New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post Reply
Dj_Evola
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:03 am

New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Dj_Evola »

Hello, Im new in Pilot Edge and I have to say that I love it.
First of all, I have to apologize to the kind girl that is controlling almost all my flights because my English is far to be good and sometimes is really hard to me understand her, please be patient with me and I think that, with the help of the workshops and forcing to train my ear finally will be a pleasure to fly with all of you. Sorry about everything I've done wrong and thanks for your infinite patience.

Yesterday I flew from KLAX to KLAS in a B738 and, as always (3 of 3 in my experience), the precedure to land in Las Vegas was a visual landing. This is really stange to me because in IVAO is very very uncommon not to do an ILS or VOR aproach. Nevertheless, I was doing the KEPEC6 arrival and near SUNST I was cleared to do the visual app to the 19L. My undersanding was to do a left turn and descent to go to Left downwind and make a 180 turn to final. ¿is that the correct procedure? For me is quite extange to get a clearence to a visal app when I was almost 270 degrees offset the runway course, I expexted some vectors to a more or less 45 degrees.
I'm sure Im doing things wrong, Can someone explain this to me?

Thanks and sorry again!!
Kevin_atc
Posts: 2039
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:01 pm

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Kevin_atc »

It sounds like you did just fine. When cleared for a visual approach, unless you are given a restriction or a specific instruction, however you want to maneuver to get to the runway is up to you. In this case, entering a left downwind for runway 19L makes the most sense. Sometimes you may hear “enter left downwind, cleared visual approach runway 19L” or “remain within 5 miles of the airport, cleared visual approach runway 19L.” But in your case where no restrictions were given, then it was totally up to you as to how you got yourself to the runway.
Kevin
PilotEdge Marketing
Want faster answers to your forum questions? Join our Discord community: www.pilotedge.net/discord
Keith Smith
Posts: 9939
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:38 pm
Location: Pompton Plains, NJ
Contact:

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Keith Smith »

Welcome to the network. Visual approaches are absolutely common when the weather is good. Other networks have a tendency to "over control" and mandate the use of published instrument approaches, despite the weather. We run visuals at airports when the weather allows, just as they would in real life.

There is no requirement for a controller to align you with the extended centerline for the visual approach. You only need to have the airport in sight (or traffic in sight which has also been cleared for the visual approach ahead of you).

Manuever as necessary to align yourself with the runway (unless the controller restricts the maneuvering or altitudes), then swap to the tower when advised. Visual approaches are one of the joys of real world flying. Embrace them and enjoy :)
sqvision
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:56 pm

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by sqvision »

Thanks for the replies Kevin and Keith. We all keep on learning. I yesterday approached to KVGT and at about the marked point I was cleared for the visual approach to 12R. I have always thought that in those cases where the direction of your traffic pattern is not instructed by ATC you stick with the standard direction stated on Airnav/Skyvector, which is lefthand for 12R at VGT). I have now learned that I also could have made it right hand which was a little shorter. Thanks!

That's one of the difficulties of being only a simpilot and not a realworld pilot: if something is not instructed do you make it up for yourself or stick with standard procedures. I hope that if I'm not sure it's OK to ask ATC so now and then.
kvgtappr.jpg
kvgtappr.jpg (64.07 KiB) Viewed 3698 times
Dj_Evola
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:03 am

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Dj_Evola »

Ok, thanks for the replys!!
Some questions:
If you are cleared like I said, for example, in SUNST, to a visual approach to the 19L, do you have to descend to the MSA or 1000 feet AGL, or the altitude if ILS interception...? Where can I find the documentation for this procedure?

I have another newbie question and I am almost sure that its said in some workshop but I'm watching them slowly and maybe I didn't reach it yet. How can I know the frequencies that I will have to change before the ATS says it to me (after the approach, the en-route frequencies)?
Kevin_atc
Posts: 2039
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:01 pm

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Kevin_atc »

Dj_Evola wrote:Ok, thanks for the replys!!
Some questions:
If you are cleared like I said, for example, in SUNST, to a visual approach to the 19L, do you have to descend to the MSA or 1000 feet AGL, or the altitude if ILS interception...? Where can I find the documentation for this procedure?

I have another newbie question and I am almost sure that its said in some workshop but I'm watching them slowly and maybe I didn't reach it yet. How can I know the frequencies that I will have to change before the ATS says it to me (after the approach, the en-route frequencies)?
When cleared for the visual approach, unless you are issued an additional restriction, you may descend and turn to line up with the runway however you choose. It’s that simple. No MSA, no glideslope, nothing. If you want to use those as a tool to help you, that’s your choice.

Regarding the frequencies, aside from your first departure frequency when you takeoff and the frequencies at the airport (tower, ground, clearance), there’s no way to know the approach or center frequencies. But that shouldn’t be a problem...the controller literally tells you the next frequent to contact at the time in which you need to do so. All you have to do is dial up the frequency that they tell you to.
Kevin
PilotEdge Marketing
Want faster answers to your forum questions? Join our Discord community: www.pilotedge.net/discord
Keith Smith
Posts: 9939
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:38 pm
Location: Pompton Plains, NJ
Contact:

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Keith Smith »

ILS interception is not required. You maneuver VISUALLY and land the plane VISUALLY. This is what student and private pilots do before working on their instrument ratings. I say that to enforce the point that instrument procedures are not required for regular operations. An exception to this is that if you're flying part 121 (an airliner operation), then they always back up visual approaches with whatever instrumentation is available for that runway to receive lateral and vertical guidance.

In terms of knowing the enroute frequencies ahead of time, that is generally not possible and varies depending on how they are staffing the airspace in real-time. If you do a flight at 3:00am in Socal or New York...the freqs you get along the way might be different than during the day (and fewer of them) because of how the airspace is configured/staffed.

EDIT: Kevin beat me by a little bit :) I had this reply started but not finished due to other work this morning.
Dj_Evola
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:03 am

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Dj_Evola »

Ok, thanks to all.
I have done a lot of VFR and I know quite well how to do a visual app and landing, I thought that for Class A Airplanes was different...but well, its very interesting to do and learn new things with your help. Of course, if you are cleared to a visual landing, you can use the ILS to help you. In that case, when you first talk to the tower, what do you say, stablished on ILS or doing visual app?

Thanks for the help and I will keep improving with you!!
Kevin_atc
Posts: 2039
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:01 pm

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Kevin_atc »

Dj_Evola wrote:when you first talk to the tower, what do you say, stablished on ILS or doing visual app?
You would never check in mentioning an approach that you weren't cleared for. That could create some panic and confusion on air traffic control's side as certain approaches have different necessary airspace protections. I'm not sure if there's any guidance in the AIM for exactly how you should check on to tower, but typically it's something like "Tower, N123, 7 miles out for the visual runway 26L."
Kevin
PilotEdge Marketing
Want faster answers to your forum questions? Join our Discord community: www.pilotedge.net/discord
Dj_Evola
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:03 am

Re: New Pilot From Spain (and IVAO user with european rules)

Post by Dj_Evola »

Thanks Kevin, you are my hero!!
Post Reply