Getting to know the cockpit

Before your first flight, it helps to know what you are looking at. The A380 uses a "glass cockpit" — almost everything is shown on large screens rather than traditional round gauges. This chapter maps every major display and panel so nothing catches you off guard.

The screens

The overhead panel

The large panel above and behind the pilots' heads contains switches for every aircraft system: electrics, hydraulics, fuel, air conditioning, and lighting. For a basic flight you only need a small section of it — the electrical switches and the ADIRS knobs for IRS alignment.

The pedestal

The console between the two seats contains the four engine thrust levers, the flap lever, the speedbrake lever, the CDU keyboards, the Radio Management Panels (RMP) for tuning frequencies, and the parking brake.

Powering up from cold & dark

Starting "cold and dark" means the aircraft has no electrical power at all — just as it would be parked overnight at a real gate. You need to bring systems on in the right order before anything else can happen.

Step-by-step

What to do during the 11-minute wait

• Open the EFB and enter your fuel quantity and passenger weight
• Start programming the CDU with your route (see Chapter 3)
• Tune your departure radio frequency on the RMP panels
• Set the transponder squawk code on the SURV page in the CDU

When alignment is complete, the red flags disappear and your current position appears on the ND map.

Setting up the flight computer

The CDU (Control Display Unit) is where you tell the aircraft everything it needs to know about the flight. For a standard route you only need four pages: INIT, FUEL&LOAD, F-PLN, and PERF.

INIT page — start here

Press the INIT button on the CDU keypad.

FUEL & LOAD page

From the CDU menu, scroll to and select FUEL&LOAD.

F-PLN page — your route

Press F-PLN. Initially you will see just your departure and destination airports.

• Adding a SID — press the button next to your departure airport, select DEPARTURE, choose your runway, then pick a SID from the list. Press INSERT.
• Adding waypoints manually — type a waypoint ICAO name in the scratchpad at the bottom, then press the button next to where you want to insert it.
• Adding a STAR and approach — press the button next to your destination, select ARRIVAL, choose runway, STAR, and approach type. Press INSERT.

What you will see on the map

After programming, your route appears as a magenta line on the ND. Computed markers appear along it:

Performance page — takeoff speeds

Press PERF then select TO (Takeoff). The CDU calculates three speeds from your weight and runway:

Engine start & taxi

The A380 has four engines, all started using compressed air from the APU (a small jet engine in the tail). Engine start is managed from the overhead panel and monitored on the ECAM ENG page.

Starting the APU

Starting the engines

Start sequence: 2 → 3 → 1 → 4 (inner engines first to minimise jet blast risk at the gate).

Before taxi

• Set your squawk code — CDU → SURV — enter 4-digit code and set mode to ALT
• Check the ECAM WHEEL page — all gear uplocks green, all doors closed
• Set flaps for takeoff — CONF 1+F or CONF 2 depending on runway
• Arm ground spoilers — move the speedbrake lever to ARM

ETACS taxi camera

The A380 has a real-world camera mounted beneath the fuselage called ETACS (External and Taxiing Aid Camera System). It shows what is directly under the aircraft — very useful for judging clearance at tight gates. Select it from the ECAM Control Panel to display the view on the SD screen.

BTV — Brake to Vacate setup

Before you leave the gate, you can pre-select which runway exit you want to use at your destination. When the airport ground map (OANS) is shown on the ND, select your target exit from the list. The BTV system stores this and automatically applies the correct braking on landing so you roll out to that exact exit — no manual braking needed. More on using BTV in Chapter 8.

Takeoff & climb

The A380 uses fly-by-wire: your sidestick sends commands to a flight control computer rather than moving surfaces directly. The computer prevents you from exceeding structural limits, making the aircraft very stable but slightly different from smaller planes.

FCU setup before takeoff

Thrust detents

For takeoff: advance the levers to FLEX (or TOGA). Auto-thrust arms itself automatically.

The takeoff roll

• At V1 — do not abort. You are committed to flying.
• At VR — gently pull the sidestick back. Aim for 10–12° nose-up attitude. Follow the green flight director bars on the PFD.
• At V2 — maintain this speed or above for best engine-failure climb performance.

After liftoff

Cruise

Once levelled off at cruise altitude, the autopilot and auto-thrust manage everything. Your job is to monitor the systems, update the flight plan if needed, and prepare for descent in advance.

The ECAM Cruise page

Shortly after gear retraction in climb, the SD automatically switches to the CRUISE page. It shows two areas:

• Left — Fuel: fuel flow for each engine (kg/h) and total fuel used since engine start. Cross-check these against your fuel plan occasionally.
• Right — Air: Cabin Altitude (CAB ALT), pressure differential (DELTA P), and target cabin temperatures for cockpit, passenger decks, and cargo.

