Author Topic: Landing and departure visualized  (Read 22599 times)

Offline rekno13

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Landing and departure visualized
« on: October 23, 2009, 03:03:38 PM »
Hey all.

I know this probably isn't the right place, since we're mostly listeners, but this is the only air community I belong to so, here goes!

I started a series of graphic design art using data from flightaware and atc (to know which runways) and created these below. There are some interpretive scaling, like the distance between the NYC airports relative to their runway length etc. The paths itself I stay as truthful to their actual path as possible, with some interpretation using airport diagrams for things like JFK departure over breezy.

Different airlines are different color, so JFK has a lot of blue : )

(its big, so image link instead of embedded)

http://imgur.com/pbkqj.jpg
http://imgur.com/4eqGZ.jpg
« Last Edit: October 23, 2009, 03:06:07 PM by rekno13 »



Offline Pilot3033

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2009, 01:18:38 AM »
Neat project! It really gives you a good idea of how the FAA has designed SIDs and STARs to consolidate traffic into "lanes."

LAX You can clearly see where they want all their traffic to go (and is a fairly simple, easy setup, and what looks like a few sidesteps). While at JFK You can see how they must deal with aircraft landing and departing in all directions, and the use of runways designated for specific directions, as well as the split depending on the direction of flight and assigned "climb."

Simple, effective visualization.

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2009, 04:20:07 AM »
Its really fun to see all the patterns they use. It is interesting to show people that have no idea about ATC and how it works, and they realize how it all fits together.

Here is one that is in progress today:
http://imgur.com/XotNU.jpg

I only have the arrivals done for now. I heard on the ATC archive that airforce one landed early in the hour. Not sure if that explains the holding patterns? I know departure was on hold.

A new addition is the line being more weighted for heavier jets. like 747s.


Offline sykocus

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2009, 07:58:31 AM »
That's pretty cool. I'd be interested in the process you use to make them.

Offline mrhahn

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2009, 08:41:00 AM »
Wow, that's really cool! Looking forward to your future pieces.

Offline w0x0f

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2009, 09:25:16 PM »
Neat project! It really gives you a good idea of how the FAA has designed SIDs and STARs to consolidate traffic into "lanes.
 

This is exactly how RNAV SIDS and STARS are designed.  The MITRE corporation developed a program called TARGETS which shows historical vectoring patterns.  Strike a line down the middle of the recorded paths adding flyby wayoints at the turns and there is your route.  TARGETS then checks the flyablity of the route.

 Very cool project rekno 13.

w0x0f

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2009, 11:20:51 PM »
Ah, thanks for all the feedbacks!

sykocus, besides flightaware and ATC recordings its just Illustrator and manually mapping the path.

I'll be doing more with different airports for sure. I'll post them here when I get them.

Offline Pilot3033

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2009, 11:34:08 PM »
Neat project! It really gives you a good idea of how the FAA has designed SIDs and STARs to consolidate traffic into "lanes.
 

This is exactly how RNAV SIDS and STARS are designed.  The MITRE corporation developed a program called TARGETS which shows historical vectoring patterns.  Strike a line down the middle of the recorded paths adding flyby wayoints at the turns and there is your route.  TARGETS then checks the flyablity of the route.

 Very cool project rekno 13.

w0x0f
I'm well aware of SIDs and STARs, as I use them often ;) Didn't know about their history though, pretty interesting.

Offline craigs1001

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #8 on: October 24, 2009, 11:57:23 PM »
Wow.... This is cool stuff.  You may be on to something!  :wink:

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2009, 05:15:57 AM »
:D All the positive response is making me work on it more!

Here is an update of the 23rd NYC airspace one, now with LGA


http://imgur.com/oqZVQ.jpg

Interesting how little departure came out of JFK for the president, doing LGA was a lot more work.

Turned out I randomly chose an interesting time. Apparently LGA switched landing approach towards the end of the hour, so there are landings going from both north and south into LGA
« Last Edit: October 25, 2009, 05:17:47 AM by rekno13 »

Offline Squawk 7700

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #10 on: October 25, 2009, 12:54:46 PM »
Excellent art project! I can imagine your work on a canvas and displayed in a gallery with ATC chatter running in the background using a MP3 player set to loop with a small speaker mounted inside the frame. :-D
« Last Edit: October 25, 2009, 12:56:21 PM by Squawk 7700 »

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #11 on: October 25, 2009, 06:29:57 PM »
Haha, nice idea squawk. I had it thinking as far as printing it out, the ATC chatter part is brilliant.

Mmm. I am curious though, if landings are orchestrated to the best wind, how come JFK and LGA landed from two different directions?

Offline dan9125

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #12 on: October 26, 2009, 12:05:29 PM »
Very cool idea....any chance of doing one for KBUF (Buffalo) ?

  dan

Offline tyketto

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #13 on: October 26, 2009, 12:31:08 PM »
Neat project! It really gives you a good idea of how the FAA has designed SIDs and STARs to consolidate traffic into "lanes.
 

This is exactly how RNAV SIDS and STARS are designed.  The MITRE corporation developed a program called TARGETS which shows historical vectoring patterns.  Strike a line down the middle of the recorded paths adding flyby wayoints at the turns and there is your route.  TARGETS then checks the flyablity of the route.

