posted on Apr, 27 2010 @ 03:30 AM
I have a few Janet flights put into a gpx file. In addition, the file contains waypoints from some analysis done on the vatsim forum that
unfortunately has left the net. [I tried to get the permission of the forum to copy it, but got no reply.] Thus the GPS contains tracks from
flightaware that I hand copied into a gpx file since this predates the ability of flightaware to make files compatible with google earth. It also
contains guesses at the aviation fixes on the range, but these are merely guesses. I just happen to think these guys did a good job, though I'm not
convinced they nailed PYRAMID.
There is much confusion over PYRAMID and the PYD beacon. You can get the coordinates of all the Nellis range beacons I could find on google earth
at:
Nellis range beacons
The GPX file with the routes is at
www.lazygranch.com...
gpx file
The forum software might mess up the links. What you really want to do is load the link into google earth. This can be done by either saving the link
contents on your hard drive, or opening up the URL as a network link. Internet Explorer has issues with GPX files the last time I checked.
If you paste in the location of PYD, you can see that the planes do head in the direction of this beacon for a while, though they don't fly over it.
Hey, it's a free country, er more or less. You don't have fly to a beacon. That is, you can use them just for getting a vector in a given
direction.
I can't vouch for the accuracy of the fixes FIDOE. SHOWW and pyramid. Remember, they are just some opinion of the locations. FIDOE and SHOWW are
reserved names in the FAA database, but their locations are not filed with the FAA. Here is a FOIA regarding that.
FOIA for Nellis fixes
Other than beacons, which have a physical presence, I think you should always be a bit skeptical regarding anyone telling you where they think these
fixes are located. Most are just educated guesses since the landing procedures are not published.