WestWind Airlines

So last night I was on VATSIM flying JFK to PIT.  Just as I was about to tune PIT APP from Unicom, he went offline.  I was flying the published STAR and since PIT TWR was up I had ATIS and knew what runway I going to land at.  Now my question is, what's the best way to set up my approach?  I kind of shorted myself last night and found that I was having to make a lot of corrections to get on loc & g/s.  When shooting an ILS approach are there guidelines to distance and altitude for setting up.  I think that TWR called me .5 from the outer marker and I was still trying to track the localizer.  

I think that had I not expected APP at all I might have set up sooner, but seeing them go off as I was tunning put me with out a plan of action.  Just looking for a little insight from the pros.  Thanks everybody.

 

Ted Franz

WWA2089     CAT I 

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Ted Franz CAT II
WWA2089 KJFK

"Self" vectoring for approach is an essential skill that VATSIM fliers must develop, as you will often have to do it on your own.  Some instrument approaches have procedures for getting on the approach course, such as DME arcs or procedure turns, and those can be fun to fly for a change of pace.  Approaches to the larger airports seem to be strictly by radar vectors, though, so there you have to be a little more resourceful.  Now I usually fly pay-ware aircraft with fairly realistic FMS, so I will just plug in the inital approach fix of the procedure into the flight plan and fly directly to it.  You can do this with the FS GPS using the direct-to function.  If conditions are favorable to a visual approach you can just head toward the airport until you see it and make the appropriate entry into the traffic pattern.  If I see that the tower controller is online I will normally call them up around 10 miles out and report being on final for the runway I have chosen.

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Mark Kuebeler, KSLC

Every thing Mark said sounds great. I alway plan for Center or Approach to go off line. You just never know what might happen. When I am at my cruise level I try to plan out what I think they are going to have me do and then see how close I came to it. I have also put myself in a hold for one circle while I set myself up to line up with an approach better.

 

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Michael Finn
WWA1704
HM Salt Lake City KSLC

I think of an approach on VATSIM where no controllers are present as similar to (but not exactly like) a standard approach and landing to a field in VFR conditions.

1. Figure out what runway you are going to use. 
2. Fly a downwind leg (opposite direction of the runway)
3. Fly a base leg (turn perpendicular to the runway)
4. A few degrees before you hit the runway centerline, turn 30 degrees to the centerline.
5. Then fly the approach just as you would if you had been cleared for the approach.

If you don't want to fly the downwind leg, cut it short and just fly the base but always fly the base. It helps you get set up.

Now if you want to do it the way you would in the RW on an ILS flight plan, you must use the approach plates and fly the approach as you would if the airport did not have an operating control tower and approach was not able to vector you for the approach. Typically, ATC would clear you direct to the initial approach fix and clear you for the approach. Make your way to the initial approach fix (as specified on the approach charts) at the proper altitude, then fly the approach including any procedure turns and altitude changes as described on the approach chart. These are designed to line you up with the runway safely if there is no controller vectoring you. As Mark said, there are many types but the one we would most likely use is an ILS approach if it is available.

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WWA1702 Senior Command Captain +2
RWP SEL Instrument Rating (almost)
WW Test Pilot
Monster Driver

Mike Gibbs:

I think of an approach on VATSIM where no controllers are present as similar to (but not exactly like) a standard approach and landing to a field in VFR conditions.

1. Figure out what runway you are going to use. 
2. Fly a downwind leg (opposite direction of the runway)
3. Fly a base leg (turn perpendicular to the runway)
4. A few degrees before you hit the runway centerline, turn 30 degrees to the centerline.
5. Then fly the approach just as you would if you had been cleared for the approach.

If you don't want to fly the downwind leg, cut it short and just fly the base but always fly the base. It helps you get set up.

Now if you want to do it the way you would in the RW on an ILS flight plan, you must use the approach plates and fly the approach as you would if the airport did not have an operating control tower and approach was not able to vector you for the approach. Typically, ATC would clear you direct to the initial approach fix and clear you for the approach. Make your way to the initial approach fix (as specified on the approach charts) at the proper altitude, then fly the approach including any procedure turns and altitude changes as described on the approach chart. These are designed to line you up with the runway safely if there is no controller vectoring you. As Mark said, there are many types but the one we would most likely use is an ILS approach if it is available.

