"heavy" callsign usage

[Midnight Flyer]

Only the 757-300 gets the "heavy" callsign . . . the more-than-standard separation for the 757-200 is provided without the use of the heavy callsign

Now, interestingly enough, all the time at EWR I hear somebody come on and say this, basically:

"Continental 355 Heavy, cleared for takeoff"
"Continental 355, cleared for takeoff, actually we're not a heavy today."

So either the pilot is mistaken, or else in the "real" ATC makes a distinction. But you are right: the pilot/controller glossary clearly says it is capability.

Why don't they just make it easier on everybody and call the 757 a heavy. I tend to be more conservative anyway, but it seems to reason that if pilots and controllers are questioning if today's particular b757 flight is a heavy or not, then that's too close for me.
I've heard that wake turb behind a 757 is dangerous regardless of the fact if it's fully loaded or if it's light so they should go ahead and just call it a heavy.

 

[Brett Hull]

Only the 757-300 gets the "heavy" callsign . . . the more-than-standard separation for the 757-200 is provided without the use of the heavy callsign

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, and to confuse the issue a little more, I believe ATA operates (operated?) a few specially modified 757-200's with a MGTOW of a little north of 255,000#. They use (used?) the heavy callsign.

 

[It will roll]

757-200

Brett- I think you're right about the ATA 757-200's. I was in the conga line at LGA the other day and they cleared an ATA 757 "Heavy" for takeoff. I looked extra hard to make sure it wasn't a -300 and it wasn't. I know your run of the mill Delta/United 757-200 tops out around 230,000 MTOW. So they must have a mod on the 752 to make it over 255k. Interesting.

 

[IHateMgmt]

Why don't they just make it easier on everybody and call the 757 a heavy. I tend to be more conservative anyway, but it seems to reason that if pilots and controllers are questioning if today's particular b757 flight is a heavy or not, then that's too close for me.
I've heard that wake turb behind a 757 is dangerous regardless of the fact if it's fully loaded or if it's light so they should go ahead and just call it a heavy.

Because than they'd have to re-write the rule book and start listing exceptions to the rule... which is more complicated. That's what I love about the airlines, NOTHING is that easy... they take something that should be relatively straightforward and make it the most complicated POS one can fathom.

 

[Metro752]

That's cuz ATA is the best airline on the face of the earth.

 

[Turtlesfly]

oh, ok I didn't know that about the -200 . . . thx

 

[Spooky 2]

Brett- I think you're right about the ATA 757-200's. I was in the conga line at LGA the other day and they cleared an ATA 757 "Heavy" for takeoff. I looked extra hard to make sure it wasn't a -300 and it wasn't. I know your run of the mill Delta/United 757-200 tops out around 230,000 MTOW. So they must have a mod on the 752 to make it over 255k. Interesting.

Okay, here is the no BS on the Heavy B757-200. There are a few, not many B757-200's that gross out at 255.5K. I can can tell you the N756AF is a 255.5K airplane and N757AF is a 255.0K airplane. Just to keep it simple, the crews use the Heavy term for both aircraft. The fear was that someday someone would tip over behind one of these airplanes and having not used the Heavy call sign would have incriminated the flight crew. Easier to say Heavy every time as opposed to say, "gee what airplane am I in today"? End of story.

 

[DC8 Flyer]

So, do you know many guys who don't include "heavy" in their call sign? Are they being lazy? Figuring it doesn't really matter that much anyway? Trying to keep their calls short to avoid congestion on the radio, kind of like GA guys only use the last three digits in subsequent transmissions to ATC after using the full call sign first?

It is laziness, on my part at least. Including the heavy callsign doesn't make anyone else, other than a controller who already knows I'm a heavy, do anything different. If you are waiting behind me for takeoff, you can see I am a heavy, if enroute and our paths cross, ATC will move whomever to get required seperation, etc etc.

 

[fokkers&beer]

Dr Procs correct for the rest of the world, but not the US, or Canada. The US requires that heavy is used for all communications, and Canada only requires it for the initial call. The rest of the world uses ICAO rules, so you only use heavy with approach and tower.
If I don't use it in the US, its probably because I've been in working in Europe, and just forgot where I was.

 

[bubbers44]

I've sometimes flown trips that sometimes swap a 757 for a 767. The flight number is the same but one is heavy and one isn't.