Time Zones Options

[9V-SGA]

I'm not sure if this should be here so mods if you think it should be moved, just move it. I was flying on FS and listening to the ATIS before I pushed back. At the begining of each transmission, it would read out a time which I suppose is the time which the information was generated. Which time zone is zulu? And which time zone does the clocks in cockpits adjusted to? Thank You for your answers. Please so answer as soon as possible as I may not have the time to come online as my finals for my secondary education(high school) are coming on soon and I have to study.

[learguy]

Zulu time is also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). It is called Greenwich because it passes through the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

GMT lies on the 0 degree line of longitude and is the starting point, or reference point, from which all times zones begin. The point of zulu/GMT/UTC is to have a standard time to reference anywhere in the world so there is no confusion as to what time zone is being used. Its use began with sailors who might be in or travelling to any time zone in the world. It is used in aviation for the same reason. You take the zulu time and merely add or subtract the appropriate hours your local time zone differs from zulu. For example, my location in Arizona is GMT minus 7 hours (GMT is 7 hours ahead of me).

All time in aviation is referenced to GMT (zulu). When filing a flight plan, for example, you file your departure time in GMT and not local. If I want to depart at 12 noon here in Arizona I will file the flight time as departing at 1900Z.

Clocks in aircraft tend to be set at the local time of the aircrafts home base. However, certain things that track time like a clock, such as the Flight Management System (FMS), will have a GMT setting.

[boeing777.300ER]

We at FCA (First choice Airways) use Zulu Time, which is one hour behind normal time (GMT) and i would say all Charter Airlines use it. We bring Zulu time in at the beginning of April until the end of Summer and then go back to Normal time(GMT) for the Winter Season.

[klm_city_hopper]

We at FCA (First choice Airways) use Zulu Time, which is one hour behind normal time (GMT) and i would say all Charter Airlines use it. We bring Zulu time in at the beginning of April until the end of Summer and then go back to Normal time(GMT) for the Winter Season.

thats because the planes never go anywhere further than ibiza!

[klm_city_hopper]

thanks for the informing email 777.

[Ranger]

We at FCA (First choice Airways) use Zulu Time, which is one hour behind normal time (GMT) and i would say all Charter Airlines use it. We bring Zulu time in at the beginning of April until the end of Summer and then go back to Normal time(GMT) for the Winter Season.

Zulu Time and Greenwich Mean Time are the same thing. Unless you guys at FCA have redefined them.

[klm_city_hopper]

Zulu Time and Greenwich Mean Time are the same thing. Unless you guys at FCA have redefined them.

Well all their flights only go as far as Ibiza so there would be no need for two zones.....


....Isn't that right 777?

[Ranger]

Well all their flights only go as far as Ibiza so there would be no need for two zones.....
....Isn't that right 777?

That's not the issue. One of the reasons that I hang around this forum is because I enjoy teaching. I've been an instructor, in one form or another, for pretty much my whole career. And because I'm an old guy I get to correct people. He badly mixed his terms. Just to be perfectly clear-

ZULU TIME= GREENWICH MEAN TIME= UNIVERSAL COORDINATED TIME

They are all the same thing just expressed differently. Take a look at Lear's excellent definitions in a previous post to this thread. Unless you are operating in an area where Z/GMT/UCT happen to be the same as local time 777's definitions don't work. Local time is local time. The only correction for local time is daylight saving time. Z time is Z time. It is never corrected.

I don't know for sure how ALL airlines operate with regard to time. My guess is that most use Z/GMT/UCT for their internal purposes. I can tell you for sure that all ATC facilities use Z/GMT/UCT.

[AirRabbit]

We at FCA (First choice Airways) use Zulu Time, which is one hour behind normal time (GMT) and i would say all Charter Airlines use it. We bring Zulu time in at the beginning of April until the end of Summer and then go back to Normal time(GMT) for the Winter Season.

Hey guys – for some of you it would be well worth your time to listen to those who’ve spent more time in an airplane cockpit than many here have spent. Period. Ranger is one of those guys.

I’m not sure how long Learguy has been aviating, but obviously he’s been doing it long enough for you to pay attention to the fact that he’s providing an answer to the question asked.

Its relatively easy to get confused about “time zones” but don’t “redefine” the terms to suit your incorrect understanding of them.

As Ranger points out, zulu time= greenwich mean time= universal coordinated time. And that means that it would be very hard to have Z Time be one hour behind GMT at any time, because they’re both the same time, all the time.

[learguy]

I want to make a point/correction about my previous post. I try to be as accurate and informative with my posts as I can without sitting down and writing a book on the subject (because I'm lazy).

I pointed out the diffent ways in which coordinated time is expressed, as in zulu, UTC and GMT. For the record GMT is not used anymore. It was officially replaced with UTC about 20 years ago. As such, I slightly worded part of my post a bit akwardly. GMT is still thought of in the minds of long-time airplane drivers, though, since it was in use for so long.

FYI, I attained my PPL in 1981. I have been a professional pilot since 1996.

[AirRabbit]

FYI, I attained my PPL in 1981. I have been a professional pilot since 1996.

Your wisdom and your demeanor exceed your experience.