Instead of flying past the airport to the east we take advantage of our good position and request vectors to the LDA 19 since we are nearing the initial approach fix for the procedure. I descend down to the initial approach altitude (3,000’) and take up a 30 degree intercept to the localizer.
 |
 |
I get a little stupid with the FMS and try to do something I always do in real life which is to get rid of the present position line to the next waypoint and instead have it draw only the course line from the final approach fix (FAF) to the runway and I end up botching up the FMS flight plan a bit. Some quick finger work gets at least the fixes back in but it doesn’t really matter since I’m navigating exclusively with reference to the localizer and glideslope now. We’ve slowed up and have our approach flaps out and as the glideslope starts inching down I put out the landing gear at one dot below.
 |
 |
Crossing the FAF I select full flaps and the aircraft slows as I maintain Vref+5 give or take. The autopilot does a superb job of tracking the localizer and glideslope as I monitor the instruments and steal glances out the window to see if I can pick up the airport visually. Soon the Potomac river starts emerging from the gloom and I know that keeping over the river will keep me clear of the prohibited areas to our left (east).
 |
 |
Now we can see the lights of runway 15 as the airport starts to emerge from the clouds. The white spire of the Washington Monument also becomes visible on the left side of the river and I start to transition to a visual approach by disengaging the autopilot and hand flying the rest of the way.
 |
 |
Crossing Roosevelt Island I try to calculate just when I need to start commencing the big right turn to line up with runway 19. The unique River Visual Approach to runway 19 is one of the most exciting approaches in commercial aviation to fly and watch. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the D.C. area I highly recommend going to the public park that lies at the approach end of runway 19. There you will see aircraft as large as 757s swooping overhead in big right banks as they complete their lineup on runway 19. It is a fantastic sight with the gorgeous backdrop of the city framing it all.
 |
 |
Related Posts:
Related posts:
Aeroworx Beechcraft B200 Super King Air: Reality vs. Simulation Page 6
Boeing vs. Airbus – Part 3 Phoenix Simulation Software Airbus A320 Page 8
Boeing vs. Airbus – Part 4 DreamFleet Boeing 727 WhisperJet Page 9
Flight1 Pilatus PC-12 and Misty Fjords Page 7
Jet or Turboprop? Part I Page 6
Jet or Turboprop? Part II Page 5
Jet or Turboprop? Part II Page 7
Jet or Turboprop? Part II Page 8
