A320 HIGH ALTITUDE LANDING Switch Explained | Real Airline Pilot

Join my channel!
/ @a330driver
If you don't want to join, but still support me consider a small donation:
www.buymeacoff...
And if you really love the videos, consider becoming a Patron:
/ 737ngdriver
Join my Discord Server!
/ discord
My system specs:
Intel i9-14900k
RTX4090
Corsair DDR5 7200 48GB RAM
Asus ProArt Z790 Board
Windows 11 Pro
My hardware:
Thrustmaster Boeing Yoke
WinWings Orion2/F16 Grip
Thrustmaster Pendular Pedals
Honeycomb Bravo Throttle

[@Kacper_Kolodziejczyk]

A video on high altitude ops would be very interesting, maybe even 737 vs a320 comparison on how the procedures might differ

[@erixtcrc2873]

100% agree

[@lucasmrbarrosw]

I had the exactly same thought during the video, please Emanuel do it for us.

[@ifirekirby7498]

Same, would be really interesting to see

[@lucasmrbarrosw]

If I had to bet, I would guess when you set the land altitude in the pressurization panel, the 737 already does everything

[@felipeturbayr]

The comparison would be great specially by the 737 I always get a cabin pressure alarm which I don’t know how to avoid…

[@MajorLazer182]

This is why I love your videos Emi, going into detail of Airbus products beyond standard ops, very interesting

[@jeffg7]

Huh. I've been flying A320s for more than 20 years and didn't know that was an option. Of course, my airline doesn't land at fields high enough to need it. Cool feature.

[@infinitewisdom9619]

I love these little videos explaining little known things in the flight sim community. Keep it up!

[@sushiat]

Yes please do a video on it, remembering taking off there once and how long it took to get up to speed, then just after taking off (sorry can't remember runway direction) the ground just dropped away and you saw the city nestled into the side of the mountain - out of this world....

[@BobBob-cu7ne]

Mesmerises me the detail of the fenix, amazing texturing, it feels like there is an actual blue light behind the on light on the button

[@aviator_kevin_hd4342]

Ein paar High Altitude Cargo Ops zwischen Bolivien und Zentralamerika mit der neuen TFDI MD-11 wären schon sehr interessant. Lufthansa ist früher mit der DC-10 zum Beispiel nach La Paz geflogen, allerdings mit Zwischenstopps in Lima (Peru), soweit ich informiert bin. 👍

[@mavi_izmir]

yes, the suggestion sounds very good. it would be very nice to watch a high-altitude landing from you. thank you, captain

[@equinx]

Now I want to know what we should do for high altitude landings in PMDG's 737! Thanks for the video!

[@coriscotupi]

It's a customer option on the 737. Not sure if PMDG implemented it.

[@Fernando71407]

Please! make a video on high altitude ops!

[@NomadSoul76]

This was a genuinely interesting video. I'm aware that you have to use supplemental oxygen above certain cabin altitudes, but for some reason I never once considered the problem of landing at altitudes above those limits and what it means for aircraft that rely on cabin pressureization. I especially liked the little tease of pointing out that the button was near the passenger oxygen controls but not saying why at the beginning. I admit it, I couldn't figure it out. I thought for sure this was going to have something to do with engine management or high lift device configurations or something. I never even considered that the field elevation might have been above the oxygen mask deployment altitude. I'm assuming that the rules on supplemental oxygen use for the flight crew applies in these situations. And that's just fascinating, I never thought that they would have a use for their oxygen bottles in situations that aren't emergencies.

[@dolf1010]

Yes , high altitude landing in La Paz 👍

[@jimmywan87]

I think that was initially for ops in Tibet/Mongolia for Air China

[@Manuel-9-]

Interesting topic indeed. I wonder now how often issues occur with crew flying to high places such as La Paz or Quito. I've been once sick (just a mild cold) at about 2200m high and it was... painful. I had to walk up some stairs and it took me a a number of stops to catch up my breath, and a good headache.

[@macieksoft]

It has a red cover, does it means that it's a irreversible action?

[@yams900]

2nd :) Good work ! Danke

[@global6000]

Can we do a bug hunting or real vs sim mismatch episode? E.g. the '3' on the ECAM/ND XFR switch should not be there, the colon on the minute:sec on the clock shouldn't be there if I'm not mistaken, the two dots overlap the ON on the high alt landing button...

[@A330Driver]

Honestly, I think if I'd do something like that it would bring up so many haters who'd be like "you just want to bash Fenix" without any further understanding, that I could not even properly moderate it. Too many fanboys out there who don't want to understand constructive criticism but only know black and white.

