With Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) notorious as the busiest airport in the US—with passengers carried at just over 103 million—the air traffic in the Atlanta area can, at times, be intense. DeKalb-Peachtree (PDK), just 17 nautical miles northeast, is a perfect GA airport for anyone visiting the metro area interested in avoiding ATL traffic. When PDK winds blow from the west and south, the RNAV (GPS) Y Runway 21L is regularly used during IFR conditions—and often just to establish a stable arrival during VFR conditions.
Chart Wise: PDK RNAV (GPS) Y Runway 21L
Key Takeaways:
- DeKalb-Peachtree (PDK) Airport's RNAV (GPS) Y Runway 21L approach is a critical option for general aviation pilots looking to avoid heavy traffic at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL).
- This is a non-precision approach, lacking LPV minimums and requiring careful step-down descents, a local altimeter setting for the Visual Descent Point (VDP), and awareness that the "straight-in" path is offset by 15.04 degrees from the runway centerline.
- Pilots must note specific arrival restrictions (e.g., AWSON), the Missed Approach Point (MAP) at JOPUN (0.4 miles from the runway end), and a complex missed approach procedure involving an immediate, tight climbing right turn to avoid conflicting with ATL traffic.
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