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AFDA logo 
 Aircraft Flight Developers Association presents:  
Frankfurt Rhein/Main - Stuttgart 
Lufthansa flight LH390   
 
A nostalgic ATC adventure for Microsoft Flightsimulator 2002® 
Author: Steffen Gerlach 
 
 
 
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German version 

 

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How to contact us: support@afda.de
 
Click the headlines to go to the particular chapter 

Inhalt:  

1. What's new ?    

2. The flight   

3. Required Software 

4. Installation  

5. Tips for a successful flight 

6. Not implemented  

7.Copyright
 
8.Credits   

    
  
 

1. What's new ? 

In 1998 I released this adventure as freeware, followed by a remake for FS2000 in May 2001. Those of you who know it already requested an update for FS2002 , well here we go... -)

- runs with FS2002 only -)

 

What is left unchanged:

- main ATC, flight plan route

- SPACE -> Mikebutton
- 2 pilot concept implemented. You'll hear 2 pilots in the cockpit -))
- a purser making the PAX announcements
- international voices , e.g. ATIS, Ramper at FRA

This adventure does not reflect the present status quo of adventure evolution. I did not rework the whole flight according to the new standard of AFDA's professional adventures released as "Airline Pilot 1" CD by Aerosoft. This remake is simply meant as a tribute to all requests of flightsimmers who wanted to have our 'classics' running in FS2002. -) Though it is a bit outdated by now, it's still the "good old flight" - now even with 2 pilots aboard....
Those who want to experience more realism should go for our "Airline Pilot 1". You can find a review e.g. on flightsim.com (particularly at www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?CKfrB02I=main/review/ap1/ap1.htm )

 
 

2. The flight

a.) General
b.) A quick and dirty description for the experienced aviator
c.) Detailed description of the flight

 
 

a.) General

This is a regular flight between Frankfurt and Stuttgart taken from the Lufthansa's Winter Timetable (27th October 1996 - 29th March 1997) which was still valid when I started work on this project<g>. The real-world flight, (dep. 8:55 a.m., arr. 9:40 a.m.) is served by an Airbus A321.The flight number and times have changed somewhat meanwhile, but let's transport ourselves back to summer of  '97 for a couple of hours...

b.) A quick and dirty description for the experienced aviator

Here is the most essential information for those impetuous souls amongst you who cannot wait to get started. If this is all a bit of a riddle to you then please consult the more detailed description below - especially taking a close look at the charts. After all, any successful flight demands the most careful preparation - it could save you your life - and other people's too.

Route:

Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport Gate B20                                 364 feet          N 50 02.9       E 008 34.2

/Terminal1 --> Taxiway N

Ried VOR(RID  112.20                           178°                      6-7000 feet     N 49 47.0       E 008 32.6

Neckar NDB  (NKR  292)                       166°                      13,000 feet     N 49 20.2       E 008 44.0

Luburg VOR (LBU  109.20)                    138°                      5000 feet        N 48 54.9       E 009 20.5

ILS Glidepath Rwy 25 intercepting          130°                      4500 feet        N 48 48.0       E 009 33.3

Stuttgart Airport Gate 11 at Terminal 1                                 1267 feet        N 48 41.2       E 009 11.3

Pushback: unfortunatly the trick of having the aircraft pushed back by using a video file doesn't work anymore in FS2002. You need to perform a pushback by yourself either by using FS2002's pushback feature or using a addon tool like e.g. Lago's FSAssist

Taxiing: Do not exceed a speed of 5 kts in the vicinity of the gates.  Do not exceed a speed of 8-10 kts on taxiways. Your speed on bends, on particular, should not at any time exceed 10 kts - you have been warned!

Takeoff: initial rate of climb - 2500 feet/min / 160kts. Acceleration at ALT 1800ft. Thereafter Rate of climb: 2500 ft/min at 250 kts (standard below FL100) Maintain until FL 100, increase IAS to 300 kts and reduce climb rate to 1800 ft/min (again standard procedure). 

c.) Detailed description of the flight

Ramp:

We are standing at Gate B20 at Frankfurt airport, listening to the current ATIS weather report before carrying out our pre-start checks and obtaining permission to start up our engines (Frankfurt Ground Control on 121.95 MHz). The copilot has been very busy and already pre-programmed the on-board computer for our flight.