[@global6000]

@@A330Driver right, I understand. I mean for Fenix it’s free feedback to get their 320 better (which I assume is the goal :))

[@ElitistMagi]

Please every time I fly out of ZUDC I get a high-altitude warning! Help! xD FYI there is a good addon for ZUDC on flightsim.

[@AVIATIONSOUNDEXPERT]

I am interested in hight alt operations. The 737NG also has a high alt push button. What can you tell about it and what limits must be considered? Also, when are pilots allowed or have to use oxygen masks on high alt departures and approaches?

[@umi3017]

737's HIGH LAND button also changes the warning system as it can't read information from FMC like a bus. You'll need to use it when landing at airport over 8400 pressure altitude. According to CAAC, pilots must use supplementary oxygen whenever cabin altitude is over 10000', that include TO/LD at high altitude airport, but normally we would not use the oxygen mask as it also have functions like smoke protection and you don't want deplete it too soon, so a oxygen bottle much like something you use on a single prop Cessna when operation over 10000' will be used.

[@ryanns_aviation]

would you need to put high alt landing on at paro? and what about takeoffs? Great vide tho!!

[@noisytwit]

Paro has an elevation of 7364ft AMSL, so not according to the information in this video, no.

[@Elias-xn1km]

I have to ask you did you read the leaked Aerosoft a330 manuel ?

[@holobolo1661]

Do all A320NEOs not have this switch?

[@flo4401]

How do passengers dont black out after landing at an airport above 10000ft? I thought that pilots flying non pressurized planes can only fly above 10000ft for 30min max without oxygen supply. So how do passengers do when they deboard the plane and have to go through customs and get their luggage that takes longer then 30min

[@patrickmaclean1524]

You can still breathe quite comfortably a bit over 10000ft before you notice the lack of air. It’s just for pilots, when they’re operating an aircraft their brains need enough oxygen to function in order to maintain good pilot performance, so the limit is 10,000ft unpressurised (in most countries). It is true that a pilot may operate an unpressurised aircraft above 10,000ft but only for 30 minutes. As for a passenger, they aren’t flying the aircraft so it’s ok for them to tolerate the higher altitudes, typically up to 14,000ft with no supplemental oxygen and before hypoxia starts to become apparent, especially when a passenger is seated, they aren’t doing much that requires a lot of oxygen for thinking / descision-making. So a passenger won’t usually black-out when they are above 10,000ft. I hope this helps.

[@flo4401]

@@patrickmaclean1524 Understood thank you!

[@NomadSoul76]

There are several ways to look at this question. The first is that people who are accustomed to living at such altitudes are better able to tolerate it, so if those passengers live there they will probably be able to deal with it better. But there's more to it than that. Those rules about supplemental oxygen use are cautious rules. The goal is to ensure that pilots are using oxygen before any problems are likely to occur. It's not just to prevent them from passing out. Because that's another aspect of this, hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, actually starts hitting you a lot lower than you may think. Research is showing that even comparatively small amounts of oxygen deprivation can cause cognitive deficits. Hypoxia is particularly dangerous because you don't necessarily know you're experiencing it. It's not like holding your breath, when you're holding your breath what you feel is the carbon dioxide building up in your blood. You don't have a way to sense lack of oxygen however. There are symptoms of it that they warn you about, but it's not as obvious as you might think and because it might cause problems in your judgment it might make you miss those symptoms. What I'm saying is they want pilots to be breathing oxygen to be sure that they're operating at full capacity. It's not just that they're afraid that they'll pass out, they'll afraid that they could make mistakes. I don't mean this to sound as cruel as it does, but passengers are not as important. Oh of course you want them to stay alive, but it's not as critical a factor if their judgment is compromised as a result of hypoxia. If they get physically weak then they'll have to deal with it, or they'll have to get help. But again, they're not flying the plane so this doesn't matter as much. Sometimes people can't stay at those high altitudes. It's not that they'll just immediately pass out, but they can get altitude sickness and in the severe cases they might have to travel to a lower altitude to get relief. It's absolutely a concern, but again, it's not like everyone's going to pass out if they spend more than 30 minutes above 10,000 ft. I once drove to nearly 12,000 ft. While I was behind the wheel I felt fine, but a sudden rainstorm made me run back to my car for shelter. That short run left me out of breath for a seemingly endless time, I was breathing hard but I felt like I wasn't catching my breath. It's a very strange feeling. Altitude can sneak up on you like that. Even at the city I was operating from, located in a valley at an elevation of about 8,200 ft, I was still feeling it every time I walked up stairs.

