The AFS Through a Normal Flight

Articles 01–29 built the machine; this one threads it back through a complete flight. It is a synthesis piece: every SOP action below carries a link to the article whose mechanism it exists to serve — the mechanics are the strings, the SOP is the score.

 cockpit preparation (panel scan + INIT pipeline + PERF pipeline)
 → before takeoff (FCU four steps + FMA two-column check)
 → takeoff (TOGA/FLX arms A/THR + SRS + RWY — arts 09/16)
 → AP from 100 ft (05) → CL at THR RED (16) → acceleration at ACC ALT (07)
 → climb & cruise (managed as the rule + the two FMA questions — 26)
 → descent preparation (DES WIND + PERF APPR + briefing — 22/25)
 → push DES at T/D (08) → magenta DECEL → approach phase (22)
 → approach by family (11) → landing (13) or go-around (14)
 → after landing (AP off, reports print — 28)

1. Cockpit preparation — the scan and two pipelines

The glareshield scan (task-sharing table): each pilot sets his own loudspeaker, baro (cross-read both sides), FD checked ON, LS as required, ND mode/range, ADF-VOR switches — and the FCU centre panel is entirely the PF's to set. The same table carries a quiet cross-check: compare the EFB's green dot with the MCDU's — two independent computations (the EFB performance software versus FE, article 18); a mismatch is the early smoke of a weight-entry error.

The INIT pipeline: INIT A (route, CRZ FL, CI) → INIT B: ZFW/ZFWCG in, the FUEL PLANNING prompt appears → verify TAXI/RTE RSV/FINAL (AMI defaults — article 25) → alternate fuel/MIN DEST FOB/TRIP WIND as needed → BLOCK (the flight plan's figure — or let FUEL PLANNING back-compute the extra-zero minimum) → final loadsheet arrives: re-enter ZFW/ZFWCG/BLOCK → compare TRIP/RSV/ALTN/FINAL/EXTRA line by line with the plan → print the preflight report (article 28's master copy). And the bookkeeping event at rotation. Per FCOM standard procedures:

Note: At takeoff, the RTE RSV field will automatically be reset to 0. The RTE RSV fuel is then added to the EXTRA fuel, which ensures that the EXTRA fuel and MIN DEST FOB values are consistent in flight.

The route reserve's job belongs to the planning stage; at lift-off it changes household registration into EXTRA. The EXTRA "growing" after takeoff is not free fuel — it is the reserve renamed.

2. Before takeoff — the FCU four steps and the FMA two columns

Per FCOM PRO-NOR-SRP:

ENSURE that HDG – V/S modes are selected (change over pb). CONFIRM or SELECT the first cleared altitude CROSS CHECK on PFD the target altitude CONFIRM both FDs ON

Reference pair in HDG-V/S (attitude, not the bird, for takeoff); first cleared altitude set; cross-checked on the PFD; both FDs ON. Then the FMA:

CHECK that the FMA CLB (or ALT) mode is armed on column 2. Note: ALT (in blue or magenta) may be displayed instead of CLB if the FCU altitude or a constraint is set at or below the acceleration altitude. ... Note: If a radar-vector standard instrument departure (SID) has been selected, a F-PLN discontinuity immediately follows the departure runway, and NAV mode is not armed. After takeoff, RWY TRK mode engages until the crew selects a HDG or performs a DIR TO. If a HDG/TRK was preset, NAV is disarmed.

The two traps in one note-block: ALT (blue or magenta) instead of CLB is correct when the clearance or a constraint sits at/below the acceleration altitude (article 07); and a radar-vector SID encodes its discontinuity, so RWY TRK after takeoff is the plan working, not failing (article 09 — and a preset disarms NAV, the savings-account rule).

3. Takeoff to cruise — three altitudes, three actions

Per FCOM PRO-NOR-SOP:

AP..................................................................................................................AS RQRD PF L2 Above 100 ft AGL, AP 1 or AP 2 may be engaged.

— article 05's three-layer timing, riveted into the SOP. And the same procedures make the AP mandatory for RNP AR below 0.3 NM (fitted on the baseline airframe — article 34). At thrust reduction:

THRUST LEVERS.....................................................................................................CL PF L2 Move the thrust levers to the CL detent, when the flashing LVR CLB prompt appears on the FMA. Autothrust is now active.

LVR CLB flashes, levers to CL, the butler takes over (article 16's takeoff biography). At the acceleration altitude, CLB engages and the clean-up runs on the speed tape (article 07). Cruise discipline is three habits: managed as the rule, the two FMA questions (article 06), the ten-thousand-foot whitelist (article 26). The callout convention, verbatim. Per FCOM PRO-NOR-SCO:

The PF should call out any FMA change, unless specified differently (e.g. CAT II & III task sharing). Therefore, the PF should announce : ‐ All armed modes with their associated color (e.g. blue, magenta): 'G/S blue', 'LOC blue' ‐ All active modes without their associated color (e.g. green, white): 'NAV', 'ALT'. The PM should check and respond, 'CHECKED' to all FMA changes called out by the PF.

Colour belongs only to promises not yet kept.