In Frankfurt we will be taking off from the 'Startbahn 18 West'. During its construction this was the site of heated battles with environmentalists. Runway 18 is generally used for flights heading South or East because of the prevailing westerly wind in Frankfurt. We travel to the runway via taxiway November and holding point N. If you have one of the hird-party sceneries for Frankfurt, you just need to follow the yellow taxiway lines. Please do not exceed 5-8 knots in the vicinity of the gates, do not take tight 90° bends at more than 8-10 knots and keep your taxiing speed down to 15-25 knots on the straight - this is not Hockenheim. Furthermore, if you keep your taxiing speed down to 20 kts the adventure will run smoothly. If you travel too fast, you may have problems with the way some of the sound files are played back.

The radio sequence for start-up clearance, push-back and taxi has been simplified somewhat for this adventure. In reality, after having obtained start-up permission from Ground Control, you would also have to contact the Apron Controller from the airport authority (Frankfurt Flughafen AG) which is responsible for taxiway N.

Ground Control clears you to follow the SID 'Neckar four Lima' (NKR 4L) which is normally used when flying south from Frankfurt. 

Taxiing:

Now that we have received clearance for starting the engines we can start the pushback procedure. All the pilot has to do is follow the instructions of the Ramp Agent regarding the brakes. You need to push back the aircraft manually using the FS2002 option or a addon tool (e.g. Lago's FSAssist) until it is standing correctly aligned on the taxiway. Normally we would start the engines during pushback, but since this was not possible during the FS98 video-sequence, we have to wait until afterwards. Since FSAssist is available even starting the engines during push back is possible now ! -)

Once we have received clearance to taxi we can start to roll, after which our route is also cleared. Once we are safely on Taxiway N and the cockpit signal (gong) has sounded we can trigger the captain's first passenger announcement by pressing the speech button SPACE. When we reach the S-bend on taxiway N, our copilot tunes into the Tower frequency and we press SPACE again to announce our presence to Tower Control (frequency 124.80 for Rwy 18 - the parallel runways in Frankfurt have a separate frequency).

 

Take-off:

We have informed the Tower that we will soon be ready for take off and after a short departure briefing we are ready to go. Tower gives us clearance for a rolling takeoff. For a particularly elegant take-off you can always use the FS2002 autothrust and takeoff power facility.<g>. Once you have rotated and achieved a positive rate of climb, retract the gear and we are away.

After the copilot has entered the transponder/squawk code (6612 in this instance) and tuned into the Frankfurt Departure Control frequency (DF Radar: 120.15 MHz) Radar Control is contacted automatically. It is necessary to press Ctrl+K for all further radio communications initiated by the pilot. Start to raise the flaps and gradually reduce thrust to remain at an IAS of 250 knots below an altitude of 10 000 ft. Your rate of climb should be 2500 ft/min. Once you have achieved a positive rate of climb you can engage the autopilot (main switch). The first waypoint is RID VOR. In the real world, the autopilot is often not engaged until an interim cruising height has been reached. In this adventure the autopilot can fly the aircraft virtually all on its own, even from just after take-off if so desired. Once we reach 10,000 ft we can put our foot down until we have attained our cruising speed of 300 kts... <g>

Climb to 4000 ft immediately after take off as prescribed by the SID. Frankfurt Radar will then provide further instructions, especially regarding altitude, whereby the controllers will, as far as possible, allow the aircraft to climb at a constant rate rather than forcing us to level out at an intermediate altitude. 

After following the Standard Instrument Departure route (SID) 'Neckar 4L' we turn direct to Ried VOR (RID, 112.20) on a heading of 178°. From there we head towards NDB Neckar (NKR, 292) on the outbound radial 166°. From Neckar NDB we turn towards Luburg VOR (LBU 109.20) on a heading of 138°. ATC will provide us with clearance for the relevant flight level and routes as we fly. When we cross the threshold height - in this instance 6000 ft, due to the prevailing weather conditions - we must reset the altimeter to a standard pressure of 1014 millibars to obtain a correct altitude reading. This is the standard pressure used above 6000 ft and is prescribed for all aircraft. ATIS provides information on the given threshold height which depends on the air pressure on a particular day. If we did not adjust the altimeter, we would be at the correct height for our pre-set pressure of 1024 millibars, but physically would be at a different height to any other aircraft in the area with correctly adjusted altimeters, which could result in a collision... 

On our flight we will encounter some rather heavy 'clear air turbulence' at about 12,000 ft, at which point we will request a new and less bumpy flight level than the 13,000 ft allocated by ATC.

Once we have turned towards Luburg after leaving Neckar behind us and the copilot has adjusted the settings accordingly, press SPACE to play back the Captain's second passenger announcement.

