Create Your Own Approaches

[dondrummond 2]

After years of downloading and printing enroute and approach plates decided to develop my own approach procedure. Using a special mapping program, I came up with a routing procedure that's ever bit as accurate and easier to plan and fly than conventional procedures - it works for FMS and Reality GNS even for unpublished airports and airfields. Try the attached demo and let me know what you think. Not to overload the attachment here is only the FMS part, but if you should be interested in the GPS version I'll put it on another post. Don D.

[James Bennett 52]

Can you explain the need for this a bit further? I''m not sure i really grasp what this is for. Published procedures aren't really difficult in such a complex aircraft, nor is printing the plates out or having them on a second monitor.

[dondrummond 2]

James, were you able to open the attachment? I was not able to do it and I think you will better understand what it's all about if you can see the chart.  I agree this is not for the real-world pilot, but it greatly simplifies the approach process (four charts entering from several directions will replace a multitude of plates) but is probably more valuable for the Reality GPS flyer than FMS since it lets you plan small airport approaches that have no procedures.

[James Bennett 52]

Yeah i looked in the attachement and read it all. I will admit i was looking at it from an FMS standpoint, never used reality GPS so it clearly has its uses there that i don't know about. Just from an FMS standpoint it's probably more work than just flying a standardised approach pattern for a non published approach airfield. Why fiddle on entering data when you could fly the aircraft onto the LOC yourself. In reality, you would be issued vectors to the approach course but I guess i could see the use offline. When flying offline I tend to just fly in via the route that ATC normally issues using HDG select and monitoring the descent profile myself from calculation.

 

I could see the use if one was not confident in doing that though.

[dondrummond 2]

Try a route and let me know how it works on your 747.  Just punch in the airport ID,position/distance according to the tutorial (eg:KDEN090/15,etc) be at the MDA at the on-final wpt, capture the localizer and that's it.

[crazy voyager 13]

I see what you're trying to do but I don't really see the need? If I want to self position I can just self vector myself using the map as a guide. If I'm worried about terrain etc I still need to follow the published procedures and then this is no good.

 

If you don't want to self vector this is a usefull trick, but it's not something I'm going to be using myself.

[dondrummond 2]

If you mean by "self position" punching in wpts as you fly, like is commonly done with a garmin gps, understand these are organized patterns that route you to any runway as is done with STARS, and the big advantage is using it for unpublished approaches. But I realize, as I stated before, this is only an alternative for FMS, the best use is for GA flying.

[James Bennett 52]

Maybe, is it not the case that flying GA you would either still be assigned vectors to final if flying IFR or told to enter pattern if flying VFR?

 

Not trying to shoot you down, just trying to visualize where this fits in.

[Fabo 213]

I don't see the point either.

 

We are in PMDG forum so I shall take it from PMDG point. Why not just put in a "visual" in the FMC - that will let you put in length of final and glidepath angle. You can do anything from 2 mile final to a straight in across two states.

 

If I dont like the angle, I just punch in a baseleg perpendicular to the runway in direction I am coming from. There I have "my own approach" to fly without bother. Or I just fly overhead the airport, and, you know, enter the pattern and land.

[dondrummond 2]

Sure, you can do all these things. I'm just saying I find this procedure to be a more organized and efficient procedure than choosing and loading the correct STAR route for a particular runway. And yes, this applies to VFR since ATC does give you vectors. I can make a chart like I show, with research, in about 20 minutes and never need to bother with any of the 25 routes into DEN, and some airport arrivals are very difficult to identify.

[James Bennett 52]

Please don't think i'm knocking you; it's great to see people create stuff like this. I'm gonna give it a try next time I do a VFR flight.

[dondrummond 2]

Here's the link to the complete tutorial which includes the GPS approach procedure:

https://www.dropbox.com/home/.dropbox.cache/Creating%20Wpt%20Turotial.pdf#!/home