Rules for Flying Airliners
Controlled Airspace/Control Zones
Before a flight is made in Controlled Airspace, a few basic rules need to be adhered to. Firstly the aircraft must be transponder equipped and all radio equipment must be working. The pilot must hold a current instrument rating and where a night flight is made a night rating. Night is defined as half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise.
All flights in Controlled Airspace require a flight plan having been filed before entry is permitted. Sometimes this maybe done by a pilot in the air by radio. At least ten minutes warning should be given in this case. The more the warning the less chance of the plan being turned down. Airlines normally have all their flight plans stored with Air Traffic Control and therefore the plan will automatically become active near the departure time.
A pilot may not enter or leave Controlled Airspace without a clearance from Air Traffic Control. At major airports, this clearance is given to the pilot ,by being told which Standard Instrument Departure they are to fly. At other airports the instructions are given by ATC staff at that airport.
The transponder code allocated by ATC must be set before take off. This is so as soon as the aircraft is airborne the RADAR can identify this aircraft. Sometimes the pilot will be told to push the ident button this makes the aircraft glow on the controllers screen. This command given is " squawk ident". The number given is "squawk 4521" for example . The pilot sets the transponder to 4521.
Whilst flying in Controlled Airspace, the pilot must obey all ATC instructions, and repeat back all commands, so that the controller can check the instructions are clearly understood. Should the pilot believe the instruction may endanger his aircraft, this instruction should be challenged.
The pilot must listen out on the radio at all times for ATC instructions. If a Mayday call is heard the pilot should maintain radio silence and await instructions from the ATC. If no acknowledgement of the MAYDAY is made the pilot should take control and relay the Mayday to the Air Traffic Control Centre. This may be caused by the Mayday aircraft being lower in the sky or out of range of the ATC Centre.
Once told by ATC to resume own navigation the pilot must stick to the flight plan and not deviate without permission. Aircraft must not turn climb or descend without ATC permission except to prevent a collision. This must be reported immediately should this happen. Should a pilot have to avoid a weather storm the pilot should ask permission to go round it.. The pilot should report any hazard to ATC noticed on the route such as severe turbulence windshear to ATC. Other pilots in the area are then warned .
The same rules apply to Control Zones around the aerodrome. Most of these rules are standard common sense really. Occasionally if traffic is light the aircraft may be given a direct route by ATC this can save miles flying along an airway if parts are missed out.. The airways are 10 miles wide and extends from a given height above the ground to a specific height. Lower Airways go up to 24500 ft. Upper Airways start at 24500 ft and go up higher than an airliner can fly. The base of a Lower Airspace Airway rises further away from an major airfield.
In some places an aircraft will leave controlled airspace and then be in free airspace to land at an airport. Sometimes Military or Civil Radar Controllers are watching this free airspace concerned .The pilots will normally request a RADAR Advisory Service for this sector of the flight. There are normally special ATS routes to allow the safe transition. Note any pilot can fly in this area even the inexperienced Private Pilot. The Airline Pilot must keep a good look out.
The heading given by the radar controller in this free airspace are advisory only. The pilot is responsible whether he accepts it or not.. If the advice is not going to be obeyed the pilot must tell the radar controller. As the aircraft gets lower the service may be terminated by the radar controller if he cannot cover it. He may then be able to offer a flight information service only. This is based on the information he has been given. Remember that a Private Pilot in free airspace does not have to speak to anyone or file a Flight Plan. Traffic can therefore fly that the Radar Controller is not aware of. A glider a hang glider Parachute Clubs skydivers. Remember Military jets fly low level between 200 and 500ft. The mark one eyeball is essential still. TCAS warning systems come into their own here.
For example an aircraft would exit controlled airspace in the area of Pole Hill heading for Newcastle. Newcastle has a Control Zone around it. Between Pole Hill and the Control Zone boundary is free airspace, The Vale of York Military Flying Area is around it. The pilot would contact Penine Radar Advisory Radar Service until coming within Radar range of Newcastle Approach. Going into Teesside the pilot may contact one of the military radar airfields for advisory services prior to contacting Teesside Approach. The same would happen on the departure from Newcastle or Teesside. Clearance would then have to be confirmed with the Manchester ATC Or London ATC before climbing or entering controlled airspace. The radar controllers of these service may obtain this from the ATC Controlled airspace sector for the pilot. The pilot should then conform it with the ATC Sector Controller's instrctions. It is difficult to give every airfield join procedure. This is published in the approach charts or each Countries special procedures or Aerad Supplements. I hope this will give you an idea.
Just to remind you, a pilot entering a control zone without a direct clearance hand over must contact the zone ATC controller 10 minutes before the zone boundary. The pilot should report when at the boundary.
Radio failure procedures are also contained in manuals carried on the aircraft. Again they vary so will not be explained here. I hope you have now grasped the working between Pilots an Air Traffic Control the essential thing is a clear understanding is reached at all times.
In vast areas of the world no radar service is provided. Pilots make position reports on the radio for other pilots in the area to listen to. Africa is one such area. Pilots report at different waypoints and radio beacons.
Altimeter settings.
The pilot on departure will use the QNH of the airfield until passing the transition altitude for the area. The pilot will then set the altimeter to 1013 millibars or 29.92 for the rest of the flight until the aircraft again reaches transition altitude at the destination airfield. The pilot will then again adopt the destination aerodrome QNH until 2000 ft then the pilot will set the QFE for landing. Transition Altitude changes all over the world and in different areas of any one country. It is normally associated with terrain in the area. Where no transition area is published 3000 ft is normally regarded as the transition altitude. The London area it is published at 6000ft. The USA is 18500ft
A speed restriction of 250 knots is in force below 10000 ft. A rate of climb or descent must be always at a minumum of 500ft per minute. Higher rates are permissible.