Aircraft contrails off Tangimoana Beach
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About this Map
Creating the Mysterious New Zealand Flight Vector Map
This map has been created by the team at Mysterious New Zealand with the assistance and guidance of sources within commercial aviation in New Zealand. Vectors have been largely plotted using up to date official aviation charts.
Portion of a Jeppesen High/Low Altitude Enroute Chart
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Much attention has been given to the accurate identification and plotting of waypoints, as vectors are basically straight lines connecting waypoints. Once a vector has been established it is then checked and confirmed using the software program Flight Explorer which allows real time tracking and monitoring of commercial and general aviation flights on IFR flight plans in New Zealand controlled air space.
Flight Explorer displays the following information:
Aircraft ID: Airline and flight information
Aircraft type
Origin and destination
Location, coordinates
Altitude (international flights only)
Ground speed
Departure and estimated arrival times
Example of Flight Explorer information screen
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On Flight Explorer a specific aircraft's route can be represented as a track which can then be precisely compared with official vectors. A small number of routes, not available to us from our official sources, have been determined solely from using repeated observations on Flight Explorer.
The Mysterious New Zealand team is highly confident that the map is very accurate and is certainly more than accurate enough for its designed purpose. We have used the most accurate map that we have access to as the core structure of the Flight Vector map. The Mysterious New Zealand flight vector map does not coincide exactly with Flight Explorer maps, which seem to be narrower than standard New Zealand maps. Nor does it match exactly with satellite images of New Zealand, due, we imagine, to distortions in the imaging procedure.
New routes or alterations to existing routes will be added in future editions. A small number of unpublished vectors are pending at this time awaiting checking and final verification.
Exceptions
Some information on military flights is naturally restricted, nor are these flights particularly frequent, so even in the fullness of time, they will not generally be vectored on this map. At present only one military vector is shown, Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii/Christchurch/Antarctica, a US military seasonal supply route to Antarctica by C-17 Globemaster 111 supply aircraft.
C-17 Globemaster III
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C-17 Globemaster III parked on the deep freeze tarmac apron
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So although Military flights, other than certain supply routes, do not generally appear on Flight Explorer, they are not particularly common in New Zealand anyway, as the RNZAF has only two aircraft in service that would qualify for this map, both twin engined 757-2K2 strategic airlift aircraft (NZ 7571 and NZ 7572). Information on their activities are not in the public domain. Both aircraft are painted in low visibility grey and are based at Whenuapai.
RNZAF 757
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From time to time visiting military jets appear in our airspace and could theoretically be seen heading in any direction. Some ex-military small jets are also in private hands and conceivably at times fly high enough to create contrails.
Vector Variations
Generally any vector variations from commercial aircraft will be observed in the approach to an airport, usually at relatively low altitude and will most likely be due to required approach direction. For example, Auckland International Airport runway is roughly South West/North East, reflecting the prevailing winds in this particular part of the country. Therefore, if the wind is North East, aircraft will approach from the South West and flights from Australia will cross the coast at a particular point further Northwards than indicated on the map, even at times as far North as the Kaipara Harbour, then do a right turn and circle to the North East approach path. At times we also see flights approaching on say the Vanuatu/Japan vector drift somewhat eastwards and we presume this is due to a required South West approach to the Auckland runway. Aircraft may also be directed to enter a holding pattern due to traffic and this may likewise affect their approach vector. These types of variations will no doubt be seen at other locations around New Zealand as circumstances dictate.
International flights sometimes deviate from standard vectors en route, in order to chase favourable winds or to dodge a turbulent area etc. Usually though, they will hit the outer waypoints accurately but will be seen to have approached the waypoint from a non-standard direction.
Corporate jets, Bombardier BD700, Lear jets and the like, as we understand it, do not necessarily use the official domestic or international vectors as portrayed on the map. However, these aircraft will be heading to or from the main airports within New Zealand, or basically the same international destinations as commercial aircraft, so will not be seen deviating too far from the routes displayed on the Mysterious New Zealand map.
Bombardier BD700
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As an aid to a more thorough understanding, we welcome forum reporting on any observed variations to the map, or anything that adds to our knowledge base.