Descent:

Before we start our descent the copilot will tune into Stuttgart ATIS, to permit us to hear the 'endless' local weather report tape. This report is updated at regular intervals or if there is any sudden change in the weather. We are obliged to listen to this information and must confirm with ATC that we have indeed heard it. The main thing is that we have heard the correct QNH so that our altimeter is set correctly.

We are then instructed to descend and are passed on to Stuttgart Approach Controller (COM 125.05 - don't forget to press Ctrl+K). With foresight, we have of course already started to reduce our cruising speed - this ought to be done just after the Captain's second passenger announcement because we have quite a bit of speed to dissipate if we are to make a clean descent - i.e. without flaps - at a reasonable speed. We start our descent 17 DME inbound from Luburg (i.e. 17 nautical miles before the Luburg navigation aid). We can set the autopilot to 250 kts with a rate of descent 2500 ft/min.

Due to the prevailing westerly wind, we can expect to be cleared for Runway 25, i.e. that we will approach the airport from the east on a heading of 255°. We are cleared for an ILS approach to Runway 25 using the STandard Approach Routine (STAR) contained in the appropriate manuals. For this purpose, we must arrive at Luburg at a height of 5000 ft, i.e. once we have been cleared for the ILS approach we can descend at our own discretion unless ATC instructs us otherwise. When we reach Luburg we supply ATC with our ATO (actual time over [Luburg]) as requested. This is done automatically by our copilot. The adventure recognizes and displays our actual ATO (see cockpit clock) in text on screen every time you fly the adventure. The WAV file, unfortunately, is not updated and gives a 'good average' which I achieved during practice. At LBU we change course to 130° outbound (i.e. fly on a heading of 130° away from LBU) and continue to descend to 4500 ft. We then turn right towards the ILS path and intercept it from below (NB.: never intercept an ILS path from above). It is possible that after tuning NAV1 to the ILS beacon frequency (STW 109.09) we have no display initially. However, do not worry, we will pick up the station when we intercept the ILS glide slope at the latest. Do not rely on the autopilot when lining up on the glidepath but fly the curve a bit tighter manually.  If you are worried about turning too early, press Ctrl+I to check your relative position as otherwise the adventure will cut out - you cannot take a short cut and miss this step out, unfortunately <g>.

Once we are established on the glide path (with both Nav1 needles centred) contact Stuttgart Approach (press SPACE). We are then requested to get in touch again when overflying the outer marker (abbrev. OM and combined with NDB radio beacon - SG 306). In the meantime we have enough to do intercepting the glide path. Once established on the glidepath we can activate the autopilot to lock onto it and turn our attention to the flaps, regulating the thrust and lowering the gear. Then we have to contact the Tower Controller (118.80) in accordance with ATC instructions (Press SPACE). We are now starting on the final phase of our journey. Reduce speed to 160 kts if you have not already done so, set flaps and lower your gear. After obtaining clearance to land, touchdown, apply air brakes, reverse thrust, then apply the brakes at 70 knots, close air brakes and shut down reverse thrust.

You can leave runway 25 via exit F. Once we are clear of the runway we must inform the Tower Controller (press Ctrl+K), who instructs us to contact Stuttgart Ground (121.90) (press SPACE). Tower Control will give us clearance to taxi to the ramp and parking position 11 at Terminal 1. On our way to the ramp we press SPACE so that the captain can say good-bye to the passengers.

Gate 11 is the second space on the left between an LH Airbus on the left and an Air France aircraft on the right. The adventure scans whether you really have reached your parking position and ends once the aircraft has stopped or virtually stopped. Again, in reality there would be an Apron Controller here too. 

Please do not forget that there is a maximum speed limit of 250 knots below 10 000 ft for the benefit of slower moving VFR traffic. 

Should you fail to receive an ATC message at any point, press Ctrl+I (see below), to discover the distance and heading you should take to reach your next waypoint. You have to fly relatively close to the waypoints for the adventure to move on to the next stage - otherwise life would be far too simple...

Should you miss a waypoint, there is a little trick you can use to get back on course - switch to the slew mode and 'reverse'(!) your aircraft until it is inbound of the last navigation beacon and, using Ctrl+I make sure that you fly over the beacon this time round, then the adventure will pick up where it left off...<g> [probably better than my 'holding pattern method', i.e. circling round until I pick it up again]  

One last comment regarding real-life flying. As I explained above, I have altered the real frequencies used by Frankfurt Tower and Frankfurt Ground by 0.05 MHz to avoid the irritating standard Flightshop ATIS messages. I feel this solution is by far the lesser of two evils. The frequencies for Frankfurt Radar and Stuttgart are, however, taken from real life. 

