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CactusDx

Real life 747 landing in min visibility?

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I have just returned from an overseas holiday . We arrived at BrisbaneInternational airport in really bad vis. I estimate that the captain wouldhave caught sight of the ILS runway at only around 200 feet AGL- we brokeout of the low clouds so low that I was sure that we would have to go around. But land it he did -- a real greaser too!!So the question is --- do some aircraft land automatically .ThanksBarry

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Guest

You kinda answered your own question ;)"ILS runway"ILS allows the aircraft to auto-land with proper frequencies. You can do this in FS2002 you know.

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Hmm-- I have always been under the impression that aircraft can be flown down the ILS glideslope either automatically or by hand -- BUT the requirements of the ILS approach chart would have to be met. That is that at a certain altitude specified by the chart at the Missed approach point MAP, the captain would have to have a visual of the runway or go around.In this case , I find it hard to believe that he had the airport runway visually (maybe he did actually , who knows) .So my question remains -- can some aircraft land automatically using an ILS? - ignoring the MDA at the MAPThanks Barry

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Guest mondriver

Absolutely these aircraft do land automatically.The aircraft I fly has to be landed automatically if the weather is below Cat 1 minimums...(usually about 200ft about the runway and 500m vis for an ILS)Anything less that that, an "Autoland is performed", and in the 757 that uses all 3 autopilots working together.Minimums for our Cat 3b autoland are just 14ft cloud base and 75m visibility!!!Even that being impressive as it sounds, (and if you go around from 14ft, you touch down in the process!!), some aircraft are certificated to land in 0/0...ie: 0ft,0m vis.....their biggest problem is then finding the way to the stand/gate!!First time you do it "in anger" on flight sim is scary enough....but the first time you do it in a 90 ton aircraft at 150mph is quite a thrill!!Hope this answers your queryCheers

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Many Cat III equipped aircraft can, and do, land in essentially zero visibility Barry. IF, the aircraft, the pilot flying, and the runway are all certified for that type of approach. It takes special equipment on both the aircraft and at the airport to get the precision and redundancy required but it's been done for many years now. Basic Cat III RVR and DH requirements are:Category IIIa A precision instrument approach and landing with a decision height lower than 30m (100 ft), or no decision height and a runway visual range not less than 200m (700 ft). (ICAO - IS&RP Annex 6). Category IIIb A precision instrument approach and landing with a decision height lower than 15m (50 ft), or no decision height and a runway visual range less than 200m (700 ft) but not less than 50m (150 ft). (ICAO - IS&RP Annex 6). FAA Note - the United States does not use Decision Heights for Category IIIb. Category IIIcA precision instrument approach and landing with no decision height and no runway visual range limitations. (ICAO - IS&RP Annex 6). So, Cat III-equipped aircraft are usually able to get down in almost any visibiity. Often, the problem with the weather is being able to see once on the ground. It's sometimes much easier to land than to find the gate.Trip

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Hi Barry,Also keep in mind that not all aircraft/crew/airports meet CAT II/III requirements. The aircraft has to meet equipment requirements, the crew has to have received CAT II/III training, and lastly the ILS approach to be used must specifically state Category II / Category III approach. Any one missing element and you're back to the next higher approach (CAT II / CAT I) that you're qualified for.Also, certain MEL (Minimum Equipment List) items affect dispatch legality for CAT II/CAT III as well. The aircraft may be dispatched with a certain component inop but with a "CAT II/III Prohibited" restriction.Mike CollierKPHX[table border=1 bgcolor=#eeeeee][tr][td rowspan=2] http://avsim.com/flightdeck/images/Radar_small.gif[/td][td] America West Airlines and proud to be a Beta Tester of[link:www.jdtllc.com]Radar Contact]The premiere ATC adventure add-on for FS

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