MSP Departure

MNFlyboy

MNFlyboy

Well-Known Member
So I regularly fly out of the Flying Cloud airport (FCM), a reliever of Minneapolis. More often recently, I've been given the departure clearance to proceed to the MKT R281 @21DME, Direct destination. Anyone in the area know what is so special about this way point and why wouldn't it be easier to give me a GPS fix. Granted they know I'm a /G and make a user waypoint, but I have to believe there's a better way to do it.

Curious
 
I used to fly the twolf arrival every morning going to STP in a MU2. I would always enter the arrival over the MKT VOR 281 radial to TRGET. It would appear for some reason they are sending you there, to clear some arrival traffic prior to direct destination. Not sure why they don't just say TRGET other than it is an arrival fix.
 
Hello from MSP tower.

I've seen that fix printed out a few times on clearances, mainly for GA aircraft. It's basically to my understanding of a tower guy that the flight plan computer prints that out so it can process what sector at ZMP to hand you off to. Some controllers give that exact routing and others like myself to make it easy give the 'Minneapolis 5 SID' (Radar vectors to your first fix after that radial). I can ask some one in the radar room for a better explination. Hope this helps for now!
 
Didnt realize we had some more MSP folks here. I did my ppl/ir at T-bird (KFCM) and have been in and out of all of the reliever airports under the MSP Class B.... SeeYA@GFK....Is that you Stan? EIther way I am sure I have heard you on the air more than once. I like to take my youngest over to the cell phone lot on Post Road for some spotting....
 
JEP: I don't think Stan even knows what a message board is! He's getting pretty close to retirement.

Post Road is good, but if we are on the 12's over at the dog park on 28th Ave is even better.

Stop on by and do some pattern work!
 
I'm currently an intern there. I asked in the TRACON this morning and most of the guys didn't have an explanation either. They said what SeeYa said, it is most likely the computer picking a point out in space where the aircraft will not conflict with and STARs/SIDs and automatically radar handoff to the center. It also depends on what type of plane you are jet/prop and what your filed altitude is. The computers are also so old that it won't assign a GPS waypoint, it still reverts back to radial/dme. They also said, the majority of the time you'll get radar vectors and once clear of the arrivals/departures, direct destination. Hope this helps, I'm sure we can find out more answers if you have any more questions.
 
Thanks for the leg work guys! it makes sense if the computer is picking it out, I couldn't fathom why a controller would work so hard as to identify a point in space via RAD/DME rather than RIXIE or something. Good to know! this doesn't happen very often, usually I'm a lifeguard flight anyway so we get vectors and then Direct Dest. I've never actually flown into MSP, flown over the top of it several times at 3,000'. Once even in a Caravan going to SGS, that was cool! When did you do your flying JEP?
 
JulietBravo said:
Nice hijack! They are just old boarded up buildings from old Fort Snelling.. nothing too fun or exciting, it is a "historic site" now though.
Click to expand...

Ah, looked like barracks or frat houses. Look haunted. When am I gonna get bossed around by you? Do I get a special code word that gets me any request?
 
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