Queenstown Approach Plate

[Cobra]

Have a go at flying this one.

:evils:

[Nikolas_A]

Have a go at flying this one.

:evils:

Wow, looks like fun!!!

Nikolas

[liquid_rockface]

Cobra, for those of us who don't understand approach plates terribly well, could you (or somebody else) please explain how this would be flown?

[Cobra]

Cobra, for those of us who don't understand approach plates terribly well, could you (or somebody else) please explain how this would be flown?

Sure!

This is a new breed of approaches we are now authorised to fly in the 737-800 which is flown laterally as you see above. We do this by using GPS technology and having the approach pre-loaded into the database of the aircraft and then flying it using LNAV/VNAV. It is actually a pretty easy approach to fly as it is all done on automatics and the aircraft just follows the track as laid out above. If you were to straighten the line out the vertical bit would look no different to flying an ILS.

Hope that makes sense.

:smile:

[liquid_rockface]

Ok lol, sorry but I should have requested an "idiot's guide" to reading the approach plate! I really don't understand them well at all!

I assume you start in that straight vertical part....but what is that racetrack pattern thingy half way down the vertical by BENET?

Then of course you continue to the right (is this in a valley?) but what is with the circle at the bottom? And what are the dotted lines for?

And I can't work out exactly where the runway is! Is it along the 136 degree line? And the 053 degree line?

Hmm, quite confusing for me...

[Vampire14]

I will just help a little if I can, with Cobra to correct me if I stuff up:red:

You can see from the text box at the top right this is an approach plate for runway heading 054...or RW05 as shown on the plate.

You can also see in up there the airport elevation is 1,171' - compare that to the hill to the south - 7,625', and even the hills you fly past on the way in - 6,140' NZQN is definately in a velley:bigeyes:

I can tell you from being in the aircraft on a few of these approaches they are pretty fun - you a tootling along below the top of those hills on the left.

I can't quite remember exactly but from the looks of it you come down the valley from the north, descending, circle that hill in the middle to lose some ALT (although I can't remember doing that bit in the std. 737) then glide her in on RW05 - the dotted line is the missed approach track (you can just see the lettering at the bottom of it) you can follow to escape again. Notice the text warning not to exceed 180kts until the turn in the valley is complete...ouchy.
There is another card that will show this approach for the VNAV component, which Cobra mentioned looks just like a standard ILS approach.

Aah Queenstown - lovely place...but getting a little commercial now from what it used to be:sad:

[Maple]

wow..fun...yeah about that....

[SUBS17]

Queenstowns a nice place to visit, not far from Wanaka for Warbirds.:bigsmile:

[Cougar12dk]

Ooooh.......the warbirds *drools* I saw them once at Ardmore. Don't remember much of the show, sadly :(

[liquid_rockface]

This might be a repost, but I am hoping it is reason for loads of incoming positive rep...:evils:

Here is a website that offers free approach plates and more for any airport in the USA (as far as I know): http://www.myairplane.com/databases/approach/index.php

Also check out: http://www.baseops.net/ for more interesting things...

[razorseal]

Ok lol, sorry but I should have requested an "idiot's guide" to reading the approach plate! I really don't understand them well at all!

I assume you start in that straight vertical part....but what is that racetrack pattern thingy half way down the vertical by BENET?

Then of course you continue to the right (is this in a valley?) but what is with the circle at the bottom? And what are the dotted lines for?

And I can't work out exactly where the runway is! Is it along the 136 degree line? And the 053 degree line?

Hmm, quite confusing for me...


that racetrack pattern is the holding pattern I beleieve, the FMC usually draws that out when u tell it to hold, and the dashed line is a missed apporoach pattern... like cobra said, the computer flies that path for you so its not that much of a challenger, but def a cool scenery :p