“How to Make ‘Star’ Runways Work” – By Adam Sereika

 

This is a step-by-step “how to” in making crosswind runways usable and used by AI aircraft, as well as your own.  There are no real specific explanations, just what to click and type to get it to work properly.  This is basically just what I have learned to make this particular technique work.

 

The idea is to have the main runways working, as well as any nonparallel runways, at the same time.

 

For this example, we will be using Fort Lauderdale International. 

 

Step 1.

 

Call up your AFCAD program and select “KFLL.”

 

  

Step 2.

 

Select the crosswind runway properties.

 

 

Step 3.

 

Make a note on a piece of paper of the Magnetic Heading of the runway which is 140.8.

 

 

Step 4.

 

Select one of the parallel runways properties.

 

 

 

Step 5.

 

Make a note on the same piece of paper the Magnetic heading of this runway which is 95.5.

 

NOTE- You are now about to make the “star” of runways. (They are called this because when you are done, the grouping of runways you will make kind of looks like a star on the AFCAD screen)  There are a few things to remember.

1.      You must always list your runway labels from the smaller to the larger numbers.  Make sure your runways reads “1/19” not “19/1.”

2.      Make sure you do not repeat already existing runway designations on the runway list.  If there is already a “1/19,” do not use it again for your “star” runways.  You can use any runway designation you want, just make sure you don’t repeat any already existing runway labels.

 

 

 

Step 6.

 

Start with the smaller of the two headings, and add 7.9 until you get within 7.9 of the biggest heading number.  Mark down each total from adding 7.9 to the individual headings.  Flight Sim will not work the runways together if they are greater than 8.0 degrees apart.  That is why you use 7.9 for the measurement.

 

Here is an example.

 

We will start with the heading for Runway 9L & R which is 95.5.  Add 7.9 to it and get 103.4.  Add 7.9 to 103.4 and get 111.3.  Go on so the list looks like this;

 

Runway 9/27 – 95.5 + 7.9 = 103.4

Runway 1/19 – 103.4 + 7.9 = 111.3

Runway 2/20 – 111.3 + 7.9 = 119.2

Runway 3/21 – 119.2 + 7.9 = 127.1

Runway 4/22 – 127.1 + 7.9 = 135.0

Runway 5/23 – 135.0

Runway 13/31 – 140.6

 

You will see that 135.0 is only 5.6 away from 140.6, so you stop your list there.

 

Step 7.

 

Now you have to create a made up Outter Marker (OM) for the airport.  Place it 95 nm off the end of any runway. 

 

  1. Click on “Insert,” then “Marker Beacon.”
  2. Check “Outter Marker,” then make your distance 50nm.
  3. You don’t have to name it, but you can if you want.

 

 

  

Step 8.

 

Now, if you zoom out really far from your airport, you can see the OM you just made.  Zoom back in on the new OM, and select the properties for it.  Mark down the coordinates for the OM.

 

You see they are : N26* 40.3783'

                              W80* 48.7990'

 

NOTE – If you move your mouse cursor just outside of the OM, you can mark down the coordinates of where you cursor happens to be.  You can see them on the bottom of the AFCAD screen.

 

These are going to be to coordinates you use for the runways you are going to insert.

 

 

Step 9.

 

Select “Insert,” then “Runway” on the Tool Bar.  You will then see the properties for the new runway.

 

 

  

Step 10.

 

Enter in the new runway properties.  On the new properties screen you must do the following:

 

1.      Select both runways closed for landings and takeoffs

2.      Make the runway length 10ft. and the width 10ft.

3.      From the bottom number, select the smaller runway heading number

a.       If you are going to use Runway 1/19 as your first, select “01” from the bottom runway number selection.

4.      Enter in the coordinates of the OM

5.      Type the number in the True Heading that will give you the Magnetic Heading desired from the math that was done earlier.

a.       Notice that 98.3 was needed to get 103.4 because of the Magnetic Variation.  We know it has to be 103.4 because of the addition we did earlier for the runway headings.

            6.  Uncheck the markings 

 

Step 11.

 

Repeat Step 9 and 10 until you have inserted all the new “star” runways, ensuring to give a different name to each new runway.  You should have done a total of 5 new runways for KFLL.  If the angle between the runways had been smaller, there would have been less “star” runways.  Had the angle been larger, there would have been more.

 

Step 12.

 

Select “Lists,” then “Runways.”

 

 

You will see all the runways for the airport, including the ones you just made.

  

 

Step 13.

 

Place the runways in order (smaller to larger) by the heading numbers you found earlier by adding 7.9.  So, the runway at the top of the list is going to be the 9/27 series, then 1/19, then 2/20 . . . ending with 13/31. 

 

This now places all your runways in order from the smallest number to the largest number, with respect to heading numbers.  So, as a result, the heading for the runways in the list run from 95.5 to 140.6.

 

 

Step 14.

 

Now, having rearranged your runway list you have to go back and rename the black runway lines on the AFCAD diagram.  You can do this one of two ways.

 

  1. First, right click on the line and go to the “Designator” block and select the correct runway.

 

  1. Click on the line, delete it, and then redraw the black line connecting the blue nodes in the picture of the runway you see.  AFCAD will automatically name it properly for you.

 

  

Step 15.

 

Make sure all the runways on the AFCAD diagram that are really used for the planes are open for landing and take off.  No check marks.

 

 

Step 16.

 

Click on “Tools” and select “Fault Finder.”  This will help you make sure your airport is okay.

 

 

Step 17.

 

Save your work.

 

It seems like a lot at first, but all you really have to do is make an Outter Marker 95 nm out, place the new “star” runways at the OM ensuring each new runway is 7.9, or less, from each other in their heading, rearrange the runway list so the runways are from the smallest to the largest heading, rename your black runway lines, and save.

 

It is really that easy.  Now, in this case, planes and ATC will use the 9 series runways, as well as 13 for landings and take offs, if the winds are from the East.

 

You can check out the Forums at http://www.flightsimmer.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=3 and look for the thread in the “PAI-AFCAD Discussions” Forum titled “How to Activate Non-Parallel Runways.”  There are many good tips and insights here.

 

Credit for this goes to Jim “Jville,” and Reggie Fields.  None of this above is anything that I discovered.