Janet Spongthrush
14th Aug 2023, 09:36
2x UK retired controllers sat in hotel on Tropicana watching over KLAS last month. Landings on 19R and 8. There were numerous go arounds for the traffic on 19, we thought windshear? so tuned in liveatc and the next go around - a BA A350 - was told it was due to landing traffic on r/w 8. So then suspected maybe BA's refusal of LAHSO could be a factor, but then before the BA returned, there were more go arounds from 19R for the same reason.
Here in the cloudy UK we're naturally less able to offer visual approaches so not that familiar with how the US system works as we're generally 'heading to intercept localiser'. It seems like LAS Approach set the streams up for visual approaches to both runways, which would seem slightly counterproductive if ATC aren't in full control of ensuring separation at the point where the intersecting runways meet. I get that pilots are great at maintaining visual from the one in front for the same runway but clearly they can't sort out separation from a/c on crossing runway.
Just curious how what seems to be routine in the US - or LAS - works in practice. Is there any tool used by APC to set the two streams up so there is planned separation at the intersection of the two runways which then goes wrong when the pilots go visual? Is it just two independent visual streams that the TWR then sort out? I assume that to avoid the two LAS TWR controllers having a debate that it's always 19R that goes around if a potential conflict with 8L arrival?
cheers!
Here in the cloudy UK we're naturally less able to offer visual approaches so not that familiar with how the US system works as we're generally 'heading to intercept localiser'. It seems like LAS Approach set the streams up for visual approaches to both runways, which would seem slightly counterproductive if ATC aren't in full control of ensuring separation at the point where the intersecting runways meet. I get that pilots are great at maintaining visual from the one in front for the same runway but clearly they can't sort out separation from a/c on crossing runway.
Just curious how what seems to be routine in the US - or LAS - works in practice. Is there any tool used by APC to set the two streams up so there is planned separation at the intersection of the two runways which then goes wrong when the pilots go visual? Is it just two independent visual streams that the TWR then sort out? I assume that to avoid the two LAS TWR controllers having a debate that it's always 19R that goes around if a potential conflict with 8L arrival?
cheers!