4. Descent and approach

Descent preparation (the 22/25 actions): DES WIND's five levels plus PERF APPR (QNH, temperature, the tower wind — ground-speed mini's ration, DH/MDA, landing configuration) → the briefing (PLAN mode walks the route; page to the missed approach to draw it — article 27) → push DES before T/D (article 08: nothing happens there by itself) → the magenta DECEL sequences the approach phase (article 22; white doesn't act — article 24). The approach then runs by family (article 11's three monitoring cards), with the autopilot's bottom line stated once. Per FCOM PRO-NOR-SOP:

FINAL APPROACH The flight crew must disconnect the AP at the latest at the Minimum Use Height of the AP. Refer to LIM-AFS-10 Autopilot Function

The minimum-use-height table lives in the limitations (article 33): 250 ft AGL for FINAL APP/V-S/FPA approaches, 500 ft circling, 0 for autoland, 80 ft for a CAT II manual landing (article 12).

5. Landing — and the spoiler clause

Per FCOM PRO-NOR-SOP:

AROUND 40 ft RA: In a stabilized approach, the flare height is approximately 40 ft. FLARE ................................................................................................. PERFORM PF ... ALL THRUST LEVERS ................................................................................... IDLE PF L2 Move the thrust levers to the IDLE detent, and begin a gentle progressive flare to enable the aircraft to touch down without a prolonged float. If the autothrust is engaged, it automatically disconnects when all the thrust levers are set to the IDLE detent. At 20 ft, an automatic 'RETARD' callout will trigger, as a reminder. L1 Note: Ground spoilers extension is inhibited if one or more thrust levers remain above the IDLE detent.

Flare at about 40 ft, levers to idle (the A/THR's standard disconnection rides along — article 17), RETARD at 20 ft as a reminder (article 13's two tones of voice). And the note that explains a classic long-float-no-deceleration combination: one lever short of the IDLE detent inhibits the ground spoilers — all five fingers home, or the first item of the deceleration triad never appears. (The autoland edition is article 13's card: 40 check FLARE, 30 check THR IDLE, 10 RETARD.) A go-around is article 14's one hand and three fires; after landing, AP off, and shutdown prints the postflight report (article 28).

6. Two shapes of flying bare — no-FD takeoff versus FDs lost after takeoff

Per FCOM PRO-NOR-SRP:

If a takeoff is initiated without FDs, the system responds as follow : ‐ There are no FD bars ‐ There is no autothrust arming ‐ There is no guidance available ‐ The target speed on the PFD is that selected on the FCU or is defaulted to 100 kt ‐ Setting the thrust levers to the CL detent does not activate autothrust. Note: Do not engage the autothrust prior to selecting a target speed on the FCU.

The five "nothings" of a no-FD takeoff — no bars, not even A/THR arming, no guidance, a target speed defaulting to 100 kt, and a CL detent that activates nothing. Procedure: initial climb at 15° of pitch; at thrust reduction — select a speed first, then CL, then A/THR, then FDs. The order is iron: engage the A/THR before selecting a target and it will chase 100 kt. The contrast case:

Failure of both FDs after the start of takeoff • The FD bars disappear • The FCU window displays the target speed, which synchronizes on V2 or the current speed (if it is higher) • The autothrust remains armed • At thrust reduction altitude, LVR CLB flashes. If the pilot set the thrust levers to the CLB detent, the autothrust becomes active in selected SPD mode (no FDs selected). If the current speed is greater than the target speed, the thrust decreases • At acceleration altitude the target speed does not change, since it is selected.

Lose the FDs after starting the takeoff and the system covers you: the FCU window synchronises to V2 or current speed (article 02's synchronisation family), the A/THR stays armed, CL activates SPEED — but the target is selected, so at the acceleration altitude it will not advance by itself: the clean-up speed is yours to wind. The dividing line between the two shapes: start without FDs and the system prepares nothing for you; lose them after start and it has already caught the speed.

7. A configuration rewrite — flight with the landing gear down

The gear-down ferry/return supplement (an ATA-32 procedure; its AFS-side points): after the standard actions, check the FMA does not show BRK MAX (a mis-armed autobrake); keep TAT above −38 °C (brake-accumulator protection; SAT floors by altitude); derated climb prohibited (select full CLB); cruise altitude capped to guarantee at least 20 kt between VLS and VMO (article 18's speed corridor as a live constraint); no RVSM; recommended 240 kt/M .56. The teaching value: how the AFS's normal script is rewritten by configuration — when the corridor narrows, article 17's four fences stop being theory.

8. Task sharing, deviation calls, and the pocket card

The task-sharing master rules (FCTM AOP-20 — article 26's companion): only the PF disconnects AP/A-THR (instinctive buttons); engagement is the PF's own hand, or the PM's on command; FDs both sides on the PF's command; the FCU — AP on: PF sets it himself; AP off: PM sets it on the PF's command (the one flying keeps eyes up); each pilot owns his EFIS panel.

