Air Carrier Cargo (Freighter) Approaches
Log for March 1 - March 7, 2008



Summary of all air carrier cargo approach activity for this week
Type Count % of Total Average approaches per day Typical approaches on an active day
All approaches: 45 100% 6.43 10
ILS approaches over EDH: 28 62% 4 7
ILS over EDH in early a.m.: 14 31% 2 3


Date Time Flight Approach IAF
Altitude
EDH
Ridge
Altitude
EDH
Noise
Potential
Notes
March 1
Saturday
04:00:59 ABX1927 south -- -- none ("south" and "north" approaches do not overfly EDH or Folsom)
04:07:40 UPS954 south -- -- none
06:18:53 ABX806 ILS
late entry
6,184 3,553 low to
moderate
Captured ILS locator over EDH instead of at IAF.
~ 300 to 350 feet below glide slope near IAF and at EDH ridge. Briefly arrested descent just west of Bass Like, resumed 3-degree descent, then captured standard ILS glide slope over Folsom.
06:22:08 UPS958 ILS 5,049 3,888 low ~ 1,500 below glide slope at IAF
Level until glide slope interception @ Green Valley Rd
On glideslope over EDH, well before crossing ridge
March 2
Sunday
18:04:48 ABX1755 VFR,south
of ILS
-- -- none Did not cross EDH or Folsom.
Diverted from ILS about 5 miles short of IAF, moved to parallel VFR approach about 5 miles sout of the ILS for circling approach to Runway 4R.
March 3
Monday
17:53:38 ABX406 ILS 6,827 3,819 low ATC data intermittent in late afternoon, including one ~1/2 hour dropout
March 4
Tuesday
03:42:05 ABX1927 south -- -- none
03:50:24 UPS954 south -- -- none
04:29:12 UPS956 ILS 6,490 3,875 low
05:30:37 UPS958 ILS 6,549 4,078 low
06:32:59 ABX806 ILS 6,394 4,652 low Crossed EDH ridge ~ 750 feet above glide slope, would have had slightly higher throttle setting for < 3-degree descent at that point.
16:20:xx UPS2960 ILS ? ? low? ATC data gap, lost all data until the aircraft crossed US 50 in Folsom. That crossing altitude was 2,854 feet, on the glide slope. The most likely possibility is that the entire approach was nominal, beginning with passing the IAF at about 6,500 feet, but data to confirm this is not available.

