STARS - Please Help.

[Guest airbus2]

Hey there.Ive thought that i had overcome most problems concernig selecting apprach proceedures etc for the pmdg737ng but today i hit a problem.On a flight from KSFO to KIAH and was following a flight plan i got from flight aware which suggested the RIICE1 star. I knew i would be using runway 26L to land but the star ended on the opposite side of the airport. What do other people do if this happens?Looking on the RIICE1 approach chart the intsructions are to continue on a heading of 085 and await ATC instructions, but as i do not fly on vatsim or have RC4 where can i get these instructions?Thanks in advance, sorry if the question was a bit long!Dave

[AvA757Pilot 6]

STARs are not designed to lead you to a specific runway. They are meant to organize arrivaltraffic so that it arrives in predictable streams to a known spot from which a controller can vector them to intercept the localizer or on a path for a visual approach, etc.What you should do is check your LEGS page and see if there is a Course Discontinuity indicated after the last point on the STAR and your initial point on whatever instrument approach you are using. If you are going for a visual approach you may have to guide yourself.I use only VATSIM so I cannot say whether the FS ATC will provide you with the proper vectors- but I suspect that in order for it to do so you will need to program the entire flight route in the FS Flight Planner as well as your FMC and even then I am guessing that the FS ATC will give you some vague vectors for the arrival (which is a big reason why I prefer "live" ATC) and you will still have to figure out the best way to get there.Without FS ATC or Internet controllers (VATSIM) you will definitely have to self-vector beyond the end point of the STAR- I know of no other ATC services bto which you can turn for assistance.

[downscc 1,327]

RIICE1 is designed to lead you to either landing East or West, and is typical of many major terminals.Please download my SIDSTARS procedures for KIAH, found in the AVSIM FS2004 Flight Plans library (and if you like it I maintain about 38 locations in a single download as a collection). I provide connections between arrivals and final approach fixes for preferred arrival runways as well as the "unmodified" version of the arrival for use with ATC services.For example, for RIICE1:// RIICE ONE ARRIVAL 05356 N/NW (RIICE Transitions BILEE CLL CVE ILEXY LOA LLO MQP)// RIICE1.E 8/9/15 Vectors to final after BRKMN// RIICE1.W 26/27/33 Vectors to final before ADVLL// RIICE1.8L 8L Base to ILS8L FAF JACEN in lieu of vectors// RIICE1.26R 26R Downwind to ILS26R FAF OWELL in lieu of vectorsAbove is a paste from the text head of my procedures, where I provide information on the arrival and each enumeration that is listed in the FMC when you select the STAR. The first two entries are for use with ATC services and they are split E/W due to different altitude constraints for each direction. The 8L/26R enumerations are for use without an ATC and they guide you right to the FAF for the ILS of either preferred runway. The routes are realistic, based on actual traffic observed on flightaware and in this case (since I fly into IAH) on my own experience.Hope this helps.

[Guest airbus2]

Thanks.Does anyone know if radar contact supports STARS and if that will give me final vectors?Dave

[Peter Clark 21]

IIRC, Radar Contact will generally give vectors to final. I'm racking my head to recall if there's an arrival option, but don't have my FS PC here right now.

[ronzie 21]

RC will offer you at approach contact when the runway is announced an option to elect an IAP approach in which case vectors will not be given. You may get a change of runway if IA dictates that by a pattern change but you still if you wish continue on your current IAP. Your next contact will be a handoff to tower.Now you don't have to rack your head :) .In another ATC topic today I just posted some other RC features regarding approach and departure.

[ronzie 21]

Some STARS especially in Europe I have noticed can be runway specific. Germany's larger airports immediately come to mind. I think this is because they have a smaller transition range and many European areas have difficult terrain features to work around.