CyberAirVA

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STAR

STAR stands for Standard Instrument Arrival Route and is an official procedure for arriving to airports. The STAR usually doesn't go right up to the runway. Some of them will end at a point, where the approach control will vector the aircraft in to the runway. Some will end at a position for a straight in approach, and some will end so that a procedure turn is needed.
Below is an example of an STAR, it's for KLAS, Las Vegas.
1. At the left upper side we in this case find that it is a STAR.
2. In the lower left corner we find the airport it's for, Las Vegas.
3. In the upper left corner we find the notes box. Here we will find information concerning the STAR.

So how to use it? Let's take an example.
We have been cleared for a Hanksville approach to Mc Carran.

(1) Let's check the notes box. It tells us the route inbound for the Hanksville approach. In this case HVE-R214 HVE/R041 BLD-WOOLF-HIGGS-PUNNS-CROWE

(2) Ok, so what now? If we read the STAR we can see that we simply follow the route from the notes box, up until CROWE. After CROWE we will have a straight in approach to either runway 25L or 25R.

So that wasn't that hard was it?
Of course it will greatly help if you have a flight management system, or some other navigation system than the VOR and NDB, since you won't be able to get the fixes in those once. If you don't have a FMS, just ask the ATC for a heading.

Also notice the Holding pattern at HIGGS, these are used to stack the aircraft in one place so to speak. You can see that after passing HIGGS you will make a right turn to a new heading of 026 degrees, the return direction is 206 degrees.
The holding pattern is divided into four elements: inbound, fix end, outbound and outbound end.
The holding pattern legs are timed. this means that we fly every leg for one minute (one and a half minute if over 14 000ft). In the states we should time the inbound leg, but in most other countries the outbound leg is recommended to be timed. Anyway here is how we do it.

(1) After passing the fix we make the fix end turn to our new course (i.e. 026). Just as the turn is completed we start to time. After one minute we commence the outbound end turn. So now we have timed the outbound leg.

(2) So now lets time the inbound leg. It works in the same way as the above example, except here we start timing after the inbound end turn. Hopefully we will get about a minute before passing the fix.

Note that if Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) is used we can define the legs range by distance instead of time. These makes the holding area more precise. See below.

Notes
* that the EXPECT TO CROSS AT is just what it sounds like, the altitude which you will probably be cleared to cross at or below.
* that the holding pattern fix, can be a VOR.
* that all of the procedures describes above will need quite a lot of practice, so do just that!
* that when the holding pattern contains right turns it is called a standard holding pattern, and when it contains left turns it is called a non standard holding pattern.

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