STAR's

There's a piece of software available from www.simw.com called "Sim Plates" that has pretty much all US STARS details.... (plus a selection from Europe).

Check it out, and see if it's what you're after.

STAR?????????? what is that? I heard about it but don't know what it is

Blake14 wrote:

STAR?????????? what is that? I heard about it but don't know what it is

This should explain it.

http://www.navdata.at/php/sidstar/sidstar.php

Thank you very much, I will check that out.

Blake: STAR is STandard Terminal Arrival.

Check www.airnav.com and look up a major airport, and near the bottom, you can pull up STAR's, Departure procedures, and all the published approaches for each runway the airport has, RNAV, NDB, ILS, etc.

thanks for the info all of you

I want to make sure I am understanding this well. ARe the STAR's the approach charts to the airports? The ones that they give you in FS9 in the lessons in the instrument ratings. If yes, I am highly familiar with those. I just didn't know the name.
THanx

This may be just as matter of semantics but STAR's are not approach charts. The approach charts are GPS, ILS, VOR, or NDB procedures that begin within 10-15 miles of the destination runway and terminate with a landing.

STAR's are defined and published procedures for arriving at the place where you can begin your approach and start a much further distance from the destination (25-100 miles-sometimes further).

Their close cousin is the SID (Standard Instrument Departure). Both SID's and STAR's are a simple and condensed way for the pilot and controller to communicate sometimes lengthy and complicated instructions for turns, fixes, and altitude assignments.

OOH Ok, SO the STAR's get you to the place where you start your approach on the approach charts. But do pilots use them often?

SID's and STAR's are used extensively in commercial and airline operations and, to as lesser degree, in general aviation operations. In the US, a SID or a STAR can be issued by ATC for any instrument flight plan unless the filed flight plan states "No SID/STAR" in the comments section.

The reasons GA pilots don't use them as often is that GA operations are more often single pilot and a SID/STAR is another chart that has to be handled, understood, and complied with during low level operations. Some STAR's are also designed for jet performance and light prop planes are not capable of flying them due to climb rates.

[quote="Don Wood"
STAR's are defined and published procedures for arriving at the place where you can begin your approach and start a much further distance from the destination (25-100 miles-sometimes further).
[/quote]

Yes, STAR can be what I would call very far from the area where the runway procedures begin. The STAR that I mentioned in the first post begins at a FIX called VISQA which is located in Tennessee just west of KBNA. This is a pretty good distance from KSTL!