JFK Flightpath

[pieboyjr]

Hi, me and my family are flying NCL - LHR - JFK next Friday. What is the flightpath into JFK airport? Can you see Manhattan - where does it fly?

Thanks

[PAXboy]

Great to see enthusiasm for flying! The answer to your questions is ... Maybe!! Some of the approaches into JFK do indeed give you sight of Manhattan Island, Queens and the other Boro's But ... the actual approach used on the day will depend upon the winds and the runway allocated. Local weather can also affect what you see. I always get a window seat and hope that we will get a good view but you just don't know.

The same is true of LHR of course. Whilst our prevailing winds are from the South West and most flights approach across London fron the East, you can approach across Berkshire from the West. I hope that you see lots of great things from the aircraft. Safe Journey.

[WHBM]

JFK, like several of the largest airports in the US, has multiple runways and they tend to use them all at once for both arrivals and departures, unlike in Europe.

Having said that, I've gone through there a good few times from the UK and have not yet flown over the city. The approach/departure into La Guardia airport, to the north-west, tends to limit this option.

Your "flightpath" is known as a "Standard Terminal Arrival" and you'll find them all documented here along with other JFK technical information.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KJFK

Meanwhile this site (best on broadband) shows the air traffic movements in the New York area and gives an idea of the flow at each main airport.

http://www4.passur.com/lga.html

[chrisbl]

The best views of Manhatten can be had flying into Liberty, Newark if the approach is to 22L

[grimmrad]

The best views of Manhattan can be had flying into Liberty, Newark if the approach is to 22L

Not a pilot speaking here, but I found one approach into LGA spectacular. Sit on the left side: flying along or above the West side of Manhattan, than making a 180 degree turn somewhere above the statue of liberty and back into LGA - again along Manhattan. Spectacular!

[cossack]

That would be the Expressway Visual (http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0605/00289EXPRESSWAY_VIS31.PDF)to runway 31.
The River visual (http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0605/00289RIVER_VIS13.PDF)to 13 is good for Manhattan views
As for JFK, you can't beat the Canarsie (http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0605/00610VG13LR.PDF) onto 13L/R

Links are pdf.

[WHBM]

Unfortunately the OP is flying in to JFK, so the comments about the other airports in the region, which indeed give good views, are not going to be relevant to that flight.

The Canarsie into JFK is a bit too low to give a good view across the metro area to Manhattan. The city is well off to the left, and the right-hand turn means any distant view to the left tends to be cut off by the bank of the aircraft.

One of the best views of Manhattan I ever got was from, of all flights, London to Miami, which routed overhead JFK at altitude on a notably clear day about 10 miles to the west of the centre.