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Shaney

Knowing what runway ATC will tell you to land on

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Hey guys,Just started to use more complicated procedures on FSX and i was wondering whether there was anyway of finding out what runway ATC will tell you to land on when you reach your destination. Cause at the moment using IFR or VFR i have to get within around 100nm of the airport before ATC will tell me the active runway. Just wondering if i could find the active runways out before i took off?Shane

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you can listen to ATIS (not sure of range) or look up winds in the METAR report online, but i beleive ATC only assigns runways when your closer

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I replied elsewhere but I will repost here:In FSX, the best way to figure it out is to look at the wind for your destination airport. Just bring up the map view and scroll the map and find your destination. It will display a green arrow for the wind direction. If the wind is from the north, you will be landing on the runway most aligned with the wind, say Ry 36. If there is more than one runway you'll have to check the ATIS. I'm not sure of the max distance in FSX at which you can receive the ATIS. In the real world I've heard pilots getting it 50-75 miles out, at least where I work.In the real world, (which is similar to FSX as far as how the landing runway is assigned), again it is based on the surface wind. It can also be based on noise abatement, or other factors, like wind shear, quality of the runway itself (snow, ice, wet, FOD etc). If the wind is calm in the real world, we usually allow pilots to have the runway of their choice if its not too busy. Larger airports, in this case, would use noise abatement as the main factor for active runway selection.


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I have found that one cannot receive atis in FSX until the ATC has already advised you of the approach clearance and nominated the landing runway. Unlike the RW where you can receive ATIS once your in range of the transmitter.


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I have found that one cannot receive atis in FSX until the ATC has already advised you of the approach clearance and nominated the landing runway. Unlike the RW where you can receive ATIS once your in range of the transmitter.
If you tune in the ATIS frequency on your own (not from the ATC window).. you can recieve it well before getting near the airport.This works for ASOS and AWOS, too.. just write the frequency down on your pre-flight notes.. and tune it in when ready... you don't have to wait until it's on the, "Nearest Airports" list , in the ATC window.

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Brett is correct.My procedure is to set the COM 2 receiver to the destination ATIS frequency. I usuallyget that from the GPS frequency listing for the destination aiorport.I then select "BOTH" for the COM radio audio. As soon as I am within range of thetuned ATIS it can be heard. Once I've noted the information I then set the audio backto COM 1 and de-tune the COM2 receiver.I find that it is usually around 100 NM out when you will pick up the ATIS.That is plenty of time to adjust your approach heading, and set up you NAV receiversfor the approach when flying VFR.If multiple runways are in use I select the one which is best suited for my arrival heading.Once ATC assigns an approach/runway, you can ask for the active one that you prefer. Paul


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Brett is correct.My procedure is to set the COM 2 receiver to the destination ATIS frequency. I usuallyget that from the GPS frequency listing for the destination aiorport.I then select "BOTH" for the COM radio audio. As soon as I am within range of thetuned ATIS it can be heard. Once I've noted the information I then set the audio backto COM 1 and de-tune the COM2 receiver.I find that it is usually around 100 NM out when you will pick up the ATIS.That is plenty of time to adjust your approach heading, and set up you NAV receiversfor the approach when flying VFR.If multiple runways are in use I select the one which is best suited for my arrival heading.Once ATC assigns an approach/runway, you can ask for the active one that you prefer. Paul
That is the procedure I use also rw-though at the altitudes I fly atis is usually at best heard 40-50 miles from the destination. You can adjust the squelch knob on a real radio-and sometimes get it a little farther out though there will be lots of static (you can't do that in fs).Also-checking the winds in the weather briefing usually give you an idea what you can expect.The runways can be changed even on short final sometimes-with a sidestep to another runway or anything else you can imagine.

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Guest JamesWoods

If you have the cash go and buy Radar Contact.Using Radar Contact, when you are about 50miles from the destination airport, your Radar contact copilot will automaticlaly check weather report.At this time you get not only weather at the destination airpoirt but also the current landing runway or runways. This is when you have some idea what runway youll be given.Or using Radar Contact before starting your flight, tell radar contact which ruway you want to land on regardless of weather, and it will give you that same runway.And if you got ASA and a spare monitor to display ASA weather screen, you can see very usefull details of conditions to expect at destination.I was never and still not a weather pro, but i noticed that whenever ASA shows that visibility is low at destination aiport it always is.I recomend Radar Contact and ASA.

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Just wondering if i could find the active runways out before i took off?
Real world and FS are two different things.In real world you can always find out what active runway is in use when you take off but there is no guarantee that this won't change by the time you will be getting ready to start your approach. As a pilot you must be prepared to handle any change thrown at you - even in the last moment. If you want to follow "more complicated procedures" - do not get too attached to what is currently 'active'.

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You can also buy "Real ATIS" from the "SkyTalk Team" on SimMarket. They have versions for both FSX and FS9 and when it is set up for an airport, will give ATIS information from quite a ways away.If you have Active Sky Advanced (or probably any of the Active Sky versions), you can also get it from far away if you have your flight plan set up, but I forget the frequency.

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Cheers everyone, ill try tuning the ATIS. Otherwise ill be prepared to arrange the FMC accordingly Shane

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Guest dpiedrahita

I second what Michael said about preparedness and not getting to attached to active runways. Since you're using an FMC -I'm thinking Level-D/PMDG/PSS- you probably have a STAR or FAF. The thing you need after that is charts, if you're not already using them. Getting charts is extra work, but it sounds like you're entering a higher level of complexity in your simming and part of stepping up the game is being prepared. If you've got the charts switching approaches is quite easy. Things may move a little slower at first, but once you get used to your aircraft's procedures picking up ATIS and being assigned an approach 40nm becomes, while not slow, routine.

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Guest 413X3

File a flight plan, and if you know the general wind directions, you can decide what runway to land on and even what approaches to use.

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Guest JamesWoods

Knowing which runway ATC will give me even before i have left depature airport used to be the only way i could fly cause of all the runway ILS, course etc information i had to find and program.But with Radar Contact, you get all this info as soon as ATC gives you a runway, and Radar Contact can even tune the nav ils for you while you mind the aircraft.Also Fspassenger is good for help with giving you ways to easily set things up in FSX, for example using Fspassenger i just type on keyboard letter N 109.20 - tunes my nav radioT 120 - sets altitude to 12000H 320 - Set heading to 320 C 280 - set course heading for runwayAnd fspassenger got more stuff like that.Using Fspassnger/ Radar Contact/ ASA - You dont need to know what runway ATC will give you well in advance, ATC usually gives you runway 30 miles out, these tools i mentioned are a great help for easyly setting up for the given runway very quickly, so you are not overloaded with with stuff so close to landing. 30 miles in a plane on approach is just a few minutes, but the right tools give you power to handle this.When i used to use just FSX ATC with no addons, it i always had to pause the sim as soon ATc gives me runway so i could1 - find the ils frequency for the given runway and its heading in FSX airport database2 - Tune ils and course manually 3 - Select the given runway in my GPS so i have situation awarenessTrying to do all this manually at just 30miles out in a jet engine is not realistic at all, but with the tools i mentioned above its very easy, now i no longerr have to hit the pause button as soon ATC gives me landing runway.

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Knowing which runway ATC will give me even before i have left depature airport used to be the only way i could fly cause of all the runway ILS, course etc information i had to find and program.
You can always bring up the map in the sim and bring up the airport information any time in flight, that'll provide you with all the info you need. Of'course if you're after realism and flying in the US, you should use runwayfinder.com or skyvector.com and use the charts and airport charts from there on a second computer or laptop.

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