The Soup at LAS

[tyketto]

So I'm back here at LAS for a convention (glad to have that apartment! ) and am on my way back to NorCal. Sitting in the airport, I'm on my scanner for Tower, and have earphones on the LAS feed, and the soup has pilots going crazy. The ATIS:

KLAS 310256Z 15008G22KT 10SM VCTS FEW100CB BKN160 BKN200 33/15 A2973 RMK AO2 SLP037 FRQ LTGICCG SE FRQ LTGCG DSNT NE AND E TS SE STNRY CB DSNT NE AND E 60000 T03330150 53020
KLAS 310156Z 16013G21KT 10SM VCTS FEW100CB BKN160 BKN200 34/16 A2969 RMK AO2 RAB12E24 SLP024 OCNL LTGCG E AND SE TS E AND SE STNRY SH SE P0000 T03390156

The wind is slowly turning east/southeast. Currently ATC is reporting it as 12018G22, making landing on 25L/R harsh. The storm is currently in the east/southeast with the lightning, and stationary. If the winds move any further east and stay at that strength, it will cause the 19s and 7s to be used, making every flight fly directly into it.

Everyone flying east towards Dove Creek/Denver and all points northeast are being given 20 miles in trail spacing by LA Center, o there are delays all over the place. All of this makes for a good night for the LAS feed. So give Glenn's machine some heartburn!   

BL.

[KSYR-pjr]

Wow, it seems from the detailed information in the AWOS's remarks section that KLAS doesn't get a lot of thunderstorms.      That AWOS is just another (summer) day in paradise at any airport east of the Mississippi River.

[tyketto]

Wow, it seems from the detailed information in the AWOS's remarks section that KLAS doesn't get a lot of thunderstorms.      That AWOS is just another (summer) day in paradise at any airport east of the Mississippi River.

Got to love monsoon season!

Within the span of 15 minutes, there were 5 ATIS changes, and 3 runway configuration changes. An hour before I made my way to the gate (read: on Sunset Blvd listening to ATC and planespotting) they were still in normal ops (landing 25L and 19L/R, departing 25R and 19L/R); they were still at that by the time I got to the C gates. That was about 10 minutes before I posted. 5 minutes after that post, they went from normal ops to one of their East Ops setups, with landing 19L/R and 7R, and departing 7L at A8. As the wind kept changing, because it ended at 060/19 another 5 minutes later, they changed to their second east Ops setup, landing 1L/R, departing 7L at A8 for all commercial/IFR, 1L at W for all VFR traffic. This is with the lightning and storms in all quadrants. And to top it off, most of the lightning, let alone most lightning in the desert, never stays in the clouds. There were about 95 cloud to ground strikes in a 25 minute period.

It is a rarity when you NEVER see the sun in Las Vegas; this was one of them.

BL.

[edro20]

I have flown dual (instructor) in conditions worse that that in a Cherokee 140. I apologize for sounding cocky, but the big iron pilots should be able to handle that with little problem. The mentioned flight was about 5KTS above the demonstrated capability of the airplane as far as crosswind. My CFI was telling me to "PULL" and I was. With a cross-control (read slip) config. the aircraft was fairly stable and descending. As we flared my CFI was shouting "pull, pull" he was a little surprised when he grabbed the yoke and announced that we're maxed out. We landed and he immediately called the rest of the students that day and cancelled. LOL. I lived to tell it.

[tyketto]

I have flown dual (instructor) in conditions worse that that in a Cherokee 140. I apologize for sounding cocky, but the big iron pilots should be able to handle that with little problem. The mentioned flight was about 5KTS above the demonstrated capability of the airplane as far as crosswind. My CFI was telling me to "PULL" and I was. With a cross-control (read slip) config. the aircraft was fairly stable and descending. As we flared my CFI was shouting "pull, pull" he was a little surprised when he grabbed the yoke and announced that we're maxed out. We landed and he immediately called the rest of the students that day and cancelled. LOL. I lived to tell it.

Oh, they were definitely able to handle it without any problem. But having lived there, it's a rarity that they go through 3 of the 4 possible runway configs in a short period of time. Most of the time they stick with one, perhaps 2 throughout an entire day, but 3 within that short period of time is an extreme rarity.

Also, it's getting even more fun:

KLAS 011856Z 19008KT 10SM -RA FEW060 BKN080 BKN120 24/20 A2995 RMK AO2 TSE36 SLP117 CB DSNT SW P0002 T02440200
KLAS 011840Z 23007KT 10SM -RA SCT060CB BKN080 BKN120 24/19 A2995 RMK AO2 TSE36 OCNL LTGCCCG DSNT SW-W CB SW-W MOV NW P0002
KLAS 011756Z 24010KT 8SM -TSRA SCT060CB BKN080 BKN120 24/21 A2994 RMK AO2 TSB14RAB31 SLP113 OCNL LTGCG SW TS SW MOV NW CB DSNT NW P0016 60016 T02390211 10306 20239 51020
KLAS 011716Z 26012KT 10SM TS SCT050CB BKN080 BKN120 26/19 A2994 RMK AO2 TSB14 FRQ LTGCG E TS E MOV NW CB DSNT S AND NW VCSH

For a place that rarely uses instrument approaches, KLAS is all ILS 25L with very few going to 19L/R. Generally Vegas is all visual approaches.

BL.

[edro20]

Ah, tyketto I failed to understand the weather dynamic as fas ar ATC. Per the posted METARs/FA the winds made a pretty good swing in aprrox 2 hrs. I imagine that this was the original issue. I am afraid that I didn't understand the situation as you presented it. I thought of it as one landing. The ATC matter was much greater. I stand corrected. Thanks!!

Edro