ONE THOUSAND FEET STABILIZED & THE A320 HIDDEN MINIMUM ALTITUDE

“One thousand, stabilized” called out the PM during final approach to runway 16L at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

If you are an Airbus pilot (A320 family) probably you’ll have a better understanding of what this article is about, and maybe even after flying for a couple thousand of hours this aircraft you had never noticed what I called “The hidden minimum altitude”.

Just after engines shutdown, and after reading the Parking CheckList my FO asked two questions...

— Captain, is “One thousand, stabilized” a Standard Callout in all aircrafts? —

I was trying to remember my days on the B737, but since I didn’t remember I just answered:

—Actually, that’s only part of our airline SOP callouts, Airbus doesn’t require us to callout the word “stabilized”, anyway I think is a good practice, and many airlines use this callout regardless if it’s in the aircraft manuals or not. —

Anyway we are not going to focus on that question, we are going to focus on the second question.

— And Captain, Is there any technique that can help me guarantee to be stabilized at 1000ft? —

If you are an A320 type rated pilot, I’m sure you know that we have two approach techniques, “Early Stabilized Approach” and “Decelerated Approach” Technique, so let’s talk about “DECELERATED APPROACH TECHNIQUE”, the one we normally use for Precision Approaches; but before we begin.... 

Do you think you know this technique well enough? After thousand of hours flying this aircraft, and normally performing ILS approaches frequently, are you really doing a decelerated approach in the proper way as indicated in the FCOM???

“THE HIDDEN MINIMUM ALTITUDE“

The purpose of the decelerated approach technique is to be stabilized at 1000ft, at VAPP, isn’t it? And basically that’s what all this is about; it is normally used for Precision Approaches (PA) or Approaches with Vertical Guidance (APV).

If we follow this technique exactly as the FCOM indicates we can be sure we’ll be stabilized at 1000 feet. So lets open our FCOM and go to: 

Procedures - Normal Procedures - System Related Procedures - Approach - ILS Approach

There you’ll find a picture of the “Decelerated Approach”

So, if we look carefully to this picture there is a “Minimum Altitude to select landing configuration” (1500ft), and voilá ! This is our Hidden Minimum Altitude and the key for a perfect and successful stabilized approach!

As long as we are fully stabilized on Glide-slope and Localizer, even if our speed is high, if we lower the gear no closer than 6NM and just before reaching 1500ft above airport elevation we select landing configuration, even if your speed is near VFE you’ll have enough altitude and distance to be able to stabilize at VAPP at 1000ft, unless you have a really strong tailwind or a higher than standard glide-slope in which you’ll need to select landing configuration just below 2000ft exactly as the FCOM recommend us to do it (between 2000ft and 1500ft).

So if you never noticed this altitude, now you know about it! It has always been there! So now you can show off and tell your FO about it, probably he haven’t heard of it either. 

I’ve been recruiting A320 pilots for a couple of years for different airlines, and watching and learning from pilots all over the world during their simulator assessments, somehow few have ever heard about a “Minimum altitude to select landing configuration” probably is because you can only find it in one place. 

That image in the FCOM.

Don’t forget to leave a comment or a ???? or even a ???? if necessary.

Happy Landings!