PILOT REPORTS ATC ASSIGNS THE MIKEE FOUR ARR TO VPC WHEN VPC IS NOT AN APPLICABLE ARPT. PLTS ARE UNABLE TO PROGRAM APCHS FROM THE MIKEE STAR TO VPC.

Date: 2007-07 · Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

PILOT REPORTS ATC ASSIGNS THE MIKEE FOUR ARR TO VPC WHEN VPC IS NOT AN APPLICABLE ARPT. PLTS ARE UNABLE TO PROGRAM APCHS FROM THE MIKEE STAR TO VPC.

Narrative

AS HAS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS; ATLANTA CENTER; AT THE REQUEST OF ATLANTA APCH; ASSIGNED THE MIKEE 4 STAR TO THE CARTERSVILLE; GA; ARPT (VPC). THIS PROC DOES NOT EXIST; AS VPC IS NOT SHOWN ON THE ARR. ATLANTA APCH CTLRS WITH WHOM I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE HAVE INDICATED THAT THEIR COMPUTERIZED ARR PROFILES INCLUDE THIS NONCOMPLIANT PROC AND MANDATE ITS ASSIGNMENT. CERTAIN FMS AND GPS SYSTEMS DO NOT ALLOW MODIFICATION OF STARS TO INCLUDE DESTS NOT SHOWN IN THE PROCS; FORCING CREWS TO INVENT SOLUTIONS DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT. THE USE OF STANDARDIZED ARR CORRIDORS LIKE THE MIKEE ARR IS IMPORTANT IN MANAGING THE HIGH VOLUME OF TFC TO SATELLITE ARPTS IN THE VICINITY OF ATLANTA HARTSFIELD/JACKSON ARPT (ATL). THE EASIEST SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE ADDING VPC TO THIS ARR PROC; AS CTLRS HAVE SUGGESTED IN THEIR OWN RPTING CHANNELS.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE HAS BEEN TRYING FOR SOME TIME TO HAVE VPC ADDED TO THE MIKEE FOUR ARR BUT NO ONE HAS LISTENED TO HIM. CURRENTLY PLTS ARE VECTORED TO THE ARPT TO RPT IT IN SIGHT. DURING IMC; PLTS PROGRAM THE FMS TO AN FMS AVAILABLE ARPT AND FROM THAT ARPT TO A VPC APCH. THE ATC CTLRS UNDERSTAND THIS DILEMMA BUT ARE UNABLE TO EFFECT A CHART CHANGE THEMSELVES. THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THE SIMPLEST CHANGE ALLOWING CREWS TO PROGRAM APCHES DIRECTLY TO VPC AFTER MIKEE IS TO LIST VPC AS A POSSIBLE DEST ON THIS ARR; THEREBY ALLOWING CHARTING PROCS COMPANIES AN AVENUE IN THE FMS PROGRAMMING TO PROCEED FROM MIKEE TO A VPC IAF. BUNNI INTXN TO ATL IS NEARLY DIRECTLY OVER THE EVZ FAF TO VPC RWY 19 BUT NORMAL PROFILING ON THE ATL ARR CROSSES BUNNI AT 8;000 FT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.