NZQN RNP Approach Rwy 05...manually executed...

[P_7878 6,978]

I've been meaning to do this flight since I got MSFS....so, this is my flight on the last day of 2023...🙂...Queenstown (NZQN) Airport is well-known to have one of the most challenging approaches, whether one approaches its Rwy 05 or Rwy 23. This is because the Airport is surrounded by spectacular (but dangerous) mountain ranges. The airport is located just across from the beautiful Lake Wakatipu. There are two mountain ranges nearby, one of which is called, quite deservedly, "The Remarkables", on the southeastern shore of the Lake.

The surrounding terrain is such that a typical landing is not feasible (so, we, virtual aviators, must forget just clicking the LOC and APR buttons on the Autopilot, of our virtual a/c, for an (easy) ILS landing...🙂...while enjoying the magnificent scenery...). To land on NZQN runways, a long-winded and convoluted approach is mandatory. To make it simple for myself, and to just get a feel for it, I've adopted a simplified (manual) version of the RNP Y RWY 05 Approach.

Here are the Waypoints and the Altitude Constraints, I've used for this flight (please refer to the Charts for further details):

1. IBABU (IAF) [10,000 ft]
2. QN577 [10,000 ft]
3. SARDA [9,200 ft]
4. TEPEG [8,200 ft]
5. PANTO [7,100 ft]
6. DUBEG [6,300 ft]
7. MOPGA [5,500 ft]
8. OMUBO (FAF) [3,100 ft]
9. RW05 [THR Elevation 1,160 ft]

I've lifted off Rwy 23, climbing to 10,000 ft, within the safety margins of Lake Wakatipu, arriving at IBABU (IAF), which is the starting point of my Approach. For a bit of extra fun and challenge, I've then manually tracked the above (listed) waypoints, adhering to the altitude constraints at each waypoint, while (trying to) capture some screenshots of the mountains...🙂...that are uncomfortably close all around me... (see my images, below) ...

I've used my trusty C172 here and did make it safely down to Rwy 05 (see the screenshots) but I landed a bit off-center. The final alignment, just past the Kelvin Peninsula, was a bit tricky, and clearly, I need more practice... (Kudos to the Pilots who routinely do this in RW with their fast-moving Airbus and Boeing jets...) ...

Thanks for viewing.

And very best wishes for a great New Year, wherever you are...🙂...I've still 5 hours to go here...!!

[John F 2,505]

Enjoyed that! As long as your imagination (and enthusiasm) hold up, I doubt you're ever going to run out of things to do in MSFS. 🙂 Happy New Year!

Edited January 1 by John F

[pmplayer 9,997]

Beautiful shots !

Happy New Year !! 🥳

cheers 😉

[Alaska738 8,672]

Great set of shots! Happy New Year! 😉 

[P_7878 6,978]

John, pmplayer, Will: Thanks for the comments and the well-wishes...🙂...!