The ND map in cruise

Your route continues as a magenta line. Watch for two important markers:

Step climbs

On long flights the aircraft becomes lighter as fuel burns off, allowing it to fly more efficiently at a higher altitude. Step climbs are mid-flight altitude increases — typically 2,000 feet at a time. To plan one: CDU → VERT REV on a cruise waypoint → STEP ALTS. When you reach the step point, dial the new altitude on the FCU and the autopilot climbs automatically.

Traffic & weather on the ND

Both are off by default. To enable:

• Traffic — press the TRAF button on the EFIS panel (left of the FCU). Other aircraft appear as symbols on the ND. TCAS collision warnings remain active regardless.
• Weather — press the WX button on the EFIS panel. Weather radar overlay appears on the ND.

Descent planning & approach preparation

Good approach preparation starts 20–30 minutes before the T/D marker — well before you start going down. The A380 approach system is highly automated but needs the right data entered in advance.

Step 1 — Get the destination weather

Listen to the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) at your destination — a recorded broadcast with active runway, wind, visibility, QNH pressure setting, and conditions. Note the active runway and QNH; you will need them shortly.

Step 2 — Set up the arrival procedure

On the CDU F-PLN page, press the button next to your destination airport → ARRIVAL. Select:

• Runway — the active runway from the ATIS
• STAR — Standard Terminal Arrival Route — the routing from cruise airspace to the approach
• Approach — the type of approach, e.g. ILS 27L

Press INSERT to confirm. The STAR and approach legs appear on the ND map.

Step 3 — PERF APPR page

CDU → PERF → APPR.

Step 4 — Enable the ILS display

The CDU auto-tunes the ILS frequency when you selected the approach. To display the ILS needles on the PFD, press the LS button on the EFIS panel (left of the FCU). Two extra scales appear on the PFD: a vertical scale for glideslope and a horizontal scale for localizer.

Initiating the descent

The aircraft will not start descending on its own at T/D — you must command it.

Approach & landing

The approach phase is where everything comes together. The autopilot manages runway alignment and glidepath while the flight computer manages speed through each flap setting. Your job is to monitor, configure, and be ready to intervene.

Approach phase activation

Activates automatically when two conditions are met together: you are within approximately 7,200 feet above the destination's elevation AND the flight plan is being tracked in NAV or LOC mode. You can also activate manually: CDU → PERF → APPR → ACTIVATE APPR PHASE.

Flap extension — managed speed

In managed speed mode the aircraft follows a defined sequence tied to flap position. Speeds appear as coloured markers on the PFD speed tape.

Gear down

Lower the gear when established on the approach, typically at or before 4 nautical miles from the threshold. The ECAM automatically shows the WHEEL page — confirm three green gear symbols.

ILS capture

With AP1 engaged and approach armed (press APPR on the FCU):

• LOC captures first as you intercept the extended runway centreline — the PFD shows LOC in green.
• G/S captures as you cross the glideslope beam, typically 4–5 nm out — the PFD shows G/S in green.

The aircraft then tracks the ILS beam automatically, descending and following the centreline.

BTV — Brake to Vacate

If you pre-selected an exit in Chapter 4, BTV is now ready. After touchdown it applies the brakes automatically to bring you to taxi speed exactly at your chosen exit. No manual brake input needed. BTV disengages automatically once you vacate the runway.

Manual landing technique

Disengage the autopilot at any point — many pilots disconnect around 500 feet AGL. Auto-thrust can remain on.

• At approx. 50 feet — begin the flare: gently raise the nose by 2–3°
• At approx. 30 feet — reduce thrust to idle
• On touchdown — ground spoilers deploy automatically (if armed); apply reverse thrust; use normal braking

Go-around

If you decide not to land at any point during the approach:

After landing & shutdown

After a long flight, the shutdown process is straightforward. The main steps are parking safely, shutting down the engines, and optionally returning to cold and dark.

Clearing the runway

• BTV disengages automatically once you clear the runway
• Apply parking brake briefly if you need to stop and configure before taxiing
• Retract flaps to 0 using the flap lever
• Confirm taxi clearance with ATC if on a network

Taxiing to the gate

Taxi at 10–15 knots on straight sections, slower on turns. Select ETACS on the ECAM for the belly camera view — especially useful for judging clearance near the jetbridge and ground equipment as you enter the stand.

Engine shutdown

APU shutdown

Full cold & dark

To leave the aircraft completely powered off:

1. Turn all three ADIRS / IRS knobs to OFF
2. Turn off BAT 1 and BAT 2

All screens go dark. The aircraft is cold and dark again.

Quick reference — full flow

A condensed checklist covering all nine chapters in sequence. Use it as a reminder once you know the procedures.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions answered in plain language. Click any question to expand it.

First steps

The map (ND)

ECAM pages (SD)

Autopilot & auto-thrust

Approach & landing