Deviation callouts (representative operator QRH, recorded per approach card in article 11): ILS — LOC/GLIDE ½ dot; RNAV — XTK 0.1 NM / V-DEV ½ dot; valid mid-turn on RF legs (article 23's arc XTK); plus SPEED per operator standard.

The one-page pocket card (each line back-linked): FCU four steps (§2) → FMA two columns (§2) → AP from 100 ft (§3) → LVR CLB to CL (§3) → two questions + 10 000 ft rule (articles 06/26) → DES WIND + PERF APPR (§4) → magenta DECEL (§4) → approach by family (article 11) → 40 ft / IDLE / 20 ft (§5) → TOGA's three fires (article 14).

[!warning]- Four misconceptions this article corrects (1) EXTRA "growing" at takeoff is the route reserve changing household registration, not found fuel — the in-flight ledger runs on EXTRA/MIN DEST FOB. (2) ALT armed instead of CLB, and RWY TRK instead of NAV after a radar-vector SID, are both the system reading the situation correctly — check the note before "fixing" either. (3) On a no-FD takeoff the A/THR is not even armed, and engaging it before selecting a speed sends the thrust chasing 100 kt — speed, CL, A/THR, FDs, in that order. (4) One thrust lever above IDLE at touchdown inhibits the ground spoilers — the long float with no deceleration is usually five fingers minus one.

Self-test

[!note]- Q1. Which glareshield-scan item belongs to the PF alone — and what does the green-dot comparison catch?

The FCU centre panel is entirely the PF's to set. Comparing the EFB's green dot with the MCDU's cross-checks two independent computations — a mismatch flags a weight-entry error early.

[!note]- Q2. What BLOCK does FUEL PLANNING compute — and what three things are re-entered when the final loadsheet arrives?

The policy-minimum block (EXTRA = 0). On the loadsheet: re-enter ZFW, ZFWCG and BLOCK, then compare TRIP/RSV/ALTN/FINAL/EXTRA with the flight plan and print the preflight report.

[!note]- Q3. Where does the route reserve go at takeoff, and why?

It resets to zero and its fuel joins EXTRA — so EXTRA and MIN DEST FOB stay consistent as the in-flight monitoring pair. Renamed, not spent.

[!note]- Q4. When is ALT (not CLB) the correct armed mode before takeoff — and what mode follows lift-off on a radar-vector SID?

When the FCU altitude or a constraint is at/below the acceleration altitude (blue or magenta). RWY TRK — the SID's built-in discontinuity keeps NAV from arming, until a HDG selection or DIR TO.

[!note]- Q5. The earliest AP engagement, the latest disconnection by approach type — and what is the AP for an RNP AR < 0.3 departure?

Earliest: above 100 ft AGL (and 5 s). Latest: the minimum use height — 250 ft AGL for FINAL APP/V-S/FPA, 500 ft circling, 80 ft CAT II manual, 0 autoland. For RNP AR < 0.3 the AP is mandatory, not optional.

[!note]- Q6. The FMA callout colour rule — and the PM's response?

Armed modes called with their colour ("G/S blue"), active modes without ("NAV"). The PM checks and answers "CHECKED" to every change.

[!note]- Q7. The consequence of one lever left above IDLE at touchdown?

Ground-spoiler extension is inhibited — no lift dump, a prolonged float, and the deceleration chain starts late.

[!note]- Q8. The five "nothings" of a no-FD takeoff — and the four-step order at thrust reduction?

No FD bars, no A/THR arming, no guidance, PFD target = FCU value or a 100 kt default, CL does not activate the A/THR. Order: select the target speed → levers to CL → engage A/THR → FDs on. Speed first, or the thrust chases 100 kt.

[!note]- Q9. FDs fail after the takeoff has started — what does the FCU window synchronise to, and who accelerates at the acceleration altitude?

V2, or the current speed if higher; the A/THR stays armed and activates in selected SPEED at CL. The target is selected, so it does not advance at the acceleration altitude — you wind the clean-up speed yourself.

[!note]- Q10. The gear-down flight's TAT floor and recommended speed?

TAT above −38 °C (brake accumulators), recommended 240 kt / M 0.56 — with derated climb prohibited, RVSM unavailable, and altitude capped for a 20 kt VLS-to-VMO corridor.

Key takeaways

References

Cockpit-preparation scan and green-dot comparison per the FCOM task-sharing tables; the INIT pipeline and RTE RSV reset per FCOM PRO-NOR-SRP (preflight); FCU setup, FMA checks and their notes per PRO-NOR-SRP (before takeoff); AP timing and the RNP AR requirement, LVR CLB handling, minimum-use-height reference and the landing sequence with its spoiler note per FCOM PRO-NOR-SOP; callout convention per FCOM PRO-NOR-SCO; no-FD takeoff and dual-FD-loss behaviour per PRO-NOR-SRP (FD failures); gear-down flight per the FCOM supplementary procedure. Task-sharing rules per FCTM AOP-20; deviation callouts per a representative operator QRH. The action-line diagram and pocket card are integrative syntheses linking to the mechanism articles.

Independent study material, not an Airbus publication and not endorsed by the manufacturer. Always defer to the current operator FCOM, FCTM, and QRH for operational use.