Runway in use

[Gchris 0]

How radar contact choose the runway? Because in some airports, the runway in use is not the same as the atc of FS9. I had an experience in LIRN where there is only one runway 6 and 24, the wind was 040/12 and rc4 says to land on the runway 24!! the AI aircraft taking off from the runway 6 (the opposite) why? At LIRN the runway 24 has an ils but not the runway 6 is for that he chooses the runway 24?Thanks

[Subs 0]

When you are about 40nm from the airport, RC checks to see if there are any AI taking off / landing. If there is, that's the runway you'll be given too. If there are no AI around to determine this, RC uses it's own method to determine the best runway to use, like the availibilty of an ILS, and a few other criteria.Sometimes, RC will assign you a runway, *then* a AI will use a different runway. If this happens, the AI might take off / land towards you. This should be very rare though, and next time you fly in or out of LIRN, you'll find the runway assignments are better.Subs

[mnmon 0]

I've noticed this pattern also and have reached the conclusion that RC seems to favor the ILS runway to the exclusion of the wind direction or AI. I just did a flight two days ago to an airport with one runway: 5/23, with the 23 runway the only one with an ILS, but the wind was from the north. RC had assigned 23, but I requested 5 which was a good thing as the AI was using 5. The weather was generally clear so changing runways was not a big deal, but in minimums that would have been a surprise to find an AI suddenly bearing down on me! :( I requested the runway change after encountering this same scenario several times. Seems to happen when there is a mismatch between wind and the available ILS runways. Mike

[John Burgess 0]

Hi Mike,If ai are using a particular runway RC will use that runway as well.At he point that RC chooses a runway if no ai are active RC will make a choice based on wind and ils availability, favouring runways which are into the wind and have an ils. What was the wind speed at the airport? If it is very light RC might favour the ils over the wind. If RC detects ai taking off and landing it will always fit in with what they are doing. It could be no ai were active when RC was choosing the runway.There are occasions when the choice will change. For example when getting atis one runway may be mentioned. When contacting approcah it may be a different runway if, for example, ai have become active at the airport you are heading for.All the best,John

[Gchris 0]

Hi John,In my case the wind was 40/12 but he chooses the opposite with ILS? Why? The wind is not calm at 12 knots....Christian

[mnmon 0]

John, The wind was 360@10. I think you may have hit the reason for the mismatch: the airport is KUNV (University Park, PA) which does have some scheduled airline flights, but they only seemed to become active just as I was landing along with the GA traffic. The tower was certainly not busy when I checked in. BTW, I always run Ultimate Traffic at 100%. I've been flying Espen's MD80 on some routes used by Allegiant Air which flies into some small airports (i.e not busy and many with limited runway options)from Las Vegas and Orlando; makes for some VERY interesting approaches and landings in an MD80. Many of these airports have only one runway and only one end an ILS, so I've run into this mismatch several times in the past few weeks. Mike

[John Burgess 0]

Hi Christian,With a wind of 040/12 I would expect RC to favour runway 6.The winds can change in FS, however, so I wonder if the wind at the airport was 040/12 when RC made that choice of runway. Did the winds and runway assignment come from an atis report?All the best,John

[Gchris 0]

Hi John,Yes from the atis of FS9 with the runway 6 in use for ai aircraft but rc4 tells me to land on 24. I tried it 3 times and 3 times it was the runway 24, strange....ThanksChristian

[John Burgess 0]

Hi Christian,Strange indeed. Presumably it's something to do with the weather that was being read by RC when the runway decision was made.Anyway, in such circumstances, you can always request the runway you want from the controller and you'll be given it.All the best,John

[jd 57]

if you think you can duplicate the problem, launch rcv4click debugload your .plnclick start rcfly the .pln, duplicate the problemwhen you've shutdown rc, zip up the .log and send it to me. i can tell you exactly why one runway is picked over anotherjd