Where is that fix?

A

aeronav

Pre-Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2018
Messages
44
Display Name
Display name:
AeroNav
IFR student here, sometimes I listen on liveATC to comms traffic on various airports to check how well i can understand it.
One call which I have heard multiple times was on Dallas Lovefield tower freq. telling departing aircraft: "RNAV Dorset Clear for take off " , to which pilots respond: "RNAV to Dorset clear for take off" .
So to my knowledge this call refers to a GPS fix somewhere called dorset where the pilots shall proceed to after take off which is a part of departure procedure.
I have been looking into all departure procedures for KDAL and could not find any fix named Dorset , or doorset (in case i have the spelling wrong) , I also tried to search for it on skyvector.com and couldn't find it.
I think since I have the idea of SIDs right, I am not too worried about not knowing where that is, but it has been bugging me not knowing where that fix is. was wounding is there is someone regularly departing KDAL IFR might know.
 
Waypoints, fixes, and intersections have five characters in their names. In this case the fix for which you are looking is DRSET.
 
MauleSkinner said:
It’s the first fix on the departure for that runway...it’s a “last chance” check to make sure the FMS is properly programmed. Intended to prevent what probably happened to the subject of this thread...
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/air-asia-flight-low-sharp-turn-2017.126420/

the fix you’re looking for is on the CURLO 5 departure.
Click to expand...
wow, thanks, it's actually written as DRSET , which is probably why i could have never found it with my search.
 
Who says the FAA has no sense of humor.

Screenshot_20200620-115551_Pilot.jpg
 
smv said:
Who says the FAA has no sense of humor.
Click to expand...

Omg and check out the IAF for westbound arrivals! I can hear the radio call now "N4808D, proceed Direct SATAN"

To which, my only conceivable reply would simply have to be-

"Roger, N4808D proceeding straight to hell" :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: smv
Nathan Miller said:
Omg and check out the IAF for westbound arrivals! I can hear the radio call now "N4808D, proceed Direct SATAN"

To which, my only conceivable reply would simply have to be-

"Roger, N4808D proceeding straight to hell" :p
Click to expand...

I've seen that plate 100 times and never noticed that lol
 
In the days before 5 Alpha fix names there used to be fix on V97 north of CGT VOR called GAS. ORD approach would often have south arrivals proceed up V97 after CGT for vectors closer to the airport. Every time I would hear at least one troll report "XXX is passing GAS." It was a non-compulsory reporting point and never requested by approach control. I have no doubt they got very tired of it.
 
aterpster said:
...I have no doubt they got very tired of it.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't. :)

to the OP, not directly answering your question but I got a clearance last weekend with a waypoint I couldn't find. I just asked if they could spell it for me. boom, problem solved.
 
This actually has been one of the biggest "challenges" for me as an instrument student. I'm starting to get much more familiar with way points around my airspace, at least to the point where when they say it I know how to spell it, but I can't help but think there must be a LOT of pilots who aren't familiar with an airspace but still get waypoints. However, I don't hear too many pilots actually asking for it to be spelled. Which then makes me think that I should just know it or figure it out faster.

However, what I have learned already is asking for initial vectors.

"N1234, proceed direct WAYPT, blah blah blah blah blah blah."
"Direct WAYPT, blah blah blah, request initial heading vector, N1234."

Now you can breathe while you search the chart in foreflight or input a route into your GPS or whatever you need to do. And worst case, you ask for them to spell it when you can't find it.
 
AU_James said:
This actually has been one of the biggest "challenges" for me as an instrument student. I'm starting to get much more familiar with way points around my airspace, at least to the point where when they say it I know how to spell it, but I can't help but think there must be a LOT of pilots who aren't familiar with an airspace but still get waypoints. However, I don't hear too many pilots actually asking for it to be spelled. Which then makes me think that I should just know it or figure it out faster.
Click to expand...
In my limited experience, if ATC blurts out a waypoint they want you to go to, it's typically one that's already part of the clearance you're currently flying. So if you've got a SID or STAR in your clearance, check those first. If you've got an IFR GPS navigator in the panel, it should be pretty easy to scroll through the flight plan and scan for it.

