vfr landing with B738

[wil de boer]

I need youre help please with this issue.We ,Thomson Virtual, flying a event with difficult approaches/take offs.
1 leg brings us from KRKS to KGCN.
I'm using a B737-800 and at the landing there was wind from209/21 knots.RW's are 03 and 21 ,normally making a visual on 21.
But looking at the charts there is noting about using 21 only 03 is documented .I noticed that there are some hils ust in line from 21. My question is it allowed to make a vfr landing on 21 in kgcn???with a B737-800 or any other airport if there are no charts/documentation for the runway.
I got a penalty for landing with to much tailwind on rw03.
I know that I can land visual with a B737 but mostly the visuals are on the charts.
It would be fine if there is an answer mail it to me because I'm not often on VATUSA forum

in advance thx
regards

wil de boer
[email protected]

[Matthew Bartels]

I need youre help please with this issue.We ,Thomson Virtual, flying a event with difficult approaches/take offs.
1 leg brings us from KRKS to KGCN.
I'm using a B737-800 and at the landing there was wind from209/21 knots.RW's are 03 and 21 ,normally making a visual on 21.
But looking at the charts there is noting about using 21 only 03 is documented .I noticed that there are some hils ust in line from 21. My question is it allowed to make a vfr landing on 21 in kgcn???with a B737-800 or any other airport if there are no charts/documentation for the runway.
I got a penalty for landing with to much tailwind on rw03.
I know that I can land visual with a B737 but mostly the visuals are on the charts.
It would be fine if there is an answer mail it to me because I'm not often on VATUSA forum

in advance thx
regards

wil de boer
[email protected]

A visual approach can be made any time you have visual contact on the airport or another aircraft that has been cleared for an appoach at the airport. It is up to you to fly the aircraft to safely land.

You refer to charted insturment approaches, these are only done for airports that utilize a visual approach with some degree of complexity. IE River Visual 19 at KDCA. These are actually reccommended routes to the runway visually. You can actually be cleared for a visual approach at any airport as long as the the weather allows for visual approaches to be conducted.

[wil de boer]

[quote name='Matthew Bartels' date='Jun 5 2011, 03:03 PM' post='15050']
A visual approach can be made any time you have visual contact on the airport or another aircraft that has been cleared for an appoach at the airport. It is up to you to fly the aircraft to safely land.

You refer to charted insturment approaches, these are only done for airports that utilize a visual approach with some degree of complexity. IE River Visual 19 at KDCA. These are actually reccommended routes to the runway visually. You can actually be cleared for a visual approach at any airport as long as the the weather allows for visual approaches to be conducted.
[/quote

Matthew ,
thx very much for the quick answer its a great help

regards

wil

[William Lewis]

Also if reduced visability inhibits your ability to get the airport in sight you can also fly the ILS 03 approch to the circling minimums, and when or if you see it circle to land 21. If you are still unable to get visual of the field during the approach fly the missed, hold, determine if the wind is strong enough where you can or cannot land on 03. If so great because now you have lower minimums and are able to fly lower and closer to the field before you must see it. If not make as many attempts as you like untill you reach min fuel where you will need to divert to your alternate airport.

Remember with the excpetion of CAT III ILS with autoland which GCN does not have. All Insturment approaches end with a visual approach. You must always see it before minimums in order to land on it. If you see the approach lights on a strait in approach then you have another 100ft of which you may decend before you see the actual runway

[Tim Farrell]

If you are VFR, why not just plan to enter the pattern for your choice runway for wind. Grand Canyon rwy 03 is left traffic and rwy 21 is right traffic. If visiblility is good, all you need to know is runway elevation, length and the aforementioned. Ex: Enter downwind at pattern altitude and state your intentions. You can also enter the pattern on the crosswind leg, base leg or straight in. Entering downwind is the preferred method for VFR but you can utilize the other methods as well, especially if there is no traffic.

If you are shooting an ILS then, rwy 03 is the way to go or you can attempt a (non-published) localizer back course when landing rwy 21. You would have to rely on the VASI since there are no approach lights for rwy 21.