The Pilot Club CHALLENGE FLIGHT: Gibraltar

The Pilot Club - flightsim challenge flight

TPC Flight Ops team, in coordination with VATSIM, invites you to join our CHALLENGE group flight.

LEBL-LXGB

Date/Time: 14 May 2022, 4p EST (20:00z)

Host: Noah

ATC: VATSIM

Aircraft: Airliners & Bizjets

Routing: LOTOS UM985 PIMOS

Charts: HERE

:warning: Make sure you have read SOP

Notes: All arrivals and departures generally route via PIMOS or LINTO, however this shouldn’t be an issue from the route you have filed. From PIMOS, you can expect radar vectors to either an SRA or visual approach for runway 09 or 27. Navigraph and Aerosoft both have charts for LXGB, but pilots without a subscription to these services can view the same charts for free here under the AD tab.

The only instrument approach is a surveillance radar approach for runway 09/27. These can be given in headings or tracks at the pilots preference, although the phraseology for approaches given by tracks remains “heading” and “degrees”. The SRA approaches don’t conform to PANS-OPS specifications, however the phraseology is generally the same as a civilian SRA procedure so you shouldn’t have any issues provided you’ve flown an SRA approach before.

The only exception is “Check gear, acknowledge” at 4.5nm from touchdown to which the reply should be “Gear down”. Once informed by ATC that you are at point X/Y, pilots should manoeuvre visually to align with the extended centreline. In good weather, visual approaches are generally preferred by both pilots and ATC now that the RNP approaches have been removed.

Transfer to Gibraltar Tower can occur late in the approach, and is generally left until aircraft are safely established on the final approach course so things can get very busy in the cockpit with one pilot! If conducting a SRA then aircraft will remain with Gibraltar Talkdown until after landing. Turns are not permitted on the runway, so aircraft must use the turning circles at the runway ends.

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