If they're amending your clearance, they'll say so, and often give you a cue that you're about to get something potentially unfamiliar--"Advise when ready to copy," or somesuch. If you're getting info that's new and not part of your original clearance, it's a little more understandable that you might need a waypoint spelled out. Many of the 5-letter waypoints have pretty obvious intended pronunciations, but the reverse is not true: "STACKS" could easily be "STAKS", "STAKX", or "STAXX", for instance.
 
Don't be afraid to ask ATC to spell a fix if you don't know where to find it.

Also, don't be afraid to ask for an initial vector if program the new routing will take more than a few button pushes.

aterpster said:
In the days before 5 Alpha fix names there used to be fix on V97 north of CGT VOR called GAS.
Click to expand...

I see we now have GASSS waypoint east of Denver.
 
Reminding the group: OP was listening to LiveATC. Can't ask LiveATC to spell out fixes, since he's sitting in front of a PC somewhere, not in an airplane.
 
Ravioli said:
Can't ask LiveATC to spell out fixes, since he's sitting in front of a PC somewhere, not in an airplane.
Click to expand...
Can't or won't? Says a lot about a person.

But seriously, after giving the answer it did spring an interesting conversation about how this works while you're actually in the plane.
 
aeronav said:
IFR student here, sometimes I listen on liveATC to comms traffic on various airports to check how well i can understand it.
One call which I have heard multiple times was on Dallas Lovefield tower freq. telling departing aircraft: "RNAV Dorset Clear for take off " , to which pilots respond: "RNAV to Dorset clear for take off" .
So to my knowledge this call refers to a GPS fix somewhere called dorset where the pilots shall proceed to after take off which is a part of departure procedure.
I have been looking into all departure procedures for KDAL and could not find any fix named Dorset , or doorset (in case i have the spelling wrong) , I also tried to search for it on skyvector.com and couldn't find it.
I think since I have the idea of SIDs right, I am not too worried about not knowing where that is, but it has been bugging me not knowing where that fix is. was wounding is there is someone regularly departing KDAL IFR might know.
Click to expand...


I found this pretty easily.
upload_2020-6-25_10-28-10.png
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7855.PNG
    IMG_7855.PNG
    887.4 KB · Views: 9
I'm not sure I'm appropriately rated for those emojis. :(:oops:
 
RNAV 20R approach at DPA has a fix “FRTZZ”. Most of us at approach call it “Fritz”, a few of us call it “Farts”.

One of the approaches into ARR has “WUYFI”. For years I pronounced it “Woofie”. A pilot once read it back “WiFi” and everything suddenly made sense to me for the rest of the day.
 
Hey, I get to proceed direct to ANUDE when I do my approaches.
KCLE had arrivals from the east going to LEBRON and radar vector to final. I think LEBRON moved to KLAX.
 
Jmcmanna said:
RNAV 20R approach at DPA has a fix “FRTZZ”. Most of us at approach call it “Fritz”, a few of us call it “Farts”.
Click to expand...
"my airplane is on the fritz" is still a pretty good call.
 
AU_James said:
Thanks! I guess I need to try harder to get it across as sarcasm the next time.
Click to expand...

Oh, I get it now. When I write something moronic it's really just that I was being sarcastic.

Thanks for the tip.


[Note: Not a single emoji was needed in this post]
 
Most countries conserve pronounceable fix names by using two letters airport identifier following by three numbers for fixes that aren't reporting points, such as "LA002 and LA018," etc.

But, not the FAA...DUH.

naples.jpg
 
Ravioli said:
When I write something moronic it's really just that I was being sarcastic.
Click to expand...
When you proposed the visual image of somebody listening to LiveATC in front of their computer and having a question and calling the controlling facility directly, I couldn't help but laugh. In a good, fun-natured kind of laugh. Thought others would appreciate the humor in that image as well considering 1) we had already directly answered the OPs question and 2) it seemed obvious enough to be a joke.

Lesson learned.

Most of the time when I write something moronic it's in ALL emojis. :mad2:

Back to the OPs question, though, I think one reason a few of us found it so quickly on the plates is that we narrowed it down to an RNAV departure procedure, as you mentioned, and then just the first one that pops up in ForeFlight alphabetically (CURLO) it's the first way point near the top. Then to your point, it would be the first way point in the procedure so that would explain why so many aircraft were getting that fix.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top