Water runways?

[vgbaron 3,586]

Has anyone found any water runways in MSFS2020? I check 5 or 6 that I normally use and they are not recognized in the sim. 

Vic

[sightseer 895]

I don't know if it was a water runway because I didnt go there but there is a runway in the ocean off the coast near KRSW (Southern Florida west coast).  you might check that.

[Jarnie 22]

I have just also found there are no water airports in MSFS not even at the larger cities such as Vancouver and Victoria (Canada) which both have very large water airports.

Another problem is that (using the A5 aircraft) if you start a flight with a custom departure location in the water where the water airport would be, the flight starts in the air which suggests that when a flight starts and the start location is not on a runway or 'programmed' parking location MSFS will not start on the land or water.

Goodness I hope someone develops such water airports with docks as parking locations.

 

[marsman2020 1,310]

The handling of water runways does seem to be bad.

For example, PAEN in Alaska has a dedicated manmade water runway 2W and 20W and if you load the MSFS scenery into LittleNavMap those runways don't even exist.

I also saw a coastal airport (can't remember where) where there was supposed to be a water runway and it had been replaced by an aircraft carrier like asphalt strip sitting in the ocean.

It's like they haven't even considered this when they coded the sim.

Another half-done feature that they threw in enough to check whatever box Jorg/MS considers the "ship it" level of done and move on to the next half-done feature.

Edited April 11, 2021 by marsman2020

[Bilbosmeggins 217]

It does make you wonder what they were thinking when they included the Icon amongst the default craft? Surely they must have considered that you might actually want to use it for it’s intended purpose. Bizarre 🤨

[Bobsk8 12,668]

I found one two days ago, and it was right next to a paved runway, and I can''t remember where it was since I fly in an out of different airports every day. It showed up on my EFB as a different color on the runway which I had never seen before, and I looked it up on Skyvector, and it was in fact a water runway. 

[Bilbosmeggins 217]

Could you look in your logbook to give your memory a jolt? 🙂

[Twenty6 692]

46 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

I found one two days ago, and it was right next to a paved runway, and I can''t remember where it was since I fly in an out of different airports every day. It showed up on my EFB as a different color on the runway which I had never seen before, and I looked it up on Skyvector, and it was in fact a water runway. 

Little Navmap has a "Logbook" tab in its search window which lists airports used in flightplans. By date, time, name, etc. But you obviously have to use Little Navmap.

[Bobsk8 12,668]

42 minutes ago, Bilbosmeggins said:

Could you look in your logbook to give your memory a jolt? 🙂

Found it KARA     

 

Dimensions:    5000 x 150 feet / 1524 x 46 meters
Surface:    Water
Edge Lighting:    Medium Intensity
SEAWAY EDGE LGTS GREEN; THLD LGTS AMBER.
Runway 17W    Runway 35W
Coordinates:    N30°2.54' / W91°53.36'    N30°1.74' / W91°53.16'
Elevation:    20.3    20.2
Traffic Pattern:    Right    Left
Runway Heading:    168° True    348° True
Declared Distances:    TORA:5000 TODA:5000 ASDA:5000 LDA:5000    TORA:5000 TODA:5000 ASDA:5000 LDA:5000
Markings:    Non-Standard    Non-Standard

[Bilbosmeggins 217]

Nice one. I’ll check it out when I next get chance 🙂

[BarnacleofDoom 3]

Another airport with a water runway is KDWH. Has one in real life, at least, don't recall how this sim handles it.

[Bobsk8 12,668]

There is one at Anchorage, called Lake Hood, and is the busiest airport for Float planes in the world. I flew out of there in RL, over a decade ago. You could stand by the lake shore and see plane after plane landing and taking off. Lots of Beavers on Floats. I don't think it is MSFS because it doesn't show up in my EFB database. It is right next to Anchorage Airport and uses the same Control tower. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Hood_Seaplane_Base

Edited April 11, 2021 by Bobsk8

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,798]

It is worth pointing out that if you have a location you know should be a water runway you can land there and save the flight and when you load that flight later you will spawn on the water ready to take off.

I am aware this is not the same as a runway you can add to a flight plan but it is better than nothing 😄

[Jarnie 22]

Here are some water airports selectable in MSFS although there are no docks at any (flights only ever start on a 'water' runway). They are all not far from each other

CAC8 Nanaimo Harbor Airport (BC Canada)

CAB3  Bedwell Harbour Seaplane Base Seaplane Base  (BC Canada)

SYF    Silva Bay Airport  (BC Canada)

21H    Skyline Seaplane Base (USA)

W39    ROCHE HARBOR Airport (WA USA)

I have created water airports with scenery (docks) for CAE5 Whistler Canada, CAX3 Sechelt Canada and CYHC Vancouver Harbor Airport but don't know how to release them as shareware/freeware.

 

 

[Mojave 7]

26 minutes ago, Jarnie said:

I have created water airports with scenery (docks) for CAE5 Whistler Canada, CAX3 Sechelt Canada and CYHC Vancouver Harbor Airport but don't know how to release them as shareware/freeware.

If you're thinking about releasing them as freeware, flightsim.to is a major repository.