Flight routes

[SA_tx_88116]

Anybody know what flight routes are called? Because I hear them all the time on the radio but I don’t know what they are actually called it would also be nice to get a map of these. EX: DARRK THREE, CHATY FIVE, BOWIE SEVEN, and LEJON FOUR.

 

[abqscan]

Info on Departure Procedures and Arrival Procedures and here is a place to get the maps: IFR Plates for KSAT

 

[SA_tx_88116]

Info on Departure Procedures and Arrival Procedures and here is a place to get the maps: IFR Plates for KSAT

What about KBNA because I’m currently vacationing there?

 

[dfsisk]

Charted arrival and departure procedures exist for busy airports (and a few not too busy ones) to simplify the pilots' and controllers' lives and save them from having to constantly read the same fixes to arriving/departing aircraft.
Pick an airport and look up the IFR plates on Airnav or another resource and you can see what we look at in the cockpit.

 

[SA_tx_88116]

Thanks

 

[dfsisk]

BTW, since fixes need to be pronounceable they sometimes get quite creative with the names... have fun!
BNA (Nashville) has CHESNE, RYYMN, PASLY, and SWIFFT arrivals

 

[SA_tx_88116]

Also are flight plans only used for IFR or VFR as well?

 

[dfsisk]

The canned arrival and departure routes are IFR routes.
To fly IFR you MUST file and fly a flight plan, filing a VFR flight plan is optional.

 

[SA_tx_88116]

The canned arrival and departure routes are IFR routes.
To fly IFR you MUST file and fly a flight plan, filing a VFR flight plan is optional.

What do you like better VFR or IFR?

 

[SA_tx_88116]

Also what’s a localizer

 

[alphazulu]

Not what you are looking for but these are the High Sector "J" and "Q" routes. Click top right for Low, VFR, and VFR Terminal (larger city)
charts

SkyVector: Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts

Make your Flight Plan at SkyVector.com. SkyVector is a free online flight planner. Flight planning is easy on our large collection of Aeronautical Charts, including Sectional Charts, Approach Plates, IFR Enroute Charts, and Helicopter route charts. Weather data is always current, as are Jet Fuel...

skyvector.com

 

[SA_tx_88116]

Not what you are looking for but these are the High Sector "J" and "Q" routes. Click top right for Low, VFR, and VFR Terminal (larger city)
charts

SkyVector: Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts

Make your Flight Plan at SkyVector.com. SkyVector is a free online flight planner. Flight planning is easy on our large collection of Aeronautical Charts, including Sectional Charts, Approach Plates, IFR Enroute Charts, and Helicopter route charts. Weather data is always current, as are Jet Fuel...

skyvector.com

Thanks

 

[andy51edge]

Also what’s a localizer

The localizer provides lateral (left and right) guidance during the approach phase. Most localizers are aligned to provide a course along the extended centerline of the runway. This is typically part of an instrument landing system or "ILS"

So when a controller says something like "intercept the runway 36 localizer" they are instructing the pilots to use that navigational aid to line up on the approach course. Remember that there could be clouds, fog, haze or any other number of things to keep the pilots from being able to see the runway from afar. The electronic navigation aids guide pilots to the lighting arrays, and the lights guide pilots to the runway.

 

[SA_tx_88116]

The localizer provides lateral (left and right) guidance during the approach phase. Most localizers are aligned to provide a course along the extended centerline of the runway. This is typically part of an instrument landing system or "ILS"

So when a controller says something like "intercept the runway 36 localizer" they are instructing the pilots to use that navigational aid to line up on the approach course. Remember that there could be clouds, fog, haze or any other number of things to keep the pilots from being able to see the runway from afar. The electronic navigation aids guide pilots to the lighting arrays, and the lights guide pilots to the runway.

Also can you tell me what the things on sky vector map means I’ve been looking at these maps for a long time and they’re still stuff I don’t understand, like what does enroute L-16 mean and what does enroute L-4 mean and what is enroute H-7? And what do the black and blue lines mean?

 

[andy51edge]

like what does enroute L-16 mean and what does enroute L-4 mean and what is enroute H-7?

The enroute charts used to be printed on paper (and still available on paper via special order). They are still broken up into several maps by the publishers. Websites like SkyVector take those charts and stitch them together. L-xx and H-xx is just simply the charts designation. Edit to add: The L means 'low' (Below 18,000') and H means 'high' (Above 18,000')

And what do the black and blue lines mean?

The black and blue lines are airways. You can think of them as highways in the sky. Before GPS aircraft primary navigated via ground based navigational aids, the limitation being that you only know courses to and from the station. Like spokes on a bike.

The black lines like V354 below are predicated on ground based navigation aids. The blue lines like T422 are predicated on GPS. Airways still exist to this day because they are still a convenient way to organize aircraft and minimize conflict. As an airline pilot I use them frequently in the Northeast US and Southern California, high traffic and often congested airspace.

 

[SA_tx_88116]

The enroute charts used to be printed on paper (and still available on paper via special order). They are still broken up into several maps by the publishers. Websites like SkyVector take those charts and stitch them together. L-xx and H-xx is just simply the charts designation. Edit to add: The L means 'low' (Below 18,000') and H means 'high' (Above 18,000')

View attachment 146122


The black and blue lines are airways. You can think of them as highways in the sky. Before GPS aircraft primary navigated via ground based navigational aids, the limitation being that you only know courses to and from the station. Like spokes on a bike.

The black lines like V354 below are predicated on ground based navigation aids. The blue lines like T422 are predicated on GPS. Airways still exist to this day because they are still a convenient way to organize aircraft and minimize conflict. As an airline pilot I use them frequently in the Northeast US and Southern California, high traffic and often congested airspace.

View attachment 146123

Thanks

 

[AM909]

Also, if you haven't seen it, there is a legend on the side of the local area sectionals. Click on a named area button and then zoom/scroll to the side/corner of the map: