Just curious about this in the Toronto approach:

[peedeem]

I live on the East Mall @ Burnhamthorpe in Toronto. From our East-facing balcony looking Southeast, there is a flashing white light (days) and flashing red light (nights) just South-east of Dundas @ Shaver. I am presuming this light is what's indicated on the YYZ approach chart as "QUEENSWAY 368 ZYZ"?

Aircraft that come to the Toronto area from Lake Ontario heading Northwest, make a wide right turn and head East toward downtown Toronto. Then, they make a 180 to the left, and head to YYZ. Is the QUEENSWAY 368 ZYZ beacon something that they have to "go around" before heading East?

Also I'd like to know how far they travel toward downtown Toronto before they start to make the 180 to YYZ. Is there a beacon/transmitter somewhere they have to go to before they make the left and then approach YYZ? It looks to me that they may go as far as Yonge Street, but I lose sight of them while they're heading N/E. I am looking at: [flightaware.com]

Thanks for any clarifications to my curiosities. pdm

[YYZatcboy]

http://www.freewebs.com/vogelair/CYYZ.pdf

They actually turn at the fix VERKO. You can see it on the LINNG 1 and waterloo arrivals to the 24's.

[peedeem]

I live on the East Mall @ Burnhamthorpe in Toronto. From our East-facing balcony looking Southeast, there is a flashing white light (days) and flashing red light (nights) just South-east of Dundas @ Shaver. I am presuming this light is what's indicated on the YYZ approach chart as "QUEENSWAY 368 ZYZ"?

Aircraft that come to the Toronto area from Lake Ontario heading Northwest, make a wide right turn and head East toward downtown Toronto. Then, they make a 180 to the left, and head to YYZ. Is the QUEENSWAY 368 ZYZ beacon something that they have to "go around" before heading East?

Also I'd like to know how far they travel toward downtown Toronto before they start to make the 180 to YYZ. Is there a beacon/transmitter somewhere they have to go to before they make the left and then approach YYZ? It looks to me that they may go as far as Yonge Street, but I lose sight of them while they're heading N/E. I am looking at: [flightaware.com]

Thanks for any clarifications to my curiosities. pdm

Hello YYZatcboy. I looked at the LINNG and LINNG 1 and I see the VERKO. I'm not a pilot, and I'm not familiar with the technical terms on the charts. It looks to me that when they are over the VERKO (could you give me a landmark please), they turn right to a heading of 057 degrees (N-E) towards Yonge Street and the 401. Would this be correct? If so, how far do they travel (a landmark please) before they make a 180 and take a bearing of 237 degrees to Pearson? I'd appreciate an explanation in landlubber terms re my original post if you have the time. For example, am I correct about the "QUEENSWAY 368 ZYZ"? Would this flashing beacon actually be VERKO? Maybe this flashing light has nothing to do with aircraft? Thanks for answering. pdm

[Changes in Latitudes]

Verko is a GPS fix so it is only a co-ordinate and not an actual beacon. The distance they travel towards the NE depends upon what ATC needs for spacing, they can turn them in early or let them keep going if they need more room.

VERKO is right around here:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&expId ... a=N&tab=wl

[canwhitewolf]

yep right around le treport wedding place

about 116 meters south on the queensway from the intersection of the queensway east and stanfield rd

43.596830 -079.583000 VERKO

[albertdesalvo]

Maybe this flashing light has nothing to do with aircraft?

It's probably a cellphone tower, or it could be one of the dozens of towers associated with the big hydro substation that's just below the Kipling GO/TTC stations. I would bet on cellphone, because few hydro towers are lit in the daytime. Got some binoculars?

[peedeem]

Thank you all for the explanations:

Changes in Latitude - Guess it's too difficult to judge exactly where the planes are (near Verko) from my balcony because I do lose line of sight of them when they actually start to turn. Since there's no actual beacon and just a GPS fix, they probably can start their turn to the N-E without actually going over Verko. Thanks also, for the ATC / spacing information. Clear!

Canadian White Wolf - I did look up the Verko co-ordinates like your map, and as I explained to Changes in Latitude above, I thought it would have been too far S-W from my location.

Albert Desalvo - I have done better than binoculars. The flashing light is S.S.E. of the Swiss Chalet that's on the corner of Dundas St. and Shorncliffe, near the railway tracks, but at least you have me now thinking that it's nothing to do with aviation?

pdm

[albertdesalvo]

I think you are looking at this, it's a cellphone tower exactly where you describe.

Shorncliffe_S_of_RR_underpass.JPG (92.15 KiB) Viewed 1316 times

30_Lockport.JPG (56.04 KiB) Viewed 1316 times

[Tim]

that's a gsm cell phone tower in your picture.

here's the first image a google search 'gsm cell phone tower' gives
http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http ... 29,r:0,s:0

[peedeem]

Thanks Albert.

That's THE ONE!

So it looks like it belongs to Hydro One eh? I did drive into the back yard of that West End garage and saw the base of the tower but was at the N-E corner of their lot and I couldn't drive any farther.

[toelessjoe]

This thread has been informative, insightful, and lacking in any name calling, threats of violence or f bombs. I vote we have it locked for failing to live up to AVCANADA standards. Mod? Mod? MOD!!!!!!

[albertdesalvo]

So it looks like it belongs to Hydro One eh?

No, it's definitely a cellphone tower, it's just on Hydro One's property. According to Steve Punter's maps, it's a Telus tower.