From the Flight Deck – Frederick Douglass/Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)

Fredrick Douglas/Greater Rochester International (ROC) is a medium sized multi-use airport located on the southwest side of Rochester, New York. Rochester has associated Class Charlie airspace, and pilots visiting the airport for the first time should review the requirements to operate in this type of airspace.

Visit https://www.faa.gov/roc for supplemental "pilot handbook" information on this airport including airport-specific cautions, information local controllers want pilots to know, airport communications, airspace details and other preflight planning resources.

0:51 - The airport configuration consists of three runways, two that intersect labeled 4-22 and 10-28, and a smaller third runway labeled 7-25. A complex taxiway system provides access to all services and ramps located north and south of the runway complex.

1:44 - Since the approach ends of the runways are so close together, pilots have misidentified their landing runway and attempted to land on the incorrect one. To address wrong surface events where an aircraft lines up to or lands on the incorrect runway, taxiway, or airport, the FAA released Arrival Alert Notices (AAN) at various airports with a history of misalignment risk. View the VNY Arrival Alert Notice here: https://www.faa.gov/airports/runway_s...

2:25 - Another issue that occurs occasionally in this same general area and primarily at night, concerns a well-lit multi-lane avenue that aligns almost perfectly with the final approach course for runway 28. The avenue ends approximately two miles east of the approach end, but has still been misidentified as the runway numerous times.

2:51 - Be aware of the intersection of taxiway Echo and runway 7-25. The common issue at this location is that aircraft taxiing on taxiway Echo southeast bound may inadvertently cross the hold short lines, and incur the runway.

3:21 - Aircraft taxiing from the ramp area via taxiway Golf have missed the hold short lines for runway 7-25. In the same general area, there is a service road that is south of and parallel to the entire length of taxiway Foxtrot. This road has been mistaken many times for the taxiway.

4:31 - Be aware of a small area on the surface at ROC where some aircraft lose the ability to receive radio reception from the tower depending on the type of aircraft and its antenna location. This is due to where the radio antennas are located and an obstruction being directly in the path between the antennas and this “dead zone.”

The FAA's From the Flight Deck video series uses aircraft-mounted cameras to capture runway and taxiway footage and combines them with diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items. Learn more at https://www.faa.gov/FromTheFlightDeck.

This video is informational only and does not replace the pilot’s responsibility to conduct required pre-flight planning in accordance with FAR 91.103.