Lets take an airport like KVNY for my question....you have a two close parallel runways....one is short and mostly sees piston GA. The other is long and sees all of the jet traffic. Lets assume day VFR. 16L/R What is the ATC standard separation putting dissimilar planes on parallel finals here? Is there a standard? Using Google Maps to measure I see about 380' centerline to centerline between 16R and 16L. Is it acceptable to have jet traffic landing 16R 380' from the wingtip of a piston single on final for 16L? If there are standards or rules that apply to this scenario where would I look?
Well a lot of factors here. We talking VFR aircraft or IFR aircraft? Between two VFRs in a class C nothing. VFR vs IFR, 500 ft vertical or target resolution. Now two IFRs? VNY doesn’t have an IAP to 16L so we don’t have to worry about dual IAPs to parallel runways here. Doesn’t look like there’s enough spacing to run simultaneous IAPs even if they had an IAP for 16L. You could with special approval / monitoring equipment but that’s a whole other deal. So you could have an ILS on 16R with a visual to 16L. Based on the spacing between parallels you’d have to have approved separation with the visual behind the IAP unless visual sep is applied. Without visual sep and typical small / large weight class into VNY, you’re looking at 1,000 vertical or 3miles lateral. Once visual sep is approved, yes, you could have an aircraft off the wing of another aircraft on final. That is unless VNY has some crazy LOA that doesn’t allow any aircraft to overtake another going to the parallel. Also, if you’re a small (probably are) they’ll issue wake turb advisories behind any large, B757 or heavy aircraft. That’s if the parallel is less than 2,500 ft apart (probably is). Some references- 3-2-4 of the AIM. Also if you’re interested in simultaneous IAPs 5-4-13.
There are rules. Depends on type of aircraft aircraft involved. There are 'categories' for this. Do not confuse them with any other use of 'category.' these categories are just for the use of runway separation by controllers. Cat I is the single engine props less than 12,500 lbs. Cat II is multi engine props less than 12,500 lbs. Cat III is all jets and anything over 12,500 lbs. For Cat I and II, it's 300 feet between centerlines and 200 feet between edges. If there is a Cat III it's 500 between centerlines and 400 between edges. If there is a Heavy it's 700 between centerlines and 600 between edges. That's the basics. There is other stuff involving wake turbulence.
PTK in Pontiac, MI is only about 500' apart and I've had pretty much a simultaneous touch down with traffic on the parallel a couple of time. VFR of course.
Here’s where you look. https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/7110.65Y_ATC_Bsc_w_Chg_1_2_dtd_7-16-20.pdf Chapter 3, Section 10 for arrivals. Section 9 is about departures.
The basis of my post comes from getting RAs while being vectored for these visual approaches with parallel traffic very close to us. It seems the system switches to TA Only around 900-1100 agl based on radar altimeter data.......we are flying a sub 30k lbs business jet.
VFR , VMC, IFR, IMC.....traffic in sight or traffic not in sight.....our sop doesn't recognize those things.....nor does TCAS. It only requires we react. A RA is a RA.
I use to fly into PTK a lot over the spring / summer. It was cool to fly the ILS BC then taxi over to Barnstormers for some cheep full service gas! Most of the times I've landed, the parallel runway was closed. I heard Barnstormers is now Signature and they added a .50 fee to the fuel. Figures..
I go in there for Lifeline/Angel Flight and Operation Good Cheer. Slot reservations required for OGC, and they pack you in pretty close.
RAs with parallel ops have been a limitation of the system since TCAS began. Especially with two aircraft aimed at each other on base legs or one in a base leg with another flying a long straight in approach. You said you were flying a business jet? Most have ops specs stating exactly what the crew must do* so there’s no confusion when swapping out crew members. It’s usually written and not optional. * Even Part 91 ops usually have something written over and beyond the RA regs. What does your chief pilot say? Do that.
What TCAS says and what is “legal” per the 7110.65 are not the same thing. In class B airspace VFR and IFR traffic is perfectly legal to cross paths with 500’ vertical separation, but the IFR airliner gets an RA every time it happens. I don’t have an answer for OP other than closely spaced parallel approaches between IFR/VFR aircraft are perfectly legal, but the TCAS logic doesn’t always follow the same criteria.