Using the Mysterious New Zealand Map
In conjunction with a visual sighting of a contrail, it should be possible to use the map to identify a destination or departure point associated with that aircraft. Or to identify a craft whose vector does not fit any of those indicated on the map.
Those within the aviation industry whose job is associated with the knowledge of commercial aircraft routes, for example training, say that when they see a high flying jet and/or its contrail they know exactly where it's going without guessing. They can do this with certainty because aircraft must almost always adhere to specific vectors. As told to us by one flight crew member; "When we're in the sky, we are just pawns". Arbitrary flight paths are normally out of the question.
Calculating Contrail Direction with a Compass
Some vectors to different destinations are very similar. To differentiate, it may be necessary to use a compass. If the contrail is directly overhead, establishing a direction is relatively simple. However, if the trail is some distance away, it may be quite difficult to guess where to point the compass. The only thing that can be done perhaps, is to attempt to sight the compass parallel to the trail to get a rough reading which may be accurate enough for the purpose.
Hand bearing compass
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If you use a compass to ascertain direction of an observed aircraft and/or its contrail, remember to allow for compass variation in your calculations. A compass needle points towards magnetic North, but this is not the same as true North (as indicated by the vertical lines of longitude on all maps and charts). In New Zealand, magnetic North is actually anywhere between 18° and 25° East of true North, depending on where you are in the country. This variation, which changes slightly each year, is known as magnetic declination and must be deducted from your compass reading. For example, a reading at Wellington of 112° magnetic is actually 090° true (thus exact East).
Examples of magnetic Declination in New Zealand (September 2006)
Kaitaia: 18° 17' East
Auckland: 19° 24' East
Taupo: 20° 35' East
Wellington: 22° 4' East
Christchurch: 23° 23' East
Dunedin: 24° 52' East
If accuracy is important to you, here are links to a couple of calculators to determine magnetic declination at your location. Use the Getty Calculator to ascertain the co-ordinates of the town or city closest to your location. Then enter these figures into the NOAA calculator to compute the declination. Enter decimal degrees into this calculator, not degrees and minutes, otherwise you will get an error message. Remember, this figure is deducted from the compass direction as per the example above.
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
NOAA Magnetic Declination Calculator
If you have the skills, it is possible, of course, to use a magnetic reading on a printed map. The inner scale on the vector map's compass rose is set at 22° 4' East which is the magnetic declination at Wellington, a reasonable median value for all of New Zealand.
Satellite Images
Each day about five current satellite images are available on the Landcare website. Sometimes contrails are clearly visible on these images. An archive of images back to October 1998 is available on this page also.
Latest Satellite image
Parallel contrails off the West Coast, lower North Island and another off the West Coast of the South Island
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The flight vector map will enable easy identification of the vectors these trails represent. Remember that the wind can move contrails from their original position, and cross winds can quickly shred a contrail.
As an identification example, click on this link for a Satellite map from September 28th 2006 at 2:10pm. Off the West Coast of the South Isalnd, you'll find a contrail. Compare the contrail track with the Mysterious New Zealand vector map and it's quite easy to identify it as a Sydney/Christchurch flight. It seems a little off course, but that is probably due to wind influence on the contrail.
Some archived New Zealand satellite images are also to be found on NASA's Visible Earth website.
Contrail patterns off the West Coast of the upper North Island
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Teletext page 430
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Flight Explorer
The Mysterious New Zealand Flight Vector Map is great accompaniment to Flight Explorer and we are fortunately one of the few countries where real time flight data is permitted to be used by this program. It may be noticed though, that the map of New Zealand used by Flight Explorer seems to be narrower then standard maps of New Zealand and vectors may be slightly distorted. Remember to filter out all non-relevant low level aircraft. As detailed above, movements by military aircraft are infrequently shown on Flight Explorer. The non-appearance of a sighted vector on Flight Explorer may be evidence of military or covert activity.
http://www.flightexplorer.com/
The Flight Explorer Interface
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Feedback
We welcome reports of interest - anomalous, commercial aircraft deviating from standard vectors, or perhaps your experiences using the vector map. The Mysterious New Zealand forums are the most suitable place to discuss these aspects, however you may regard email or personal messaging (through the forums) as more appropriate in some cases.
