Exciting Approach

[Tommay85]

I'm just mad that they didn't stick a GoPro up on the windshield! Would have been MUCH more exciting!

 

[Beep]

It looks to me that you'd be about two knuckles deep on that approach when you turned to the right and crossed the river. Three knuckles deep when rolling wings level on final. And you'd probably be up to your elbow if you had to climb out of that mess on one engine!

 

[Rudabega]

That was about as exciting as bare ankle in 1834...

 

[Rocketman99]

I don't know. I dom't find anything challenging about that approach at all. Fun, yes, Challenging no. Well, perhaps if you're one of those people who never flies the plane and just lets Jorge do everything for you and are lost without a pink bar it might be challenging. Big plane, small plane, no difference.

 

[killbilly]

I'm not gonna cast aspersions on anyone or anything. Looks like fine piloting.

Aside from the giant land masses on either side, is the maneuvering that different than flying the River Visual (is that what it's called?) into DCA to the south?

 

[FlyingScot]

I'm not gonna cast aspersions on anyone or anything. Looks like fine piloting.

Aside from the giant land masses on either side, is the maneuvering that different than flying the River Visual (is that what it's called?) into DCA to the south?

Not familiar with the DCA approach but the giant land masses do raise the stakes in a way the parameters of a Jep Chart do not.

Has anyone here been to this airport? Flight Sims don't count.

 

[dasleben]

Well, I thought it was cool. Then again, I must be soft after all my autothrottling and CMD centering. I think it'd be challenging in anything with some heft behind it, but what do I know?

 

[Tommay85]

You don't fly an Antonov 225, so you can't possibly know anything!

 

[Rocketman99]

Well, I thought it was cool. Then again, I must be soft after all my autothrottling and CMD centering. I think it'd be challenging in anything with some heft behind it, but what do I know?

A heavy can still maneuver, it just requires a bit more forethought and finesse than something small. Doesn't make this approach much more difficult than something like the LDA 26 in Honolulu, outside of the terrain. That was always fun in the tanker.

 

[Beep]

Meh... I consider myself to be a decent enough pilot, but landing at that airport just doesn't look " fun " to me.

 

[z987k]

Make the vis 3SM with a 1000' ceiling and now it's fun!

 

[dasleben]

A heavy can still maneuver, it just requires a bit more forethought and finesse than something small. Doesn't make this approach much more difficult than something like the LDA 26 in Honolulu, outside of the terrain. That was always fun in the tanker.

I never said it couldn't, just that it'd be challenging compared to what we normally do.

What'd you fly in the Air Force?

 

[Capt. Chaos]

Make the vis 3SM with a 1000' ceiling and now it's fun!

Alaska does their RNP 26 into JNU down to like 200 an 1/2. Even the LDA's X-Z to 8 requires a 30° turn on short final (1/2 mile) after avoiding the that's 3/4 mile off the end of the runway. Though talking to a few of the old 737-200 guys (no fancy RNP stuff) they still get misty eyed talking about flying 1000 miles out to Dutch to get one shot at the NDB approach and put it on 3800ft of runway all while flying through weather that they give names too in the rest of the world.

We have a special authorization RNAV that flight check just about refuses to fly.. they tried to shut it down as to dangerous. I guess a Lear on a catagory A-B only approach up a glacier fjord was an eye opener.

 

[z987k]

Alaska does their RNP 26 into JNU down to like 200 an 1/2. Even the LDA's X-Z to 8 requires a 30° turn on short final (1/2 mile) after avoiding the that's 3/4 mile off the end of the runway. Though talking to a few of the old 737-200 guys (no fancy RNP stuff) they still get misty eyed talking about flying 1000 miles out to Dutch to get one shot at the NDB approach and put it on 3800ft of runway all while flying through weather that they give names too in the rest of the world.

We have a special authorization RNAV that flight check just about refuses to fly.. they tried to shut it down as to dangerous. I guess a Lear on a catagory A-B only approach up a glacier fjord was an eye opener.

hahaha, ya there's a lot of special approaches up there. The alaska airlines approach plates are much thicker than anyone else's for the region. The RNP into Juneau makes a lot of people go... wtf?! The DP to.

 

[FlyingScot]

Alaska does their RNP 26 into JNU down to like 200 an 1/2. Even the LDA's X-Z to 8 requires a 30° turn on short final (1/2 mile) after avoiding the that's 3/4 mile off the end of the runway. Though talking to a few of the old 737-200 guys (no fancy RNP stuff) they still get misty eyed talking about flying 1000 miles out to Dutch to get one shot at the NDB approach and put it on 3800ft of runway all while flying through weather that they give names too in the rest of the world.

We have a special authorization RNAV that flight check just about refuses to fly.. they tried to shut it down as to dangerous. I guess a Lear on a catagory A-B only approach up a glacier fjord was an eye opener.

I am not sure what to say about that.....Except let me know when your window opens again.

Alaska is the only major where your experience as a freight pilot comes in handy because your your scud running skills can come in handy in a 737. I have heard stories of VFR/RNAV flights at 3000' in a 737 because it was the only way the flight was going to work.

 

[Tommay85]

Sounds like that would burn a TON of gas! I like it! I HATE gas!!!

 

[Nark]

I miss Alaska!
If its too low for IFR fo VFR!!!

. I have heard stories of VFR/RNAV flights at 3000' in a 737 because it was the only way the flight was going to work.

I think you might be referring to the Juneau to Gustavus run they do in the summer months.
It's 25 or so miles straight shot, but you can't do that in a 737. Closer to 50 miles in order to go around Couverton Point.
I think Capt Chaos has raced, and beaten the Alaska on the same run using a Saratoga once or twice. At least that what he tells the girls...

 

[Rocketman99]

I never said it couldn't, just that it'd be challenging compared to what we normally do.

What'd you fly in the Air Force?

KC-135, the mighty 707. What an amazing airplane.

 

[dasleben]

KC-135, the mighty 707. What an amazing airplane.

Very cool, those look like a pod strike waiting to happen with the upgraded motors.

Actually flew with a guy last year who'd been on the 707 at ATA, old straight pipes. That guy could fly a washing machine.

 

[Capt. Chaos]

Sitting on AS 65 in WRG right now.. photo from the VFR arrival.