Flight Corridors

Please note that even though arrival and departure lines are depicted on the attached exhibits, this may not be exactly where planes are flying as discussed below. Flight tracks were modeled and computer generated to represent the predominant actual aircraft flight patterns (arrivals and departures). At RSW, there are two broad aircraft flight corridors, Northeast and Southwest flight patterns. Northeast flow (aircraft landing from the west / southwest over Interstate 75, and departing to the east / northeast towards Lehigh Acres) occurs approximately 80 percent of the time. Southwest flow (aircraft landing from the east / northeast over Lehigh Acres and departing to the west / southwest towards Interstate 75) occurs approximately 20 percent of the time. These runway utilization percentages are expected to remain the same during the operation of both planned parallel runways sometime after the Year 2010. As a proactive approach in the recently approved Part 150 Study, flight tracks were also modeled to represent aircraft operation on both parallel runways and are shown graphically in the exhibits below.

 

The corridors shown in green are departures, the corridors shown in blue are arrivals and the corridors shown in orange represent the general aviation training patterns as well as the initial departure routes and final arrival routes for general aviation propeller aircraft. Occasionally, aircraft will fly outside these corridors for various reasons. Weather conditions, particularly crosswinds can affect the true heading of aircraft as they approach and depart the airport. Other factors include airspace and other operational issues, such as, in-flight medical emergencies, safety, and aircraft performance, etc.

 

Aircraft operations at the airport experience considerable seasonal and daily peaks, which often require a change in how airplanes are routed to allow the airport to handle the additional demand. Seasonal weather patterns also influence the flight corridors at the airport. Aircraft primarily arrive and depart into the wind. As weather fronts come through or the seasons change, wind patterns often shift. This results in changes in which runway ends are used by the arriving and departing aircraft as previously explained.