Immediately after this approach a T-38 twice overflew EDH Town Center and vicinity while level at ~ 3,000 feet before joining another at Mather. The T-38 may have been in other areas within EDH at 3,000 ft MSL during the data loss period.
17:11:05 UPS2958 ILS 6,558 3,832 low One of 3 T-38s is still shooting touch-and-goes at Mather at this time.
17:57:57 ABX406 ILS 5,489 3,566 low to moderate ~ 1,000 feet below glide slope near IAF, ~ 200 feet low at EDH ridge. Crossed ridge somewhat north of ILS localizer approach path.
18:59:51 ABX1755 ILS 5,771 3,855 low ~ 700 feet below glide slope at IAF
19:49:00 UPS2984 ILS ? 3,875 low Data had intermittent dropouts, first appearance of this flight was at 4,692 feet over Green Valley Road. Approach from IAF to EDH ridge appears nominal.
19:56:38 ABX1802 north -- -- none Long ATC data loss after this flight
March 5
Wednesday
03:38:41 ABX1927 south -- -- none
03:53_21 UPS954 south -- -- none
04::14:17 UPS956 ILS 6,591 3,865 low
05:32:35 UPS958 ILS 6,404 4,019 low
06:02:00 ABX806 ILS 6,352 3,937 low
15:56:51 UPS2960 ILS 6,093 3,957 low
17:11:11 UPS2958 ILS 6,079 4,488 low to moderate 400 feet low at IAF, 600 feet high at EDH ridge:
High ridge crossing but at higher throttle setting than for 3 degree slope
17:52:51 ABX406 ILS 6,900 3,898 low 400 feet high at IAF, on glide slope at EDH ridge
One data outage was long enough to hide a flight (ABX 1755?)
19:52:00 UPS2984 ILS 5,981 3,871 low 500 feet low at IAF, captured glide slope before reaching EDH ridge
20:02:49 ABX1802 north -- -- none
March 6
Thursday
03:48:29 ABX1927 south -- -- none
03:57:30 UPS954 south -- -- none
04:04:39 UPS956 ILS 6,483 3,921 low
05:09:58 UPS958 ILS 6,362 3,986 low Entry to ILS from nearly due east, turn onto FAF at IAF.
06:00:33 ABX806 ILS 6,473 3,891 low
16:07:07 UPS2960 ILS 5,587 3,678 low to moderate 1,000 feet low at IAF, 200 feet low over EDH ridge. Crossing altitude was reasonable but throttle setting would have been slightly higher than normal for a 3 degree glide slope. Glide slope intercept was almost exactly at county line.
16:59:01 UPS2958 VFR, south of ILS -- -- none Inbound from due east, turned right onto left base at county line and stayed south of US 50.
18:07:58 ABX1755 ILS 9,032 3,461 low 2,500 feet above glide slope at IAF, 450 feet below glide slope at EDH ridge.
Leveled at 2,900 - 3,000 feet over Folsom until capturing the glide slope near US 50. Noise in part of Folsom could have been low to moderate.
~20:10 UPS2984 ILS 5,115 ~3,900? low to moderate? Data dropout during approach. Arrival from northeast, slightly north of ILS, captured localizer over EDH. ~ 1,400 feet low abeam IAF, probably carried slightly more throttle than used on a 3 degree glide slope.
20:13:20 ABX1801 ILS ~6,000? 3,976 low Data dropout while inbound from north. Captured localizer over EDH, VNAV looks like CDA.
March 7
Friday
03:30:06 ABX1927 south -- -- none
03:46:34 UPS954 south -- -- none
04:01:10 UPS956 ILS 6,565 3,921 low
05:04:10 UPS958 ILS 6,526 4,098 low
05:49:22 ABX806 ILS 6,568 3,930 low
? Data gap from ~ 15:45 to 16:00 could have masked an arrival.
Data gap from ~ 16:20 to 16:37 could have masked an arrival.
Data gap from ~ 17:26 to 17:48 could have masked an arrival
17:51:14 ABX406 ILS 5,121 3,888 low ~ 1,300 feet below glide slope at IAF
Ran virtually level from IAF until capturing the glide slope at Green Valley Road.
? Data gap from 18:22 to 18:40 could have masked an arrival
20:11:29 ABX1802 north -- -- none Did not overfly EDH or Folsom.
Data has Intermittent short gaps.
20:15:15 UPS897 ILS 6,900 ~3,900 low Short data gap centered on passage over EDH Ridge and county line;
4,124 feet altitude in last sample before ridge.

For each approach a captured image of the overall approach track is linked to contents of the Approach column. For approaches over EDH a captured image of the approach track at the point of maximum noise exposure is linked to values in the Crossing Altitude column. In almost all cases this is the point of crossing the western ridge of El Dorado Hills, whose at a point whose elevation is approximately 1,100 feet. Crossing altitudes are MSL (relative to mean sea level), as reported in the WebTrak traces of flight paths. The approach of greatest interest for EDH noise issues is the ILS (Instrument Landing System) approach. For ILS approaches the flight track image linked to the Approach column shows the aircraft at the IAF (Initial Approach Fix).

Color code for highlighting in the log table:          Early morning approach
(between 3:30 a.m. and about 6 a.m.)
        Noise potential for EDH at ridge was "none":
This approach did not overfly EDH.
Noise potential for EDH at ridge was "low":
Estimated Lmax around 70 dB or less, usually 65 to 70
          Noise potential for EDH at ridge was "low to moderate":
Estimated Lmax around 75 dB plus or minus 5 dB
        Noise potential for EDH at ridge was "moderate":
Estimated Lmax around 80 dB plus or minus 5 dB
        Noise potential for EDH at ridge was "high":
Estimated Lmax around 85 dB or more

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