Very strange

[DNA]

As I drove on east bound BQE near Metropolitan Ave. yesterday at 15:40, a Lufthansa 346 was very low crossing Manhattan to Brooklyn toward JFK, minutes later an Emirate 380 did same. Did anyone know what happened?

[yankees368]

The 13L ILS approach happened

[DNA]

I work in Midtown at East River and drive on BQE everyday. This is first time happen like that.

[Landing Lights]

I work in Midtown at East River and drive on BQE everyday. This is first time happen like that.

The ILS 13L Approach is very rarely used because of the chain reaction effect it has on all of the other NYC Airports. Notably, it forces LGA to use the ILS 13 approach as well which shuts down TEB ops. Its a last resort, only used when the weather leaves no other options.

[gonzalu]

I have pictures of it being used under complete whiteout rain / fog conditions a couple of years ago. It is certainly strange to see them coming in from the middle of Brooklyn as opposed to the Canarsie/Breezy Point approach normally used for 13L.

Consequently, many many domestics were aborting and going around while the foreign carriers (heavies) handled the bad wx with aplomb. The BAW and EK both reporting completely smooth landing and approach while a jetBlue flight tried once and chickened out to Atlantic City to wait it out... LOL.

[gonzalu]

And to get an idea how far it into NJ it goes...

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q629/mannygonzalez2000/JFKILS13L_zps850e6a6b.jpg (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/mannygonzalez2000/media/JFKILS13L_zps850e6a6b.jpg.html)

[moose135]

...aplomb....
Now there's a word you don't see used every day in the forums. Well done, Manny.


...a jetBlue flight tried once and chickened out to Atlantic City to wait it out... LOL.
As someone who has flown instrument approaches to minimums in actual weather, and one time had another pilot try to kill us on an ILS to minimums, I would never characterize it as "chickened out" when someone decides to go elsewhere and wait for better conditions.

[gonzalu]

Ha, thanks Moose... and I meant it in a good way about the chickening out LOL.

[DNA]

Thanks guys.

[NIKV69]

Yea the times they use ILS for that approach are few and far between. My brother flew that approach coming home from Aruba and hurled chunks the winds were so bad.

[megatop412]

And to get an idea how far it into NJ it goes...

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q629/mannygonzalez2000/JFKILS13L_zps850e6a6b.jpg (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/mannygonzalez2000/media/JFKILS13L_zps850e6a6b.jpg.html)

I thought 1WTC was 1776 feet up, that shows 1806, but what's a few feet amongst friends right

[moose135]

I thought 1WTC was 1776 feet up, that shows 1806, but what's a few feet amongst friends right
That's the difference between MSL and AGL...

[gonzalu]

William, that's above sea level, not height of building

[Mateo]

The approach doesn't usually go that far back into NJ. Typically, they're vectored on roughly the same path as the usual LGA approaches, and then turned onto the localizer somewhere before TELEX. I'm in Downtown Brooklyn (about 17 degrees off the 13L LOC) and can hear when JFK is on the ILS 13L, since everything is going directly overhead. Unfortunately, if the wx is bad enough to put them on the ILS, there's no way the ceiling is high enough for me to see anything!

[PhilDernerJr]

I once rode in a cockpit jumpseat on an ILS13L approach. One of the only times I was ever scared in an airplane.

[727C47]

My familia's casa was not far from DH (decision height) on the ILS 13L at JFK, on the tight,tight days they were using the approach, it was surreal to see the shadow forms of the big jets looming out of the cloud bases. even more fascinating was watching the variations on a theme of airplanes shooting the regular VOR/Visual 13L/R, one night a 707 got so low over the houses that I thought his brights were going to shine in our bedroom window, it has always been my favorite approach, when I first flew it in a DC3 20 years ago,I swear I had tears in my eyes,even geeks can go home again : )