Every airport here, big or little, has parallel runways. SFO, SJC, RHV, LVK, etc.
Why isn't that the case in Canada? Just wondering.
Even with two runways, it is normal to have long lines of GA aircraft waiting to take off on each, with multiple aircraft in the pattern and taxiing back after landing. I remember one day seeing at least six aircraft sequenced on final to both runways at my tiny airport. "You're number three, cleared to land" is perfectly normal.
Why no parallel runways?
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Slick Goodlin
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Lets get taxiways all the way out to the button on our busy airports, then we can look at more runways.
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Colonel
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When there is a second runway at an airport in Canada, by tradition it is never parallel, always a crosswind runway.
Ottawa. Carp. Kingston. The list is endless.
Now, a tiny handful of the very largest Canadian airports very grudgingly have parallel runways- Toronto etc.
However the vast majority of airports in Canada shun parallel runways, probably because of their BCATP heritage.
People here don’t seem to give a fuck about crosswinds, and the wind out west here is generally much stronger than say back east.
Like the demented origins of the QWERTY keyboard, the BCATP runway layout will likely outlive us all. It’s in your DNA and you don’t even know it.
Ottawa. Carp. Kingston. The list is endless.
Now, a tiny handful of the very largest Canadian airports very grudgingly have parallel runways- Toronto etc.
However the vast majority of airports in Canada shun parallel runways, probably because of their BCATP heritage.
People here don’t seem to give a fuck about crosswinds, and the wind out west here is generally much stronger than say back east.
Like the demented origins of the QWERTY keyboard, the BCATP runway layout will likely outlive us all. It’s in your DNA and you don’t even know it.
Neil Peart didn’t need you to be his friend
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Nark
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I was trying to think a new airport constructed, post BCATP and couldn’t tell you.
Locally (Milwaukee) there was 7-8 airports in the vicinity (post WW2). Now there are: 1 “major” 2 “feeder” and one pretty small GA which is privately owned. Thankfully down here if the feds give you money for infrastructure improvements, there is a substantial note attached with it that will keep developers at bay.
Parallels are all the rage down here, to the chagrin of crosswind. LAX, ORD, ATL, to a lesser extent: EWR, MIA, and a bunch more have 1 crossing runway that is useless to many aircraft. It’s a holdover from the prop taildragger era.
ORD… my god. It has 6 parallel’s oriented east-west. God forbid they use the one SW-NE rwy when the wind is howling out of the north. Last night at midnight we were given direct the airport (pretty significant indication were the only show in town at that time). Still had to do a 10+ mile final for noise abatement. Then the lightbulb went off. Every “noise sensitive” area is the nice neighborhoods surrounding O’Hare. Conveniently, also located in the app/dep paths of the old crosswind runways they used to use. (They’ve dismantled 2.5. There are still 2 crosswind parallels, but 1 is permanently notams closed).
Long winded rant about having to teach a low-time FO who barely knows how to do a proper crosswind landing, then you add in the wind is always howling from the north in this area, and ORD waits until the wind is sustained above 30knots before they entertain the 4’s.
Okay, rant over. I need more sleep…
Locally (Milwaukee) there was 7-8 airports in the vicinity (post WW2). Now there are: 1 “major” 2 “feeder” and one pretty small GA which is privately owned. Thankfully down here if the feds give you money for infrastructure improvements, there is a substantial note attached with it that will keep developers at bay.
Parallels are all the rage down here, to the chagrin of crosswind. LAX, ORD, ATL, to a lesser extent: EWR, MIA, and a bunch more have 1 crossing runway that is useless to many aircraft. It’s a holdover from the prop taildragger era.
ORD… my god. It has 6 parallel’s oriented east-west. God forbid they use the one SW-NE rwy when the wind is howling out of the north. Last night at midnight we were given direct the airport (pretty significant indication were the only show in town at that time). Still had to do a 10+ mile final for noise abatement. Then the lightbulb went off. Every “noise sensitive” area is the nice neighborhoods surrounding O’Hare. Conveniently, also located in the app/dep paths of the old crosswind runways they used to use. (They’ve dismantled 2.5. There are still 2 crosswind parallels, but 1 is permanently notams closed).
Long winded rant about having to teach a low-time FO who barely knows how to do a proper crosswind landing, then you add in the wind is always howling from the north in this area, and ORD waits until the wind is sustained above 30knots before they entertain the 4’s.
Okay, rant over. I need more sleep…
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trey kule
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Springbank was opened in 68 or 69 I think
Calgary international built a pretty nice parallel runway in the last few years, and Vancouver has had one long as I can remember.
The US has a much more positive attitude towards the value of airports.
I recall years ago flying into Hawthorne where LAX approaches are very close and asking about it. Was told “ this is our airport” “ Lax can live with it”
Streets of house right up to the airport fence.
Calgary international built a pretty nice parallel runway in the last few years, and Vancouver has had one long as I can remember.
The US has a much more positive attitude towards the value of airports.
I recall years ago flying into Hawthorne where LAX approaches are very close and asking about it. Was told “ this is our airport” “ Lax can live with it”
Streets of house right up to the airport fence.
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Nark
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I couldn’t agree more!
A local airport down the road was on the chopping block at the city council meeting earlier this year. The local (2-3 surrounding states) aviation community said hold my beer.
Overwhelmed the city of why the airport should stay open.
The city reversed course and it’s staying open.
What I really think happened was the lawyers looked at the books and saw Fed money (see above) and was given the option of paying back that grant money with interest and said… oh snap, well play nice.
A local airport down the road was on the chopping block at the city council meeting earlier this year. The local (2-3 surrounding states) aviation community said hold my beer.
Overwhelmed the city of why the airport should stay open.
The city reversed course and it’s staying open.
What I really think happened was the lawyers looked at the books and saw Fed money (see above) and was given the option of paying back that grant money with interest and said… oh snap, well play nice.
Twin Beech restoration:
www.barelyaviated.com
www.barelyaviated.com
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Colonel
- Posts: 2591
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- Location: Over The Runway
There is a different, much more positive attitude towards aviation here, which doesn’t make a lot of sense. You would think Canada with huge open spaces and few roads, would be the biggest promoter of aviation in the world.
If i could sum up Canada’s attitude towards aviation in one word, it would be - Resentment.
Contrast here is crazy. Half of the engineers in my group at my non-aviation company are pilots. Orville and Wlibur are viewed as gods.
If i could sum up Canada’s attitude towards aviation in one word, it would be - Resentment.
Contrast here is crazy. Half of the engineers in my group at my non-aviation company are pilots. Orville and Wlibur are viewed as gods.
Neil Peart didn’t need you to be his friend
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