What aircraft type is it, and was it an instrument approach at all? That final (right) turn doesn’t look like a LOC intercept to me, especially with the concurrent descent. Also the runway doesn’t appear to have ILS antennae, or any other approach aids apart from the PAPIs. Are there any curved GPS approaches yet?
[ edited 4/2022 as the original video went offline ]
That looks like either an A319, 20 or 21.
It looks like a Jet Star one to me, as the nose is silver.
Seen this too, and found it really strange. Under which flight rules can one skim along the mountaintops like that and, seconds later, descend through a cloud deck?
Great video!
RNP procedure. Curved paths are RF legs (radius to fix). It requires special equipment and pilot authorization. Both curved lateral paths and vertical navigation within very tight RNP criteria. The Garmin WAAS GPS units have the capability of flying the curved paths, but the software is not enabled. FAA position is that GA pilots can’t meet the requirements for flying RF legs. They tasked Garmin to do a study and white paper to determine the minimum equipment required and if pilots of all levels were capable of flying them. The conclusion from the Garmin study was that a FD and/or GPSS was not required for the pilot to fly the course, neither was a moving map although a moving map made it easier. FAA hasn’t yet acted on the Garmin study results.
The video is much speeded up. That is obvious from the landing phase at the end. That also means that the flight over the mountains was with a much higher terrain clearance than appears in the video – probably 10000ft above.
However there is no way anybody is going to do a commercial op involving descent through cloud like that without instrument guidance of some sort.
What is the name / ICAO code of this place?
It is Queenstown in NZ. The curved path brings you right around a mountain.
RF legs are just the GPS equivalent of DME arcs right?
ICAO is NZQN.
The AIP plates can be found here:
http://www.cyberair-yssy.com/NZQNALL.pdf
It looks pretty cheeky all round – the plates don’t show relief, only spot heights. 300’ DH too.
On a nice day, absolute paradise. At minima, with red either side on the EGPWS it would be a bit of squeaky bum approach.
The Jepp plates are much prettier
The general terrain clearance is about 4000ft.