London Heathrow to Paris CDG

Step-by-step: London Heathrow to Paris CDG

1. Press the RTE page key. Then type EGLL and press 1L to set the ORIGIN.

   EGLL is London Heathrow, LFPG is Paris Charles de Gaulle. These ICAO codes come from your Operational Flight Plan (OFP) — the document dispatch provides before every flight.

2. Type LFPG and press 1R to set the DEST airport.

   EGLL is London Heathrow, LFPG is Paris Charles de Gaulle. These ICAO codes come from your Operational Flight Plan (OFP) — the document dispatch provides before every flight.

3. Type BAW304 and press 2R to set the flight number (FLT NO).

   Your callsign from the OFP. BAW = British Airways ICAO code, 304 = flight number. ATC uses this to identify you on radar.

4. Press 6R to move to PERF INIT. Then type 35 and press 5L to set COST INDEX.

   Short-haul flights often use a lower cost index than long-haul because fuel savings per hour are smaller over short distances. Your airline's dispatch sets this value on the OFP — it is not a pilot decision.

5. Type 35000 (or FL350) and press 1R to set CRZ ALT.

   For a 45-minute flight, you will not spend long at cruise. FL350 is a compromise: high enough for fuel efficiency, but not so high that you spend most of the flight climbing and descending. The OFP specifies the level.

6. Press 6R (N1 LIMIT >) then 6R again (TAKEOFF >). Type 145 and press 1R to set V1.

   V1 comes from takeoff performance tables or an EFB calculation. It depends on aircraft weight, runway length, temperature, altitude, wind, and surface condition. Below V1, you can still abort the takeoff. Above V1, there is not enough runway left to stop — you MUST continue.

7. On TAKEOFF REF, type 148 and press 2R to set VR (rotation speed).

   VR (rotation speed) is also from performance tables, based on the same factors as V1. At this speed, the pilot flying pulls back on the controls to lift the nose. Rotating too early risks a tail strike; too late wastes runway. VR is always at or above V1.

8. Type 152 and press 3R to set V2 (takeoff safety speed).

   V2 guarantees a minimum climb gradient even with one engine failed. It must be at least 1.13 times the stall speed in takeoff configuration. If V2 is wrong, you might not clear obstacles on the departure path during an engine-out emergency.