Questions pondered at 6500 feet

Jay Honeck wrote:
1. Airports were originally huge grass fields that allowed arrivals and
departures in any direction, on any heading. Are there any airports left
that provide 360 degrees of access?

I picked up a friend at Grosse Ile (ONZ) the other day. It's at the
southern end of an island (obviously?) where the Detroit River empties
into Lake Erie. Oh, here's a link:

http://www.grosseileairport.com/

That big circle in the middle is a PAVED 3000ft circular landing area.
It's also obvious that this airport was also a seaplane port.

No, it's no longer usable, but it's a cool bit of local history that
you can look at when you're in the pattern.

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Steven P. McNicoll wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
newslEyf.701287$x96.296658@attbi_s72...

So this choice is entirely up to the controller?


Probably not. Understand that there are many airports where it generally
isn't necessary for the controller to establish an arrival sequence. The
need to do that implies a fair amount of traffic.



Seems like a giant pain for the flight crew, to have to keep all the
various approach plates, etc., at hand. (I'm assuming the commuter
airlines we usually hear don't have the sophisticated flight controllers
on-board, with all the pre-loaded approaches ready to be punched in at a
moment's notice?)


Where's the pain? The approach in use will be on the ATIS, crews generally
have that information before they ever talk to approach control. And it is
a crew, it ain't one guy thumbing through a Jepp binder while trying to
hand-fly the airplane.

While I agree, I also disagree.

Take LAS for instance. very few times out of the year is the
ceiling and visibility warranting of an ILS approach. Most of the time
they're under CAVU. ATIS almost always shows that visual approaches are
in use. However, as most commercial arrivals are on 25L, that tends to
be a problem in the evenings when the sun blinds the pilot and they
either can't see the field, or can't see the traffic in front of them.
So from there, controllers give the ILS approach.

Granted it's situational, and doesn't help or hinder
sequencing, but there you have it.

BL.
- --
Brad Littlejohn | Email:
Unix Systems Administrator, |
Web + NewsMaster, BOFH.. Smeghead! | http://www.wizard.com/~tyketto
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On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:03:05 -0600, Rachel wrote:

There are a few in southern Indiana, I think. I couldn't remember the
names to save my life, but I remember flying over one.

Do they have a windsock in the center?

-- all the best, Dan Ford

email: usenet AT danford DOT net

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

Jay Honeck wrote:

Since we haven't heard the airliner SAY they wanted an instrument
approach, how/why does the controller know to clear them for anything
other than the visual approach?

Use of an instrument approach simplifies establishing an arrival sequence.


So this choice is entirely up to the controller?

Seems like a giant pain for the flight crew, to have to keep all the various
approach plates, etc., at hand. (I'm assuming the commuter airlines we
usually hear don't have the sophisticated flight controllers on-board, with
all the pre-loaded approaches ready to be punched in at a moment's notice?)

You can request a visual approach, or a contact approach or a different
published approach if you wish.

Matt

Jay:

Have you been to the restaurants at Madison or Lone Rock? The food is
arguably better than Janesville. (Still a lot of greasy fried stuff)

JN

Jay

It sounds to me that the pilot has filedIFR to the destination airport, and
somewhere enroute has asked for or accepted the instrument approach when the
alternative was offer up by ATC.

Bill Snow

ps; We missed IOW on the way to DEN. We'll have to catch you next time.

"Viperdoc" wrote in message
...
Jay:

Have you been to the restaurants at Madison or Lone Rock? The food is
arguably better than Janesville. (Still a lot of greasy fried stuff)

JN

Also Watertown, Reedsburg, Palmyria, Prairie du Chien, Lake Lawn, Grand
Geneva, American club at Sheboygan, Baraboo and several others.

Jay Honeck wrote:
1. Airports were originally huge grass fields that allowed arrivals and
departures in any direction, on any heading. Are there any airports left
that provide 360 degrees of access?

I believe Lakehurst, NJ still has the circular field where the
Hindenburg disaster happened. I used to see it out the right side of
scheduled airliners on the way from DCA to BOS just before going over NYC.

The question I have about this installation is what are the converging
sets of lines around it. IIRC there are 3 sets of 4 lines pointing
into the center of the circle.

That big circle in the middle is a PAVED 3000ft circular landing area.
It's also obvious that this airport was also a seaplane port.

Wow -- they PAVED all that? That's amazing.

I'd never heard of such a thing -- thanks, Brien!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Have you been to the restaurants at Madison or Lone Rock? The food is
arguably better than Janesville. (Still a lot of greasy fried stuff)

Sure! We go to Lone Rock at least once a month.

I haven't been to Madison in over ten years. The restaurant was pretty lame
when I was there, last -- I take it they've improved?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"