A Flight Simulator Odyssey

by Charles Gulick

New York's Finest

Chart: New York
Title: INBOUND LGA 22
En Route Coordinates:
   Aircraft: N17122, E21047
   Tower: N17095.510, E21027.074
Altitude:
   Aircraft: 1500
   Tower: 28
Heading: 254
Time: Daylight

You're over the southern tip of Long Island Sound, on a diagonal approach to and cleared to land on Runway 22 at La Guardia Airport. The near bridge is the Throg's Neck and the other one is the Bronx-Whitestone. You see a little of the Bronx on your right. La Guardia is on the Queens side of the East River, the latter being the name of the continuation of Long Island Sound at this point. Runway 22 reaches right out to the water's edge. Field elevation is 22 feet.

You'll want to start your descent promptly. Wait to turn to your final approach until the runway is well to the left on your windshield, and appears almost straight. When you're lined up, try controlling and observing your flare (if you have tower-view capability), as seen by the ground observer.

La Guardia, for simulator pilots, is the best of the two airports close to Manhattan. Its runways are paved, whereas the runways at JFK are just confusing outlines on the grass. (The highly undesirable outline-airport syndrome slowly fades away, happily, with the advent of the Scenery Disks.)

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