Well, technically you should handle it like an instrument approach to a field in which there is no overlying radar coverage, since that's exactly what it is.  You need to fly a "full procedure" approach:

1. Get the chart.  Make sure you *have the chart*.  This is key.
2. Find the Initial Approach Fix (IAF) on the chart
3. Proceed direct to the IAF
4. Some approaches will have instructions from the IAF, ie a published DME arc or heading, etc.  If it has that, great.  If not, and more commonly, the IAF will either be a VOR at/near the field or will be the same as the FAF, except at a higher altitude.  Proceed direct to the IAF and fly the reciprocal of the final approach course.  There will usually be a published procedure turn or hold-in-lieu (ie a holding pattern published at a fix somewhere on the approach course).  If it's a hold-in-lieu enter the hold, usually with a teardrop entry, and establish yourself on the final approach course.
5. When turning inbound on the procedure turn, standard phraseology on unicom would be "KPDX traffic, WWA1712 procedure turn inbound, ILS 10L, KPDX"
6. If tower is online, call them upon crossing the FAF (Final Approach Fix) if they don't contact you first.  If tower is online I would suggest tuning it in as soon as you are established inbound on the procedure turn or hold.

 

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Scott M. Stone
WWA1712 - Cat-III - Director of Aircraft
VATSIM 1018857 - C1 Controller - KZSE
Private Pilot - ASEL + Complex + IFR (almost)

WWA1712:

Mike Gibbs:

I think of an approach on VATSIM where no controllers are present as similar to (but not exactly like) a standard approach and landing to a field in VFR conditions.

1. Figure out what runway you are going to use. 
2. Fly a downwind leg (opposite direction of the runway)
3. Fly a base leg (turn perpendicular to the runway)
4. A few degrees before you hit the runway centerline, turn 30 degrees to the centerline.
5. Then fly the approach just as you would if you had been cleared for the approach.

If you don't want to fly the downwind leg, cut it short and just fly the base but always fly the base. It helps you get set up.

Now if you want to do it the way you would in the RW on an ILS flight plan, you must use the approach plates and fly the approach as you would if the airport did not have an operating control tower and approach was not able to vector you for the approach. Typically, ATC would clear you direct to the initial approach fix and clear you for the approach. Make your way to the initial approach fix (as specified on the approach charts) at the proper altitude, then fly the approach including any procedure turns and altitude changes as described on the approach chart. These are designed to line you up with the runway safely if there is no controller vectoring you. As Mark said, there are many types but the one we would most likely use is an ILS approach if it is available.

Well, technically you should handle it like an instrument approach to a field in which there is no overlying radar coverage, since that's exactly what it is.  You need to fly a "full procedure" approach:

1. Get the chart.  Make sure you *have the chart*.  This is key.
2. Find the Initial Approach Fix (IAF) on the chart
3. Proceed direct to the IAF
4. Some approaches will have instructions from the IAF, ie a published DME arc or heading, etc.  If it has that, great.  If not, and more commonly, the IAF will either be a VOR at/near the field or will be the same as the FAF, except at a higher altitude.  Proceed direct to the IAF and fly the reciprocal of the final approach course.  There will usually be a published procedure turn or hold-in-lieu (ie a holding pattern published at a fix somewhere on the approach course).  If it's a hold-in-lieu enter the hold, usually with a teardrop entry, and establish yourself on the final approach course.
5. When turning inbound on the procedure turn, standard phraseology on unicom would be "KPDX traffic, WWA1712 procedure turn inbound, ILS 10L, KPDX"
6. If tower is online, call them upon crossing the FAF (Final Approach Fix) if they don't contact you first.  If tower is online I would suggest tuning it in as soon as you are established inbound on the procedure turn or hold.

 

Practically speaking, no one does that on VATSIM. Essentially, you become your own controller when no one else is on line.

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WWA1702 Senior Command Captain +2
RWP SEL Instrument Rating (almost)
WW Test Pilot
Monster Driver

Practically speaking, maybe.  However, if you want to do it in the most realistic fashion, what I have outlined would be that.  Good practice, too.

But, what nobody sees you do, won't hurt anyone ;)  You won't have the volume of traffic on VATSIM that you would in the real world (especially with ATC offline, you're likely the only one there), so it's not as big of a deal to stick to the procedures.

Knowing how to read and fly from a real approach plate, however, is a valuable skill, and should be practiced at any possible opportunity, IMHO :)

 

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Scott M. Stone
WWA1712 - Cat-III - Director of Aircraft
VATSIM 1018857 - C1 Controller - KZSE
Private Pilot - ASEL + Complex + IFR (almost)