User manual

Limesim Antarctica X 1.00 Antarctica X 1.00 Manual
Page 11 of 59
Radio strength is graduated in five increments from one being the weakest and barely audible to five, being
the loudest and clearest radio signal. There is no measure of this in the cockpit and is purely a subjective
assessment done by the pilot.
 Aircraft: "Rothera Traffic this is VP-FBB entering and backtracking runway three six".
 Rothera: "V-BB, roger, there is no known traffic to affect you, report ready for departure."
 Aircraft : "Roger, wilco"
The aircraft now enters and back tracks the runway.
Whilst taxying, the pilot does some of the pre-take-
off checks, and at the end of the runway, turns
around and lines up along the take-off runway
direction. He now completes checks, flight controls,
power run up, and checks that the auto feather and
beta-back-up propeller systems are functioning
correctly. See the Twin-Otter specific manual for
exact details.
 Aircraft: "Rothera traffic this is V-BB ready
for departure".
 Rothera: "Roger, V-BB, surface wind now
350 12 gusting 15 knots, take-off at your
discretion.
 Aircraft : "Roger, V-BB rolling runway 36"
When airborne:
 Aircraft: "V-BB is airborne".
 Rothera: "Roger V-BB, your airborne time is at 1108 zulu, next report passing waypoint bravo."
 Aircraft: "Roger next call bravo".
Note: there is no Alpha waypoint, but the first waypoint is bravo a point to the south of Rothera about 40 mins
flying time by twin-otter. Successive waypoints are charlie, delta, and echo, which take the aircraft about 10
mins flying time from the forward supply depot Fossil-Bluff.
Every 30 mins the met office issue a weather "ob", obtained from the Rothera Met Office, who in turn get the
information by HF radio or sat-phone from the various field camps or field supply depots. Again the weather is
copied onto the pilots navigation log, and the QNH ( sea-level pressure reading) is read back.
Note that at some locations there is no reliable QNH setting, if no-one exists on the ground. In this case a best
guess QNH is set, but more importantly great reliance is placed on the radio altimeter which gives the height
above the surface up to 2500 feet. Above this height and the pressure altimeter is used, with a healthy margin
for any high ground beneath.
 Aircraft: "This is V-BB with position report"
 Rothera: "Go-ahead"
 Aircraft: "V-BB is at position Bravo at time 1148 zulu, altitude 5000 feet, estimate charlie time 1228
zulu, delta next".
 Rothera: "Roger charlie time 1228 zulu, next report charlie"
 Aircraft: "Wilco".
Similar position reports are made at charlie, delta and echo, or if heading in a different direction then latitudes
and longitudes will be read out every 30 mins flying time. The purpose of this is to allow a "flight-follower" at
Rothera to plot the position of the aircraft on a large board of the Antarctic in the ops tower, and therefore