VATNZ - Sunday Night Ops - 21st March 2010 - NZNS / NZQN

[Nick Johnston]

Sunday Night Ops for 21st March 2010 - Spine of the Alps: Nelson and Queenstown

 

Another SNO, another Anniversary weekend! This time it's a long weekend in Otago, and to celebrate we're heading to the region's second largest centre: Queenstown. The tourists flock here for the lakes and the spectacular mountain scenery; for pilots it's the opportunity to shoot Queenstown's notoriously claustrophobic approaches.

 

This Sunday's route runs along the spine of the South Island's Southern Alps, connecting Queenstown with the bustling regional city of Nelson at the northern end of the island. Sights to be seen along the way include Aoraki/Mt Cook, the Southern Lakes, up to nine National Parks, and so many mountains, rivers, and glaciers, you'll be craving some nice flat farmland by the time you arrive.

 

Both airports are conveniently located right next to a ready supply of flight-abbreviating rock, so be sure to check out the arrival and departure charts included below.

 

Pick either airport - Nelson (NZNS) or Queenstown (NZQN) - and fly a return trip to the other one and back.

 

These routes suit a variety of aircraft: real-world Air NZ typically flies the ATR72, Dash 8, and the trusty 737, but feel free to come along in whatever you think you'll be able to land in one piece. A friendly tip: anything larger than a 737 or A320 and there's a pretty good chance you'll be joining the long Queenstown Approach Hall of Shame!

 

Total time for the return trip should be somewhere in the vicinity of 1.5 - 2.5 hours, but there's no hurry with ATC coverage for more than twice that length: so take your time, enjoy the scenery, sample a hold or two!

 

• Departure Time: Sunday 21st March 2010 19:00-23:30 NZDT / 17:00-21:30 AEDT / 06:00-10:30 UTC
  
• Flight Time: approx 1.5 - 2.5 hrs round trip
  
• Flight Plan Route:
  Start at either airport and make a return trip to the other one and back.
  NZNS/NZQN: NS H438 SH
  NZQN/NZNS: SH H438 NS
   
  Click on the image below to view the preferred routings in the airspace map:
   
  
   
   
  
• Airport Details: Nelson Airport
  (Note warning on NZNS approach charts: "Mountainous terrain east, south and west"!)
  Likely arrival r/w 02: RNAV RWY 02 or VOR/DME RWY 02
  Likely arrival r/w 20: RNAV BRAVO or VOR/DME ALFA
  Likely departure r/w 02: 02 YANKEE
  Likely departure r/w 20: 20 X-RAY
   
   
  
• Airport Details: Queenstown Airport
  (Note warning on NZQN approach charts: "Aerodrome surrounded by Mountainous Terrain"!)
  Likely arrival r/w 05: RNAV RWY 05 ZULU or VOR/DME CHARLIE
  Likely arrival r/w 23: RNAV RWY 23 ZULU or VOR/DME ALFA
  Likely departures r/w 05: BRIDGE FOUR (BRG4), KELVIN THREE (KLN3), RNAV CARDRONA ONE
  Likely departures r/w 23: CROWN FOUR (CRN4), RNAV BOWEN TWO
  Note: Due to the visual components in all the non-RNAV procedures, it is strongly recommended that unless you are using only RNAV procedures you have the time in FS set to daylight while flying in and out of NZQN.
   
   
   
  
• Priority ATC Positions:
  NZNS_TWR - Nelson Tower
  NZQN_TWR - Queenstown Tower
  NZCH-S_CTR/NZCH-K_CTR - Enroute Control
   
  Note: If you're providing ATC on the night, please give priority to these positions. They are not an exclusive list, but they are the ones that will see the most action this Sunday.
   
  To reserve a particular ATC position, please post a message to that effect (including the times you expect to be online) in this thread. If possible, also book your position using vroute - large numbers of bookings in vroute attract additional traffic.
   
   
  
• Late-comers/Shorter Alternative: Late-comers or people looking for a shorter flight should consider flying only one of the legs. The goal is to concentrate as much traffic as possible above the Southern Alps.
   
   
  
• Charts/Airspace Info: Available by clicking on the airport links above, or from the VATNZ Airspace Reference site.

 

 

If you have any questions please feel free to email me, or reply to this thread.

 

 

Nick