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Request for passive VASI info.

az_gila

az_gila

Well Known Member
Guys,

Have any of you seen the "Alignment of Element System" that is a poor man's VASI for daytime VFR use?

The use of it is described in the AIM with this figure - they are described as plywood panels, not lights -

Alignment.gif


After some low flying complaints at our Airpark we are considering this system and I was wondering about pilot's comments if they have used one.

I would also like to know specific dimensions of a useful system. The AIM says it's for use up to 3/4 mile out, and that would be just right in our situation.

Does anyone operate from an airfield with this system?

Thanks in advance for any useful information - gil A
 
az_gila said:
Guys,

Have any of you seen the "Alignment of Element System" that is a poor man's VASI for daytime VFR use?

The use of it is described in the AIM with this figure - they are described as plywood panels, not lights -

Alignment.gif


After some low flying complaints at our Airpark we are considering this system and I was wondering about pilot's comments if they have used one.

I would also like to know specific dimensions of a useful system. The AIM says it's for use up to 3/4 mile out, and that would be just right in our situation.

Does anyone operate from an airfield with this system?

Thanks in advance for any useful information - gil A
Click to expand...

I flew into an airport in Central Florida several times that had one. Worked great and intuitive to use!
 
We bought some used LED traffic lights off of ebay to set that system up at our airpark. We had the rows 30ft apart (1 green light, then 2 red on each side) and then had some guys fly the approach. It was reported that they were not very accurate, so to increase resolution, we would have had to put them much farther apart, which would have caused them to be too high off of the ground for our runway.

I plan to try them mounted in a 10ft box to narrow the beam hieght, but can't get enough time on my plane as it is.

All I can say is do the math and then give it try and see how it works for you.
 
W thought about them for our Airpark Gil, but it takes a fair amount of real estate to put out a set that is big enough to see far enough out that it makes a difference, and we didn't have that kind of room. One of our neighbors actually built a VASI, but it wasn't anywhere near bright enough to see until you were so close that it didn't make any difference.

The best thing you can do is try it at your field with some pieces of plywood and some temporary stakes - see if it can be discerned far enough out to help establish a glide slope.

I have a LOT of landings using a Ball Bar system (same concept, but with lights, sort of like Wade describes) with the "heavy glider". We had to pick it up at about two miles flaring through a thousand feet - those lights were BRIGHT to make it work.

I'll be interested to know how big of panels you settle on.

Paul
 
Ironflight said:
W thought about them for our Airpark Gil, but it takes a fair amount of real estate to put out a set that is big enough to see far enough out that it makes a difference, and we didn't have that kind of room. One of our neighbors actually built a VASI, but it wasn't anywhere near bright enough to see until you were so close that it didn't make any difference.

The best thing you can do is try it at your field with some pieces of plywood and some temporary stakes - see if it can be discerned far enough out to help establish a glide slope.

I have a LOT of landings using a Ball Bar system (same concept, but with lights, sort of like Wade describes) with the "heavy glider". We had to pick it up at about two miles flaring through a thousand feet - those lights were BRIGHT to make it work.

I'll be interested to know how big of panels you settle on.

Paul
Click to expand...

We'll experiment, but right now it's monsoon season...:)

We use the LED traffic lights for runway crossing control and they are hard to see at 1/4 mile in bright sunlight. We also don't have good power up at that end of the runway.

We do have a true VASI for the other direction - the approach direction that doesn't have mountains in the way...:D

Nearby Mogollon Airpark shows a system on their web site, I'll investigate that further. A por pic, but you see the general arrangement. Time to refresh those trig. calculations again.

homepa6.jpg
 
One of the guys at our air park acquired the VASI system from a local IFR airport that upgraded to a better system with a new runway.

But we have no installation instructions so for now it sits in a storage shed. One of these days some of us will take a look at the system and see if we can figure out how to install it.

I like the VFR system described here but I don't think we have room for it either.
 
David-aviator said:
One of the guys at our air park acquired the VASI system from a local IFR airport that upgraded to a better system with a new runway.

But we have no installation instructions so for now it sits in a storage shed. One of these days some of us will take a look at the system and see if we can figure out how to install it.

I like the VFR system described here but I don't think we have room for it either.
Click to expand...

Can you look at it and tell me the electric requirements?

The trouble with a real VASI is that it would get used at night, and we have a 700+ ft (above runway height) hill that is less than 1/2 mile off the approach line at 2 1/2 miles out, as well as numerous smaller hills around in that direction. Apparently a VASI is good to 4 miles out by FAA standards, and pilots would expect standard FAA terrain clearance.
 
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Two sets in Maryland

Freeway Airport (W00) used to have alignment of elements. They used plywood boards painted safety yellow. Instructed a few thousand hours there and found them to be ok during the day... We mostly used an aiming point on the runway and looked out the window. Where it shined was at night. Somebody had the idea to use the long fluorescent tubes, 1 on each panel mounted on the face along the bottom. At night, you couldn't see the panels, but you had 3 tremendous horizontal white "lines" to line up. It worked excellent. This was your typical tight budget small airport (2250x25 back then) with a bunch of trees in the way. They since got a nice chunk of change from the government and put in a vasi. Lee (KANP) was the other I know.
 
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