Only certain runways being used at certain airports

Hello, Can someone tell me why does the ATC only use certain runways. For instance when I fly to Denver Intl., all the traffic uses runway 25. When I fly into KIAH, all the traffic uses 33R & 33L.

 

Thanks in advance

 

btbenoit

Weather/wind direction plays a big factor in the runway(s) being used.

When I try to take off from runway 8 @ Denver, the ATC makes me go to runway 25.

Could it be something in the AFCAD?

When I try to take off from runway 8 @ Denver, the ATC makes me go to runway 25.

Check the wind direction. FS will choose runways based on 1) wind direction, 2) runway length, and 3) runway closures. When there are multiple runways, it will also direct you to the nearest available (per the above) runway to your starting spot.

 

I have checked and if you are using the defult KDEN Denver, 2 & 3 above are not an issue. Try setting the wind manually in FS to around 7 degrees which should force take-off on 07.

 

John

Check the wind direction. FS will choose runways based on 1) wind direction...

Yep. Before I request IFR clearance, I change the weather direction for the areas around both the departure and arrival airports in my flight plan and almost never have an issue with the runway I want to use.

 

My question for you is, tho, at really large airports why does that not always work? I set the wind around NYC to a specific direction and one of the airports (I forget which) kept taking me all the way around to a specific runway (25) and had me landing downwind!

 

As an experiment, I even tried boosting the wind speed on the slider to 16mph and then the next higher setting. Both times ATC still sent me to around to R25. WTH???

 

I did find that at some airports, there is a preference to use a specific runway (e.g. 5/23), for some reason, ignoring the others (e.g. 8/26 and 1/19) regardless of wind direction. At one particular airport, I used ADE and closed 5/23 and the problem was solved.

Could it be the destination airport you are flying to?

Could it be the destination airport you are flying to?

If you're replying to me, then yeah, I'm certain of that.

 

The airport in question was one of the biggies around NYC: Newark (EWR), La Guardia, or JFK. I'm thinking it was EWR because (a) I don't like flying in or out of LGA and (b) I've landed/taken off at JFK a few times.

 

Now that particular time I hadn't ever tried closing a runway before. I only got that idea later and at a different airport (LFPB, I think).

Just changing the wind will not change the runway used in FS2004 (it can in FSX though). You would ALSO need to reset ATC before the change would take effect. I reset ATC by:

 

1. Go to World/Map

2. Change your heading by 1 degree

3. OK.

 

Hope this helps,

I added a newer version of Denver and different runways are being used so that is working. However when I take off from KIAH just doing a quick flight (no destination) the active runway is always 33R. Also I tried taking off from 26R (KIAH) and the ATC ground redirects me to 26L.

Hey Guys,

 

Always remember that after you have opened a previously saved flight or have created a new flight, you cannot just change the wind direction and expect ATC to immediately send you to the now new wind dependent runway for take off. Nor will any AI planes react correctly to your new wind direction.

 

You need to change the wind direction at your departure airport and you then need to SAVE THAT FLIGHT. Only after re-opening that same saved flight, will ATC now know to which new wind direction dependent runway to send you for take off and will AI planes react correctly to the new wind direction.

 

Also, ATC will always send you to the closest runway for take off, taking your (new) wind direction into account and along the shortest possible taxi route.

Approaching AI planes will, depending on the direction from which they approach, always choose the nearest runway with the for them correct wind direction. It's for this reason that some but not all, AI planes will land on other (parallel) runways than the one ATC has sent you for take offf.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Happy New Year

 

Hans

Just changing the wind will not change the runway used in FS2004 (it can in FSX though). You would ALSO need to reset ATC before the change would take effect. I reset ATC by:

 

1. Go to World/Map

2. Change your heading by 1 degree

3. OK.

 

Hope this helps,

That's only partially true. There have been times where I didn't change the wind direction until just before I requested landing. Other times I had saved the flight just before, so when I was directed to the wrong runway, I reloaded the flight, changed the wind direction and got the right runway.

Ever heard of real weather (3rd party programs) to dictate what is really going on? VATSIM controllers will never lead you astray. :cool:

 

In 2020, I wasn't aware there were still people using FS9's ATC. Dont get me wrong, I'm using FS9 also. But you have got to use real weather and a real form of ATC.

 

Mitch

Sorry, you don't "got" to do anything - each to his own.

Sorry, you don't "got" to do anything - each to his own.

 

Sorry "Tom", but those who stumble will never see the light unless they challenge themselves to get back up. Food for thought little buddy.

There are a couple of points: If you change the wind direction so that atc will direct you to a certain runway you don't have to save the flight, you just have to change the time by a second AFTER you change the wind direction and atc will take the new wind direction and act accordingly. But (and FS9 sometimes conjures up "buts" from thin air) if one of the runways has an ils then atc sometimes prefers to use that no matter the wind direction. At an airfield with no control tower ai planes will always use the ils runway for landing until the wind speed is over 30 knots even if this means a Cessna 172 is doing a 90 degree crosswind landing. Edited January 6, 2020 by Roger Wensley