Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport - @Aceorbit
Midwesterners assemble! With IFATC at home, it’s about time I promote Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport again. If you choose to travel to this airport you will find an emphasis on realistic procedures and operations, which will be in place while at the same time being adapted to Infinite Flight. Let us dive into some useful information.
About Minneapolis/St. Paul International:
Located in the metropolis created by the Twin Cities, the airport is the primary node of air transportation for the region. Once the home of the former great Northwest Airlines, it has now become a comfortable location for Delta who currently hosts one of their largest hubs at the airport and a 53% market share, not counting their regional subsidiaries. The airport also hosts some wings of the United States armed forces, with bot the 934th Airlift Wing and the 133rd Airliftwing operating the C130 out of the north side of the airport.
Airfield Aeronautical Information:
With typical winds from the south in the forecast, expect the use of 12L and 12R throughout the day.
Runway 12R: This runway is for the big boys. If you are a heavy aircraft (B767 or larger, A330 or larger) you should be requesting this runway for takeoff and landing. Therefore, this runway should be used by heavy aircraft departing to or landing from; London, Paris, Amsterdam, Hawaii, Seoul, Tokyo, or any other city in Europe or Asia. This is also a general use runway for Terminal 2 and the Southside of Terminal 1 accommodating departures to the North West, South West, and North as well as departures to the East. East departures require attention to make sure there is not a traffic conflict with other active runways.
Runway 12L: This runway is for the numerous regional jets arriving and departing from Minneapolis St. Paul’s Northside of Terminal 1. If you are departing North, North East, North West, or East, use this runway! This is runway is also used for arriving mainline aircraft from Delta, so if there is not enough space to accommodate you on 30L see if you can grab 30R.
Runway 17: Runway 17 is used to relieve traffic from the 2 main parallel runways, although the traffic at the airport in Infinite Flight will most likely not demand the use of the runway. This runway is most commonly used for aircraft up to a 757 although it may be used by larger aircraft depending on weight and takeoff configuration. This runway is not to be used for landing under typical circumstances.
Runway 4/22: This is a runway you should avoid using as much as possible for anything. With Delta parking aircraft on this runway amid the Coronavirus pandemic, I will attempt to discourage operation from this runway unless absolutely necessary, which probably won’t be likely considering we are in overflight country.
Additional information relating to airport procedures, SIDs/STARs, and area charts may be found at the link below.
https://skyvector.com/airport/MSP/Minneapolis-St-Paul-International-Wold-Chamberlain-Airport
Suggested Routes:
Amid the pandemic, MSP traffic has dropped around 44% compared to just last month. To keep with the theme of trying to run authentic operations tomorrow, I will be recommending current routes that are not canceled at this time.
| Departure/Arrival | Operator | Flight Number | Aircraft | Flight Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KDLH | Delta Connection | SKW3650 | CRJ-200 | 0:44 |
| KORD | United Airlines | UA769 | A320 | 1:15 |
| KSDF | United Parcel Service (UPS) | 5X562 | MD11F | 1:20 |
| KMEM | FedEx | FX1407 | MD11F | 1:30 |
| KDEN | Frontier Airlines | F9459 | A320 | 2:00 |
| KLGA | Delta Airlines | DL968 | A319 | 2:15 |
| KDCA | Delta Airlines | DL1464 | A319 | 2:15 |
| KIAH | Delta Connection | SKW3618 | E170 | 3:00 |
| KPDX | Delta Airlines | DL1626 | B739 | 3:30 |
| KLAX | Delta Airlines | DL1431 | B739 | 3:50 |
General Aviation Services:
Located just off a right turn from 12R, Signature is the designated fixed-base operator at the airport. Feel free to bring your charter or general aviation aircraft in weather you are arriving, departing or transiting. The maximum size of a 757 is applicable, otherwise, it is advised to taxi down to the Humphery remote apron on the south side of the airport for an authentic experience.
The Coronavirus has also reduced traffic to the point where light aircraft are being allowed to operate into the airport, so feel free to bring in your XCub or C172 for some training exercises or patterns!
Duluth International Airport - @Gabe_Z
Credit: www.minnesotamonthly.com
Home to Northern Minnesota and one of the largest fresh lake in the world. This airport has only 2 main routes every day are Minneapolis and Chicago. Let get into it!
About Duluth Internation Airport
The airport is located north of Duluth and Hermantown. It has only one terminal which includes 4 gates. The maximum commercial aircraft is either CRJ-700 or Embraer 145. But that’s not the only thing here at Duluth International Airport. Every year, sometime during July for a 2 day weekend, there is an airshow from the roaring fire truck to Thunderbird. It is also one of the largest airshow in Minnesota. Extra point for Duluth. This airport is mostly GA and some parts of ANG at the airport as well.
Information
ICAO: KDLH
Elevation: 1428’
| Type | Frequency |
|---|---|
| ATIS | 124.1 |
| Ground | 121.9 |
| Tower | 118.3 |
| Departure | 125.45 |
Runway:
The wind will come from south so expect crosswind for most of the day. We will use 9 or 27 and 21 for GA.
9/27:
This is the main runway we will use for departure and arrival. Both do have ILS equipped so that’s good.
3/21:
This is only used for General Aviation so if you are looking from some pattern, then this one will be the ideal runway.
Chart
We use Taxiway A as the main taxiway. If you are simply departing from Runway 9 then use the A for the whole time. Same if you are landing 27 and taxi to the gate as well.
There isn’t any special approach or something like that, but if you are coming from the South where MSP is, you just go into base for 9 and left downwind for 27.
Here’s the airport chart.
Credit: FlightAware
Where to spawn?
Red: This is the General Aviation area, so a lot of spawn to pick.
Blue: This is for the commercial aircraft that will fly from Duluth to Minneapolis or Chicago.
Yellow: This is the Military Area, so if you are into the Military then this area is for you.
Violet: I’m not sure what is this but most likely cargo.
And while you are flying in, there might be a fun little song to listen to! Hope to see some people there.
