Low and high altitude airways

ari@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (K. Ari Krupnikov) writes:

> I've never flown a jet airway (and probably never will, except on an
> airliner), but here's a question. There are fewer J routes than V, and
> they connect fewer navaids. So it can happen that your destination is
> quite far from the nearest high-altitude navaid or interaction. Do you
> still file direct from the closest high-alt waypoint, go direct to a
> nearby navaid, or use low-altitude routes for your arrival?

That's an interesting question. Ari's seen my Warrior, so he knows
quite well that I cannot fly the jetways either, but in the spirit of
Usenet I'll take an uninformed guess.

From listening to Centre traffic when I'm flying IFR (or with flight
following), I get the impression that the airliners usually get
cleared for the standard jetways and arrival procedures, but then
start begging for direct as soon as they get to their cruising
altitudes -- just like we do, in other words.

The other thing to remember is that they have to descend at some point
before they land, and once they're below FL180, they're on the
low-level airways as well.


All the best,


David

"K. Ari Krupnikov" wrote:

> I've never flown a jet airway (and probably never will, except on an
> airliner), but here's a question. There are fewer J routes than V, and
> they connect fewer navaids. So it can happen that your destination is
> quite far from the nearest high-altitude navaid or interaction. Do you
> still file direct from the closest high-alt waypoint, go direct to a
> nearby navaid, or use low-altitude routes for your arrival?
>
> Ari.

If the destination is a major airport there will usually be a
high-altitude VOR in the proper position. Or, there will be a STAR
routing which, although it may use low-alitude VORs, it has been flight
inspected to be useable at the altitudes expected.

For flights into remote areas that may not have a nearby high VOR (unusal,
but possible) filing of a Victor airway for the last 200 miles, or so, is
acceptable, or even "the radials of V-999."

"K. Ari Krupnikov" wrote:

> joe@obilivan.net writes:
>
> > For flights into remote areas that may not have a nearby high VOR (unusal,
> > but possible) filing of a Victor airway for the last 200 miles, or so, is
> > acceptable
>
> I guess by then you would have descended below FL180 anyway, right?

No, you won't usually be below 180 until about 50-60 miles out.

>
> > or even "the radials of V-999."
>
> What's that?
>

Since Victor airways don't exist above 17,500, that is one way of filing the
route without filing an airway that doesn't exist for the flight levels. More
typically, that is the way ATC will issue a clearance to fly a Victor airway
when in the flight levels. If they have you on radar it is a perfectly
acceptable practice. It works well in Montana, but not very good in New Jersey.
;-)

"K. Ari Krupnikov" <ari@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:86bru05iqg.fsf@fbsd-machine.lib.aero...
>
> I've never flown a jet airway (and probably never will, except on an
> airliner), but here's a question. There are fewer J routes than V, and
> they connect fewer navaids. So it can happen that your destination is
> quite far from the nearest high-altitude navaid or interaction. Do you
> still file direct from the closest high-alt waypoint, go direct to a
> nearby navaid, or use low-altitude routes for your arrival?
>

Any/all of the above, and STARs as well.