Winds and runways.. riddle me this...

[Robert Bernstein 1106839]

Hi guys and gals. I am using X-plane on a Mac. I have a question about winds and runways. Let's [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ume when Im taking off I check the winds and pick the take off runway most [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ociated with it. Also, I can use the ATIS which tells the take off runway in use. Now... on landings, on approach, if live ATC is not online, you use ATIS and that tells you winds and active runway. But, if you had set your flight plan and FAF to set up for 09 let's say.. and all of a sudden the ATIS tells you its now 12, and you only have 20 miles to go.. what do you do?

 

a). Carry on board every approach for every runway to consult, change your approach and all the ILS settings quickly?

b). Use the auto ATC which can give me vectors to the correct 12 landing runway?

c). Other options?

Thanks in advance..-Bob.

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

never get your heart set on a runway before you even get anywhere near the airport, especially if you are still thousands of miles away (EG: if your sim requires you add a runway, thats one thing, its a limitation in FS aswell using the GPS, but be ready to use something different more aligned with the conditions present by the time you get there or local flow/procedure)

 

you should always have "A" with you for your flight or be able to pull them up fast if you need to change.

 

"B" wont apply to other traffic in the area, use at your own risk.

 

also important for both FS and Xplane users. if you pick up the ATIS from the sim, it does help, but doesnt account for local procedures which other pilots may be using instead (EG: for ATL, ATIS shows winds 090 @ 5 and recommends you use one of the 8's, but others may be using the opposite end if they know ATL doesnt change runways until the winds are much higher)

 

if theres no traffic tho, go with what the winds are. if theres lots of traffic, try to go with the flow or find a whole

Edited August 27, 2010 at 05:54 PM by Guest

[Kyle Ramsey 810181]

1. Yes, for the reasons you state. You never know what the winds will be doing when you get there so have to be ready for any of them..

2. I avoid the canned ATC and thus the reason I like VATSIM.

3. Look up "Circle to Land"; you can fly any IAP and land on any other runway using this.

[Jordan Krushen 1135174]

if live ATC is not online, you use ATIS and that tells you winds and active runway.

If ATC isn't online there shouldn't be an ATIS up either, so I wouldn't trust any ATIS you get without ATC, certainly not the built-in one. Ignore all the canned ATC stuff when you're online.

 

Just check the METAR (.wx ICAO) and base your runway selection on that.

 

And yeah, be ready to land on whatever runway is applicable at the time.

[Tony Koch]

And then there is the issue that METARs are issued based on true north, but an ATIS is adjusted to magnetic. The farther from 0° longitude, the more the difference might matter.

[Jordan Krushen 1135174]

And then there is the issue that METARs are issued based on true north, but an ATIS is adjusted to magnetic. The farther from 0° longitude, the more the difference might matter.

Well, not so much distance from 0° longitude—at 100°W, you can still have only around 2° variation, and you can have around -20° further south along the meridian. It's position along the isogonic lines from magnetic north that matters the most; even north/south movement with affect variation, as indicated here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IGRF_2000_magnetic_declination.gif. Magnetic fields don't like following straight lines

 

We take variation into account so often as controllers, it's second nature, and easy to forget. Pilots should know this anyway on VATSIM, as the text ATIS (at least in VRC) doesn't account for variation, either, while our voice ATIS does. Pretty much any arrival or approach chart will show the variation, at least, so that pilots can figure it out easily.

[Robert Bernstein 1106839]

Thanks everyone. I guess the answer is #1. I will print out approach charts to all runways just in case. -Bob.