[@flo4401]

@@NomadSoul76 Thank you for this explanation! It makes more sense now :)

[@chrzoc]

Everyone basically already answered this, but yeah… 10,000’ msl was put in place as the cabin altitude limit because per medical research into hypoxia it is the RMS or mean of where I believe 50% of individuals will start to show “signs” of hypoxia. This doesn’t mean unconscious, and in fact many (if not most) individuals can do just fine at 10,000’. For some people who are more sensitive to a low partial pressure of O2, extended periods (tens of minutes to hours) at above 10k msl can start to have noticeable symptoms such as headaches and tachycardia… but generally you will do just fine. The true reason it’s adhered to so strictly by governing bodies in regard to commercial flight operations (see FAA Part 121/135 - See Title 14 CFR 135.89 and 121.329) is really due to subtle incipacitation of the flight crew. Early but subtle signs and symptoms of hypoxia can effect mental acuity, reasoning, and decision making for a flight crew member so keeping the cabin altitude below 10,000’ (generally about a maximum of 7-8000’ with a Delta-P of around 8psi for most commercial airliners) is a safeguard against this. e.g. (an anecdotal example) This is partially invalidated data because these individuals have acclimated by developing increased levels of hematocrit, but just think of any population native to high altitude living such as those native to the Andes or Himalayas who spend their entire lives WELL above 10000’ msl.

[@brkr78]

From ~9.000 ft cabin preasure it goes THE WRONG WAY UP to 14.000 ft? I don't even ... But what about the pilots? Aren't they going to be hypoxic as well if they aren't used to those heights? Or how does this work?

[@NomadSoul76]

I was wondering about this myself. I am not a pilot so don't consider me an authority on this, but I have been interested in aviation and had read about this before. Note that I live in the USA so I'm going to be talking about our country's rules. I did look up these numbers to refresh my memory, I got what I'm going to say below from an FAA pamphlet. For general aviation pilots, they have to use supplemental oxygen ( that means an oxygen mask or possibly the things that feed oxygen directly up your nose) for all of the time that they are flying above 14,000 ft cabin pressure. If they fly longer than 30 minutes above 12,500 ft they have to use oxygen also. However the rules are more strict for commercial operations. Then the flight crew has to use oxygen all of the time they're flying above 12,000 ft, or if they spend more than 30 minutes above 10,000 ft. So for us at least, as soon as the cabin altitude goes above 12,000 ft the flight crew are going to have to use supplemental oxygen. I know that they have bottled oxygen available, instead of the chemically generated oxygen that the rest of the passengers get. So they can draw from it and then have it topped off again, instead of the passenger oxygen systems which have to be replaced after they're used.

[@brkr78]

@@NomadSoul76 More or less the same here in Europe. And that bottled O2 is - at least to my knowledge, only used for emergencies? And I also doubt that they will stay on it from the landing to the hotel and back again ... Also, reducing the amount of that emergency O2 won't be allowed, I presume, for being needed in ... well ... emergencies. So either the pilots don't have to use it because they are already accustomed to these heights, or there needs to be additional O2 provided. I guess the same is true for passengers that are NOT native to these heights? IDK?

[@odracir0323]

​@brkr78 the oxygen system is designed to support the flight time that the pilots are expected to be flying above 35,000ft and the masks have a mixed flow and 100% oxygen setting for emergency use. On some aircraft, the passenger and pilot oxygen systems are also tied and the pilots can switch that system off in case they would need more for any reason. The reason checking oxygen pressure is part of the preflight checklist is to make sure that the aircraft has enough oxygen for a flight usually 1600 - 1800 psi depending on the aircraft.

[@odracir0323]

Cabin pressure also needs to be equalized for safety reasons once you're on the ground. You will either have decompression problems or you won't even be able to open the aircraft doors (if you need to pull the door in first) if the pressure is too different between the inside and outside of the aircraft.

[@jeffg7]

The pilots have to use their O2 masks when operating at cabin altitudes above 10,000 ft, including takeoff and landing, so they'd be masked up when the cabin climbs to depressurize for landing all the way to the gate. Then masked up from the gate until the cabin pressurizes below 10,000 ft on climb out.

[@tvflight7858]

What airport is located at 14,100ft to use this switch? I don't understand

[@A330Driver]

There's one in China, though I don't recall its name right now.

[@tvflight7858]

@@A330Driver And that's the only time you would use that switch?

[@ruifo]

Peru, Bolívia, China etc... All have very high elevation international airports, plus several domestic airfields too. Basically Andes and Himalaya operations.

[@tvflight7858]

@ruifo I mean La Paz is at 13,330ft. I don't know any other big airport where they fly a320s into that is higher than that.

[@tvflight7858]

*except the one in China