What Determines Flight Patterns at Reid International?

I fly in and out of Las Vegas all the time. Sometimes we take off to the west. Sometimes to the east. Sometimes when we take off to the east or west, we make a complete 180 and head in the opposite direction. Sometimes we fly out over Lake Mead to start our final approach. Sometimes we divebomb straight in from the north. What determines these things?

We're neither aeronautics engineers, pilots, air-traffic controllers, nor meteorologists, but we'll take a stab at this answer.

Our understanding is that aircraft generally take off and land into the wind. It's not mandatory, but taking off into the wind gives aircraft an extra boost into the sky, providing a shorter take off distance and a higher rate of climb, at no extra fuel charge. Landing into the wind also helps with aerodynamics, increasing performance and reducing costs.

Planes also have to follow some rules about flying over residential areas. These have changed over the years as the airport has gotten busier and the Vegas valley has expanded, but as far as we know, the latest is that aircraft have to climb a little higher before flying over densely inhabited neighborhoods to minimize noise.

Construction, as in runway improvements, affects flight paths from time to time; Reid has been under nearly continuous construction since Methuselah was only around 500 years old.

Finally, the seasons can alter takeoffs and landings. When air density is low in hot weather, aircraft need longer runways and don't climb as quickly as when density is high. Of course, Las Vegas experiences extremely high temperatures in the summer months, countered by some pretty chilly days and nights in the winter, which no doubt play into flight patterns.

If anyone else has more information on this, we're all ears.

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Comments

Bob May-10-2022

Airport

air-port n.   A construction site where they land airplanes

Gregory May-10-2022

New patterns

Since the question was about takeoff, this article should be of interest.  In the last year or so, the departure pattern has changed and most traffic follows this flow for departures.  It's in the interest of efficiency. Read here: https://www.8newsnow.com/i-team/i-team-theyre-very-loud-neighbors-frustrated-with-new-flight-path-out-of-las-vegas-airport/

As far as seeing Sam Boyd stadium on landing, I would opt for a window seat on the right side of the aircraft.  From the east we almost always land on runway 26 (east/west runway).   This brings us in over Lake Mead, then just south of Lake Las Vegas.  Sam Boyd Stadium is just beyond that.  However due to winds and weather, you could end up flying right over top of it an miss it altogether.

O2bnVegas May-10-2022

I'm a dummy

Please clarify:  Does "into the wind" mean AGAINST the direction or WITH the direction of the wind?  Thanks.

Candy

[email protected] May-10-2022

Candy

“Into the wind” means that the wind is blowing into the nose of the plane.  So if the wind is blowing from the north to the south, the plane would take off to the north.

gaattc2001 May-10-2022

O2bnVegas against.

Suppose the wind is blowing ten mph over the runway and the plane leaves the ground when the airspeed over the wings is 100 mph. If you take off upwind, then you achieve the 100 mph take-off airspeed at only 90 mph groundspeed. If for some reason you have to take off downwind--and sometimes you do, for other reasons--you have to go 110 mph relative the ground to get 100 mph relative to the air. That takes more fuel and more runway; and higher groundspeed is inherently more dangerous.
It's the same for landing. Downwind, there's more energy to dissipate and it's harder on tires, brakes, and the runway. Upwind, some of that energy is already "gone with the wind."
Here are a couple of nostalgia items. In the early 1970's, the 27th floor bar at the old Landmark Hotel was a great place to watch the planes taking off from McCarran. And check out the airport scene in the movie "Diamonds are Forever" (1971) and compare it to today.

[email protected] May-10-2022

Just a 9 iron

A good place to watch them land at LAS McCarran is at the Golf Center.

O2bnVegas May-10-2022

Thanks!

Thank you, Ischulz and gaattc. So true, one can learn something new every day, and I appreciate your replies.

Candy

Gregory May-10-2022

Speaking of wind...

Las Vegas can be a pretty windy place.   There are times when the wind blows from the side, rather than from the front.  This isn't a huge deal for takeoff, but it can make for tricky landings.  This known as crosswind landing.  The plane will actually crab down to the runway, then straighten out once on the ground.  You can see an example here:  https://youtu.be/Pe8yfoDviAA.  Notice that the plane wavers a bit until the nose gear hits the runway.

Jeffrey Small May-10-2022

Observing Inbound Aircraft

The Stratosphere Tower is the best place to observe airplanes approaching LAS.  The dry air means that at night you can see lots of aircraft in line behind each other--the 3 degree glide slope to the inbound runway allows you to see the lights of the approaching flights "stacked" above each other.  Worth a night time trip to the observation platform!

Allen Emory May-10-2022

I'm late to this....

...but here is a little information:  if you go to airnav.com and search for Airports---> KLAS scroll to the near the bottom you will see Reid Airport's Standard Terminal Arrivals,  Instrument Approach Procedures and Departure Procedures. These are the "paths" that commercial aircraft take to the airport and away from the airport. the star bursts and triangles are way points along your path (with 5 letter names) Your aircraft's navigation system will know where these are.  (more or less)

Which one of these procedures you use mostly has to do with where you are coming from (arrivals) or where you are going to (departures) AND the direction of the wind on the field. (and being Las Vegas, yes, the air temp can make a difference as well... 

clear as mud...?

Question of the Day - 10 May 2022

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