Flightradar 24

[Splitpin]

I was at the airport yesterday waiting for NZ90 , got there 2 hours early (as you do) Parked with the scanner and flightradar on the phone .... but i could only track inbound flights.
Normally just after take off they pop up on the screen .... but nothing yesterday.
Anyway , i was listening to SAI 297 through his let downs etc , once he was handed over to the tower he requested an auto land (which he got) first time ive heard it , and was just wondering how "auto" would it have been ? the landing looked super smooth , and he was down to a walking pace by the time he was level with the terminal .

Also heard an ANZ 320 have a close encounter at 1500 feet with a seagull .... "if we got him it was with the tail" bloody hell , but i suppose better the tail than the engine.

[Ian Warren]

That's were having your laptop with you plugging with wireless internet ... course have to wait a few more years when every aircraft has the transmitters.

[NZ255]

QUOTE (Splitpin @ Jan 2 2014,10:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

and was just wondering how "auto" would it have been ?

The auto landing procedure is executed automatically but the Captain still have to intervene to reduce speeds as the flaps are selected from 0, 1, 5, 20 and then to 30. At any time an emergency crops up, each pilot knows what to do because they have been covered during the briefing. Below 200 feet above ground level, the computers would ignore non-critical emergencies because pilots should not be disturbed at this very crucial phase of the landing.

At 50 feet, the autopilot flares the aeroplane, a term to describe how it would raise the nose slightly to prepare for a soft landing. The computer would call out aurally the heights every 10 feet and then at around 25 feet, the throttles are closed. At this point, the aeroplane should sit onto the runway gently and roll along the centerline until it comes to a complete stop by the auto brakes with the pilot aiding it further with reverse thrusts. You are now safely landed! If the Captain is unable to see the taxiway because the visibility has further reduced, he may request a ‘Follow Me’ vehicle to guide the pilot to its parking bay.


http://www.askcaptainlim.com/flying-on-the...boeing-777.html

[Splitpin]

Great reply , thanks very much NZ225 .

[cowpatz]

Nick's reply is spot on.
Depending on aircraft type an autoland must be logged every so often to keep the validation current. Also the flight crew must do one every so often as well to maintain their currency with them.
Typical values are an autoland every 28 days for the aircraft and every 3 months for the PIC.
When the conditions are around Cat 1 minima the localised areas around the localizer antennae (call sensitive areas) need to be protected to ensure no interference to the signal.
On a VMC practice autoland the approach and or tower are advised. You may hear them respond with "Localizer sensitive area not protected". This is a heads up to crew that any anomalies on the approach could be due to aircraft on the ground interfering with the signal.