Air Traffic Chatter Vetting? (NRT-LAX route, departures--taxiing, really.)
Hi all! I come bearing questions for anyone familiar with air paths and air traffic control (ATC) chatter. (If you are an ATC person I would LOVE to pick your brains!) I wrote a fic with some ATC chatter recently, and if you are familiar with Narita at all, could you please take a look and let me know whether the following makes any sense?
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Is this supposed to be a scheduled airline flight?
Yes, this is supposed to be JL 62 (NRT-LAX usually scheduled at 1705 daily) with fictional pilots. Thank you for the lovely explanation of how a commercial flight gets from gate to airspace! <3 And whoa, you're right, that is a TON of events.
Someone at NRT couldn't possibly clear a flight to enter another country; at very most the flight would be, at this juncture, cleared to the entry for the transoceanic track. Far more likely the clearance would only extend to some intermediate point.
I hadn't realized the national borders would mean separate clearances (it makes sense in hindsight, of course.) How would I find an intermediate point to use instead of Los Angeles? Or should I just say "cleared for departure" since I don't have to write more than taxiing? (The scene stops before the runway, just past handoff from Ground to Tower without actually contacting Tower.)
Ground wouldn't identify itself as Ground on the frequency for Ground.
Oops. What would they say?
Taxi instructions would be extremely lengthy for such a large airport.
Does it come as a rapid-fire list of instructions in one go, or does it Ping-Pong back and forth as the plane reaches "waypoints"? Should I attempt to make something up based on the departure routes in this? (Found after I learned that NRT is referred to as RJAA...)
Oceanic control. You'd enter a Pacific Track via Fukoka Control. You give (probably automated) position reports at particular time periods. No radar so separation is totally by airspeed and time of entry. Once you get near the US, Oakland controls your entry into US National Airspace.
Who runs Oceanic control--I'm assuming some international organization like ICAO? *is starting to get stuffed-brain syndrome* I found this on Wiki but I am assuming that there are multiple sections of Oceanic Control JL62 would need to go through to get to LAX...
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Perhaps ONION? I really don't know. I don't think much clearance information is shared between ATC and the pilot; most of it goes to the dispatcher and then to the pilot some time prior to pushoff. There's a lot of information being transferred to and from dispatch.
Or should I just say "cleared for departure" since I don't have to write more than taxiing?
I'd perhaps ignore the IFR clearance entirely. The crew gets pushed back. They get the engines started and ready to taxi from the ramp to the taxiway, where they can't go without permission from Ground. They request taxi clearance from Ground. They get it. And off they go.
Does it come as a rapid-fire list of instructions in one go, or does it Ping-Pong back and forth as the plane reaches "waypoints"?
Rapid fire. Step-by-step taxi instructions are called "progressive taxi" instructions and, while allowed, are frowned upon as they slow down operations. Barely tolerated with a PPL holder. Eyebrow-raising for an airliner operating at one of the busiest airports on Earth.
Oops. What would they say?
Airplane: Cactus 123, requesting a thing.
Ground: Cactus 123, do that thing.
Aircraft identify themselves by name and then say their business and/or agrees with instructions.
ATC addresses the aircraft by name and answers/and or issues instructions.
No "roger" no "over and out" or any of that. Aircraft preface with their ident and controllers preface with the ident of the aircraft they are addressing.
Who runs Oceanic control--I'm assuming some international organization like ICAO?
Pretty much; ICAO makes the general rules and delegates authority. The routes are through PACOTS, the Pacific Organized Track System. North Pacific routes - between Japan and the USA - are delegated by ICAO to be shared between Japan and the USA. Each day, Fukuoka decides what the eastbound routes are, and Oakland decides the westbound routes.
http://zak.vatusa.net/tutor/pacots_tutorial.htm
there are multiple sections of Oceanic Control JL62 would need to go through to get to LAX...
Just Fukuoka and then position reports via HF or (more likely) ACARS until they hit the US continental National Airspace ADIZ. Then they quickly enter SOCAL airspace and things get busy very quick.
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Haha no, but thanks. I'm not an ATP, not even a pilot. Just an engineer and aviation hobbyist. :) lindenfoxcub is probably the only expert here. :)
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