Normally before the start of a descent, one determines the runway in use (at destination) and then plans the approach accordingly.

 

I am using default ATC. I am only able to get the runway info from ATIS just before landing.

 

Is there anyway to find out which runway is in use at the destination airport just BEFORE starting the descent ?

 

 

Trevor

The simple answer is no (another fault of default ATC). I am sure many people have overcome this fault by using different techniques. One that I use is knowing my weather before arriving at my destination and then setup for my "best guess" runway. Most times I'm correct, other times it's a fun challenge to set up for a different runway (simulates a runway change).

 

RJ

Actually, there is. First option is to use different ATC. RC 4 or PFE. Second, buy FS Flight Keeper. It is a great add on and it has many other features. It has an ASCARS with so much information to aid you in your flight, one of which is which runways are being used by the AI for departure and Arrival(70 miles out). It will, also, tell you which runways are available for take off and landing by default. Since, many airports add ons close runways for take off or landings.

I use Rc4 and ase so after you start your decent you can leave the freq for weather but i use an EFB for my iphone so i choose the best runway according to the weather

PFE has an ACARS function but only if the airport has an ATIS. Your best bet is to use a weather programe that updates with the current METAR and from that you can deduce your landing direction. The problem arisies in the sim when there is a crosswind in which case the AI usually land on the "default" rwy. I use metarlive if I'm flying to a non ATIS airport.

http://library.avsim.net/search.php?SearchTerm=metarlive&CatID=root&Go=Search

vololiberista

I use Activesky 6.5 for my real weather which allows to find out what your destination weather is. From that you can work out which runways are likely to be in use.

RC4 as first priority looks at the ai pattern which may not use the weather depicted runway if tailwinds are below a certain level and other criteria. This happens just prior to forty miles out from destination when approach assigns you a runway. This resolves most head-to-head conflicts. If no ai are active then it assigns a runway according to weather, length, and navaid (LOC or ILS) criteria.

 

In addition, while mostly FSX related, if you are using a weather application that under certain conditions forces global weather mode (where the FS world sees weather at your aircraft position as the same worldwide) then ai can behave unpredictably as to what the weather will be as you enter the destination pattern.

It sounds like RC4 or PFE are favored by most and may help determining "runway in use" but if RC4 only assigns you a runway 40 miles out, is that not worse then default ATC? The OP asked "Is there anyway to find out which runway is in use at the destination airport just BEFORE starting the descent ?" In a jet, "before starting the descent" could be 100+ miles out. Default ATIS/ATC fails at this, and if RC4 only informs you 40 miles out, I don't see RC4 as a contender either. When will PFE assign you a runway?

 

RJ

PFE and I think RC4 as well look at the direction AI is landing and then give you that rwy. The problem arises as said above when there is a crosswind. This has been debated before as to the exact tail wind component value which triggers the "default" landing rwy. It's not much fun to be on final approach to rwy 27R and then told of a rwy change to 09L. There have been numerous "lamentations" in both forums about this but it's down to the AI engine unfortunately. If the wind is say 240° at 15kts you can reasonably assume your landing rwy will be westerly.

As for being given the landing rwy just 40 miles out well there's nothing unusual about that. You should always have a rwy change contingency built into your flight plan. If I was on a BIG or OCK STAR for an aproach to EGLL then although I might make a guess at the landing rwy I wouldn't expect it to be confirmed until told to leave to hold.

vololiberista

RC reads the ATIS in FS9 looking at the weather at the destination airport reported by FSUIPC. The ATIS suggested runway further out may not be what the ai are using. That is an FS limitation. I was talking about the approach assignment which might turn out to be different that an ATIS taken further out.

 

There is a limit in FS as to how far out the destination weather is rendered for FSUIPC to read. ai appear to be rendered at 40 nm from your position and that's where they are read by RC when you are 40 nm out from destination.

 

You therefore may get far out one answer in ATIS and then another as you get closer.

 

I pick the arrival STAR based on incoming destination. If the STAR in part is runway specific, then only the common points are included in the plan sent to RC. For the FMC I can therefore assign/reassign the arrival runway if needed. As stated RC lets yo9u change the arrival runway assigned. If taking vectors just follow ATC commands. If you want to do your own nav without vectors then you request an IAP to the indicated runway and hand fly or use the FMC guidance to get on final.

 

In RC3 when it just used weather and runway properties to assign the runway at approach (and announced on ATC) it did not look at ai. There were lots of complaints about coming in head-to-head with ai so ai observance as top priority was introduced in RC 4.3.

 

You also have to have as I noted any weather app set up properly.

 

As far as syncing ATC, FMC, and your flight planner this hint sheet I crearted based on FSBuild 2.4 might give you some idea of planning and how to handle the aircraft particularly w ith runway dependent SIDs and STARs: