Widebody; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 200; Flight Crew Total 13000; Flight Crew Type 5000
Confusion; Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Manuals; Procedure
No violations of any type occurred on this flight. Informational only; I've noticed on the PECAN 1A and OCEAN 2A departures out of VHHH that each of these SIDs load with '5;000 FT and below restrictions' (5;000B in FMC) for the first two waypoints (PORPA; RAMEN on PECAN 1A; PORPA; TD on OCEAN 2A) even though on the respective 'paper' SIDs neither of these restrictions exist. The only altitude restriction on the SID is the 5;000 FT initial climb clearance just below the plan view; but it does not state anywhere on these SIDs that those above mentioned intersections have to be crossed at or below 5;000 FT. The potential problem is that once Hong Kong departure clears one to an altitude above 5;000 FT with the mode control panel is in VNAV (as it normally is); the aircraft will try to level off at 5;000 FT until passing the second waypoint (RAMEN; TD) even though it is not required. Further; on my last flight out of Hong Kong; the Controller told us to climb to 'XX;000 unrestricted' (NOTE: the Controller did not say 'speed unrestricted;' he stated 'climb unrestricted' and it was to an altitude well above 5;000 FT) which would imply that there was some sort of altitude restriction that we otherwise would have had to comply with. None of us in the cockpit were aware that a restriction existed per the SID; nor were we given one in our initial clearance. So I'm submitting this report so that the '5;000B' restrictions can be removed from the SIDs in the FMC if they're not supposed to be there. A cockpit crew could get distracted with the autopilot ON and not notice the plane isn't climbing when it should be if given a higher altitude by ATC; leading to an altitude bust. If hand flying; the flight director will pitch for a level-off at 5;000 FT when in fact the plane should be climbing to whatever altitude cleared to above 5;000 FT. If the '5;000B' is supposed to be in the FMC for the PORPA; RAMEN; or TD intersections and I'm missing something. I'd like to know where those 5;000 FT or below restrictions can be found. If the location of these restrictions for these intersections is somewhere obscure (buried in a 10-1 page?); then a note should be placed on the 10-7 page for Hong Kong.
A pilot departing VHHH noted that the PECAN 1A and OCEAN 2A have 5;000 FT RAMEN and PORPA climb constraints specified in the FMS RNAV procedure; but while a 5;000 FT is a general climb constraint; it does not appear to be associated with waypoints.