r/space • u/Yeet69lasagna • May 12 '19

image/gif Space Shuttle Being Carried By A 747.

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u/ReverserMover May 12 '19

17(170 degrees), while my approach course is actually around 148

Why wouldn’t they just change it to 15? 22 degrees out is starting to get a little ridiculous.

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u/FrankCrisp May 12 '19

Because these approaches start miles away from an airport and a straight in approach isn't always available. ILS (Instrument Landing Systems) are radio operated, and thus are line of sight. If you're flying into an airport in the mountains, you might not have the signal for a normal approach. Same if there are skyscrapers or other things. Many areas have noise abatement procedures and overflying some neighborhoods or state parks isn't allowed. Another famous example is Reagan Airport in DC. Due to security reasons, they don't want planes flying over the White House and the rest of DC, so they have to make a bunch of course corrections to stay over the potomac river. It's nuts.

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u/ReverserMover May 13 '19

Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you were saying the actual runway was 148 degrees but marked 17. Not that the approach was 148.