed at which takeoff cannot be

aborted

V2 Minimum Takeoff Safety Speed

V/S Vertical Speed

Vfe Maximum Flap Extended Speed

VHF Very High Frequency

Vls Minimum Safe Speed

Vmax Maximum Operating Speed In

Current Conditions

Vmo/Mmo Maximum Operating Limit Speed

VOR Very High Frequency Omnirange

Station

Vr Rotation Speed

XFR Transfer

ZFW Zero Fuel Weight

ZFWCG Zero Fuel Weight Centre of Gravity

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

APPENDICES

Airbus A380v2 (FSX)

Pour Flight Simulator uniquement. Ne peut être utilisé pour l'aviation réelle.96

Acronyms

ABV Above (TCAS)A/C AircraftAGL Above Ground LevelA.FLOOR Alpha FloorAMP Audio Management PanelAMSL Above Mean Sea LevelA/THR AutothrustAC Air ConditioningADIRU Air Data Inertial Reference UnitAIRAC Aeronautical Information CircularALT AltitudeAPPR Approach (Key on FCU)APU Auxiliary Power UnitATC Air Traffic ControlBLW Below (TCAS)BRG BearingCL or CLB ClimbCLR CLEAR (Key on MCDU Keyboard)DES DescentDH Decision HeightDIR DirectDME Distance Measuring EquipmentECAM Electronic Centralized Aircraft

MonitoringEFIS Electronic Flight Instrument

SystemEFOB Estimated Fuel On BoardELAC Elevator and Aileron ComputerENG EngineETD Estimated Time of DepartureE/WD Engine/Warning DisplayEXPED Expedite (FCU Key)EXT PWR Enternal PowerFAC Flight Augmentation ComputerFADEC Full Authority Digital Engine

ControlFCU Flight Control UnitFD Flight DirectorFF Fuel FlowFL Flight LevelFLX/MCT Flexible/Maximum Continuous

ThrustFMA Flight Mode AnnunciatorFMGC Flight Management and Guidance

ComputerFO First OfficerFOB Fuel On BoardFPA Flight Path AngleF-PLAN Flight Plan (MCDU Page)FQ Fuel QuantityGPU Ground Power UnitGPWS Ground Proximity Warning SystemGS Glide SlopeGW Gross WeightHDG HeadingILS Instrument Landing SystemINIT Initiation (MCDU Page)KG KilogramIRS Inertial Reference SystemL/G Landing GearLK LockLOC ILS LocalizerLSK Line Select KeyMCDU Multifunction Control and Display

UnitMDA Minimum Descent AltitudeMKR MarkerN/W Nose WheelND Navigation DisplayNDB(ADF) Nondirectional Beacon

(Automatic Direction Finder)NM Nautical MilesOVFY Overfly (Key on MCDU Keypad)PERF Performance (MCDU Page)PFD Primary Flight DisplayPPU Power Push UnitPROG Progress (MCDU Page)QNH Barometric Pressure Reported By

A StationPSI Pounds Per Square InchPTU Power Transfer UnitRAD/NV Radio/Navigation (MCDU Page)RMP Radio Management PanelRTO Rejected TakeoffRWY RunwaySD System DisplaySEC Spoiler and Elevator ComputerSID Standard Instrument DepartureSRS System Reference SystemSTAR Standard Terminal Arrival

APPENDIX B

a380v2 pilotsguide uk

Documents

permission of wilco

eric belvauxtesters

victor raczprogramer

airbus collection

eric marcianolead artist

tamas szabo3d artist

victor raczflight dynamics

cruise altitude