 Very cool project rekno 13.

w0x0f

All the more reason why I'd love to see one of these for KLAS. That was one of, if not the first airport to put RNAV procedures in place (they started in 2001). 8 years later, we're in stage 5 or 6 of those, especially with the STAAV departure complete rewrite. This would also show how the infamous 'right turnout' is working, for those homeowners complaining about noise from moving onto land that for years was under the airport's departure path.

BL.

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #14 on: October 26, 2009, 01:53:16 PM »
I can do KLAS and KBUF next. What is the most interesting time for those airports?

Like when can I get the right turnout for KLAS?

Offline Squawk 7700

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #15 on: October 26, 2009, 08:28:18 PM »
Rekno - I found what I was looking for that reminded me of your visualizations. I had to dig thru all my favorites to find it. Here is the link:

I like your work. Pretty neat.  :-D

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #16 on: October 26, 2009, 10:46:05 PM »
Hey that is pretty cool. I saw a few of those that were in the "related" video part of youtube but never that specific one. Airplane flight routs are so pretty!

Update: Just finish BUF. Didn't want to use up a line so just modifying this post:

http://imgur.com/SBR3c.jpg

Also, trying to finish the NYC one, but EWR feed is down, not sure how to tell what runways they landed on since there are parallels. : (

Update 2: NYC airspace done (except for the EWR runway accuracy)
http://i.imgur.com/CziiQ.jpg
« Last Edit: October 27, 2009, 03:26:19 AM by rekno13 »

Offline tyketto

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #17 on: October 27, 2009, 12:32:02 PM »
I can do KLAS and KBUF next. What is the most interesting time for those airports?

Like when can I get the right turnout for KLAS?

You'll generally catch the STAAV4 departure (that's the RNAV SID that does the right turnout) any time Configuration #1 is in use (read: calm wind runways. Those would be 25L/R and 19L/R in use). If winds are less than 10kts from any direction, you should catch those, so definitely check the METAR and TAFs for that given day.

I hate to say this, but you may have to do multiple times for this and other airports, given the different configurations they have. For this time of year, #1 and #3 are used mainly at LAS, depending on winds (#3 is landing 25L, landing and departing 1L/R; there are 7 different configs at LAS). But for the STAAV SID, it is only used in #1.

BL.

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #18 on: October 27, 2009, 01:51:26 PM »
Cool. Yeah I planned to do different times for places like NYC, because of their dramatic changes in Pattern.


Offline dorishd0

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #19 on: October 27, 2009, 09:07:19 PM »
there was one of these for all ny airports simulaneously. I will try and find it. Cool stuff

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #20 on: October 28, 2009, 12:25:04 AM »
I was looking at flightaware METAR data, how would I know which procedures were used at what time?

Also guess it was too windy for 25L/R takeoffs today, hearing and seeing 1L/Rs

Update:

http://imgur.com/eN1yE.jpg

Take off on 1R landings on 25L and 1L (didn't hear 25R mentioned I think, except to cross it)
« Last Edit: October 28, 2009, 02:39:55 AM by rekno13 »

Offline tyketto

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #21 on: October 28, 2009, 04:13:36 AM »
I was looking at flightaware METAR data, how would I know which procedures were used at what time?

Also guess it was too windy for 25L/R takeoffs today, hearing and seeing 1L/Rs

Update:

http://imgur.com/eN1yE.jpg

Take off on 1R landings on 25L and 1L (didn't hear 25R mentioned I think, except to cross it)

This would be Configuration #3. 25L and 1L are used for arrivals, with 1L and 1R for departures. 25R is not active in this setup and is controlled by ground.

This is pretty freakin' sweet. Thank you! Mind if I repost this in another forum? credit will go to you, of course.

BL.

Offline Steelrman

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #22 on: October 28, 2009, 10:29:52 AM »
I have a dumb question.  Are these color coded by airline? I love the different colors but didn't see a map legend to explain them.  Thanks.

Offline rekno13

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #23 on: October 28, 2009, 02:41:55 PM »
Hey tyketto.

Sure you can share it. I have some local interest for art prints so that might be available at some point. Like you can get one already made or have a custom one where you pick the airport and time. Still working out the details but will keep you informed.

Steelrman, they are coded by airlines. Which is neat cause JFK you see dominantly the blue for JetBlue, and LAS you see all the orange for Southwest. It wasn't meant to be a diagram and more an abstract piece which is why the legends were not placed on the pieces. But I will provide that separately later when I get home.

Update: Airline colors: http://imgur.com/4xfKY.png

The problem is, hard to pick a special color sometimes. But I tried to make the more prominent ones brighter. Shrug. I'll be doing some revisions in the future to the color chart.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2009, 01:31:05 AM by rekno13 »

Offline squeegeeboy

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Re: Landing and departure visualized
« Reply #24 on: October 29, 2009, 02:57:11 AM »
Very cool man! I've been really interested in infographics as of late and this definitely piqued my interest. Would love to see one for Austin (KAUS) *nudge, nudge*. :)

How much time does it take to do each one, and are you just sampling each airport's flightaware.com and liveatc data for a random amount of time or is it more "setup" than that? Hope that makes sense.