JFK ATC transmissions for Dec 23

[mirrodie]

I'm listening to a few right now, thinking I'll hear some interesting things around the holiday and with this pea soup fog.

I recent heard a pilot ask "I'm doing an autoland, please confirm the protected area is up." What does that mean?

[Mateo]

If you've ever been taxiing and noticed a sign near the runway that says 'ILS,' it denotes the ILS critical zone. If an aircraft is doing an autoland, no other aircraft can be in the ILS critical zone. See Section 3-7-5 in the FAA's ATC manual http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/Atc/Chp3/atc0307.html

[nwafan20]

Yup. But what is funny is most airports don't follow that :D, I have seen planes doing ILS landings when planes are crossing the ILS critical area.

[cancidas]

i remember a while ago i was actually flying throught JFK and did a practice approach to the ILS 4L. there were low clouds so the ILS was needed to actually get to the runway, but at 400 feet i broke off. well, tracking the ILS was one thing, when i broke through the clouds i was a good 10* off the centerline of the runway. the cause, an AA 738 sitting in the protected area of the ILS. i broke off, and still logged the ILS approach but was very glad i didn't have to try to land it. it would have been easily done, but i was in a cutlass which maneuvers better than a 744.

[HPNPilot1200]

Yup. But what is funny is most airports don't follow that :D, I have seen planes doing ILS landings when planes are crossing the ILS critical area.

The ILS critical area is only used to ensure the integrity of ILS/MLS course signals whenever conditions are less than reported ceiling 800 feet or visibility less than 2 miles. If conditions do not meet those criteria, the critical area is not used (in most cases).