The main thing is enjoy yourselves, have a pleasant flight and a smooth landing.

3. Required software

A minimum requirement for this adventure is Microsoft's FS2002

  German Airports 2 Scenery by Aerosoft is recommended

4. Installation
 

The Files: 

- LH390.ADV,LH390.FLT, LH390.WX belong in your ...\FS2002\flights\fs2kadv folder 
-  FRASTR.PLN  belong in your ...\FS2002\flights\myflts  folder

- *.WAV Belong in your ...\FS2002\ADV\WAV\LH390 folder

The Aircraft

The adventure automatically loads the MSFS2002 B737-400. I "repainted" it to my favourite livery, there are some available for free from flightsim.com.
If you wish to respray your default B737 in Lufthansa livery, you can download some from the Internet.

Naturally you can also call up the situation file LH390.FLT outside the adventure and select a different plane instead. You need to copy-paste the FLT-file in you folder /flights/myflts first.... If you do this, it is important you remember to store the situation file under the same name. Next you must record a new pushback video and save it under the same name as the original one. For further please refer to our FAQ section on AFDA homepage, too.

5. Tips for a successful flight

Key combinations available in-flight:

· SPACE makes radio contact, i.e. broadcasts the pilot's/copilot's message. If your Com receiver is set to the correct frequency, ATC will answer. If it is tuned to the wrong frequency they won't answer because they can't hear you. In this adventure you need to press SPACE each time the pilot contacts a new station. All the other messages are played automatically. This is in contrast to the procedure used in "Airline Pilot 1" a simplification - you do not have to press the mikebutton for every transmission.
· Ctrl+x activates or deactivates the copilot whilst the Adventure is running
· CTRL+r repeats the last radio or ATIS message.
· CTRL+i shows the heading and distance to the next waypoint, thus allowing you to correct your course independently of your instruments. The adventure establishes whether you have reached the next waypoint with a tolerance of 0.5 - 3.5 nautical miles, depending on whether you are on the ground, cruising or on final approach. You will not be given clearance for the next stage of your flight until you have reached the respective waypoint, so no messing about and make sure you are familiar with the route before setting out and keep all the necessary documentation to hand. Should you lose your way entirely, you can
find your position relative to the next waypoint by pressing Ctrl+i. This adventure does not recognize if you fly the incorrect route or take off from the incorrect runway. In such cases you will simply lose radio contact with Radar Control and receive no further instructions.

Likewise, you are also asked if you would like to have the messages displayed as text (to ease understanding), or whether you would prefer to have this option switched off this and would like just to hear the messages as you would in a real cockpit...<g>
The "flowing text" option should not be deactivated in your flight simulator settings menu, otherwise the ATIS text will not be displayed correctly as it is intended to appear in this form.

 

6. Not implemented

This Adventure has no error recognition. If you fly to Marseilles instead of Nice, it is your own fault and you will receive no clearance from ATC. If you head off to the wrong runway, you will not be given takeoff clearance. If you are in doubt as to where you should be going, press Ctrl+I for heading and direction.

7. Legal notice

This adventure is free software / freeware in accordance with the current legal definitions of the terms. Anyone can use it and pass it on to his or her friends (or enemies if you don't want to see them for a time... <g>). I do not mind you uploading it to any mailbox or Internet server which does not incur any extra download charges, in fact I would actively encourage you to pass it on to other flight-simmers, just as long as no alterations are made. If you wish to make changes for your own personal or private use, please feel free to do so.
However, any commercial distribution of this adventure is EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, especially publication on data carriers such as diskettes, ZIP, CD-ROM, DVD etc. without the author's prior permission.
This adventure has been tested by other users and myself with regard to functionality and compatibility. However, I can take no responsibility for any damage which you may feel has arisen in connection with using this adventure, especially any resulting from lack of sleep or spending too long in front of a computer screen. <g>

As far as it is humanly possible to ascertain, this software was virus-free on publication. It has been tested with several reputable and up-to-date virus scanners. Unfortunately I can undertake no guarantee as to what might have happened to the software since it left my hands.
This adventure has been tested by other users and myself with regard to functionality and compatibility.However, I can take no responsibility for any damage which you may feel has arisen in connection with using this adventure, especially any resulting from lack of sleep or spending too long in front of a computer screen. <g>
As far as it is humanly possible to ascertain, this software has been virus-free on publication. It has been tested with several reputable and up-to-date virus scanners. Unfortunately I can undertake no guarantee as to what might have happened to the software since it has left my hands
.

