Just took my 727-100 from KDCA to KIAH on VATSIM for another awesome flight.  I flew over a rather large thunderstorm over Tennessee and Arkansas, and there was quite the lighting show.  I flew the entire DAISETTA8 STAR to IAH (thanks to Navigraph chart software), but no APP or CTR was online, so I had to manually vector myself to the DUCOZ IAP for runway 15R.  Everyone who isn't navigating this aircraft the old school way is really missing out on a fun learning experience.  I am going to take the MD-11F for a spin tonight (FedEx Virtual Cargo) so I can enjoy some "easy" navigation for a change.

audiohavoc - you flew the 727-100 from KLAX toKDCA... musta been flying on fumes the last few 100 miles, or you had a good tail wind.

David, Try the Parkway Visual to 13 L/R at KJFK. Bring the vis down to 3 miles or so and look for the lead-in lights that flash along the parkway.
This approach was easy and fun in the 727 or the 757, but the 747 made it a bit more interesting when the vis was around 3 miles and the wind howling out of the south at 25 kts. (normal summer day at JFK)

One summer afternoon we were all lined up for take off on 13R (14,600'). There must have been 30 or 40 planes. SWAP was in effect. (Severe Weather Avoidance Procedures). Thunderstorms on a summer afternoon in New York - NORMAL! Here comes Аэрофлот (Aeroflot) in a big wide body plane, and they are put on the Parkway visual, which was then called the Canarsie Approach - named after a place in Brooklyn. The weather is typical summer in JKF. Sea breeze off the Atlantic, blowing strong - with salt air. Visibility around 3 miles in haze. Summer in the City! The string of planes lined up on this approach goes forever. The Aeroflot boyz are having a heck of a time finding the runway and they have to go around. Normally a go around is not a big deal, but with the string of traffic at rush hour in New York - forgetaboutit! So the poor controller makes a space in the line and fits them in for another approach. Oh no! they miss again! Of course we are all listening on the tower and laughing, but feeling their pain. Back in line they go and try again. This time after much help from the local controller using his bright display radar to keep the Ruski on course he turns final and calls "Runway in sight"... a few seconds later on the tower frequency the Aeroflot pilots tells the tower "This approach is for the SH#TS!

Everybody broke out in laughter because we knew he was right!  

LOU wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2011 at 1:06am:


Awesome. 

For this approach, are the lead-in lights modeled in FSX?  I am not seeing them.  I decided to try this in the Cessna first, just to see how the approach works in FSX.  I can follow the parkway from rockaway point all the way in, but I don't see the lights.

audiohavoc wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2011 at 9:18pm:


Thanks for the link.  I see that the person who made the video is running addon scenery for this airport.  I have tried both dusk and night and I am still not seeing the lead-in lights.  I have my scenery density set all the way to the right.   

Can anyone confirm if these lights are shown in default FSX scenery for the JFK area?

I found an AFCAD file that gives you the lead-in lights for FSX.  It is at flightsim.com by the name of afx_kjfk.zip.  Or just search FSX files for "canarsie" and you'll find it.   Works great!  I flew the approach about 10 times yesterday, getting better and better at it.  So far I've only gone down to 5 mile visibility.   13L is fairly easy.  13R is a little trickier, but I can do it a lot smoother than the guy in that youtube vid.

LOU wrote on Apr 24^th, 2011 at 6:38pm:



You put in the addon scenery/scenery folder.  That's it.  As far as I can tell, the lights only show up in dawn, dusk, or night mode.  With visibilty set to 5 miles, I see them just about when I pass over the vor at around 1600 feet.

Dave,

Thanks for the direction. They look just like the real thing!  



As you can see this screen capture was taken at 600 feet on the last part of the Parkway Visual to RW 13L at KJFK.
I point out the roads because they were all used as landmarks during the approach.
I have the visibility set at 2 miles, you needed three to fly the approach.
I call your attention to the hotel, just under the last lead-in set of lights.
One evening, many years back, someone left tire tracks across the roof of the hotel, taking out a few TV antennas and a roof vent.  
I don't think anyone ever fessed up to doing that.

Lou

13L was almost always the landing runway since 13R - the long runway, 14,600'- was used for takeoff.

The trick is to just follow the parkway around.

In the fancy plane, the one with FMS, all you had to do was define the end point of the runway and use the 300 feet per mile rule. The problem in real life is that JFK gets scud (low clouds and fog) in the afternoon so even if the tower vis was 3 miles or so the areas on the approach could have some low clouds mixed in. This was a real fun approach in the 727 and 707. The Glass planes (sissy) made it very easy.

Another fun approach was the Expressway Visual to RW 31 at KLGA. No lights for help here, but you passed on from brave to brave little check points to make the approach go better. This was great fun in the 727, but really fun in the 767 or I'm told the 1011!

Another fun approach is the dual ILS/Visuals to runway 28L/R in KSFO. The runways are only a few hundred feet apart and you would often have two good size planes doing the approach at the same time. They would stagger the planes just a bit and admonish you not to pass the other plane. This was fun with a 747 and 767-300 at the same time. http://www.fltplan.com/AwDisplayAppChart.exe?CRN10=1&CARRYUNAME=PILOT&DEPTARPT=K...