Author Topic: Help me with Air Traffic Controller's English  (Read 11326 times)

Offline kaycekwon

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Help me with Air Traffic Controller's English
« on: March 14, 2014, 11:18:05 AM »
How would an American controller describe this picture?

could any of you help me describe this picture in detail?
Is it being serviced by an approach controller and is making a turn to line up with possibly a localizer? or is it holding?

could i say that it is nearing IAF?

what about the a/c in the back of the picture. Is it possible following SID to get into enroute? Is it climbing right after takeoff?

they are asking me to say which phase this a/c is in and how i can tell. hmm....and to give specific examples?




Offline blakepilot

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Re: Help me with Air Traffic Controller's English
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2014, 02:50:43 PM »
Without any other details, the aircraft in the background definitely looks like it's departing and on climbout.  SID possibly, but likely flying a vector to join a SID.

The aircraft in the foreground has what looks like approach flaps down, but appears to be flying pretty low...as low or lower than most ILS minimums.  If it was on an final approach and that low, the gear would be down by that point, and flaps much lower.  Low pass of a runway or point?  It's hard to say it's lining up for a localizer when you don't know a position.

Could also be in the pattern on a left crosswind leg off a parallel runway, or executing a missed approach.

Offline frylock

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Re: Help me with Air Traffic Controller's English
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2014, 11:51:05 AM »
The aircraft in the foreground is a development A350 (there's some kind of air data sensor thingy hanging from the tip of the vertical stabilizer). Maybe it's just doing a low pass for promotional photography purposes during a test flight with the aircraft in the background taking off from a different runway at the same airport. Not sure how ATC would describe that though...

Offline Gadya

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Re: Help me with Air Traffic Controller's English
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2014, 02:17:48 AM »
I am sure, they asked you not for getting an accurate information about definite stage of flight but just to stimulate you for speaking English, for demonstrating it through your ideas. SOMETIMES, examiners are forced to speculate on the point