As a military aviation enthusiast, and member of Team DynamX, a lot of the time I spend on Infinite Flight involves flying fast jets at high speed and low altitude, energetic manoeuvres and formation flying. I’m sure that there are many others who enjoy this kind of flying. The addition of an ATC option for a run and break would make for more exciting arrivals at controlled fields.
For those who aren’t aware, a run and break is a method of entering the traffic pattern, which is often performed at military bases. It involves flying the aircraft - usually a fast jet - at low altitude above the runway at high speed. At some point, usually above the runway mid point, the aircraft makes a sharp turn, or “break” to either the left or right. During the turn, the aircraft looses speed and is configured for landing (flaps, gear etc). This turn also places the aircraft onto either the left or right downwind pattern leg. The aircraft then turns base and final before landing as normal.
A Eurofighter Typhoon breaks away from formation before landing at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland.
Understandably, this is a risky manoeuvre at controlled fields, since there is currently no way to obtain explicit permission from ATC.
I don’t imagine that adding a simple option in the ATC menu for the run and break would be a particularly difficult feature to add. All that’s needed is something like "[Callsign], request run and break runway . ATC can then approve or deny the request, instructing the pilot to enter either the left or right hand pattern as appropriate. It may also be advisable to make this feature only available to fighters, so we dont get people in A380s asking for a run and break at Heathrow. That would be silly.
If you agree that this would be a good addition, please consider giving this a vote, or show your support in the comment below.
It’s also called Initial Approach or Overhead Approach. In my understanding it means that you approach at a low altitude at high speed right next to the runway (The Run) before you do a 180 degrees turn (The Break) and land.
It sounds like a fun and challenging maneuver, but I don’t see it being added as a ATC command because it may be a bit to complicated to understand. Especially on TS1.
The people who don’t understand what a run and break is, don’t have to use the command. I’m sure if it were added someone would make a tutorial about it.
We’re talking about TS1 here. Of course they are going to use it even though they have no idea what it means. They’ll probably think that’s some fun way of Touch and Go.
It might be an option making it available only for Expert though.
ATC on TS1 is always going to be a mess. There’s always going to be people who don’t understand what they’re doing regardless of if new ATC features are implemented or not.
This would be awesome. Sometimes I do it with controllers with prior coordination. I know this as an overhead maneuver or break. Used in situations for military aircraft who have an operational necessity to be able to recover to the airport coming in at a fast speed and low altitude, the break uses aerodynamics to slow the plane down naturally to an approach speed directly over the airport. I think it would be a great addition, but completely understand any arguments against this. Maybe if it could be authorized at military airports only that’d be a start. It would honesty just wreck havoc in the game at a busy civil airport. Requires a lot of sequencing and not everyone would understand it. I deal with this maneuver every single day at NPA, doesn’t work too well with jets and air carriers mixed lol.
