I fly into KMSP, my home airport. When flying the T7 I usually ask for 12R to land, which is a10,000 ft runway. FSX ATC will often direct me to 12L which is only 8,200 ft long. During busy times outgoing traffic is pushed to the longer runway for obvious reasons leaving 12L for landing. By the time request reassignment to 12R I'm well into my descent and standard approach. ATC gives me the requested runway but authorizes an approach to 12L with a side step to 12R. I have time for the maneuver but usually have to increase rate of descent because the touchdown zone is around 1,000 ft nearer.

 

My flow to set up for the landing is:

 

1-Tune Nav1 to the approach 12L ILS frequency. Establish the a/c on the Loc and Glidescope for approach to 12L as instructed. Program CDU for 12R arrival and missed approach. Do not activate.

 

2-Enter the 12R ILS frequency and runway heading into the scratchpad.

 

3-Acquire 12R visual. Activate the CDU 12R approach if runway is > 5 mi OR:

 

4-Enter the 12R frequency in Nav1.

 

5-Slip to 12R maintaining visual reference adjusting pitch and thrust to match and acquire glidescope. Complete landing manually or activate APP and AP at pilot's discretion.

 

This flow works well and I usually make a clean approach and landing or if unable, execute a missed approach and Go Around. Is there a recommended procedure and flow for this maneuver or a suggestion to streamline it for single handed flying?

First the obvious, FSX ATC is horrible and especially when flying a complex aircraft. Second, if you are already established on final when given the clearance change then I would either proceed fully visual (forget the buttons and computers) or say 'unable' and expect the go around. I assume you are up to speed on circling minima, which is what a sidestep is and know that you should have the landing environment visually before starting the maneuver. This has happened to me several times going into KLAS landing South, always becuase the guy ahead was too slow getting off the runway. Of course, it is almost always VFR in Vegas and I was on a visual approach so it is possible to execute this dance pretty close in to threashold.

Thanks Dan. Your right about the slow poke in front. I have a friend who flies the 757 for Delta, he says they always set up for the 12L approach even though the runway is shorter, 8,200' is more than adequate for the big twins. Runway 4/22 is around 12,000' and available depending on winds for anything longer. This allows ATC to use 12R for heavies needing the additional runway length on takeoff and it also separates the arriving and departing traffic more safely. He thinks that FSX just thows it in there because it's up their sleeve, IRL it is seldom done and the "unable - going around" is more common. He also flies the approach by hand unless it's really messy so the side step isn't all that tough, they don't shoot side step ILS's.

 

Thanks for your response.

 

 

Is there a recommended procedure and flow for this maneuver or a suggestion to streamline it for single handed flying?

 

The only time a controller can give you a sidestep is if you have a visual (or have a chance to have a visual at some point, as would be the case of an ILS to get you below the clouds with a sidestep once you're visual).  That being said, a sidestep is a fully visual procedure, so there's no reason to put your head down that close to the field to mess with the CDU.  Set up the runway you're assigned early on.  If it changes later, forget it.  Step over, keep your eyes outside and land like it's any other landing.  VREF and VAPP won't change at all because that's all based on weight and not runway length.

 

Additionally, unless ATC gives you the step pretty early, there's no reason to re-activate APP after stepping over.  You already have your hands on the controls - keep them there and land the plane.

Thanks Kyle.

One more quick question. At what point do you come out of VNAV and AP? I usually wait until established on the Localizer with the aircraft setup for the landing, flaps out, gear down, landing thrust set and at or slightly above Vref+5. I try to have this all done around five miles out which gives me plenty of time to set up for final approach and landing. I usually keep AT engaged which allows thrust adjustments while in Hold. Is this OK or should I come out of AT?

 

 

At what point do you come out of VNAV and AP? I usually wait until established on the Localizer with the aircraft setup for the landing, flaps out, gear down, landing thrust set and at or slightly above Vref+5. I try to have this all done around five miles out which gives me plenty of time to set up for final approach and landing. I usually keep AT engaged which allows thrust adjustments while in Hold. Is this OK or should I come out of AT?

 

That's a tricky question to answer, mostly because you should be out of VNAV at this point.  Don't get me wrong - it's not incorrect to use VNAV, but there are more appropriate modes when you're close to the field like that.  If it's a LOC-only approach, then you should probably be in LOC + V/S.  ILS, you should be in APP, but before that, to get down to the G/S capture altitude, you'd be using V/S or FL CH (though the latter is a little more aggressive and less "comfortable").

 

In any case, it's up to you, really, provided you don't go under the regulatory agency's limit for AP coupling (in the case of the FAA - and I'm paraphrasing here - it's " the higher of no less than twice the maximum altitude loss of the AP, or 500 feet").  The minimum AP coupling altitude requirement is removed if you're conducting an autoland, in the appropriate setting, but that also requires the plane to pass all of its internal checks.  I tend to disconnect it as soon as I come off of the STAR, unless I'm heavily task-saturated in IFR conditions.

 

As far as AT goes, you can certainly kill it, or you can leave it on.  I wouldn't try to leave it on in a quasi-manual mode like you have it, though.  While that gives you control of the throttle without turning the AT off, it's a grey area.  I don't really like grey areas, personally.  To me, it should be either the AT is managing thrust, or the AT is off and I'm controlling thrust.

 

For what it's worth, I believe the Asiana crash was caused by being in some sort of quasi-manual mode, where it dropped to HOLD and the pilots didn't realize the plane was looking to them to provide throttle inputs.  I don't mind HOLD for a descent from the FLs down to the approach, but I don't like the idea of HOLD mode during the approach.  That's just my take on it, though.

Thanks Kyle.