8. Credits

I would like to take this opportunity of thanking

Steffen Rabenau (Frankfurt Ground) for his dulcet tones, his professionalism, his speed... Don't worry Steffen, the next adventures are on their way. He is based in Berlin and runs his own travel/bus company

Thorsten Marx (Frankfurt Tower) for his support and co-operation. Don't worry, you'll get a bigger part next time round, Thorsten <g> He works as a surgeon in a Berlin hospital.

Wolfgang Schulte (Frankfurt Radar) for his immense help, patience and speedy replies to emails. He lives in Münster and has been a real asset for this project because he has a PPL. You may have heard him in a walk-on part in Joachim Kroll's adventures. Thanks for undertaking the test flight, for help with the flight plan and tips regarding approach plates and the Navigator 6 flight plan.

Peter Hiermeier (Stuttgart radar and designer of the Stuttgart scenery airport). He lives in Stuttgart and a big thank-you for helping out even though you didn't really have  enough time. I can't wait for your next scenery. And SPECIAL THANKS for the Swabian accent and, of course, the airport without which the landing would have been far less exciting. I chose this destination deliberately because of your marvellous scenery.

Bernd Hackner (Stuttgart Tower) for his spontaneous reaction and help with the beta version - there should be more users like you...

Martin Häusler (ATIS Stuttgart), Noble Air pilot and in the meantime HUB CAPTAIN ASSISTANT in the new HUB Munich. I would like to recommend his homepage, http://ourworld.compuserve.com/ homepages/Martin_Haeusler in this context. Thanks for your enthusiasm, tips and also for getting your sister (Stuttgart Ground) to participate who I would like to say an extra thank you to here. Also thanks for the FS5.1 test flights and the detailed reports.

Thomas Hulliger (Swiss Air 572 captain), lives in Zurich. Thanks for helping out and recording the wavs.

Sigrid Desczyk: I would also like to say a special work of thanks to my girlfriend Sigi (Frankfurt ATIS) for her immense patience and amazing tolerance regarding the many, many hours and long nights I spend at my PC. 'I'll just finish this one last file off quickly, OK??!'

 Stefan Benzinger, a keen flight-simmer and tried and tested speaker in my last adventure to Munich. A doctor in a Clinic in Schongau in Bavaria (yet another surgeon). Thanks for providing the FS5 situation file.

Joachim Kroll: last but not least, I would like to thank Joachim for help with programming, for revising GPWS 7.2 - who knows whether I would have ever managed it on my own - and for giving me access to his work and answering all my emails. I don't suppose this project would have got off the ground without you.

Claus Kindt: my untiring advisor and former DFS air traffic controller - thank you for all your tips, explanations, and all that you have taught me about flying, giving me an insight into your own immense knowledge of this subject. Thank you, Claus, without you, I would not have achieved this degree of reality.

 Jon Shepherd (voice of BA 922) a flight-simmer from Cologne who took the English translation off my hands to give me a bit more programming time.

Wolfgang Milius, who plays the Ramp Agent responsible for the pushback in Frankfurt

Peter Fuß, who took over from the female traffic controller in Stuttgart when she went for her break  - thanks a lot Peter.

André Wieczorek for filtering the Airbus waves.

Ralf Hürst (voice of LH1148)

Alain Nicco from France, (voice of Air France 1466)

Jörg Steinhauser (voice of LH 4816)

Markus Hölscher (voice of LH 4731)

Grisu (voice of LH 4916)

Frank Dunkelberg (voice of LH 1160 )

Tom Cobbley: just for being there to complete the list 

And me, Steffen Gerlach, still aged 33 - lol - , a doctor working in - yes, you've guessed it - the  surgical department of a clinic. This time I speak the voice of the pilot on board LH 390.

If you have anything to say regarding this adventure, please do not hesitate to drop me an email - all feedback is welcome! 

I would just like to add one last word here [that'll be the day], that this adventure is intended as a small thank you to all those authors of scenery, panels, adventures, tools and other add-ons for Microsoft Flight simulator and from whose hard work I've profited and who have made the flight simulator such an enjoyable experience. A big thank you to you all.

All other parts were played by members of the cast.

A big thank you to you all for the outstanding collaboration! This adventure would not have been the same without you. It is heart-warming to see the international co-operation that goes into such adventures, especially in such politically uncertain times. It is also good to see that the freeware spirit is not just alive and well in the flight-sim community, but that a lot of things would not be possible without it.

Many happy landings

Steffen Gerlach, 

Member of AFDA, March 2003