How Do Pilots Get In Line With The Runway? Options

[Yanni BA632]

Do pilots get in line with their assigned runway using charts/maps or do the air traffic controllers direct them to the runway.

[cessnapilot72]

Do pilots get in line with their assighned runway using charts/maps or do the air traffic controllers direct then to the runway.

It depends on the situation. Sometimes controllers vector airplanes to it's final approach course (in line with the runway of intended arrival), other times pilots use nav aids to get them aligned with the runways, such as an ILS, or a localizer or VOR approach. And of course there are also visual approaches, and in that case pilots just line themselves up by sight.

Charts and maps always help, as they show vital information such as number of runways, runway headings, topographical information surrounding the airport, etc.

[glnflwrs]

A good pilot will do some flight planning before he goes to the airport. This planning would include laying out the route he will take, the radio frequencies for navaids and controllers, and studying the destination airport's runway layout, and how he will make his approach.

A good pilot will pretty much know how the entire flight will be flown, including approach and landing.

[Ranger]

And some of us just hope for the best.

[milehigheric]

And some of us just hope for the best.

Haha, just 'winging it'... The cause of many accidents and screw ups.

[rjb4000]

Haha, just 'winging it'... The cause of many accidents and screw ups.

Yeah.. No.

[cobzz]

My understanding, is that when starting decent, ATC will usually tell you your STAR or APP. You can then select the approapiate STAR or APP in the FMC.

[Tpattyii]

My understanding, is that when starting decent, ATC will usually tell you your STAR or APP. You can then select the approapiate STAR or APP in the FMC.

A STAR doesn't really line you up with the runway but rather feeds aircraft into a congested area. Usually, from where the STAR terminates you will have a vector to an approach. From there you can line up with the runway by doing the approiate approach for airport you are going to.

Tp2

[F14 Tomcat]

Many of use an ILS but when that isn't available some good flight planning is always good

[cessnapilot72]

Many of use an ILS but when that isn't available some good flight planning is always good

Even when plannin on an ILS approach, STARS are often used to navigate aircraft to the final approach path. STARS are basically a textual/depicted way of getting from the en route portion of your flight, to the approach portion of your flight. Some airports have multiple STARS that provide routing from different directions around the airport.

STARS are not always used. You can request not to have STARS assigned to you in the comments section of your instrument flight plan. A pilot must have AT LEAST a textual description of the STAR being assigned in order to accept it.

[bernoulli]

My understanding, is that when starting decent, ATC will usually tell you your STAR or APP. You can then select the approapiate STAR or APP in the FMC.

STARs are almost always assigned to you while you're still on the ground at your departure airport when copying your IFR clearance. This doesn't mean that your STAR assignment might not be issued or amended at some point while enroute due to traffic or weather considerations, etc. And while some STARs will take you all the way to an IAF, others will just route you to a general area, where the local Approach controllers will provide radar vectors to a THEN assigned published or visual approach to your filed destination airport. In the latter case, it's common to have numerous airports sharing the same STAR.

Here's a good example of the latter type:

http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0611/00198TRINITY.PDF

The destination in this example could be one of any number of airports in the Houston Area. But, you'll notice that, depending on the entry, it can begin as far away as SEMMES VOR in Mobile, Alabama!