London Heathrow to Paris CDG

Step-by-step: London Heathrow to Paris CDG

1. Start by entering your route. Type EGLL/LFPG into the scratchpad, then press the 1R line select key to enter it into the FROM/TO field.

   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. Enter your flight number. Type BAW304 into the scratchpad, then press 3L.

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

3. Set the cost index to 35. Type 35 and press 5L.

   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's not a pilot decision.

4. Set your cruise flight level. Type FL350 and press 6L.

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

5. Good. Now press the F-PLN key to build your route.

   The F-PLN page shows your route as a sequence of waypoints. After entering FROM/TO, the FMS creates a skeleton route with a gap (discontinuity) between departure and destination. You now fill in the airway.

6. You can see EGLL at the top, a discontinuity, then LFPG. Type the airway UL9 into the scratchpad and press 1L (next to EGLL). This opens the AIRWAYS page where you can review and insert the airway.

   Airways are published routes in the sky, like highways. UL9 is an upper airway running from London across the English Channel toward France. You find the assigned airway on your OFP. Using airways keeps traffic separated and predictable for ATC.

7. You're on the AIRWAYS page — airway UL9 runs DVR → KONAN (shown in the VIA preview). Enter KONAN as the TO waypoint: type KONAN and press 1R.
8. Now press 6R (INSERT*) to insert airway UL9 into your route — its waypoints DVR and KONAN drop in after EGLL.

   When you insert an airway, the FMS automatically populates all intermediate waypoints (here: DVR and KONAN). These are VOR stations and GPS fixes that define the airway's path. The FMS looks them up from its navigation database.

9. There's a discontinuity between your last airway waypoint and LFPG. To close it: type LFPG into the scratchpad using the keyboard, then click the LSK next to the discontinuity line to replace it with LFPG.

   A discontinuity means the FMS has a gap in the route it can't auto-connect. This is normal after inserting airways. To close it, type the next waypoint name into the scratchpad and click the disco's LSK — the FMS replaces the gap with that waypoint, joining the route.

10. Route is complete: EGLL → DVR → KONAN → LFPG via UL9. Press the PERF key to set up takeoff performance.

    The PERF (performance) page is where you enter takeoff speeds and configuration. This data is critical for safe takeoff — the FMS uses it for speed callouts and flight director guidance during the takeoff roll.

11. Enter V1 speed. Type 145 and press 1L. V1 is your decision speed — above this, you're committed to takeoff.

    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 isn't enough runway left to stop — you MUST continue. A wrong V1 can mean a dangerous rejected takeoff or continuing when you should have stopped.

12. Enter VR (rotation speed). Type 148 and press 2L. This is the speed where you pull back to lift off.

    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 sidestick to lift the nose. Rotating too early risks a tail strike; too late wastes runway. VR is always at or above V1.

13. Enter V2 (takeoff safety speed). Type 152 and press 3L. V2 guarantees safe climb if an engine fails.

    V2 guarantees a minimum climb gradient even with one engine failed. For the A320, 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.

14. Set takeoff flaps to 1. Type 1 and press 3R.

    Flap setting is selected based on runway length, obstacles, weight, and temperature. Flaps 1 gives good performance with moderate runway requirements. Higher settings (2, 3) allow lower speeds but increase drag. Your performance calculation recommends the optimal setting — at Heathrow's long runways, Flaps 1 is usually fine.

15. Takeoff performance is set. Press RAD NAV to set up your navigation radios.
16. You've completed the essential preflight programming. In the real aircraft, you'd also set up INIT B (weights and fuel) and fine-tune the RAD NAV frequencies. Press INIT to return to the beginning.

    In a real cockpit, you'd also complete INIT B (zero fuel weight, block fuel), review the secondary flight plan, crosscheck with the other pilot, and run the FMGS preflight checklist before pushback.