On approach to an Airport what is the first thing the pilot does?

Question

And what is the first thing he or she says to the ATC?

Answer 1

e.g. " Paducah Approach, Delta 723 is with you at 8,000."

That's about it!

Of course you'd listen to the ATIS and once the controller tells you which runway / approach to expect...things start to get busy.

Descent and approach checklists, computing and setting the bugs, call the station that you're inbound, dealing with the cabin crew, approach briefing, etc.

Answer 2

Well, it depends on what you consider as an approach. The first thing to do is done while still in cruising flight - plan the descent and the approach. In other words, you must calculate at what point to begin the descent from cruise to inital approach altitude - the higher and faster you are, the further out (in both time and distance) you must begin your descent. That planning also includes at what point you will begin decreasing airspeed to approach speed. Too many variables to comment much further, including whether the flight is VFR (Visual Flight Rules) or IFR (Instrument Flight Rules), the type of approach (visual, ILS, Localizer, VOR, GPS/RNAV, NDB and variants thereof), types of airspace you are in and will be flying through, type and number of ATC facilities (if any), etc., etc.

As to the first thing the pilot says to ATC, again, it depends on the circumstances of the individual flight. If IFR (or VFR with flight following), the pilot has been in contact with ATC, so it is very difficult to say what would be considered a first communication relative to the approach. If VFR, and not in prior contact with ATC, it would depend on the destination and the airspace to be transitioned inbound to it. You may need to contact the appropriate enroute center, an approach control serving the area, the tower at the airport (if one is located there), or the CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency) if an uncontrolled (non-towerd) field, again, depending on the airspace classification. What one would say on his initial call would vary slightly, depending on the facility and type of airspace.

Answer 3

It depends on whether this is a VFR or an IFR flight. If it's an IFR flight, I'll be talking with approach control and will tell me when to talk with tower. On approach, I will have done the pre-landing checklist and gotten ATIS. I will have also put in tower's frequency in the radio and get prepared so that when ATC says "over to tower" I can switch over very easily.

If it's a VFR flight, I'll start monitoring CTAF about 10 miles out. When I have the airport in sight, I'll report that I have the airport in sight and I'm so many miles from it and in which direction. As in: "Oxford Traffic, Cessna 172RQ, 5 miles east inbound". Just before entering pattern, I'll tell traffic that I'm entering the pattern, etc.

Answer 4

During IFR flights the pilot first checks the ATIS or information regarding the airport he is going to land in. then after preparing the aircraft computers for the approach he contacts the ATC and informs them of his altitude and position (if ATC doesn't still have him identified on radar).

Answer 5

There are 2 kinds of airline attitude, the seen attitude which makes use of your seen senses to land the plane, and the instruiment attitude or the so said as device touchdown equipment which makes use of contraptions, computer courses and digital and verbal change units to assist the attitude of a plane. Airports do have localizers and radio stations that aides the verbal change desires of the pilot. Airplanes do have digital contraptions to aide the mandatory preparation to land like the altitude, atittude, heading, fee of descent, speed, attitude of descent and etc. we've also the autopilot which could land the plane without the aide of human factors by ability of using the pcs and flight administration equipment of the plane.

Answer 6

probably makes sure his approach is in sight and level and makes sure his ILS (instrument landing system) and ALS are serviceable and working. His approach would of been monitoried via his IFF and notification to the tower for permission to land would be asked by the pilot.

Answer 7

Get the latest weather information on the ATIS. (Automatic Terminal Information Service)

go to
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/MAEL/ag/atis.htm

Answer 8

review the airport info (alt, length of strip, direction of strip, right or left base, etc.)

Answer 9

Pray?