How to taxi properly?

[copen]

I've got the A-10C startup sequence down. However, I often screw up the taxi. For example, the tower will ask me to take off from runway 08, but the first end of the runway I find is 22, and I am not cleared for takeoff.

 

How does one know:

 

1. WHICH airport you are starting up in, in the case of random mission generation. And thus which airport radio frequency to use.

 

2. HOW to get from the ramp to the runway, besides cheating and looking at the external view? Even if I do cheat, how do I find the runway during a storm with little visibility?

 

3. How do I know WHICH part of the runway the tower wants me to take off from? I realize runway 08 means bearing 08, but from who's perspective?

 

Thanks.

[BTTW-DratsaB]

1. Use the map to see, In real life you would know where you are :P. To get the frequency check mission briefing or use the CDU divert page to get the airfield frequency. Actually, iirc you can also get the Freq. on the map by clicking on the airfield.

 

2. Again, cheat and use the externals. In RL you would know where you are and the layout of the airport you where at:)

 

3. If they say 08, you taxi to the end of the runway that has 08 on it.

Edited December 5, 2010 by BTTW-DratsaB

[WarriorX]

Copen, I have another suggestion. Use these:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=60370&highlight=airfield+diagram

 

They are made by Shu, and they work well. As Dratsa said, use the F10 button to bring up the map and then see what airfield you are at, and where on the airfield you are.

 

Then use the airfield charts by Shu and orient yourself to them and when you are given taxi/runway instructions, then you will know where to go.

 

As to your 3rd question, all the tower cares about is the direction you take off from, as to where on the runway you start from depends on your aircraft's gross weight, and it's thrust to weight ratio. I use all the runway I can get, so I start from the threshold of the assigned runway/direction.

 

The runway's number assignment is given by the 2 compass bearings that you would fly to land or takeoff from said runway. Think of a compass face and needle, the needle aligns itself to 2 compass bearings on the compass face, they are 180 degrees apart.

[MTFDarkEagle]

If you add a zero to the end of that (08), you have the approximate heading of the runway, i.e. runway 08 would have (approximately!) a heading of 080, that also aids in indentifying which runway to take off from, but irl atc also states the taxiways which you should take, to get there.

[copen]

I did try using the airport diagrams. Most of my troubles were that I didn't know WHERE on the particular airport I was. Using F-10 may help that, if it has that level of detail. It is especially hard to find your way to the runway if it's night or in a storm. Just curious how real pilots do it.

 

Is runway 08 a heading of 08 or 080? If it's 080 as MTFDarkEagle suggests, that makes a LOT more sense. Is 00 facing north then?

[MTFDarkEagle]

Runway 36 points north :)

And it's very true what I said, just a a zero to the end of the runway number and you get the general heading. Note: not the exact! If could be a couple of degrees off.

[Frederf]

In Blackshark ATC wanted you to taxi onto the runway before runway clearance (bonkers).

 

In A-10C the ATC will freak out if you do this. Call them up some meters short of the runway edge (hold short line in real life.)

[copen]

Thanks guys, that works!

[Shake3000]

:D

In Blackshark ATC wanted you to taxi onto the runway before runway clearance (bonkers).

 

In A-10C the ATC will freak out if you do this. Call them up some meters short of the runway edge (hold short line in real life.)

 

In Soviet Russia, you clear ATC!

[Zachlw]

Runway 36 points north :)

And it's very true what I said, just a a zero to the end of the runway number and you get the general heading. Note: not the exact! If could be a couple of degrees off.

I'm glad someone knows the basics of FLYING! Plus one rep!

[MTFDarkEagle]

;) Thanks mate. I've been flying civil/military simulator's for a lot of years, so I know quite a lot. Also I hope to begin pilot training next year, so a bit ahead knowledge is always handy ;)

I fly the PMDG 747/MD-11 on a regular basis, including full FMC :)

[gturn234]

What Dark says is completely true. +1 Bro.

 

Also, to aid your situational awareness, my first flight instructor taught me the +2-2 method of finding a reciprocal course and it helps me immeasurably in the game and real life.

 

What you do is take the runway, in this example 08 and add 2 to one digit and subtract 2 from the other one. Then add the 0 at the end and you will find the heading that you want to taxi on. So for this runway I would add 2 to 0 and subtract 2 from 8 to get 260. That is the heading that you want to taxi to reach the proper end of the runway. If you were given runway 36, you would subtract 2 from the 3 and add 2 to the 6, getting a heading of 180 to taxi on.

 

Some guys I fly with just look at the opposite side of the heading dial on the HSI, but with practice my +2-2 works every bit as well. I also use this when flying the downwind leg of the approach to find the heading opposite the runway I am trying to land on.

[MTFDarkEagle]

Nice method! Didn't know that one, but I will certainly use it! Thanks!

+rep inbound buddy :)

[Yskonyn]

Rep inbound my friend! That rule still helps me daily in real life! One thing to remember though is that it also works the other way around; +2 -2 or -2 +2. Sometimes you will get weird numbers if you add first (For example on course 270), just substract first in that case. Nice and quick!

 

On the positional awareness (especially in low visibility); in real life pilots have charts at hand (airport layout, aplroach procedures, minimum altitudes, etc). Here are also all applicable frequencies listed.

So if you dont have charts at hand I suppose there is nothing wrong with using the in game map for positional purposes. ;)